Is it permissible to give zakat to a person whose entire salary goes to pay off monthly debts (checks), and who borrows to cover his basic expenses? And are monthly checks considered a deferred debt?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The categories of recipients are divinely ordained, and among them are the gharimin (debtors). Gharimin refers to those who have incurred debts not due to extravagance or squandering, or those who have undertaken debt to reconcile disputes (islaah dhaat al-bayn). A debtor is given from zakat if he is unable to repay his debt and has nothing to cover it, even if he is wealthy in the case of reconciling people. A reasonable presumption is sufficient for him to be considered among those eligible for zakat.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/184878
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 184878
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy