Suretyship

Or kafalah in Arabic. It denotes an act by which a third party to a contract or transaction accepts to bear responsibility or amenability, particularly for the payment of debt or discharge of obligations. Suretyship (kafalah) could be a pledge given to a creditor on behalf of the debtor that the debt will be paid by the original debtor. If not, the third party steps in, or is requested duly, to stands in the shoes of the debtor. In shari’a, suretyship involves the creation of an extra liability with regard to the claim, not to the debt itself.