Q: I gave my nephew a loan which he cannot repay.can I give it as zakaat? Must I inform him that it will be zakaat?
A: If you have other wealth on which you are paying Zakaat, then you cannot do this i.e. you cannot waive a debt with the intention of Zakaat.
If you have no other wealth on which you are paying Zakaat, you can waive the debt and make an intention of Zakaat and your Zakaat will be fulfilled.
Mufti Siraj Desai