Is it permissible to pay off a father's debt from Zakat?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If the father incurred debt for maintenance, the son is not permitted to pay him , because the father's maintenance is obligatory upon the son. However, if the debt was for a purpose other than maintenance, it is permissible to repay it from zakat, because repaying the father's debt is not obligatory upon the son. Based on what Ibn Baz and Ibn Uthaymeen mentioned, it is permissible for the son to pay his father's debt from his zakat if the father is unable to repay his debt, provided that the cause of the debt was not to acquire maintenance that is obligatory upon the son.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/14588
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 14588
- 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