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Last week, I got a job in which the client asked me to develop an eCommerce site where the client will be selling online eBooks. He told me that there will be 14 categories of the books. I started development and when I required the names of categories, he sent me 14 names in which two were haram, i.e., they were of adult nature.

I told him that I as a Muslim, I can't create those two categories for you in the system and that he should deduct some amount from me for that. He agreed and told me that he will do the Haram part through another developer.

Now I am worried that whether it will make my whole project haram or halal? I am dealing with only halal part but I know that he will hire a developer and will add haram stuff to the system developed by me as soon as I have completed.

Will my earning, from the said software system, be halal or haram?

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Honestly speaking, you were devoted to your religion and Allah. You refused to create those categories and left that job right there. Before that you weren't aware about actual scope of work. Developers have to deal with these kinds of issues where client come up with requirement on short-notice or without any prior given idea.

So no need to be worried about. If you feel inside that you haven't done anything wrong consciously, just do Istighfar in-case you might have done something unknowingly.

About the money you earned, you gave your effort to earn that so I believe you own that and it seems halal to me.

EDIT: http://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=4&verse=17 in Chapter 4 Verse 17 of Quran, Allah says that repentance is only for those who did evil/wrongdoing in ignorance.

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    Welcome to Islam. Please go through the tour, help center and Islam Meta (in case of site related questions, suggestions, discussions etc). it seems halal to me should be backed with reference.
    – Bleeding Fingers
    Dec 19, 2013 at 19:57
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Brother - if you are building a platform for which sins against Allah can be perpetrated, then you are partly culpable for the crimes.

Those who love (to see) scandal published broadcast among the Believers, will have a grievous Penalty in this life and in the Hereafter: Allah knows, and ye know not. (an-Nur 24:19)

I would suggest, if you want to do right by Allah, you try your best to disrupt the project.

Another question, when you say it's an e-commerce project. Is the payment system via a shariah compliant bank? Or are you sending the customers via a Kuffir institution who practice riba? I personally think true muslims will need to be very careful here too.

And for practising riba, which was forbidden, and for consuming the people's money illicitly. We have prepared for the disbelievers among them painful retribution. (4:161)

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  • they will be using Paypal so second option will not get applied to me. I have seen a fitwah by a scholar having some refrence on stack and it says that it will depend on which part u are dealing and the amount of haram in it if major content is halal and u are developing halal then its halal. It really confuses me here
    – Metabolic
    Nov 6, 2013 at 19:03
  • the system is for christian and in french, so its very much less expected to be seen by Muslims
    – Metabolic
    Nov 6, 2013 at 19:06
  • I live in France and speak French, as do millions of other good muslims. To my knowledge, no where in the holy quran does it say because the harram act will only affect a few, it is therefor ok by allah. As for Paypal, who DO charge and pay interest- surely you will be integrating the code in, which means you're involved in act of riba. It's a bit like someone saying "I have slaughtered a pig and have swine blood all over my hands, but it's ok as someone else told me to and another person will eat it". The Quran is quite clear this is not the case.
    – Hanif
    Nov 6, 2013 at 19:48
  • @hanif What would , being a developer,if i just develop a platform with positive intentions which can be modified by anyone for his/her requirement and later one use that for haram purpose then where do i stand? it is the same that one have manufactured a knife which either can be used for murder or for cutting vegetables
    – Muhammad Haseeb Khan
    Nov 9, 2013 at 10:43
  • @MuhammadHaseebKhan - There is a difference between developing something you built purely for good, being taken by someone else and twisted for evil. But, looking at the sister Sher Khan, the situation she describes she knows the site will not be halal, she is already aware that it will be used for acts Allah does not approve. She can choose to continue as well as choose to assist those who partake in riba, etc - but the Quran is quite clear about her acts and if she were a good muslim, she would not do such crimes.
    – Hanif
    Nov 10, 2013 at 9:28
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Brother, As you are involved in putting effort on developing something, whose few parts are haram, then surely it is wrong.

Its best to avoid putting any effort in a project, in which, even 1% of it has haram part in it.

I am also a freelance worker, i got to work on projects related to banks and some projects, where some of the portion was related to managing banking related servers, i refused to work on it as any effort in it would be in promoting haram act, which is not allowed in Islam.

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    Please avoid giving your own fatwa. Refer back to something scholarly or provide evidence.
    – Ansari
    Nov 6, 2013 at 14:08

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