KARACHI: A fatwa issued by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, president of Wifaq-ul-Madaris Al-Arabia Pakistan and Darul Uloom Karachi, has declared that purchasing goods with cryptocurrency is not permissible under Islamic law (Shariah).
The ruling states that, based on the opinions of experts consulted so far, cryptocurrency does not meet the Shariah definition of maal (recognized property or wealth) and is instead considered a record of notional digital values.
As a result, transactions conducted using cryptocurrencies, including USDT (Tether) or other crypto tokens, are deemed religiously invalid.
The fatwa was issued in response to a query from an individual who asked whether buying two books using cryptocurrency and USDT was permissible under Islamic law.
The individual also sought guidance on purchasing a digital educational course from a person who was not authorized to sell it after the original owner had prohibited copying, retaining, or reselling the material.
According to the ruling, the purchase of the books through cryptocurrency was impermissible, and the buyer was advised to return them to the seller.
The fatwa also declared the acquisition of the educational course invalid because it involved both cryptocurrency payment and unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material.
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Mufti Usmani further advised the questioner not to benefit from the course and instructed that the digital material be permanently deleted. Hassan Usmani, the cleric’s son, confirmed that the fatwa circulating on social media was authentic.
