The Fatwa Committee of Egypt's Dar al-Ifta has ruled that sharing an internet service and its Wi-Fi password with neighbours is not permissible under Islamic law.
The question was raised by a subscriber who asked about the religious ruling on sharing an internet subscription with neighbours after having the service installed at his home, following a request from a neighbour to either run a cable to his property or provide him with the Wi-Fi password in exchange for an agreed monthly sum.
Nazir Mohammed Ayyad, the Mufti of the Republic, responded by clarifying the religious position on the matter, stating that allowing neighbours to share in an internet service or giving them the Wi-Fi password for permanent use in their home in exchange for an agreed monthly payment — without written authorisation from the service provider — is prohibited under Islamic law.
In a fatwa published on the official website of Egypt's Dar al-Ifta, he explained that such an arrangement involves deception and fraud, constitutes an infringement on the financial rights of the company, and violates the principle of good faith in the execution of contracts.
According to the fatwa, obtaining the benefit of the service in a manner other than the agreed terms — through sharing rather than personal use — constitutes a breach of the subscriber's prior commitments, and such conduct involves deception and fraud, both of which are forbidden under Islamic law.