Terms and Conditions for Al-Saut (Al-Saut-Fi)

Effective Date: June 5, 2026 Last Updated: June 5, 2026 Version: 2.0

1. Introduction and Acceptance of Terms

1.1 Agreement

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User", "you", or "your") and Al-Saut-Fi ("Al-Saut", "we", "our", or "us"), a company registered and operating under the laws of the Republic of Finland.

1.2 Acceptance

By downloading, installing, accessing, or using the Al-Saut mobile application (available on Android and iOS), website, or any of our associated services (collectively, the "Platform"), you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

1.3 Refusal

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must immediately stop using the Platform and delete the application from your device. Continued use of the Platform constitutes acceptance of these Terms.

1.4 Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to use Al-Saut, in accordance with the Finnish Data Protection Act (Tietosuojalaki 1050/2018), Section 5. If you are between 13 and 18 years of age, you represent that your parent or legal guardian has reviewed and agreed to these Terms on your behalf. Users under 18 are not permitted to make financial transactions (donations) through the Platform without parental or guardian consent.

2. Description of Services

Al-Saut is a comprehensive digital platform designed for the Muslim community in Finland and beyond. Our services include, but are not limited to:

2.1 Core Services

Prayer Times & Qibla Direction: Location-based Islamic prayer time calculations and Qibla compass functionality.
Masjid Finder: Locating nearby mosques with details such as address, prayer schedules, and available services.
Quran & Hadith Access: Digital access to Quranic text, translations, and authenticated Hadith collections.

2.2 Community & Masjid Services

Masjid Management: Tools for masjid administrators to manage announcements, events, and community communications.
Tutor Services: Connecting users with Islamic tutors for online or in-person learning sessions.
Community Announcements: Push notifications and in-app messaging for masjid and community updates.
Booking System: Scheduling for masjid services, tutoring sessions, and community events.

2.3 Financial Services

Donation Management: Facilitating Zakat, Sadaqah, and masjid-specific contributions through secure payment processing.
Transparency Reports: Providing donation tracking and transparency reports for charitable contributions.

2.4 Service Availability

We strive to maintain the Platform's availability at all times but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Platform temporarily or permanently, with reasonable notice where practicable.

3. User Accounts

3.1 Registration

To access certain features of Al-Saut, you must create an account by providing accurate, current, and complete information. You agree to update your information promptly if it changes.

3.2 Account Security

You are solely responsible for:

Maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.
All activities that occur under your account, whether authorized by you or not.
Notifying us immediately at support@alsaut.org if you suspect any unauthorized use of your account.

3.3 One Account Per User

Each user may maintain only one active account. Creating multiple accounts for fraudulent, deceptive, or abusive purposes may result in the suspension or termination of all associated accounts.

3.4 Account Deletion

You may delete your account at any time through:

In-App: Settings > Account > Delete Account.
Email: Sending a request to support@alsaut.org.

Upon account deletion, we will permanently remove your personal data within 30 days, except where we are legally required to retain certain information (e.g., financial records for 6 years under the Finnish Accounting Act). For full details, see our Privacy Policy.

4. Donations and Financial Transactions

4.1 Payment Processing

All financial transactions on Al-Saut are processed through Stripe, a PCI DSS Level 1 certified payment processor. By making a donation, you also agree to Stripe's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

4.2 Donation Types

Al-Saut facilitates the following types of donations:

Zakat: Obligatory charitable contributions calculated according to Islamic principles.
Sadaqah: Voluntary charitable contributions.
Masjid-Specific Donations: Contributions directed to a specific mosque for operational or project-specific purposes.

4.3 Transparency and Accountability

We are committed to donation transparency. Al-Saut provides transparency reports showing how donations are distributed to their intended recipients. However, we are a facilitator and do not assume direct responsibility for how recipient masjids or charities ultimately utilize the funds.

4.4 Refund Policy

General Rule: Donations made as Zakat or Sadaqah are considered final and non-refundable once successfully processed and transferred to the recipient.
Errors: If a donation was made in error (e.g., incorrect amount, duplicate transaction, technical error), you must contact us within 14 days at support@alsaut.org with details of the transaction. We will investigate and, if the error is confirmed and the funds have not yet been disbursed, process a refund.
Failed Transactions: If a payment fails or is declined by your payment provider, no donation is recorded, and no funds are deducted.
Consumer Rights: These refund terms do not affect your statutory rights under Finnish or EU consumer protection law.

4.5 Currency and Tax

All donations are processed in Euro (€) unless otherwise specified. Al-Saut provides donation receipts for your records. However, we do not provide tax advice. Consult a qualified tax professional regarding the tax deductibility of your donations under Finnish law.

4.6 Platform Fees

Al-Saut may deduct a small platform fee from donations to cover payment processing costs and platform maintenance. Any such fee will be clearly disclosed to you before you confirm a donation.

5. User Conduct and Community Standards

5.1 Acceptable Use

When using Al-Saut, you agree to:

Use the Platform in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Interact respectfully with other users, masjid administrators, tutors, and community members.
Provide accurate information when creating content, making bookings, or engaging with services.

5.2 Prohibited Conduct

You must not:

Harassment & Hate Speech: Engage in harassment, threats, hate speech, discrimination, or any form of abusive behavior toward any user or institution.
Fraud: Provide false information, impersonate another person, or engage in fraudulent financial transactions.
Spam & Unsolicited Content: Send spam, unsolicited messages, or distribute malicious content through the Platform.
Reverse Engineering: Attempt to decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, or otherwise extract the source code of the Platform.
Security Violations: Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other users' accounts, our servers, or any connected systems.
Data Scraping: Use automated tools (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to collect data from the Platform without our written permission.
Malicious Use: Upload viruses, malware, or any other harmful code or content.
Illegal Activity: Use the Platform for money laundering, terrorist financing, or any other illegal purpose.

5.3 Content Standards

If you post, submit, or share content through the Platform (e.g., announcements, comments, messages):

You retain ownership of your original content but grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to display, distribute, and store that content as necessary to operate the Platform.
You must not post content that is defamatory, obscene, illegal, or infringes the intellectual property rights of others.
We reserve the right to remove content that violates these standards without prior notice.

5.4 Reporting Illegal Content

In accordance with the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), we provide mechanisms for users to report illegal content encountered on the Platform. You can report content via:

In-App: Using the "Report" function on any content or user profile.
Email: Sending a report to report@alsaut.org.

We will review reports promptly and take appropriate action, including content removal and account suspension where necessary.

6. Masjid Services, Tutors, and Third-Party Providers

6.1 Facilitator Role

Al-Saut acts as a facilitator connecting users with masjids, tutors, and service providers. We are not a party to any agreement between you and a masjid, tutor, or other third-party provider. We do not endorse, guarantee, or assume responsibility for the quality, safety, legality, or accuracy of any third-party service.

6.2 Masjid Administrators

Masjid administrators who use Al-Saut's management tools are responsible for the accuracy of their announcements, event information, and service listings. Al-Saut is not liable for errors or omissions in masjid-published content.

6.3 Tutor Services

Tutoring sessions booked through Al-Saut are subject to the availability and terms of the individual tutor. Al-Saut does not verify the qualifications of tutors and is not responsible for the quality or outcome of any tutoring session.

6.4 Bookings and Cancellations

Bookings for services or tutoring sessions are subject to the cancellation policy of the respective service provider. If no specific policy is stated, cancellations made at least 24 hours before the scheduled time may be eligible for a refund or rescheduling.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Our Intellectual Property

The Al-Saut Platform, including but not limited to its name, logo, design, source code, architecture, user interface, documentation, and proprietary algorithms, is the intellectual property of Al-Saut-Fi and is protected by Finnish, EU, and international intellectual property laws.

7.2 Limited License to Users

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to:

Download and install the Al-Saut app on your personal device.
Access and use the Platform for personal, non-commercial purposes.

This license does not include the right to modify, distribute, sell, sublicense, or create derivative works based on the Platform.

7.3 Religious Content

Quranic text, Hadith collections, and other religious resources available through Al-Saut are in the public domain or used under appropriate licenses. Our presentation, formatting, and compilation of this content is protected by copyright.

7.4 User-Generated Content

By submitting content to the Platform, you grant Al-Saut-Fi a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide license to use, reproduce, modify, and display that content for the purpose of operating and promoting the Platform. You retain all ownership rights to your original content.

7.5 Trademark

"Al-Saut", "Al-Saut-Fi", and associated logos are trademarks of Al-Saut-Fi. Use of these marks without prior written permission is prohibited.

8. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

8.1 "As Is" Provision

The Platform is provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we disclaim all warranties, whether express, implied, or statutory, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

8.2 Religious Content Disclaimer

Al-Saut provides prayer times, Qibla directions, and religious content for informational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy using established calculation methods, we do not guarantee the absolute precision of prayer times or religious information. Users are encouraged to verify timings with their local masjid and consult qualified scholars for religious guidance.

8.3 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Finnish and EU law:

Al-Saut-Fi shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Platform.
Our total aggregate liability for any claims arising from or related to the Platform shall not exceed the total amount you have paid to us (if any) in the 12 months preceding the claim.

8.4 Exceptions

Nothing in these Terms shall limit or exclude our liability for:

Death or personal injury caused by our negligence.
Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.
Any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under Finnish or EU law, including mandatory consumer protection rights.

8.5 Force Majeure

We are not liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations due to events beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, pandemics, war, government actions, network failures, or third-party service outages.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Al-Saut-Fi, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

Your violation of these Terms.
Your misuse of the Platform.
Your infringement of any third-party rights.
Any content you submit or publish through the Platform.

10. Suspension and Termination

10.1 By You

You may stop using the Platform and delete your account at any time as described in Section 3.4.

10.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Platform, with or without notice, if:

You breach any provision of these Terms.
We reasonably believe your account has been compromised.
Your conduct poses a risk to the safety or well-being of other users or the community.
Required by law or a court order.

10.3 Appeal and Transparency (DSA Compliance)

In accordance with the EU Digital Services Act:

If we restrict your account or remove your content, we will provide a clear notification explaining the reasons for our decision.
You have the right to appeal any content moderation or account restriction decision through our internal complaint mechanism (email: appeals@alsaut.org).
We will review appeals promptly and inform you of the outcome.

10.4 Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

Your right to use the Platform is immediately revoked.
We will process the deletion of your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Provisions that are intended to survive termination (including Sections 7, 8, 9, 14, and 15) shall remain in full force and effect.

11. Consumer Rights Under Finnish and EU Law

11.1 Statutory Rights

These Terms do not affect your statutory rights as a consumer under Finnish and EU law, including but not limited to the Finnish Consumer Protection Act (38/1978) and applicable EU directives.

11.2 Right of Withdrawal

Under EU distance selling regulations, you have a 14-day right of withdrawal from the date of entering into a contract for digital content or services. However, by using the Platform immediately upon creating an account, you acknowledge that:

You have requested that the provision of digital content begins before the withdrawal period expires.
You understand that by doing so, you waive your right of withdrawal for the digital content already delivered, to the extent permitted by law.

This does not affect your right to delete your account and stop using the Platform at any time.

11.3 Defects in Digital Content

Under the Finnish Consumer Protection Act (Chapter 5a), digital content and services must conform to the agreed specifications. If you discover a defect in the Platform that materially affects its functionality:

You have the right to request repair (bug fix) free of charge.
If the defect cannot be remedied within a reasonable time, you may be entitled to a price reduction or termination of the contract (for paid features).

11.4 Unfair Terms

Any provision of these Terms deemed unfair under the Finnish Consumer Protection Act or the EU Unfair Contract Terms Directive (93/13/EEC) shall be severable and shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions.

12. Privacy and Data Protection

Your privacy is of utmost importance to us. Our processing of personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy, which forms an integral part of these Terms. Key points include:

We comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Finnish Data Protection Act (1050/2018).
You have the right to access, rectify, delete, and port your personal data.
You can exercise your data rights through the app settings or by contacting our Data Protection Officer at dpo@alsaut.org.
You have the right to complain to the Finnish Data Protection Ombudsman (Tietosuojavaltuutetun toimisto).

For full details, please read our Privacy Policy.

13. Push Notifications and Communications

13.1 Types of Communications

Al-Saut may send you the following types of communications:

Transactional: Donation confirmations, booking updates, account security alerts. These are necessary for service delivery.
Service-Related: Prayer time reminders, masjid announcements, platform updates.
Promotional: Information about new features or services (sent only with your consent).

13.2 Managing Communications

You can manage your notification and communication preferences:

In-App: Settings > Notifications.
Email: By clicking the "Unsubscribe" link in any promotional email.
Device Settings: Through your device's notification settings.

13.3 Essential Communications

Certain communications (e.g., security alerts, Terms updates, legal notices) are essential to the operation of your account and cannot be opted out of while your account is active.

14. Dispute Resolution

14.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Finland, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. The provisions of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) do not apply.

14.2 Amicable Resolution

In the event of any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or the Platform, we encourage you to first contact us at support@alsaut.org to seek an amicable resolution.

14.3 Consumer Disputes Board

If we are unable to resolve the dispute directly, as a consumer in Finland, you have the right to submit the dispute to the Consumer Disputes Board (Kuluttajariitalautakunta):

Consumer Disputes Board Address: Hämeentie 3, P.O. Box 306, 00531 Helsinki, Finland Website: https://www.kuluttajariita.fi Email: kril@oikeus.fi

14.4 European Online Dispute Resolution (ODR)

For consumers in the EU, the European Commission provides an online dispute resolution platform at: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr

14.5 Consumer Advisory Services

You may also contact the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV) for general consumer guidance:

Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV) Website: https://www.kkv.fi Consumer advisory services: https://www.kkv.fi/en/consumer-affairs/

14.6 Jurisdiction

If the dispute cannot be resolved through the mechanisms above, it shall be submitted to the competent courts of Helsinki, Finland, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer protection provisions that may grant you the right to bring proceedings in the courts of your place of residence.

15. General Provisions

15.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any additional terms applicable to specific features (e.g., Stripe's terms for payments), constitute the entire agreement between you and Al-Saut-Fi regarding your use of the Platform.

15.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. The invalid provision shall be replaced with a valid provision that most closely reflects the original intent.

15.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not be deemed a waiver of such right or provision. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by an authorized representative of Al-Saut-Fi.

15.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations to a successor entity in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, provided the successor agrees to be bound by these Terms.

15.5 No Third-Party Beneficiaries

These Terms do not create any rights for third parties who are not a party to this agreement, except as expressly stated (e.g., masjid administrators or tutors to the extent of their involvement in services).

15.6 Language

These Terms are provided in English. If translated into any other language (including Finnish), the English version shall prevail in the event of any inconsistency.

16. Changes to These Terms

16.1 Right to Modify

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time to reflect changes in our services, applicable law, or business practices.

16.2 Notification of Changes

When we make material changes:

We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document.
We will provide at least 30 days' prior notice through a prominent in-app notification or email.
For changes that materially affect your rights or obligations, we will ask for your renewed acceptance.

16.3 Continued Use

Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to the changes, you should stop using the Platform and delete your account.

17. App Store-Specific Terms

17.1 Apple App Store (iOS)

If you downloaded Al-Saut from the Apple App Store:

These Terms are between you and Al-Saut-Fi, not Apple Inc. Apple is not responsible for the Platform or its content.
Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance, support, or warranty for the app.
In the event of any failure of the app to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price (if any). Apple has no other warranty obligation.
Apple is not responsible for addressing any claims by you or third parties relating to the app or your use of the app.
Apple is a third-party beneficiary of these Terms and may enforce them against you.
You must comply with all applicable third-party terms of agreement when using the app.

17.2 Google Play Store (Android)

If you downloaded Al-Saut from the Google Play Store:

These Terms are between you and Al-Saut-Fi, not Google LLC. Google is not responsible for the Platform or its content.
You acknowledge that Google has no obligation to provide maintenance, support, or warranty for the app.
You must comply with Google Play's Terms of Service when using the app.

17.3 General App Store Terms

Regardless of the platform:

We grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the app on a device that you own or control, as permitted by the applicable app store's usage rules.
You may not distribute the app to any platform or device other than through the approved app stores without our written consent.

18. Accessibility

In accordance with the Finnish Act on the Provision of Digital Services (306/2019) and the European Accessibility Act, we are committed to making Al-Saut accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. We strive to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.

If you encounter any accessibility barriers while using Al-Saut, please contact us at accessibility@alsaut.org so we can address the issue.

19. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms and Conditions, please contact us:

General Support: support@alsaut.org
Legal Inquiries: legal@alsaut.org
Privacy & Data Protection: dpo@alsaut.org
Content Reports: report@alsaut.org
Accessibility: accessibility@alsaut.org
Appeals: appeals@alsaut.org
Postal Address: Al-Saut-Fi, Helsinki, Finland
In-App Support: Settings > Help & Support

Consumer Guidance: Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV): https://www.kkv.fi Consumer Disputes Board: https://www.kuluttajariita.fi EU Online Dispute Resolution: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr