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The question

What is the ruling on using an application that prevents phone use and imposes a financial penalty for opening it before the set time?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The "Digital Detox" application is an app that blocks access to phone applications for a specified period, allowing the user to exclude certain apps. If the user wishes to unblock access before the set time, they must pay a sum of money to the app developers. It appears that this money is not a fee for using the free app, but rather a type of commitment that the user imposes upon themselves to prevent phone usage. This penalty clause is permissible, and the general rule for conditions is their validity, as Al-Bukhari narrated from Shuraih regarding someone who voluntarily stipulated a condition upon himself. The Islamic Fiqh Academy has permitted penalty clauses in all financial contracts, except for contracts where the primary obligation is a debt, as this would constitute explicit usury.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported

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Where this answer came from
Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
191389
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
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