Is an Online Collection of a Product a Valid Transaction?

Question:
Assalamu alaikum. We know that for salam transactions there needs to be a specific place fixed. But I’ve confirmed a similar transaction where the thing that I paid for is an in-game pack. I thought the delivery is to be done online and the items of the pack should be in my account so I did not exactly fix a specific place. Is the transaction valid? If not, what do I have to do now?

Answer:

Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

I pray you are well.

This transaction seems to be valid. For digital products, the only way to collect them is to download them. Access to a download link is usually given via email or by logging into an account online. This is known to the buyer, so there is no problem here.

It would be a salam transaction if it was a pre-order of a product that wasn’t ready. The date of access to the product is known in such situations. If it wasn’t known it would be invalid and you’d have to cancel the transaction by getting a refund (Maydani, al Luba, Uthmani, Fiqh al Buyu’).

I pray that helps.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.