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Is one who downloads a program that can be used for both good and evil, such as Photoshop, sinful due to its use by the wicked for creating indecent images, or does no soul bear the burden of another?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible to upload a program online to a website that is free from suspicion or promotion of forbidden things, and the program itself is free from prohibitions. If it is then used for illicit purposes, the sin falls upon its user. However, if the website is not free from objectionable content or promotes forbidden things, or if the program contains objectionable content or can only be used for illicit purposes, then it is not permissible to upload it. This is to ensure that the questioner does not become a gateway to evil or an aid to sin, in accordance with the Almighty's saying: "And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression." If the state of the place or the users is unknown, and the program is predominantly used for beneficial purposes, then there is no harm in uploading it. It is advisable to focus on Islamic and beneficial websites that adhere to the limits of Sharia.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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