Wooing the digital devotee: When tech and religion marry, the faithful become consumers

livemint.com:

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Omaha: Darul Ifta, an Islamic website that publishes religious rulings on everyday life by scholars at the Darul Uloom seminary in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, had to field this unusual question: “Is the use of Google Pay, PhonePe and bank associated payments apps halal (permissible in Islam)? If halal, can we use the rewards of these apps in the light of the Quran (the words of Allah) and the Hadith (the words of Prophet Mohammed)?" The questioner was concerned that accepting cashbacks and discounts might be haram (impermissible) as Islam has rules against accepting interest payouts.

(The question has been edited for clarity.) The Darul Uloom’s response to the question was unequivocal. “The definition of interest does not apply to cashbacks or discounts received on purchases made through these apps, but falls into the category of rewards.

Therefore, it is allowable to take advantage of them," it declared. Among other questions on the Darul Ifta website: Can I buy something on instalments? What is the position on taking a loan to buy a house? Is there anything in the Quran about using a dining table? These questions, ranging from the prosaic to the esoteric, represent people’s attempts to reconcile religion and everyday life in a country where civil laws exist but are sometimes unevenly administered, paving the way for religion to fill the void.

They also represent something unique: the unexpected mix of modern technology and religion. And unlike what you’d expect, this marriage is happening not because of some politician’s decree or a religious leader’s diktat but because of ordinary folk.