distinguish between whether the creditor is able to recover the debt from the guaranteed debtor or unable to do so. That is, for it to be permissible to demand payment from the guarantor, it is not stipulated that demanding payment from the guaranteed debtor must be impossible. This is the position of the madhhab.
Thus, if the creditor comes to the guarantor and says, “Give me [what is owed]; you guaranteed So-and-so’s debt of ten thousand riyals,” and the guarantor replies, “Go to him; he is the original debtor,” does he have the right to say this?
The answer is: No. The creditor has the right to demand payment from either of them. This is the view adopted by the author. The reasoning is that the guarantor undertook to settle the debt without attaching any condition. In other words, when giving the guarantee, he did not say, “If you are unable to recover from the guaranteed debtor, then I will be the guarantor.” Had he said this, then Muslims are bound by their conditions. But since he did not say this, and instead undertook an unrestricted obligation, the creditor has the right to demand payment from him.
The second view is that the creditor has no right to demand payment from the guarantor unless it becomes impossible to demand payment from the guaranteed debtor due to death, absence, delay in payment, or poverty. If demanding payment from the guaranteed debtor becomes impossible, then he may demand it from the guarantor.
Their proof is that one does not resort to the subsidiary party while recovery from the principal party remains possible. If recourse to the principal is possible, there is no need for the subsidiary. This was the view chosen by our Shaykh, Abd al-Rahman al-Sa‘di, may Allah have mercy on him, and it is the practice of people today. As for the courts, it appears that they rule according to the madhhab: if the creditor demands payment from the guarantor, the guarantor is compelled to pay the debt for which he gave the guarantee.
Even if he stipulates, saying, “You may not demand payment from me unless demanding payment from the guaranteed debtor becomes impossible,” then the rule according to the madhhab is that every stipulation which conflicts with what is required by