The reason is that as we know that Internet has both merits and demerits. In Cyber cafes young muslim GIRLS and BOYS come and do online chatting with strangers. The chatting are sometimes too vulgur, Childrens are also going for pronographic sites also. People skip ther namaz also while sitting and wasting time on chatting and games. There are always movie songs being played in the cyber to keep the customer happy. Finally,as per me online chatting with strangers of opposite sex is like doing ZINA. This is an actual situation of one of my freind who is running a cyber cafe. He himself is not Namazi often skips Namaz. He keeps his cyber open upto late night i.e upto 3AM or 4AM inspite of that there are no customers in night.He just wastes his time being online. He is married and have 3 childrens. Doesn’t take it as a responsibility to be at home at night with his family, which is very much important for their social security and attend the needs of his children and wife.So, please let me know that is it Haraam or Halaal to do such business, which is affecting our muslim society in so many ways.
There are two aspects to your query; a) Cyber café business, b) Your friend’s attitude
Cyber café business is analogous to the sale of a radio which may have permissible and prohibited programmes. In principle, it is permissible to sell any item that has dual or multiple purposes, some of which are permissible and others prohibited. The responsibility of the abuse will rest on the purchaser and not on the seller. However, if the seller is content that the cyber café will be abused, for example, to have evil communications with the opposite gender, to check pornographic sites, etc. then it is not permissible to sell time to such a person. It may not be possible or practical to restrict the use of a cyber café to any person, therefore, if one is certain that his clients will abuse the facility, it is Makrooh to engage in such a business as that will be assisting in sin.
The second aspect of your query regarding the attitude of your friend, neglecting his wife and family, etc. That is Haraam. Your friend is guilty of committing the sin of depriving his wife and children of their rights. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, ?Verily, your wife has a right upon you.? Your friend is also guilty of committing sin of not performing Salaat. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, ?Salaat is the pillar of Deen, whosoever maintains this pillar has maintained Deen and whosoever breaks this pillar breaks Deen.? Your friend should make sincere Tawbah and change himself by fulfilling the rights of his family and performing Salaat.
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai