Ruling on transactions made via modern means of communication
Question

                What is the ruling on purchase and
      rental transactions etc. made via modern inventions such as the telephone, fax, telex and
      the Internet etc. If the transaction usually takes place in an office or store, what is
      the ruling on cases where these modern means are used?
Praise be to Allah.According to shareeah, a transaction is made when there is an
    offer [of goods or services] and this is accepted, within the framework of shar'i
    conditions and in the absence of anything that might invalidate the transaction. An
    example of this in the case of a sale might be when the vendor says I sell this to
    you and the purchaser says I agree. There have been major developments
    in the field of communications which are now widely used to speed up financial dealings
    and transactions, which we must bear in mind whilst also taking into account what the
    fuqahaa have said about carrying out transactions via letter, in writing, by means
    of gestures or through intermediaries. They also established that transactions should be
    carried out between two parties who are present in the same place  with the
    exception of wills, the appointment of executors and the giving of power of attorney; the
    offer and agreement should both refer to the same thing and price, there should be no
    expression or indication that either party is turning away from the deal, and the
    agreement to an offer should not be delayed beyond whatever timespan is customarily
    regarded as acceptable.
In the light of the above, the fuqahaa have established the
    following:
If the transaction is carried out between two parties who are not
        present in the same place where one can actually see the other or hear his voice, and the
        only means of communication between them is by writing, mail, sending a messenger, this
        applies also to telegraphs, telexes, faxes and computer screens, in these cases the
        transaction is complete when the offer reaches the prospective purchaser and he agrees to
        it.

If the transaction is drawn up at the same time, between two parties who
        are in different locations  which applies to telephones and wireless communications
         the contract between them is considered to be a contract drawn up between two
        parties who are present in the same place, and in this case the basic rulings as stated by
        the fuqahaa and referred to in al-Deebaajah apply.

If the vendor makes a limited-time offer through these means of
        communication, he is bound by it for the duration and he cannot go back on it.

The rules outlined above do not include nikaah (marriage contracts)
        because of the requirement of two witnesses in nikaah, or barter because there has to be
        an actual exchange of goods or services, or forward buying, because this requires a cash
        down-payment.

In cases where there is the possibility of forgery, fraud or error,
        reference should be made to the general rules concerning the establishment of proof.l

And Allaah knows best.