Can the Cost of Retrieving Debt be Placed on the Debtor?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Badat

Question:

If someone hires the services of a debt collector, does he pay for these services or can he charge the debtor for it?

Will it matter if “he had or had not” informed the debtor that failure to meet a certain deadline will result in the matter being handed to a debt collector?

Answer:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

In the name of Allāh, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Jazāk Allāh Khayr/ Thank you for contacting Mathabah Institute.

Whoever hires the debt collector is responsible to pay the debt collector.

The debtor will only be responsible if at the time of the transaction there was an explicit agreement which spelt out the term that failure to pay the debt on the agreed time will result in a debt collector whose service fees will be payable by the debtor.

Islamically, conditions and terms of a transaction must be deliberated and agreed by all parties involved, during the formalization of the transaction. Forcing specific terms and conditions upon a client, customer, partner or investor is unislamic and forbidden in Islamic law. – (See: Aḥkām Al-Qur’ān, Volume 3, Page 285, Dār Al-Kutub Al-‘Ilmiyyah)

“O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts.” – (Qur’ān 5:1)

“Muslims will be held to their conditions, except the conditions that make the lawful unlawful, or the unlawful lawful.” – (Tirmidhi 1352)

Only Allāh knows best

لِأَنَّ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا قَدْ أَلْزَمَ نَفْسَهُ التَّمَامَ عَلَيْهِ وَالْوَفَاءَ بِهِ وَسُمِّيَ الْيَمِينُ عَلَى الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ عَقْدًا لِأَنَّ الْحَالِفَ قَدْ أَلْزَمَ نَفْسَهُ الْوَفَاءَ بِمَا حَلَفَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ فِعْلٍ أَوْ تَرْكٍ وَالشَّرِكَةُ وَالْمُضَارَبَةُ وَنَحْوُهَا تُسَمَّى أَيْضًا عُقُودًا لِمَا وَصَفْنَا مِنْ اقْتِضَائِهِ الْوَفَاءَ بِمَا شَرَطَهُ عَلَى كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ الرِّبْحِ وَالْعَمَلِ لِصَاحِبِهِ وَأَلْزَمَهُ نَفْسَهُ وَكَذَلِكَ الْعَهْدُ وَالْأَمَانُ لِأَنَّ مُعْطِيَهَا قَدْ أَلْزَمَ نَفْسَهُ الْوَفَاءَ بِهَا وَكَذَلِكَ كُلُّ شَرْطٍ شَرَطَهُ إنْسَانٌ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ فِي شَيْءٍ يَفْعَلُهُ فِي الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ فَهُوَ عَقْدٌ وَكَذَلِكَ النُّذُورُ وَإِيجَابُ الْقُرَبِ وَمَا جَرَى مَجْرَى ذَلِكَ – احكام القرآن ج٢/ ص٣٧٠ دار الكتب العلمية

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَوْفُوا بِالْعُقُودِ – المائدة ١

الْمُسْلِمُونَ عَلَى شُرُوطِهِمْ إِلاَّ شَرْطًا حَرَّمَ حَلاَلاً أَوْ أَحَلَّ حَرَامًا – رواه الترمذي ١٣٥٢