Paying Zakat to Small Dependents of a Believer or Offset a Loan

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع الرَّجُلُ يَمُوتُ وَ يَتْرُكُ الْعِيَالَ أَ يُعْطَوْنَ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ قَالَ‌ نَعَمْ حَتَّى يَنْشَوْا وَ يَبْلُغُوا وَ يَسْأَلُوا مِنْ أَيْنَ كَانُوا يَعِيشُونَ إِذَا قُطِعَ ذَلِكَ عَنْهُمْ‌[1] فَقُلْتُ إِنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْرِفُونَ قَالَ يُحْفَظُ فِيهِمْ مَيِّتُهُمْ وَ يُحَبَّبُ إِلَيْهِمْ دِينُ أَبِيهِمْ‌[2] فَلَا يَلْبَثُوا أَنْ يَهْتَمُّوا بِدِينِ أَبِيهِمْ فَإِذَا بَلَغُوا وَ عَدَلُوا

“I once asked abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who dies and leaves behind dependents. Can Zakat be given to them? He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, until they grow up, become adults and ask (themselves) by what means could they live and survive if that Zakat was cut off from them. I then said, ‘They do not know. He (the Imam

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ ع عَنْ رَجُلٍ عَارِفٍ فَاضِلٍ تُوُفِّيَ وَ تَرَكَ عَلَيْهِ دَيْناً قَدِ ابْتُلِيَ بِهِ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِمُفْسِدٍ وَ لَا بِمُسْرِفٍ وَ لَا مَعْرُوفٍ بِالْمَسْأَلَةِ هَلْ يُقْضَى عَنْهُ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ الْأَلْفُ وَ الْأَلْفَانِ قَالَ نَعَمْ.

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about a man of knowledge and excellence who dies owing a certain amount of debts. He was not corrupt, a spendthrift, or a known beggar; can his debts be paid from Zakat like one or two thousand? He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, it can be paid.”

ذُرِّيَّةُ الرَّجُلِ الْمُسْلِمِ إِذَا مَاتَ يُعْطَوْنَ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ وَ الْفِطْرَةِ كَمَا كَانَ يُعْطَى أَبُوهُمْ حَتَّى يَبْلُغُوا فَإِذَا بَلَغُوا وَ عَرَفُوا مَا كَانَ أَبُوهُمْ يَعْرِفُ أُعْطُوا وَ إِنْ نَصَبُوا لَمْ يُعْطَوْا.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Children of a Muslim man who dies can receive Zakat and al-Fitrah just as their father would receive, until they become adults and become knowledgeable of what their father was knowledgeable (believed in); they still can receive Zakat but if they become hostile, then Zakat is not give