Dawud: I heard Ahmad, and when he was asked: 'Should the deceased be shrouded from Zakah?' He said: 'No, and the debt of the deceased shall not be paid from Zakah.' He did not permit paying it to discharge the debt of the deceased because the debtor is the deceased, and it is not possible to pay it to him; and if one pays it to his creditor, the payment becomes to the creditor, not the debtor. He also said: 'The debt of the living may be paid from Zakah, but the debt of the deceased may not be paid from it, because the deceased is not a debtor [in the sense of being liable].' It was said: 'But his family is given it.' He said: 'If it is a debt upon his family, then yes.'
Section: If one gives Zakah to someone he thinks is poor, but he turns out to be rich, there are two narrations from Ahmad regarding it. The first of these is that it suffices him. Abu Bakr chose this view, and it is the position of al-Hasan, Abu Ubayd, and Abu Hanifah, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave to the two strong men and said: 'If you wish, I will give you from it, but there is no share in it for a rich person nor for a strong, able-bodied worker.' He also said to the man who asked him for charity: 'If you are from those categories, I will give you your right.' If he had considered the reality of wealth, he would not have sufficed with their statement. Abu Hurayrah narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that he said: 'A man said: "I will surely give a charity." He went out with his charity and placed it in the hand of a rich man. The next morning, people were saying: "A charity was given to a rich man." So he was approached and it was said to him: "As for your charity, it has been accepted; perhaps the rich man will take heed and spend from what Allah has given him."' [Agreed upon]. The second narration is that it does not suffice him, because he paid the mandatory obligation to someone who does not deserve it, so he has not been discharged from his liability, just as if he had paid it
(12) Its verification has preceded on page 117. (13) Its verification has preceded on page 124. (14) In the original and B: "Tuqbalat". (15) In the original, A, and B: "Narrated by al-Nasa'i." It was also extracted by al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter of If One Gives Charity to a Rich Person While He Does Not Know, from the Book of Zakah, 2/137, 138. And Muslim, in: The Chapter of the Establishment of the Reward for the Giver of Charity Even If the Charity Falls into the Hand of Someone Other Than Its Deserving Recipient, from the Book of Zakah. Sahih Muslim 2/709. It was also extracted by al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter of If One Gives It to a Rich Person While He Is Unaware, from the Book of Zakah. Al-Mujtaba 5/42. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 2/322, 350.
