Reinterpreting Al-Ghārimīn in the Qur’an: Its Relevance to Zakat Recipients Entangled in Paylater and Online Loan Debts

Abstract

The transformation of digital financial services has created new forms of indebtedness through buy now, pay later services and online lending. Easy access, hidden charges, late-payment penalties, aggressive collection practices, and consumer debt can place borrowers in conditions of over-indebtedness. This raises the question of whether paylater and online-lending users may be classified as al-ghārimīn, one of the eight zakat-recipient categories mentioned in Qur’an 9:60. This article reinterprets al-ghārimīn by connecting Qur’anic interpretation, zakat jurisprudence, maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah, and the characteristics of digital debt. It employs qualitative normative research based on library research, thematic analysis of Qur’anic passages on zakat and debt, and comparative analysis of contemporary Islamic jurisprudence. The study finds that al-ghārimīn cannot be determined solely by the existence of debt. Eligibility depends on the purpose of the debt, the permissibility or defensibility of its use, maturity, inability to repay, available assets, and the presence or absence of intentional wastefulness or sinful conduct. Victims of paylater and online lending may qualify conditionally, especially when debt was incurred for essential or emergency needs and the debtor faces genuine financial vulnerability. The article proposes a three-layer model involving transaction assessment, debtor assessment, and intervention assessment. Zakat distribution should combine verification, targeted payment, harm reduction, counseling, and economic empowerment.