Question:
A domain name is what you type to go to a website, like www.google.com or www.BBC.com or www.askimam.org etc…
When you register a domain name with a registrar like GoDaddy, you are in effect leasing the domain for a year. This is why you have to pay a renewal fee every year.
But once you have registered it for a year, you have full control over it and you are said to “own it” even though you don’t actually own it. You just have control over it for a year, so much so, that you can sell it to someone else or transfer it free of charge.
With the domain name, you would use it to guide people to your website.
Knowing all of this, would you say that a doman is a tangible item or intangible item?
If it’s tangible, can you buy and sell domains as a business?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
A domain/website is considered to be intangible/intellectual property. Itwill be recognized as a legitimate commodity as it holds significant monetary value on the condition that:
- It is legally registered.
- The terms and conditions stipulated are upheld.
If the aforementioned conditions are met, it will be permissible to buy and sell domains.[i]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Hammad Ibn Ismail Jogiat
Student - Darul Iftaa
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
[i]Contemporary Fatawa – Mufti TaqiUthmani Pg.123-125
مجلة الأحكام العدلية– دار ابن حزم/الجفان والجابي (ص:103)
(الْمَادَّةُ 126) (الْمَالُ هُوَ مَا يَمِيلُ إلَيْهِ طَبْعُ الْإِنْسَانِ وَيُمْكِنُ ادِّخَارُهُ إلَى وَقْتِ الْحَاجَةِ مَنْقُولًا كَانَ أَوْ غَيْرَ مَنْقُولٍ)
