Answered by: Maulana Naieem Mohammad
Question
If I’m paying a personal debt over 10 years, all will be deducted from Zakat?
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Debts are an exemption from zakaat[1]. Due to your debt being a recurring one with regular instalments, only the instalments for one Islamic year will be exempted from Zakaat.
Therefore, each year will be counted separately as the year comes to an end and not as a total debt due to the possibility in the future of the debt being forgiven, or the instalments being increased or decreased etc.
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Naieem Mohammad
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1]Haashiya Ibn Aabideen, pg 218, vol 3