Fiqh Muamalah Ethics in COD Transactions: Buyers Cannot Cancel Arbitrarily on the Spot

Lately, our social media feeds have frequently featured videos of couriers being berated by buyers over Cash on Delivery (COD) issues. The pattern is that the buyer refuses to pay because the item does not meet expectations and the package has already been opened, forcing the courier to turn back and return the goods. This phenomenon is not merely a technical misunderstanding of online shopping. It is a loud alarm that fiqh muamalah literacy in our society is still very minimal. Many mistakenly consider COD a free facility to ‘see the goods first, then pay’, without realising that arbitrarily cancelling on the spot actually violates the principles of justice in Islam. One fundamental thing that is often forgotten is the moral consequence when we press the ‘Buy with COD’ button in an application. From a fiqh perspective, that action is not just a casual click, but a binding promise (wa’ad) that creates legal responsibility. When choosing that option, the buyer indirectly commits to the seller to pay for the goods, while also promising the expedition service to pay for the delivery when the package arrives. Islam is very firm on the matter of keeping commitments, as stated in QS. Al-Maidah verse 1 which commands believers to fulfil their promises. So, unilaterally cancelling an order at the doorstep without an emergency reason is clearly a form of reneging on that commitment. The negative impact of this arbitrary cancellation habit also directly violates a very fundamental fiqh principle, namely, one must not harm oneself or others (La dharara wa la dhirara). Trade in Islam must stand on the basis of mutual consent and economic justice. The logic is simple: when a package is rejected on the spot, there is a chain of financial loss that we pass on to others. The seller loses capital because they have to bear the return shipping costs and the risk of goods being damaged in transit. Meanwhile, the courier who has been out in the heat loses time, energy, and fuel for a package that ultimately goes to waste. Saving one’s own wallet by sacrificing the sweat of others is certainly not a blessed way of muamalah. So, what if the buyer is genuinely a victim of a fraudulent seller? Does the buyer not have the right to cancel the transaction if the goods are defective? In fiqh muamalah, this rule is indeed accommodated through the concept of Khiyar Rights. However, what needs to be straightened out is the mechanism for its application in the digital era. E-commerce platforms currently provide a neat complaint system through an official return feature. The ethical and sharia-compliant path is to pay for the package to the courier first as a fulfilment of the delivery service rights. After that, please open the package. If the contents are fake or not as described, file an official complaint to the seller through the application so that the money is returned by the system. Solving the problem by arguing with the courier at the doorstep is not an application of khiyar rights, but rather a misguided act of washing one’s hands of responsibility. Ultimately, the COD system exists as an inclusive solution, especially for communities not yet reached by digital banking access. The problem is not with the payment system, but with consumer behaviour that is not yet mature in conducting muamalah. Fiqh does not always talk about complex sharia banking theories; it starts from small things like respecting the courier profession and being responsible for what we have ordered. Being a smart consumer is not just about being clever at finding discounts, but also knowing how to ensure that every transaction we make does not leave a trace of injustice for others.