Q: There are softwares that require us to meet a certain requirement in order to use them. For example, one such software can be downloaded for free, but after a 30-day trial the software asks questions like “How often did you travel by airplane last year?” If we select the “more than 2 times” option, the software stops working and we have to uninstall it. However, if we choose the option “less than 3 times,” it lets us continue its use.
1. Will it be permissible to use the software if we select that we flew less than 3 times even though if we did not?
2. If someone other than the user, who did fly less than 3 times, selects that option, can the user continue the software’s use? There are websites which have a pop-up that comes up, asking us to subscribe to the website. If we don’t want to subscribe, we can close the pop-up by clicking on sentences like “Not yet, I’ll subscribe later,” or, “No, I don’t like to learn.”
3. If I don’t intend to ever subscribe to the website, then would clicking on these types of sentences to make the pop-up go away be permissible?
4. Would it be a lie?
A: What is the need to speak a lie?
And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
Answered by:
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)