Ruling on establishing a newspaper for advertising

Question

Praise be to Allah.

Things that go against sharee’ah are common in many newspapers and
magazines, both daily and weekly. We have explained some of these haraam
things, and the ruling on working for those newspapers, and the ruling on
selling them in the answers to questions no.
89737 and
82704.

With
regard to publishing a newspaper that is just for advertising, the basic
principle is that publishing and distributing it is permissible, but there
are conditions and guidelines attached to this permissibility which may be
summed up as avoiding adverts that go against Islam. That includes:

1-

Avoiding adverts for tourist
resorts and immoral places

i.e.,
adverts for tourist resorts where there are haraam things such as alcohol,
mixing and uncovering of ‘awrahs in beaches and in amusement parks, all of
which comes under the heading of cooperating in sin and transgression, and
liking to spread immorality.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and
piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression”

[al-Maa’idah 5:2]

“Verily, those who like that (the crime of) illegal sexual intercourse
should be propagated among those who believe, they will have a painful
torment in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allaah knows and you know
not”

[al-Noor 24:19]

2-

Avoiding adverts for
companies that deal in riba (usury), gambling and haraam earnings, such as
adverts for riba-based banks, insurance companies and manufacturers and
stores that sell haraam things.

3-

Avoiding announcements of
innovated festivals or those that imitate the kuffaar, such as announcements
about celebrations of the Prophet’s birthday (Mawlid) or Laylat al-Nusf min
Sha’baan (the 15th of Sha’baan) or announcements of people’s
birthdays.

4-

Avoiding using pictures of
women or hand-drawn pictures of animate beings.

5-

Avoiding advertisements for
conferences where debates are that go against Islam or are opposed to it.

6-

Avoiding announcements that
praise the dead, especially if they were not Muslim.

There
follow some fatwas about advertising some of these haraam things:

1 –
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:

There
are some people who distribute advertisements door-to-door, and in these
adverts every store has its own page, so there are adverts for companies
that sell shoes and furniture, but there are some adverts for stores that
sell food, and these adverts show most of what they sell. So next to the
sugar and rice they show alcohol, or they show beef, lamb and pork. What is
the ruling on delivering these adverts? Some people deliver the adverts that
include food, but they throw away the ones that include alcohol and pork
without the advertiser knowing about it, then they charge them for having
delivered them. What is the ruling on that money? Some of the scholars in
Europe say that alcohol and pork are permissible in those people’s religion.
Does that mean that we can work in stores selling alcohol and pork? What is
your response to this idea?

They
replied: It is haraam for the Muslims to sell alcohol and pork and it is not
permissible for them to cooperate with others in distributing or marketing
haraam things or promoting or advertising them, or delivering adverts for
them, because that is cooperating in sin and transgression, which Allaah has
forbidden in the verse in which He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and
piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear
Allaah. Verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment”

[al-Maa’idah 5:2]

The
money that a person gets in return for posting adverts for haraam things is
not permissible, even if he throws the haraam adverts away and does not
deliver them, the money is still not permissible for him, because that is
consuming people’s wealth unlawfully. End quote.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah
(14/429, 430)

2 –
The Scholars of the Standing Committee were also asked:

There
is a man who is working as a journalist in a newspaper in Egypt and he
writes reports and he writes adverts, for which he is paid. The newspaper is
full of material that opposes Allaah and His Messenger. With regard to the
adverts, he plays the role of an intermediary between the newspaper and the
public. He goes to people (such as businessmen) and encourages them to place
ads, and they pay the fee for these ads without any pressure, so that the
names of their businesses will be published in the newspaper. This is a kind
of advertising, but they are supporting falsehood. The one who brings such
business gets a set share of the advertising fee and gets money for it. Is
this money halaal or haraam? If this money is haraam, is it permissible for
me and the rest of my siblings to eat from it as the son of this man? Please
note that he has other income from a government job. And is the money that
he gets from his government job permissible?

They
replied:

Firstly: Working to serve those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger is not
permissible, because it is cooperating with them in sin and transgression,
which Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, has forbidden to His slaves
as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and
piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear
Allaah”

[al-Maa’idah 5:2]

Secondly: Whatever money he has earned from cooperating with them in their
evil is haraam.

Thirdly: If your father’s wealth that he got from working with those who
oppose Allaah and His Messenger is distinct from that which he has earned
from other jobs or in other permissible ways, then it is not permissible for
you and your siblings to eat from it. But if it is not distinct, then it is
permissible for you to eat from it according to the correct scholarly view,
but it is better to avoid doing so in order to be on the safe side,
especially if the haraam portion is greater. End quote.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah
(15/102, 103)

3
–Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) was asked:

With
regard to condolences in the newspapers, notices of thanks for condolences
and announcements of deaths, what is the Islamic view on these?

He
replied:

If an
announcement of a person’s death is made in the newspaper for a valid
purpose, which is so that the people will know of his death so that they can
attend the funeral prayer and accompany the bier and say du’aa’ for him, and
so that those who were owed anything by the deceased may ask for it or waive
it, there is nothing wrong with announcements made for these purposes. But
there should be no exaggeration in the manner in which the announcement is
done, such as taking up an entire page of the newspaper, because that costs
a lot of money and there is no need for that. It is also not permissible to
write the verse which many people customarily write when announcing a
death:

“(It will be said to the pious — believers of Islamic Monotheism): ‘O (you)
the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction!

28. ‘Come back to your Lord, __ well‑pleased (yourself) and
well‑pleasing (unto Him)!

29. ‘Enter you then among My (honoured) slaves,

30. ‘And enter you My Paradise!’”

[al-Fajr 89:27-30]

because this is praising the deceased and stating that he is one of the
people of Paradise, and that is not permissible, because it is speaking
about Allaah (without knowledge) and claiming to have knowledge of the
unseen. It cannot be stated that any specific person is in Paradise without
evidence from the Qur’aan or Sunnah. Rather we should hope for good for the
believer but we cannot state that for certain. End quote.

Al-Muntaqa min Fataawa al-Shaykh al-Fawzaan
(2/159).

Conclusion:

You
should avoid advertisements for haraam things and anything that goes against
sharee’ah. Everything else is permissible for you to advertise.

As
for taking money from companies and individuals who want to advertise in
your paper, there is nothing wrong with that, so long as the advert does not
include anything haraam and the contract is done with mutual consent.

And
Allaah knows best.