Salam AlaykumI would like to give my Zakat al Maal to my brother (we have the same mother and same father).My brother contracted a loan with interests (Ribaa) to a bank, but then he regretted it so he asked my father to lend him some money. He reimbursed the bank loan with my father's money, but now he has a debt to my father.My brother has a work and every month he reimburse my father a part of what he has borrowed. Can I give him my Zakat Al maal, or he is not eligible to Zakat al Maal?Jazak Allahu khayran.

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

If your brother’s debt is immediate and not deferred, then we hope there is no sin in giving the Zakat on your money to your brother to pay off the remainder of his debt. But if his debt is deferred, and he can pay it according to the term, then he is not given from the Zakat according to the view we adopt here at Islamweb.

The jurists differed in opinion regarding the payment of Zakat to the debtor who deserves if his debt is deferred. Imam al-Nawawi mentioned these differences in opinion as he said in al-Majmoo’ regarding the conditions for giving the debtor from Zakat:

“The third condition: if the debt is immediate, but if it is deferred, there are three opinions to giving it:

- The most correct opinion: He is not given [from Zakat money], and the author of al-Bayan authoritatively stated this because he is not in need of it now.

- The second view): He is given [Zakat] because he is called a debtor.

- The third view: Al-Rafi’i narrated that if the appointed time for repaying the debt is due that year, he is given Zakat, and if not, he is not given from the Zakat of that year.

Allah knows best.