Procrastination in paying a debt

Question

Question: In Jalalpur (Faizabad) mostly economically backward weavers live. The difficulty they face in selling their goods is that there is no commission wholesale house here to which they could sell their goods for cash; so they are compelled to sell their goods on credit to some commission house. The second problem is that if they do not get cash, the price of the goods ought to be given in the currency in circulation, but instead of money they give yarn — indeed they compel them to take only yarn.

Answer

When a debt is due for payment and (the debtor) has the means at hand to pay it, and then procrastinates and does not pay, this is oppression (zulm); likewise, forcing (the creditor) to take yarn instead of cash is also oppression: [ar]لَيُّ الْوَاجِدِ يُحِلُّ عِرْضَهُ[/ar] “The procrastination of one who has the means makes his honour lawful (to impugn)” (hadith)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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