title — English
Mining: energy for verification
Proof of Work — as used by Bitcoin — relies on hardware competing to solve complex computations that secure the network and verify transactions, consuming enormous amounts of electricity. Proof of Stake — as used by Ethereum since the Merge — secures the network by locking coins as collateral instead of burning energy, making it far less resource-intensive. The Sharia question here isn't about mining as a concept, but about the legitimacy of resource consumption, the energy source, and whether it constitutes wasteful excess (israf) without proportionate benefit.
HODLing: genuine saving or waiting to profit?
Long-term holding means keeping a digital asset for years with the intention of real saving — much like someone saves gold or property they view as lasting value. This pattern is closer to permissible acquisition (iqtina'): the asset is genuinely owned, and the holder isn't betting on momentary price swings but trusting in value they believe will endure or grow over time. Unlike trading, holding requires no constant monitoring and no daily anxiety over volatility.
Trading: between investment and gambling
Frequent buying and selling within hours or days, aiming to profit from small price differences, enters risky territory when it relies on betting on volatility rather than assessing an asset's real value. When trading turns into leveraged gambling with derivative instruments, it edges toward maysir (forbidden gambling): profit contingent on someone else's loss rather than added value. Trading grounded in genuine analysis and actual ownership, without leverage or excessive gharar, is judged differently.
The real distinction: intention and use, not the tool itself
The very same digital currency can be halal in the hands of someone holding it for genuine savings without leverage or riba, and haram in the hands of someone gambling with it through leveraged contracts-for-difference. Sharia rulings generally focus not on the 'thing' itself but on the act, intention, and contract: Is there excessive gharar? Is there riba? Is there maysir? Grasping this distinction is the key to telling apart a permissible use from a forbidden one for the exact same instrument.
Qist's position
Qist does not engage in mining, direct trading, or leveraged speculation. Its model rests on genuine Murabaha: an asset actually owned (such as ETH or cbBTC) is sold at a fixed, disclosed total price agreed at contract signing, repaid in installments, with no accumulating riba-based interest and no bet on price volatility. Real ownership and a fixed price are what separate this model from any form of gambling or riba.
By the numbers
Bitcoin is hard-capped by code at 21 million units, never to increase. Global Islamic finance assets under management approach $4 trillion USD. The world's Muslim population is close to 1.9 billion, many seeking Sharia-compliant alternatives. Qist's flat fee is just 2% of the financing value. Qist's grace period is 3 days before any default procedure activates, as a courtesy to the user.