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27 / 04 / 2026
Zakat of the Debtor
My sister inherited from our father an amount of forty thousand Jordanian dinars, and a year has passed on it, but she has debts due to a mosque she built for our father. We are living modestly, thank God, just enough for our needs and less. Honestly, I want to pay off the debts and keep the rest to buy land for us. I have two sons, and their expenses from their father are not enough. Is it permissible to spend the zakat on my children and to pay off my debts? The amount I need is 15 thousand dinars?
Answer
I say, and with God's success: Zakat is required on what exceeds the debt, and it is not permissible to give zakat to children; rather, it should be given to the poor. And Allah, the Exalted, will compensate you with what is better. And Allah knows best.
