Fatwa

Online digital art sale

Question

Subject…Online trading on platforms like shopify, gumroad, etc Assalamoalykum. 1. While dropshiping isnot allowed in Islam, what if I were to sell digitally copies of wall art or posters? 2. I would have these pictures/posters designed on AI platform and copy it to my online shop. 3. Display a copy of the picture on my shop, when a customer buys, 2 things can happen…a] I send the link of that picture to a printing company who print it and send to the customer a physical item. b] I send to the customer a link of the picture and ask him to have it printed at his local print shop, and of course limit him to printing only so many copies, say 1to 3. 4. If I send to the customer a link for the picture, am I within my rights to say no refunds are available for the purchase? Pleases clarify according to shariah.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

If the object of sale in the enquired situation is the digital art/poster, then both 1 and 2 will be permissible. However, it is not valid to restrict the customer to print only a set number of copies. Once he has purchased the digital art, he may print as many as he wants, just as he may opt not to print any copy at all.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mufti Bilal Pandor

Concurred by
Mufti Muhammad Patel

Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia

www.daruliftaazambia.com