Ads by Muslim Ad Network

Is Using Pirated Software Haram?

07 October, 2023
Q As-salamu `alaykum. I want to ask about pirated software; I can't buy them because they are very costly. And I don't want to download from the net, from the pirated site. What about buying the CD from the shop? The original one is not available in Pakistan but they sell in their own cost like CD rupees is 30. But the original one is too costly. Is it illegal to buy from the shop?

Answer

Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.


In this fatwa:

It is not acceptable for a Muslim to buy or sell pirated software. Intellectual properties should never be violated under any pretext.

Ads by Muslim Ad Network


In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states,

Software piracy as ruled by the World Council of Muslim Jurists amounts to theft of intellectual property; so no Muslim should even contemplate such an action. No matter what people do or say we must never get carried away by the actions of others; we are accountable for our own deeds.

If you seek lawful sources of sustenance, Allah will provide it for you; the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever seeks self-sufficiency through Allah, Allah will surely make him self-sufficient.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

And we also learn that there is sufficiency in what Allah has permitted for us so that we are not compelled to turn to that which is haram to fulfill our needs.

So I advise you to look around; you will be able to find halal alternatives.

Allah Almighty knows best.