Contract stipulates offering technical support to forbidden websites

1-12-2013 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh I am a web designer and I sell website templates. It is in the conditions of my transactions to provide support in case a person is not able to use the template or he is facing issues with it. Most of the time people who buy them don't need support or their websites are permissible according to Islam, but sometimes people running unislamic sites like church, gambling, etc buy my templates. My question is what to do if they ask me for support? If I help them then will it come under the ruling of helping in evil? If I reject their request then doesn't it come under the ruling of breaking a covenant? At the time of purchase I don't know how they will use it as they buy using website. Please note that this condition is applicable to all the businesses, for example a person selling electronic goods might need to fix the issues which are in his products so it isn't just related to websites. Masalam
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

First of all, you should know that it is not permissible for you to sell templates to forbidden sites, like "evangelical" sites, gambling sites or the like.

If we assume that you had sold them while you did not know about them, and then they ask you for technical support, then it is not permissible for you to provide technical support to forbidden websites, as this is helping in sin and transgression. You should clarify to them that you did not know about their reality and that if you had known you would not have sold to them.

Moreover, it is not permissible for you in the Religion of Allaah to provide support to such websites and that condition (providing support) is void as the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: "Whoever stipulates a condition that is not in the Book of Allaah, then that condition is void, even if it were one hundred conditions, as the condition of Allaah is more binding and more firm.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim and its wording is according to Al-Bukhari]

Ibn ‘Umar or ‘Umar may Allaah be pleased with him said: “Any condition that contradicts the Book of Allaah is void, even if someone stipulated one hundred conditions.” [Al-Bukhari reported it without its complete chain of narration]

Allaah Knows best.

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