Is AppleCare+ Permissible If Purchased Hours After the Original Sale?

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr

Question

I purchased an Apple product and, uncertain about the validity of the extended warranty, conducted a brief online search to clarify the matter. The initial results reassured me, leading me to quickly subscribe to AppleCare+ approximately four hours after leaving the Apple Store with the product.

However, upon further investigation, I discovered that AppleCare+ is ideally meant to be purchased at the time of the original product transaction. Given that I subscribed within the official grace period—specifically, four hours after the purchase—during which returns and full refunds are permitted according to the terms of the transaction agreement, can the extended warranty still be regarded as part of the original purchase?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

Thank you for your question.

Allah (Most High) says,

“O you who believe, devour not your wealth between you through falsehood; but only through trade by your complete mutual consent.” [Quran, 4:29]

Issuing a ruling on something is based on understanding its nature. Interpreting an independent extended warranty as a service contract (ijara) would render it permissible. This permissibility is grounded in the legal principle that customary practice (‘urf)—even when the contract entails some uncertainty about the actual services rendered—is acceptable, provided it does not lead to disputes.

Proof

Mufti Radaul Haqq says,

“It has been a longstanding trend for centuries in the villages, towns, and cities of the Indo-Pak sub-continent that barbers, carpenters, and blacksmiths take responsibility for the respective needs of the people, and the people in return pay them a stipulated amount of grain or cash at the time of harvest. This trend is still prevalent in Afghanistan, India (Deoband, Thanabhawan, Saharanpur, etc), and many other places.

So, for example, the barber takes the responsibility of maintaining the hair of a family which is unspecified and unknown. Still, this ambiguity does not lead to arguments and disputes. In return the family pays them for this service at the time of harvest by giving them a stipulated amount of grain or cash, immaterial as to whether they had requested his services or not and immaterial of the amount of times he was summoned. Similarly, in medical aid, too, the company takes responsibility for treatment, which is unspecified and uncertain, but it does not lead to arguments and disputes.

Secondly, hiring a wet nurse for infants is unanimously permissible. Here, too, one party takes responsibility for breastfeeding, etc., while the other party pays her for this service. The period, quantity, and number of times the baby will need breastfeeding are unspecified. Still, this ambiguity does not lead to disputes, therefore rendering this practice lawful according to all the Fuqaha. [See: Mufti Radaul Haqq, Medical Aid—An Islamic Perspective]

I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.
[Shaykh] Muhammad Carr
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Muhammad Carr has dedicated his life to studying and transmitting our beautiful deen. His studies have taken him around the globe, where he has benefited from many luminaries. Under the guidance of his teachers – Shaykh Taha Karan, Shaykh Yaseen Abbas, Shaykh Muadh Ali, and many others – Shaykh Muhammad has grown to appreciate the beauty and benefits of diverse scholarship. He completed his memorization of the Qur’an at Dar al-Ulum Zakariyyah in September 1997 and received an Alimiyya Degree in 2006 from DUAI (Darul Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah). He is also affiliated with Masjid Auwal in Bo Kaap, Cape Town (the oldest mosque in South Africa), where he serves as a co-imam, and Dar Al-Safa, where he has taught since 2018. As a teacher, he imparts the wisdom of our heritage and tradition by opening the door to students. As an imam, he has the unique opportunity to serve his community in daily life.

In addition to his roles as a teacher and imam, Shaykh Muhammad Carr has contributed significantly to the administrative and advisory aspects of Islamic institutions. Since 2023, he has served as the Administrative Director at The Imam Kurani Institute, contributing to the institution’s growth and development. He continues to pursue traditional Islamic Sciences, possessing a keen interest in Islamic Contract Law and Finance. Shaykh Muhammad has been a Shari‘a Board Member for Islamic Asset Management & Insurance Companies since 2001, aligning financial practices with Islamic principles.