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Trade and finance (Mu'amalat)

Debts: writing them, repaying them and being patient

The ruling in short

Allah commands writing down a debt that is for a fixed time (2:282) and says that if a person is in hardship, there should be a postponement until things are easy, and to forgive is better (2:280). The Prophet ﷺ said that the delay of a wealthy person in paying his debt is injustice and that the soul of the believer is held back by his debt until it is paid.

1For the borrower

  • Repay on time, and when he is able, repay at once. A wealthy person who delays is unjust.
  • Borrow only when needed, and with the intention to repay.
  • Repay with something equal, or better with no stipulation (the Prophet ﷺ repaid with better than he took).
  • Write down debts in a will, because a debt remains owed after death and is paid from the estate before the inheritance is divided.

2For the lender

  • Write the debt and its date, and have witnesses.
  • Be patient with the one in difficulty and, if possible, forgive some or all of it.
  • Take nothing extra as a condition, because that is riba.

3The one who cannot pay

  • He is given time until his circumstances improve. Imprisoning or harming him is not allowed.
  • A person in debt is among the eight categories who can receive zakat (9:60).

Where the schools differ

The four Sunni schools agree on the main ruling above and differ in these points. No school is preferred here.

  • A debtor who is able to pay but delays may be compelled to pay by the judge. One who truly cannot pay must be given time, and is not imprisoned.

The evidence

From the Quran

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا تَدَايَنتُم بِدَيْنٍ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّۭى فَٱكْتُبُوهُ ۚ وَلْيَكْتُب بَّيْنَكُمْ كَاتِبٌۢ بِٱلْعَدْلِ ۚ وَلَا يَأْبَ كَاتِبٌ أَن يَكْتُبَ كَمَا عَلَّمَهُ ٱللَّهُ ۚ فَلْيَكْتُبْ وَلْيُمْلِلِ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيْهِ ٱلْحَقُّ وَلْيَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُۥ وَلَا يَبْخَسْ مِنْهُ شَيْـًۭٔا ۚ فَإِن كَانَ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيْهِ ٱلْحَقُّ سَفِيهًا أَوْ ضَعِيفًا أَوْ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَن يُمِلَّ هُوَ فَلْيُمْلِلْ وَلِيُّهُۥ بِٱلْعَدْلِ ۚ وَٱسْتَشْهِدُوا۟ شَهِيدَيْنِ مِن رِّجَالِكُمْ ۖ فَإِن لَّمْ يَكُونَا رَجُلَيْنِ فَرَجُلٌۭ وَٱمْرَأَتَانِ مِمَّن تَرْضَوْنَ مِنَ ٱلشُّهَدَآءِ أَن تَضِلَّ إِحْدَىٰهُمَا فَتُذَكِّرَ إِحْدَىٰهُمَا ٱلْأُخْرَىٰ ۚ وَلَا يَأْبَ ٱلشُّهَدَآءُ إِذَا مَا دُعُوا۟ ۚ وَلَا تَسْـَٔمُوٓا۟ أَن تَكْتُبُوهُ صَغِيرًا أَوْ كَبِيرًا إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ أَقْسَطُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَأَقْوَمُ لِلشَّهَٰدَةِ وَأَدْنَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَرْتَابُوٓا۟ ۖ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَٰرَةً حَاضِرَةًۭ تُدِيرُونَهَا بَيْنَكُمْ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَلَّا تَكْتُبُوهَا ۗ وَأَشْهِدُوٓا۟ إِذَا تَبَايَعْتُمْ ۚ وَلَا يُضَآرَّ كَاتِبٌۭ وَلَا شَهِيدٌۭ ۚ وَإِن تَفْعَلُوا۟ فَإِنَّهُۥ فُسُوقٌۢ بِكُمْ ۗ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ ﴿٢٨٢﴾

Yã ku waɗanda suka yi ĩmãni! Idan kun yi mu'ãmalar bãyar da bãshi zuwa ga wani ajali ambatacce, sai ku rubũta shi. Kuma wani marubuci ya yi rubũtu a tsakaninku da ãdalci. Kuma kada marubũci ya ki rubũtãwa, kamar yadda Allah Ya sanar da shi, sai ya rubũta. Kuma wanda bãshin yake a kansa sai ya yi shibta, kuma ya ji tsõron Allah, Ubangijinsa, da taƙawa, kuma kada ya rage wani abu daga gare shi. To, idan wanda bãshin yake a kansa yã kasance wãwã ne kõ kuwa rarrauna, kõ kuwa shi bã ya iya shibta, to, sai waliyyinsa ya yi shibtar da ãdalci. Kuma ku shaidar da shaidu biyu daga mazanku, to, idan ba su zama maza biyu ba, to, namiji guda da mãtã biyu, daga waɗanda kuke yarda da su daga shaidun dõmin mantuwar ɗayansu, sai gudarsu ta mazãkũtar da ɗayar. Kuma kada shaidun su ƙi, idan an kira su. Kuma kada ku ƙõsa ga rubũta shi, ƙarami ya kasance kõ babba, zuwa ajalinsa. Wancan ne mafi ãdalci a wurin Allah kuma mafi tsayuwa ga shaida, kuma mafi kusa ga rashin shakkarku. Sai idan ya kasance fatauci ne halartacce wanda kuke gẽwayarwa da shi hannu da hannu a tsakãninku to bãbu laifi a kanku, ya zama ba ku rubũta shi ba. Kuma ku shaidar idan kun yi sayayya. Kuma kada a wahalarda marubuci, kuma kada a wahalar da shaidu kuma idan kun aikata to, lalle ne, shi fãsiƙanci ne game da ku. Kumaku bi Allah da takƙawa, kuma Allah Ya sanar da ku. Kuma Allah ga dukan kõme Masani ne.

وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍۢ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍۢ ۚ وَأَن تَصَدَّقُوا۟ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٢٨٠﴾

Kuma idan ma'abucin wahala ya kasance (mawahalci) to, jinkirtãwa ake yi zuwa ga sauƙin al'amarinsa, kuma dã kun yi sadaka, shi ne mafi alhẽri a gare ku, idan kun kasance kuna sani.

From the Sunnah

Sahih al-Bukhari 2287 Authentic collection

The point of the hadith: A wealthy person who delays paying his debt does injustice.

Read the Arabic text

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ مَطْلُ الْغَنِيِّ ظُلْمٌ، فَإِذَا أُتْبِعَ أَحَدُكُمْ عَلَى مَلِيٍّ فَلْيَتْبَعْ ‏"‏‏.‏

Read it on sunnah.com

Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1078

The point of the hadith: The soul of the believer is held back by his debt until it is paid.

Graded by

  • Ahmad Muhammad Shakir: Sahih
  • Al-Albani: Sahih
  • Zubair Ali Zai: Hasan
Read the Arabic text

حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلاَنَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ زَكَرِيَّا بْنِ أَبِي زَائِدَةَ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ نَفْسُ الْمُؤْمِنِ مُعَلَّقَةٌ بِدَيْنِهِ حَتَّى يُقْضَى عَنْهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Read it on sunnah.com

This is general information, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.

Fiqh questions

Debts: writing them, repaying them and being patient

Allah commands writing down a debt that is for a fixed time (2:282) and says that if a person is in hardship, there should be a postponement until things are easy, and to forgive is better (2:280). The Prophet ﷺ said that the delay of a wealthy person in paying his debt is injustice and that the soul of the believer is held back by his debt until it is paid.

Is this a fatwa?

No. It is a summary of well-known rulings with their evidence. For your own case, ask a qualified scholar.

What if my school differs from this answer?

Follow the view of the school you follow and the scholar who teaches you. The page lists the differences of the four schools.

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