Electronic dealing with computers operated by pirated programs

22-2-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum. I would like to ask you about thoughts that I am having all the time, and they are related to almost everything. For example, in my company, I think there are people who use pirated operative systems, so if it is a sin to use those; I use licensed software, but everytime they send me an email or anything else, I start thinking that it will also become a sin to use my computer or that by using a pirated program, it becomes a sin to use the whole system. Can things become related so that one becomes haram because of the other thing?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

First of all, in principle, what a person uses is permissible unless one preponderantly thinks otherwise. Therefore, one should not investigate what a person uses when dealing with him without a real reason for doing so. This is nothing but obsessive whisperings and blameworthy exaggeration.

Even if we were to assume that what you think is true, that people use pirated programs, then this does not prevent dealing with them and receiving their emails and other things that you mentioned in the question. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with dealing with the files that you receive from people who use pirated programs and everything that is related to this, as long as you do not use a pirated program yourself.

Allaah knows best.