Liaison office of Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Al Sistani (L.M.H.L) in London, Europe, North and South America.
2319. If a person wishes to stand surety for the repayment of the
debts of another person, his act in this behalf will be in order, only when he
makes the creditor understand by his words in any language, or by conduct, that
he undertakes the responsibility for the repayment of the debt, and the creditor
also accepts the deal. It is not necessary that the debtor, too, should be
agreeable.
2320. It is necessary that the guarantor and the creditor are adult
and sane, and have not been coerced by anyone. Furthermore, they should not be
feeble-minded or bankrupt. However, these conditions are not applicable to the
debtor. Therefore, if a person stands surety to repay the debt of a child, an
insane person or a feeble-minded squanderer, the arrangement is in order.
2321. When a person gives a guarantee with a condition, as when he
says: "If the debtor does not repay your debt, I shall pay it", it is a matter
of Ishkal to accept such a conditional guarantee as valid.
2322. A man giving guarantee should know that the person for whom he
stands surety is actually a debtor. If someone is still considering to take a
loan, one cannot stand as a guarantor till such time when the loan has been
taken.
2323. A person can stand surety for someone only when the creditor,
the debtor, and the property given as loan, are actually specified. Therefore,
if there are two creditors of a person, and a person wishing to guarantee says:
"I guarantee to pay the debt of one of you" his being a guarantor is void,
because he has not specified as to whose debt he would pay.
Also, if a
person is the creditor of two persons, and a person giving guarantee says: "I
guarantee to pay you the debt of one of them", his becoming a guarantor is void,
as he has not specified which person's debt he would pay.
Similarly, if a
person is owed 30 kilos of wheat and $10 by another person, and a person wishing
to be a guarantor says: "I guarantee to pay one of your two debts", and does not
specify whether he guarantees payment of wheat or money, the guarantee is not in
order.
2324. If a creditor gifts the guarantor with the debt owed to him, the
guarantor cannot claim anything from the debtor, and if the creditor gifts him
with a part of his debt, the guarantor cannot demand that part from the debtor.
2325. If a person becomes a guarantor for the payment of someone's
debt, he cannot withdraw from his responsibility as a guarantor.
2326. As a precaution, the guarantor and the creditor cannot stipulate
an option for cancellation of the guarantee at any time they wish to do so.
2327. If a person was capable of paying the debt of the creditor at
the time he stood as a surety, the creditor cannot cancel his guarantee and
demand the payment of debt from the first debtor, even if the guarantor may have
become poor afterwards. And the same rule will apply if the surety at the time
of guaranteeing was not capable of paying the debt, yet the creditor agreed to
his becoming the guarantor despite knowing it.
2328. If at the time of standing surety, a person was incapable of
paying the debt of the creditor, and the creditor not knowing the position, now
wishes to cancel his guarantee, it will be a matter of Ishkal, especially if the
surety becomes capable of paying the debt before the creditor takes notice of
the matter.
2329. If a person guarantees the payment of the debt of a person,
without obtaining his permission, he (the surety) cannot demand anything from
the debtor.
2330. If a person guarantees the payment of debt with the permission
of the debtor, he can demand that amount or quantity from the debtor even before
having paid anything to the creditor. But if he paid, or delivered a commodity
other than the one which was owed, he cannot ask the debtor to pay or deliver to
him that commodity.
For example, if the debtor owed 10 tons of wheat, and
the guarantor settled the debt with 10 tons of rice, he cannot demand rice from
the debtor, except when the debtor agrees to the arrangement, in which case,
there is no objection.