Zakat - 108 - Part 4 of 5

6. Those Who Have Debts

The sixth category of deserving recipients of zakat, is those who have debts. They can be classified into three types:

(a) A person who incurs debts in order to settle trouble between two people, parties, or tribes involving bloodshed, such as when there has been a killing but it is not known who the killer is, and trouble has arisen between the two sides; or to settle trouble concerning property, such as bearing the expense when trouble occurs over it. Any person within the above category is given zakat even if that person is affluent.

(b) A person who incurs debts to support himself or his dependents is given zakat only if he is poor, but not if affluent. If a person incurs a debt for something lawful but spends it on something unlawful, and then repents, and is felt to be sincere in this, and the original reason is known to have been something lawful, then that person is given zakat.

(c) The third type of people who are in debt and may be classified as a zakat recipient is - given that if there are three persons - P,Q, and R; and when R incurs a debt by guaranteeing to P that Q will pay what he owes to P; and if R finds that neither he nor Q can pay, then R is given zakat, because he has gone into debt in order to guarantee Q's debt, even if, the reason R agreed to guarantee Q was not charity, but was rather agreed that Q would pay him back.


7. Those Fighting For Allah

This refers to people engaged in Islamic military operations for whom no salary has been allotted in the army roster but who are volunteers for jihad without remuneration. They are given enough to suffice them for the operation, even if affluent; of weapons, mounts/vehicles, clothing, and expenses for the duration of the journey, round trip, and the time they spend there, even if prolonged. As for their families throughout this period, they also deserve zakat and should also be given it.


8. Travellers In Need Of Money

This refers to one who is passing through a town in Muslim lands where zakat is collected, or whose journey was not undertaken for the purpose of disobeying Allah. If such a person is in need, he is given enough to cover his personal expenses and transportation, even if he possesses money back home.