Debt and Loan: Recovering Debt Secretly from a Negligent Debtor’s Property

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Debt and Loan: Recovering Debt Secretly from a Negligent Debtor’s Property

English:

Question #1750:

Should the debtor spare no effort to pay back the debt owed to other people, is it permissible for the creditors to recover the debt from his property, e.g., in secret?

Answer #1750:

If the debtor denies the debt owed or avoids payment without any excuse, the lender has the right to recover his debt from the debtor’s property.
However, if he does not know that he owes or doubts that; it is problematic – or rather impermissible – for the lender to recover his debt from the debtor’s property.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Debt and Loan