What is the ruling on purchasing and using counterfeit software to create a website, given the high prices of original software and difficult financial circumstances, and is it obligatory to stop using it and purchase original software despite 80% of the project being completed?
It is forbidden to copy copyrighted programs without the permission of their owners, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims, unless they are at war [with Muslims]. This is based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) sayings: "Muslims are bound by their conditions," and "The property of a Muslim person is not lawful without his willing consent," and "Whoever precedes [others] to a permissible thing has a greater right to it." It is not permissible to purchase copied programs because that is considered aiding in sin. As for programs that are not copyrighted, or programs that imitate original programs but are not copies of them, it is permissible to purchase them. High prices or nationality are not considered justifications for infringing upon the rights of others, except in cases of extreme necessity that permit taking from another's property to the extent needed to avert harm.
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 108877
- Imported
- Translation status
- Source text, unreviewed
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