Jurisprudence  the Essentials of the Islamic Law

Jurisprudence the Essentials of the Islamic Law

Re-reading the Maxim of Lā Ḍarar in the Age of Technology A Case Study of Cryptocurrency Mining and Its Socio-Environmental Harms

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Jurisprudence and Private Law, Faculty of Humanities, Shahid Motahari University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22059/jjfil.2026.409303.669944
Abstract
The present study, employing a descriptive-analytical method and a jurisprudence based approach, examines the role of the maxim of "Lā Ḍarar" in assessing the legitimacy and limits of crypto-currency mining. The maxim is grounded in the Prophetic hadith "Lā Ḍarar wa lā Ḍirār" and, according to the adopted view, prohibits any form of harm inflicted upon others. Accordingly, the main question is whether the social and environmental consequences of mining fall under the legal concept of "Harm" and, if harm is established, what role the maxim of "Lā Ḍarar" plays in prohibiting or conditioning (i.e., permitting only subject to constraints) this activity. The article then analyzes the most important challenges of mining, particularly under the energy-intensive Proof-of-Work model, at three levels: massive energy consumption and harm to national wealth; environmental damages (including carbon emissions, generation of electronic waste, and water consumption); and noise and thermal pollution at the local scale. The findings indicate that energy-intensive and unregulated mining can generate considerable harms to society and the environment; therefore, on the basis of the maxim of "Lā Ḍarar," its unconditional permissibility is not defensible. Finally, given the possibility of reducing or reasonably controlling these harms through technological solutions (transition to less energy-intensive mechanisms), industrial-executive measures (hardware optimization, appropriate siting, and load management), and legal–supervisory tools (conditional licensing, real-cost energy pricing, levying duties/taxes, and combating illegal mining), the article proposes a framework for Shariah-oriented and legal governance that, while preventing harm and safeguarding public rights, does not culminate in a wholesale negation of this economic potential.
Keywords

Holly Quran
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