Question
Person A owes person B a certain sum of money and person B says, “If I die, then you are absolved of your debt.” What is the ruling in such a scenario?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The absolution of the debt shall be treated as a Wasiyyah (bequest) of the deceased and shall be accommodated for in one third of the estate of the deceased alongside his/her other bequests.[1] It should be noted that if the debt exceeds one third of the estate, the absolution of the exceeded amount will be dependent on the consent of all the heirs. If they all consent to absolving that amount, the debtor will be absolved of the entire debt. If any one of them do not consent, the remaining amount will remain a debt upon the debtor and will be payable to the heirs of the deceased.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia
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[1] الدر المختار (رد المحتار) (5/ 244)
(وَالْإِبْرَاءُ عَنْ الدَّيْنِ) لِأَنَّهُ تَمْلِيكٌ مِنْ وَجْهٍ إلَّا إذَا كَانَ الشَّرْطُ مُتَعَارَفًا أَوْ عَلَّقَهُ بِأَمْرٍ كَائِنٍ كَإِنْ أَعْطَيْته شَرِيكِي فَقَدْ أَبْرَأْتُك وَقَدْ أَعْطَاهُ صَحَّ وَكَذَا بِمَوْتِهِ وَيَكُونُ وَصِيَّةً وَلَوْ لِوَارِثِهِ
حاشية ابن عابدين: (قَوْلُهُ وَكَذَا بِمَوْتِهِ إلَخْ) فِي الْخَانِيَّةِ: لَوْ قَالَ لِمَدْيُونِهِ إذَا مِتّ فَأَنْتَ بَرِيءٌ مِنْ الدَّيْنِ جَازَ وَيَكُونُ وَصِيَّةً
البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق ومنحة الخالق وتكملة الطوري (6/ 197)
وَلَوْ قَالَ الطَّالِبُ لِمَدْيُونِهِ إذَا مِتّ فَأَنْت بَرِيءٌ مِنْ الدَّيْنِ الَّذِي لِي عَلَيْك جَازَ وَتَكُونُ وَصِيَّةً مِنْ الطَّالِبِ لِلْمَطْلُوبِ