Title: Operating an Internet Club Question: My name is Sarfraz and I am from Lahore, Pakistan. Due to a financial crises my father and brother decided to open an internet club. I am already doing a job on another Internet cafe, I told them a number of times that this is not the right work, because many people come for the same purpose of seeing sites, which are clearly against Islamic values. I hope you understand my hint. When I told my father, he replied that "the use of knife is good or bad, it can be used to cut a fruit or to cut a man", and then told that "the army defends a country by the weapons and these weapons are also used for terrorism". I have no answer to his logic. Then he told that we sell the people the hours of internet, it depends on them to use it in a good or a bad way. My question is that "is the income from net cafe right in the eye of Islam or the Shari`ah because of the points mentioned above" Please give answer with references Thank you Muhammad Sarfraz Answer: My dear brother, I must commend you for your remarkable concern. May the Almighty help us all in living a life of compliance with His commandments and likes. Although the explanation given by your father makes a lot of sense, yet I would only like to point-out one simple error in it. I do submit that, in general, a person who sells knives is not responsible for the good or the bad usage that these knives would be put into by his customers. However, I wonder if the seller should remain as indifferent regarding the end-use of his products or services, even after it being aware of the fact that a particular customer is going to use his products for a negative end only. It seems quite correct that a seller of weapons (within the legal framework of his place of residence) is not responsible of whether his weapons are used to defend his country or to create unrest in his own land. However, should this seller remain as indifferent if a well-known terrorist makes an attractive deal with him? Whatever the decision of such sellers, a Muslim should bear in mind that the Qur'an has directed us to: Cooperate with each other in matters of piety and obedience; And do not cooperate with others in matters of sin and transgression. ( Al-Maaidah 5: 2) My dear brother, it is generally known that in our society a very large percentage of people utilize the facilities provided by Internet clubs and cafes to access pornographic sites and materials. However, on the other hand, I have also been informed that a computer (or a browser?) can be configured in a way, which restricts its access to such defiling and immoral material. If putting such restrictions on one's browser are possible, then in my opinion, there is no harm in providing the otherwise useful facility of accessing the internet and charging money for providing such facility. Without such restrictions, I would not consider providing the referred service, under our present socio-moral circumstances to be a desirable thing to do, unless if it be done under the close supervision of the management. I hope this helps. Regard. August 27, 2001