May zakah be given to an indebted poor person on condition that he returns it to the giver?
2026-10-13
F148 · Selected fatwas
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn
الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين
Original Q&A · Full displayed answer
This is about an eligible poor debtor receiving zakah. Preserve the distinction between an imposed condition that he repay the giver and his subsequently doing so without that condition; the answer does not permit using zakah as a repayment arrangement.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
فضيلة الشيخ، هل يجوز دفعها للفقير المدين بشرط أن يردها للدافع؟
الجواب
لا، لا يجوز، يعني لو كان عندك مدين فقير، ودفعت إليه زكاتك فلا بأس، ولا حرج، حتى لو ردها عليك من بعد فلا حرج، لكن إذا اشترطت عليه ذلك، فلا يجوز؛ لأنك إذا فعلت هذا فقد علمنا أنك إنما تريد بهذا العمل أن تسترد مالك الذي في ذمة الفقير، والزكاة لا يجوز أن يحابي الإنسان فيها أحدا لا نفسه ولا غيره.
English translation
English rendering prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic answer. Not an official translation.
Original question
Esteemed Shaykh, may it be paid to an indebted poor person on condition that he returns it to the giver?
Answer
No, that is not permissible. If a poor person owes you money and you give him your zakah, there is no objection or difficulty. Even if he subsequently returns it to you, there is no objection. However, if you make this a condition, it is not permissible. If you do that, we know that your purpose is to recover the money owed to you by the poor person. In zakah, a person may not favour anyone—neither himself nor someone else.
Source and editorial notes
Fiqh al-ʿIbādāt, 13th edition, 1441 AH, question 126, p.216
فقه العبادات
Fiqh al-ʿIbādāt
Arabic transcribed and compared against the cited scan and adjacent context.