- I have a few questions regarding the Islamic ruling on working as a freelance web developer, as I’m trying to ensure that my income remains halal. I understand that web development is generally a permissible (halal) service, as long as I avoid certain elements such as working with businesses involved in haram activities (e.g., alcohol, gambling), or using images like women that does not wear hijab. With that in mind, I want to make my income as halal as possible. Here are some concerns I’m facing:
- Categorizing Businesses into 3 Types:
I’m thinking of filtering potential clients into the following categories:
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Halal Business : for example: hardware business, software business, men clothes business, educational websites, …
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50/50 Business: These are trickier for me to assess. For example
- Restaurants: The business itself may be halal, but what if they serve pork or alcohol?
- Hotels: the main purpose is temporary accommodation, but what if they also serve alcohol or have gambling facilities?
- Skincare Products: While skincare may be halal, what if they require images of women’s hands or skin, which may not align with Islamic guidelines?
- Creating drop shipping website : When developing a dropshipping website, the business itself must adhere to halal guidelines to ensure its permissibility. However, my concern is whether the ruling affects only the business owner or if it also applies to the web developer, who is responsible solely for creating the website.Also, would changing the “Buy Now” button to “Order Now” make a difference in addressing the haram aspect?
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Totally haram business : Those clearly involved in haram industries, such as gambling, alcohol, or tobacco.
My Question: How do I distinguish businesses in the “50/50” category from being haram or halal? Life is often not black and white, and I find it challenging to draw these lines
- Dealing with Haram Elements in Projects:
Here are a few specific concerns I have faced:
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Button Issue : let us assume that building a website for a restaurant business that serve halal and haram foods is Halal because you are not making nor serving the food, you are an IT engineer. am I allowed to create order buttons for haram dishes?
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Images of Women: If I’m working on a project like an educational platform (which is halal), but the client asks to feature testimonials from students, and one of them is a non-Muslim woman without a hijab, would it be permissible to include her testimonial?
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Illustrations in Fitness Projects: If I’m creating a website for a gym and need to show an illustration of a man with a highlighted chest area (to demonstrate an upper-body workout), would this be considered haram?
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First Solution : Just do the halal part and leave the rest. if i was in a company, YES. But As a freelancer building my own business, I need to offer high-quality (Itqan) work and ensure a smooth, complete service for my clients. If I deliver only the halal portions and leave the project incomplete, clients are likely to seek out another freelancer who can provide a finished product. Even if I explain this upfront, clients might prefer to avoid the hassle and choose someone else.
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My Solution (i don’t know if it is halal | it is an idea) :I’m considering a solution where I handle the halal parts of a project and then delegate the remaining work to a non-Muslim freelancer. This way, I avoid directly working with haram elements while still delivering a high-quality final product to my client. However, I’m unsure if this approach is permissible. Could you advise if this method is considered haram or acceptable?
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