Borrowed

Help and loans are not the same thing. If you borrow money from someone, you must return it. If you're late in returning it, you must inform them. Don't leave their messages on "seen" and ignore them. At least answer their phone and let them know when you'll return the money. If you can't return it, ask for forgiveness. If they don't forgive you, Allah won't forgive you either. Allah Himself does not forgive the sin of usurping someone's rightful due.

If you don't have the intention or ability to return the money, don't take it as a loan—take it as help. When you take it as a loan and then don't return it or delay returning it, you show disrespect for their trust. They trusted you and lent you the money in your time of need, didn't they? By what right or logic did you damage the relationship between you? Aren't you ashamed? Is your worth so little that you'd ruin a relationship over whatever amount of money? How do you still live with yourself? Shame, shame!

No one in this world wants to see themselves deceived. When money is given as help, there are no rights or expectations attached to it. Even if you do countless good deeds, you certainly won't be able to enter paradise because of usurping someone's rightful due, for violating others' rights is the primary obstacle to the acceptance of repentance.

If you fear Allah, if you are truly religious, if you believe in the afterlife, then return borrowed money within the specified time. If you can't return it now, ask for more time—don't stay silent or run away. If you have even a minimum sense of self-respect, don't keep changing the deadline. When the creditor asks for their money back, don't behave badly with them or show them contempt. You have no right to ignore them! They didn't commit any sin by standing by you in your time of trouble, did they? If you never want to or can't return the money, ask the creditor for forgiveness. If they don't forgive you, Allah won't forgive you either. Eating by begging is more honorable than eating by stealing money.

P.S. You might think to yourself: having written all this, do I have any creditors?

Answer: No; not a single one. First, I avoid borrowing as much as possible. If someone gets money from me for any reason, I call them repeatedly until they're thoroughly annoyed, just to make them understand they need to return it. I force them to take back the money and breathe a sigh of relief. I am incredibly transparent about this.

I throw down an open challenge. If anyone can prove that you've received money from me, I'll pay you back one hundred times whatever amount you received.

Speaking this way requires a lot of strength in one's chest. Those who have borrowed money from me and haven't returned it yet don't have that strength, even though many of them are quite wealthy. (A couple of them regularly go on hajj, travel around the world.)

I can't fathom how people sleep peacefully with others' money in their pockets. If you can't or won't repay a debt, shouldn't you be curled up with shame, shouldn't eating and sleeping become forbidden for you! Are they really human? How does one become so shameless?!

If I were to die today, after my death no one in my family would have to bow their head to anyone and give account. This is a great source of comfort for me.

You forgot to return the money? Weren't you ashamed to say that? Are you joking? The truly forgetful person is one who forgets to ask for money owed to them, not one who forgets to repay their debts.