Offsetting Loan for Zakat

1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from all from Safwan ibn Yahya from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hajjaj who has said the following: “I once asked abu al-Hassan, the first عليه السلام, about the case of my loan on a people, who have delayed payment for a long time. They are not able to pay and they are deserving beneficiaries of Zakat. Can I count it as payment of my Zakat? He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, you can do so.’”