Harming a debtor that refuses to settle his debt
Question:-
A certain person owes me money. He has not paid his debt and has been avoiding me for some time now. Will it be permissible for me to physically harm him since I have no other recourse to get my money?
Answer:-
It will not be permissible for one to hit or harm a person for not paying his debt on time. The proper recourse would be to present the matter before a Muslim judge. The Muslim judge will then look into the matter and ascertain whether the debtor has the ability of settling his debts or not. If he is in a position to settle his debts but, refuses to do so, then the Muslim judge will have him imprisoned until he settles the debt.
If after imprisoning the debtor (for two to three months) he doesn’t come up with the money, and claims to have no funds, and the Muslim judge is also convinced that he really doesn’t have the funds to settle the creditor, then the Muslim judge will release him from prison. After his release from prison, the creditor may follow the debtor (by remaining with him all the time) until he recovers his debt by taking the extra funds that he earns over and above the debtors requirements. In this way the debt may be recovered. This ruling is applicable in a Muslim state where the country is governed by the laws of Shariah.
(وإذا حبسه القاضي شهرين أو ثلاثة) أو أقل أو أكثر بحسب ما يراه الحاكم، قال في التصحيح والهداية والمحيط والجواهر والاختيار وغيرها: الصحيح أن التقدير مفوض إلى رأى القاضي؛ لاختلاف أحوال الناس فيه (سأل القاضي عن حاله) من جيرانه العارفين به (فإن لم ينكشف): أي لم يظهر (له) أي للمحبوس (مال) وغلب على ظن القاضي أنه لو كان مال لظهر (خلى سبيله) لوجوب النظرة إلى ميسرة (وكذلك إذا أقام) المفلس (البينة) بعد حبسه (أنه لا مال له) قبلت بينته رواية واحدة وخلى سبيله، وإن أقامها قبل الحبس ففيها روايتان، وعامة المشايخ على عدم القبول. جوهرة (ولا يحول) القاضي إذا خلى سبيل المديون (بينه وبين غرمائه بعد خروجه من الحبس، ويلازمونه) كيلا يختفي (و) لكن (لا يمنعونه من التصرف) في البيع والشراء (والسفر) ولا يدخلون معه إذا دخل داره لحاجته، بل يجلسون على بابه حتى يخرج، ولو اختار المطلوب الحبس والطالب الملازمة فالخيار للطالب. هداية (ويأخذون فضل كسبه، ويقسم بينهم بالحصص)؛ لاستواء حقوقهم في القوة (اللباب في شرح الكتاب – كتاب الحجر)
However, we are living in non-Muslim country where the laws of Shariah cannot be enforced as it is enforced in a Muslim country. Our resources are thus limited from a Shari’ee perspective. We should therefore make use of those resources that are at our disposal such as referring the matter to the local Darul Ifta, Jamiat offices, etc., or consult with the local Ulama in our towns, requesting them to assist in settling such disputes. However, at no stage are we permitted to physically harm or abuse the debtor in any way whatsoever.