Offsetting Loan for Zakat

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الْأَوَّلَ ع عَنْ دَيْنٍ لِي عَلَى قَوْمٍ قَدْ طَالَ حَبْسُهُ عِنْدَهُمْ لَا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى قَضَائِهِ وَ هُمْ مُسْتَوْجِبُونَ لِلزَّكَاةِ هَلْ لِي أَنْ أَدَعَهُ وَ أَحْتَسِبَ بِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ قَالَ نَعَمْ.

“I once asked abu al-Hassan, the first (a.s.), about the case of my loan on a people, who have delayed payment for a long time. They are not able to pay and they are deserving beneficiaries of Zakat. Can I count it as payment of my Zakat? He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, you can do so.’”

سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ- يَكُونُ لَهُ الدَّيْنُ عَلَى رَجُلٍ فَقِيرٍ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُعْطِيَهُ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ فَقَالَ إِنْ كَانَ الْفَقِيرُ عِنْدَهُ وَفَاءٌ بِمَا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ دَيْنٍ مِنْ عَرْضٍ مِنْ دَارٍ أَوْ مَتَاعٍ مِنْ مَتَاعِ الْبَيْتِ أَوْ يُعَالِجُ عَمَلًا يَتَقَلَّبُ فِيهَا بِوَجْهِهِ فَهُوَ يَرْجُو أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مِنْهُ مَالَهُ عِنْدَهُ مِنْ دَيْنِهِ فَلَا بَأْسَ أَنْ يُقَاصَّهُ بِمَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يُ

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man to whom another man owes a certain amount of loan who is poor to whom he wants to pay Zakat. He (the Imam) said, ‘The poor may have something in his possession or potentials, which is equal in value to the amount of loan, such as certain effects like a house, household e