Doing Internet phone call business prohibited by the government
Fatwa No: 114687

Question

Assalamualikumwarahmatullah. I would like to know that is the Internet phone call business allowed according to Islam? When country law not allowing this business. The country law not allowing this business because the gov is directly involve with telecom co so its may lose for them if some one do the internet Phone call business I think that is the reason why the gov not allowing people to do internet phone call business, my question that even gov not allowing the business and some one do the business is that HALAL for him?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

 

If the government prohibits this for the general interest, then it is an obligation to abide by this prohibition. However, if the prohibition is for the interest of a specific company, or specific people, then it is not an obligation to abide by this prohibition and it is permissible to contravene it unless a Muslim fears that he will be harmed.

On the other hand, man-made laws which are set by governments are not all alike in regard to being obliged to abide by them. For example, it is an obligation to abide by some of these laws and it is not permissible to contravene them –which are the laws that achieve the general interest of the public and which do not contradict the Islamic Law, like the traffic laws and the like –and it is not an obligation to abide by some other laws, which are the laws that contradict the Islamic Law, or which are made for the interest of some people at the expense of others. Therefore, it is permissible to contravene these laws but if a Muslim fears that this will cause harm to him, then he should not humiliate himself or expose himself to harm.

Allaah Knows best.

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