✅ Answer: Pay attention to the following narration:

1⃣عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الْأَوَّلَ عَنْ دَیْنٍ لِی عَلَی قَوْمٍ قَدْ طَالَ حَبْسُهُ عِنْدَهُمْ لَا یَقْدِرُونَ عَلَی قَضَائِهِ وَ هُمْ مُسْتَوْجِبُونَ لِلزَّکَاةِ هَلْ لِی أَنْ أَدَعَهُ فَأَحْتَسِبَ بِهِ عَلَیْهِمْ مِنَ الزَّکَاةِ قَالَ نَعَمْ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 558

Abd al-Rahman ibn Hajjaj says: I asked Imam Kazim, peace be upon him, about a debt I am owed by some people, which has been held by them for a long time, and they are unable to repay it, and they are eligible for zakat. Can I forgive it and count it as zakat on their behalf? He said: Yes!

2⃣عَنْ عِدَّةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحُسَیْنِ بْنِ سَعِیدٍ عَنْ أَخِیهِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ زُرْعَةَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ یَکُونُ لَهُ الدَّیْنُ عَلَی رَجُلٍ فَقِیرٍ یُرِیدُ أَنْ یُعْطِیَهُ مِنَ الزَّکَاةِ فَقَالَ إِنْ کَانَ الْفَقِیرُ عِنْدَهُ وَفَاءٌ بِمَا کَانَ عَلَیْهِ مِنْ دَیْنٍ مِنْ عَرْضٍ مِنْ دَارٍ أَوْ مَتَاعٍ مِنْ مَتَاعِ الْبَیْتِ أَوْ یُعَالِجُ عَمَلًا یَتَقَلَّبُ فِیهَا بِوَجْهِهِ فَهُوَ یَرْجُو أَنْ یَأْخُذَ مِنْهُ مَالَهُ عِنْدَهُ مِنْ دَیْنِهِ فَلَا بَأْسَ أَنْ یُقَاصَّهُ بِمَا أَرَادَ أَنْ یُعْطِیَهُ مِنَ الزَّکَاةِ أَوْ یَحْتَسِبَ بِهَا فَإِنْ لَمْ یَکُنْ عِنْدَ الْفَقِیرِ وَفَاءٌ وَ لَا یَرْجُو أَنْ یَأْخُذَ مِنْهُ شَیْئاً فَلیُعْطِهِ مِنْ زَکَاتِهِ وَ لَا یُقَاصُّهُ بِشَیْءٍ مِنَ الزَّکَاةِ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 558

Sama’ah says: I asked Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, about a person who has a claim against a poor man to whom he intends to give zakat. The Imam said: If the poor man has means to repay his debts—such as a house, household items, or a job through which he earns a living—and there is hope of recovering the debt from him, there is no issue with deducting the amount intended for zakat from the debt or counting it as zakat. But if the poor man has no means to repay the debt and there is no hope of recovering anything from him, give him from your zakat and do not deduct anything from the zakat!

3⃣قَالَ الصَّادِقُ نِعْمَ الشَّیْءُ الْقَرْضُ إِنْ أَیْسَرَ قَضَاکَ وَ إِنْ أَعْسَرَ حَسَبْتَهُ مِنَ الزَّکَاةِ.

📚 Al-Faqih, Vol. 2, p. 17

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: A loan is a good thing! If he becomes wealthy, he will repay you, and if he remains poor, you can count it as zakat!

✅ Based on the above narrations and others, if a person has a debt owed by a poor individual who cannot repay it, when the time for zakat arrives, they may forgive the poor person’s debt and count it as zakat.

✅ The zakat mentioned in the above narrations is general and includes both zakat on wealth and Zakat al-Fitra.

✅ The poor person in question must meet the necessary conditions for receiving Zakat al-Fitra, some of which are mentioned in this link and this link.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْر

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