Is debt repayment to be prioritized over the due zakat on business assets, especially in times of hardship and accumulating debts for building a home?

There is no contradiction between repaying a debt and paying Zakat if the money is sufficient for both. It is obligatory to repay the debt if it is due, and to pay Zakat if its conditions for obligation are met. However, if the money is not sufficient for both, scholars have differed on which should take precedence: some have said that the debt should be prioritized, because the rights of human beings are based on strictness, while the rights of God are based on leniency. Others have said that Zakat should be prioritized, unless the debtor is under interdiction, in which case the debt takes precedence, as long as the Zakat is not tied to a specific asset.