Leading Islamic scholar Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, President of Wifaq-ul-Madaris Al-Arabia Pakistan and Darul Uloom Karachi, has issued a religious ruling (fatwa) declaring that purchasing goods with cryptocurrency is not permissible under Islamic law (Shariah).
Karachi, Pakistan – Web Desk: According to the fatwa, cryptocurrency—including USDT (Tether) and other digital tokens—does not currently qualify as maal (wealth or property) under Shariah based on the opinions of experts consulted. Instead, it is described as a record of notional numbers in an account rather than recognized wealth.
The ruling states that buying or selling goods using cryptocurrency is therefore not valid under Islamic principles. The fatwa was issued in response to a query from a person who had purchased two books using cryptocurrency and USDT and sought guidance on whether those transactions were permissible.
Mufti Usmani advised the individual to return the books to the seller, stating that the purchases were not Shariah-compliant. The ruling also addressed the purchase of an unauthorized educational course obtained through cryptocurrency. According to the fatwa, the course had been copied and sold without the owner’s permission, making the transaction both religiously impermissible and a violation of legal rights.
The fatwa further instructed the questioner not to benefit from the digital course and to permanently delete all copies.
Mufti Usmani’s son, Hassan Usmani, confirmed that the fatwa circulating on social media is authentic and officially issued by the renowned Islamic scholar.
