Chapter on Debt and Loan

"Seek refuge with Allah (swt) from the burden of debt, the dominance of men, and the ruin of the unmarried."

Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Beware of debt, for it is a disgrace to religion."

Hadith.3681 - Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "Beware of debt, for it is worry at night and humiliation during the day."

Hadith.3682 - Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "Beware of debt, for it is humiliation during the day, worry at night, accountability in this world, and accountability in the Hereafter."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "It has been mentioned to us that a man from the Ansar died while owing two dinars as debt, so the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) did not pray over him and said: 'Pray over your brother,' until one of his relatives guaranteed them on his behalf." Abu Abdillah (as) said: "That is true." Then Imam (as) said: "Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace be upon him and his family) did that so they would take heed, and so that they would support one another, and so that they would not take debt lightly. And yet the Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace be upon him and his family) died while he was in debt, the Commander of the Faithful (as) was killed while he was in debt, Al-Hasan (as) died while he was in debt, and Al-Husayn (as) was killed while he was in debt."

"Whoever seeks sustenance through lawful means and is overcome, let him borrow in the name of Allah (swt), the Mighty and Exalted, and His Messenger (peace be upon him and his family)."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as)-"May I be your ransom! Can a man borrow and perform Hajj?" Imam (as) said: "Yes." I said: "Can he borrow and get married?" Imam (as) said: "Yes, for he awaits the provision of Allah (swt) morning and evening."

I said to Abu Ja'far Al-Thani (as), "I wish to remain in Makkah and Madinah, but I have a debt upon me. What do you advise?" Imam (as) said: "Return and pay off your debt, and make sure you meet Allah (swt), the Mighty and Exalted, without any debt upon you, for the believer does not betray."

Hadith.3687 - Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (as) said: "Whoever has a debt and intends to repay it, Allah (swt), the Mighty and Exalted, appoints two angels to assist him in fulfilling his trust. But if his intention to repay falls short, their assistance will also decrease in proportion to his intention."

"The first drop of the martyr's blood is an expiation for his sins-except for debt, for its expiation is its repayment."

"Any man who goes to another man and borrows money from him while intending not to repay it, then he is a thief and a transgressor."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "A man among us has something with which he can sustain himself, but he is in debt. Should he feed his family with it until Allah (swt), the Mighty and Exalted, provides him with ease so he can repay his debt, or should he borrow despite the difficulty of the times and the hardship of earning, or should he accept charity?" Imam (as) said: "He should use what he has to repay his debt and should not consume people's wealth unless he has the means to repay them. Indeed, Allah (swt), the Mighty and Exalted, says: 'And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly.'" (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:188)

"Whoever withholds the right of a Muslim while he is able to give it to him, out of fear that if he lets go of that right he might become poor, then Allah (swt), the Mighty and Exalted, is more capable of making him poor than he is of enriching himself by withholding that right."

"Indeed, Allah (swt), the Mighty and Exalted, is with the debtor until he repays his debt, as long as he did not acquire it through what is forbidden to him."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "I owe a debt to orphans, and I fear that if I sell my estate, I will be left with nothing." Imam (as) said: "Do not sell your estate; rather, give some and keep some."

Hadith.3694 - The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "There is no debtor whose creditor leaves him satisfied except that the creatures of the earth and the fish in the seas pray for him. And there is no debtor whose creditor leaves him angry while he is capable of paying, except that Allah (swt), the Mighty and Exalted, records for him-each day or night that he withholds payment unjustly-a sin."

"If he makes him swear an oath, then he has no right to take anything from him after the oath. And if he imprisons him, he has no right to take anything from him. But if he leaves him and does not make him swear, then his right remains intact."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who owed me money but denied it and swore an oath. Then, some of his money came into my possession. Should I take it in place of what he took from me and swear an oath as he did? Imam (as) said: "If he has betrayed you, do not betray him, and do not commit what you criticized him for."

I said to him, "A man owes me a right but denies it, and then he entrusts me with some money. Is it permissible for me to take my due from it?" Imam (as) said: "No, that would be betrayal."

"Whoever entrusts you with a trust, then return it to him. And whoever betrays you, do not betray him."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "A man had money owed to him by another man, but the debtor denied it and took it away from him. Later, the creditor gained possession of an equivalent amount belonging to the debtor. Can he take it in place of the money that was taken from him?" Imam (as) said: "Yes, and he should say, 'O Allah (swt), I am only taking this in place of my money that he took from me.'"

O Allah (swt), I did not take what I took from him as an act of betrayal or injustice, but I took it in place of my rightful due."

Hadith.3701 - And in another narration: "If he makes him swear regarding what he took from him, then it is permissible for him to swear if he says this statement."

Hadith.3702 - The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Whoever swears by Allah (swt) should speak the truth, and whoever is sworn to by Allah (swt) should be satisfied. And whoever is not satisfied is not from Allah (swt) in any way."

I said to Abu Al-Hasan (as), "I deal with some people, and sometimes they send to me and take a bondwoman or an animal from me, and they take it away. Then their wealth later comes into my possession. Can I take from it an amount equivalent to what they took from me?" Imam (as) said: "Take from them an amount equal to what they took from you and do not take more than that."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "I gave my brother Ja'far some money, and he gives me from it what I spend, perform Hajj with, and give in charity. I asked the people around us, and they said that this is invalid and not permissible. I wish to follow your guidance in this matter." Imam (as) said: "Did he use to give to you before you entrusted him with your money?" I said: "Yes." Imam (as) said: "Then take what he gives you, eat, drink, perform Hajj, and give in charity. And when you return to Iraq, say, 'Ja'far ibn Muhammad (as) has given me this ruling.'"

Hadith.3705 - Sama'ah asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who stays with another man to whom he owes a debt. Is it permissible for him to eat from his food? Imam (as) said: "Yes, he may eat from his food for three days, but after that, he should not eat anything."

Hadith.3706 - Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (as) said regarding the saying of Allah (swt), the Mighty and Exalted: "There is no good in much of their secret talk except in one who enjoins charity, or kindness, or reconciliation between people" (Surah An-Nisa 4:114) Imam (as) said: "Kindness refers to giving a loan."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "Abdullah ibn Abi Ya'fur instructed me to ask you-when we borrow bread from our neighbors, we sometimes return it smaller or larger in size. Is this permissible?" Imam (as) said: "We borrow walnuts, sixty or seventy in number, and they may include small and large ones. There is no harm in this."

Hadith.3708 - Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) said: "Whoever gives a loan until ease of repayment, his wealth will be considered in Zakat, and the angels will continue praying for him until he receives it back."

"If a man has a debt and then dies, the debt becomes due."

Hadith.3710 - Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (as) said: "When a deceased person dies, what he owes and what is owed to him become due."

"If the creditors are satisfied with him, then the deceased is absolved of liability."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "Abdur-Rahman ibn Sayabah has a debt owed to him by a man who has died. We spoke to him about forgiving it, but he refused." Imam (as) said: "Woe to him! Does he not know that for every dirham he forgives, he will receive ten in return? But if he does not forgive, then he will only receive a dirham in exchange for a dirham."

A man came to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) and said: "I have earned wealth, but I was not careful in seeking it, whether it was lawful or unlawful. Now I wish to repent, but I do not know what portion of it is lawful and what is unlawful, as it has become mixed." Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "Take out one-fifth of your wealth, for Allah (swt), the Mighty and Exalted, has accepted one-fifth from a person, and the rest of the wealth is entirely lawful for you."

Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) ruled concerning a man who died and left heirs. One of the heirs acknowledged a debt against his father. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) ruled that it would be binding upon him in his share, according to what he inherited, and it would not apply to the entire estate. If two of the heirs acknowledged the debt and they were just (trustworthy), then it would be enforced against all the heirs. However, if they were not just, they would only be liable in their shares, based on what they inherited. Similarly, if some of the heirs acknowledged a brother or sister, the acknowledgment would only apply to their share. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "Whoever acknowledges a brother, he is a partner in the wealth, but his lineage is not established. If two heirs acknowledge him, the same applies-unless they are just (trustworthy), in which case his lineage is established, and he shares in the inheritance with them."

What is this?" The man replied: "This is your money that I owe you." He asked: "Did you inherit it?" The man said: "No." He asked: "Was it gifted to you?" The man said: "No." He asked: "Is it the price of a property you sold?" The man said: "No." He asked: "Then what is it?" The man replied: "I sold the house I live in to repay my debt." Muhammad ibn Abi Umayr (may Allah (swt) be pleased with him) said: "Zarih Al-Muharibi narrated to me from Abu Abdillah (as) that he said: 'A man should not be forced out of his home because of a debt.' Take it back; I have no need for it. By Allah (swt), I am in need of a dirham at this moment, yet not a single dirham of it will enter my possession."

Hadith.3716 - Yunus ibn Abdul Rahman wrote to Al-Ridha (as), saying: "I had ten dirhams owed to me by a man, but the ruler invalidated those dirhams and introduced new dirhams that are higher in value than the previous ones. The earlier dirhams are now devalued. What is my right upon him-the original dirhams that the ruler invalidated or the new dirhams approved by the ruler?" Imam (as) wrote in response: "You have the right to the original dirhams."