Internet marketing through affiliates

25-2-2004 | IslamWeb

Question:

I am running an online shopping mall. I would like to know if it is permissible/allowed in Islam to do business through affiliates. Affiliates are those who help businesses to advertise. Affiliates receive commission on a sale brought by the affiliate to the business. Moreover, affiliates also run online sites through which they place my banner ads. The problem that is perplexing me is that those affiliates also have links and banners of beer, wine, etc. online malls. So can I allow the affiliates to run my banner advertisement on their sites where they also run banner advertisements on beer and wine, etc. companies? Please give a detailed explanation on this matter because if the affiliate sends a customer to my site and that customer buys any products, that affiliate earns 10% commission. I am eagerly awaiting for your reply.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

 

If the affiliates’ work is limited only to advertising your company or products and charge you, then this act is permissible since it is called brokerage which is permissible in the Sharee'ah. But the majority of the Muslim scholars are of the opinion that the percentage of the charges from the profit should be known, or that a known amount should be specified beforehand. However, some scholars are of the opinion that brokerage is permissible even if the charges are not specified.

On the other hand, putting your ads or banners beside other forbidden ads on wine and intoxicants and the like, does not harm you since you have no relation to those ads, hence you are not responsible for them.

Allaah Knows best.