Article Number: 1
Created On: 2008-05-25 1:12 AM
URL : http://www.guidedways.com/kb/question.php?ID=1
AssalamuAlaikum,
JazaaqAllahu khair for the question. We all know that without resources
one is handicapped. Our efforts can be for free but the resources and
tools required for developing software are not.
Unlike most of Islamic Websites, we do not take or accept any sort of
donation for any of the services we provide to our users. From the
outset it may seem that the company is perhaps earning millions and
there are perhaps little or no expenses involved in offering the large
set of services, applications and development work. On the contrary in
Islamic Businesses such as ours, there is little or no profit made due
to the fact that 99% of our users prefer downloading free versions of
our softwares and prefer using the free services we provide online.
Ideally we'd like everything to be for free inshAllah, however with
no one
sponsoring us, funding us, supporting us or donating to us, we would
barely be able to survive on the little resources we have otherwise. Please understand this this work is our
sole source of income. We rely on no other work, income or support and spend 24x7 maintaining, supporting and developing the website for all to enjoy.
It would similarly make little sense of course to ask companies
publishing the Noble Quran to stop 'selling' it and provide it for free
(without any one backing them up otherwise). They would hardly last a
few days before all resources and money runs out. Similarly, a lot of
enthusiastic brothers and sisters out there developing similar services
unfortunately seize to update their products or continue developing it
due to lack of support or resources. Quality and productiveness both
suffers. Pick any successful Islamic Organization today and you'll find
them accepting donations or external fundings. We however believe
donations would in fact 'spoil' us as we are strongly in favor of
earning Halal and investing Halal.
It is also ironic how similarly we wouldn't question a person selling
haram things such as Music and inappropriate videos and would readily
purchase something that would not help us in attaining Jannah but would
question brothers and sisters when it comes to Islam. It's okay for
them to earn and invest in their products but bad for Muslims to do the
same? It's okay to spend hundreds on a high-end mobile phone along with
its accessories but when it comes to buying Islamic products, these
should be available for free?
When we say our products are copyrighted, that does not necessarily
mean the contents within the products have copyrights. Allah (swt)'s
Words have no copyrights whatsoever, however the product itself, the
design, the code, the data and the accessibility it offers is
copyrighted. For example, when one purchases one of our professional
softwares, they are bound to an agreement to not distribute copies of
the software to anyone and/or make attempts to crack the softwares.
We do not wish or aim to restrict the proliferation of Islamic
Knowledge in any way or form, and for this reason we provide Free Quran
in Arabic and English for Mobiles along with many other softwares and
services. However, if you wish to read the Qur'an on your expensive
mobile in your own language, we ask for a small price in order to help
us continue working for this Great Cause. It should be pointed out here
that we have special programs for those who cannot afford to buy a copy.
We only pray inshAllah that in time Allah (swt) Makes it easy for us to
back our services, servers, maintainence and development and make us
self-sufficient so that we may provide everything completely for free
inshAllah. However we truly believe that until that happens, money
earned from these softwares go to good charitable work, more
productiveness, quality products and towards those who are in need of
it inshAllah. Moreover we should mention that our work is Alhamdulillah
completely Halal and follows the Islamic Guidelines.