Al-Kāfi - The Book of Wills

Chapter: The Case of One Who Leaves very Little Legacy with a Larger Amount of Debt and Dependents َّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْ٠َّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي نَصْرٍ بِإِسْنَادٍ لَهُ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ يَ٠ُوتُ وَيَتْرُكُ عِيَالا وَعَلَيْهِ دَيْنٌ أَيُنْفِقُ عَلَيْهِ٠َالِهِ قَالَ إِنِ اسْتَيْقَنَ أَنَّ الدَّيْنَ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ يُحِيطُ بِجَ٠َالِ فَلا يُنْفِقُ عَلَيْهِ٠ْ يَسْتَيْقِنْ فَلْيُنْفِقْ عَلَيْهِ٠1.

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn abu Nasr Through the same chain of narrators as that of the previous Hadith the following is narrated: “He once asked him (the Imam); ‘Alayhi al-Salam, about the case of a man who dies leaving behind dependents and debts; if anything can be spent from the legacy for the dependents.

He (the Imam) said, ‘If it is certain that his legacy covers the debt, then nothing can be spent for his dependents but if it is certain that the legacy cannot cover the debts, then it is permissible to spend thereof for the dependents.’” رسل كالصحيح - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (23/73))