Title

Selling a domain name and payment by credit card

Question

Please tell me if the following is OK. I make a website. This website will show an ad which will ask people to have an online CV / Resume. In other words, I will be selling people a suitable domain name such as "your_name.com" along with some webspace to upload the CV / Resume in the form of a webpage. The transaction will be made through credit / debit cards. Please tell me if any of the following are problematic:

2. Mufti Dawood Ahmad of Jamia Ashrafia told me that it is not permissible to transact with shias and qadyanis. Since the transaction is automatic, I later find out that a Shia or a Qadyani has purchased the package. Will the proceeds from this transaction be Halal?

3. In the above mentioned business proposition, I will be having a "Reseller's Account" with a company say "XYZ", i.e., I sell the domain names and webspace on XYZ's behalf or I buy these services from XYZ and then resell them. My question is that does it matter if the overall business of XYZ is Halaal or Haraam if XYZ is (principally but not completely (as is the case with multinational companies)) based in Darul Harb country with services being offered world wide (on the internet). I am based in Pakistan. Can I transact with such a company regardless of their overall business being Halaal or Haraam? Web services company may be hosting gambling, pornographic and banking websites among other contrary to Islamic Shariah.

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful  

Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh

There are four issues to your query

a)         Selling a domain name
b)         Payment by credit card
c)         Dealing with non Muslims
d)         Resellers account

In principle, it is permissible to offer a service by selling a domain name and charging a fee for the service. Your clients may use their credit cards to pay for their accounts on condition they do not use the budget facility of the card as you would then be assisting in the sin of Riba (interest), which is prohibited.

It is permissible to deal with non Muslims in items which are regarded as Halaal and permissible. The income earned by selling your services to them will be regarded to be Halaal and permissible.

We cannot comment on the issue of resellers account as the information given by you is too brief. Kindly elaborate on the issue of you selling on behalf of XYZ Company. Are they purchasing your product and then appointing you as their agent to resell it? Or is it their product and you are reselling it?

The issues of dealing with Shias and Qadiyanis in should be referred to the reliable Ulama of Pakistan.

And Allah knows best

Checked and Approved by:

Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa