Is Sneaker Botting Halal?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

Is sneaker botting halal?

Some websites have bot protection to prevent bots from accessing them. Additionally, some sites block virtual credit cards, which are needed to bot in large quantities.

Many websites also take other measures to ensure that bots are not welcome. Moreover, botting violates the terms of service.

Answer

I pray you are well.

I don’t think botting would be permissible. People usually use such tools to buy large amounts of an item in order to sell it for a much higher price, thereby harming the people who do want to buy one for personal use. The marked-up price is usually much higher due to the diminished supply, and therefore, harmful to customers.

This resembles something called talaqqi al-jalb (intercepting imports), and it is something forbidden by the Prophet:

“Don’t intercept imports.” [Muslim] [Zayla‘i, Tabyin al-Haqa’iq]

Had it only been to purchase a single item strictly for personal use, it may have been permissible, but seeing as it violates the terms of service, the seller would not be happy selling the item, especially if it bypasses their geo-block as well.

The simpler you keep your transaction, and without shady elements, the easier it will be to answer on the Day of Judgement

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.