Abstract
This paper scrutinises the legal protection of consumer rights in on-line contracts through the application of Khiyar al-‘Aib (option of defect). Khiyar al-‘Aib is a legal Islamic mechanism by which, one party, both parties or even a third party can nullify a contract, electronically or conventionally. Khiyar (option) means the authority to nullify a contract and Aib means defect. In fact, it is a right given to the purchaser to cancel the contract if he discovers that the object acquired has defect that diminishes its value. In on-line contracts, the consumer has no direct contact with the merchant and cannot easily verify the quality of the goods, thus creating a situation in which contracting parties are not at equal bargaining strength. Therefore, application of Khiyar al-‘Aib (option of defect) would be helpful in protecting consumer rights in the virtual world. This paper explores the Islamic principles by taking Iranian laws as well as the European law as a point of reference.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ansari M., (2010). Al-Makasib, Translated by: Payani, Dar-ol- Elm Publication, Qom, Iran, Vol. I.
Awad, A. (1998). The concept of defect in American and English products liability discourse: Despite strict liability linguistics, negligence is back with a vengeance! Pace International Law Review, 10, 275–360.
Bainbridge, D. (2000). Introduction to computer law (4th ed.). London: Pearson Education, Longman.
Bakhtiarvand, M. (2007). Consumer rights in electronic contracts. Ph.D thesis, Tehran University, Tehran.
Billah, M. M. (2006). Shari’ah standard of business contract. Kuala Lumpur: A.S. Noordeen.
Chissick, M., & Kelman, A. (1999). Electronic commerce law and practice. London: Sweet & Maxwell.
Dayani, A. A. R. (2007). The comparison of the principles of Khiyar al-‘Aib in Fiq, Civil law, European law and French law. Journal of Law & Political Science, 37(3), 127–154.
Delta, G. B., & Mastuura, J. H. (2003). Law of the internet (2nd ed.). UK: Aspen Publishers.
European Directive 1999/44/EC, www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?32095. Accessed 21 Aug 2011.
European Directive 85/374, http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31985L0374:EN:NOT. Accessed 12 Sep 2011.
Fleming, J. G. (1992). The law of torts (17th ed.). USA: The Law Book Co.
Frederick, V. P. (2007). Shari’ah, islamic law and arab business ethics. Connecticut Journal of International Law, 22, 357–369.
Hossein, S. N. (2010). The civil liability of the providers and intermediaries of the electronic relations (2010). Journal of Law & Political Science, 40(2), 199–218.
Kamali, M. H. (2002). Islamic commercial law, an analysis of futures and options. Kuala Lumpur: ILMIAH Publishers.
Mansuri, M. T. (2006). Islamic law of contracts and business transactions. Islamabad: ADAM Publishers and Distributors.
Mehdi, S. (1997). The formation of contracts and obligations. Tehran: Hoghughdan Publication.
Naser, K. (2005). Civil law in the present legal discipline. Tehran: Mizan Publication.
Naser, K. (2006a). Civil code at the new legal discipline. Tehran: Mizan Publication.
Naser, K. (2006b). The liability caused by the defect of producing. Tehran: Tehran University Publication.
Naser, K. (2009a). The innovation in the concept of fault in civil liability. Journal of Law & Political Science, 38(1), 189–214.
Naser, K. (2009b). Limits of freedom of contract on the basis of consumer protection. Journal of Law & Political Science, 38(3), 328–333.
Pedram, K. S. (2006). Protecting consumers in e-commerce and The Modern Law of European Union. Ph.D thesis, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran.
Ramsay, I. (2007). Consumer law and policy. Portland: Hart Publishing.
Reimann, M. (2002). Liability for defective products at the beginning of the twenty-first century: Emergence of a worldwide standard. American Journal of Comparative Law, 51(7), 192–205.
Shahabudin, S. N. (2005). Paper presented at the Malaysian law conference 16 Nov 2005. http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/content/view/2002/2/ Accessed 15 Jul 2011.
Wook, I. (2006). Consumer protection in e-commerce: The current legal framework in Malaysia. Proceeding’s of national conference on law and technology, Faculty of Law, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bagheri, P., Hassan, K.H. The application of the Khiyar al-‘Aib (option of defect) principle in on-line contracts and consumer rights. Eur J Law Econ 33, 565–575 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10657-012-9332-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10657-012-9332-5