Tuesday 18 Jumada al-ula 1446 - 19 November 2024
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Is Making Money by Clicking on Ads Permissible?

Question

There is a website called sovrntur.com – the way it works is as follows: when you subscribe to it, you are permitted to watch 10 ads and what you earn from each ad is a small amount of money. The price of ten ads is ten liras. The next day, you are allowed to watch ten more ads, and what you earn from that is approximately another ten liras, so the total is twenty liras. We add details of our bank account, and we can withdraw 92% of the total amount, which will arrive on the same day. As for the rest of the days, we cannot open other ads except in return for depositing a certain amount of money on the website. For example, if we deposit 200 liras, then we can open ten ads every day in return for ten liras, more or less, based on the price of the displayed ad. If we deposit 600 liras, we can open ten ads in return for thirty liras, more or less, based on the price of the displayed ad, and so on. The ads change according to the amount of money deposited. Of course, the amount will be returned two months after the date of the deposit. On the day on which we click on ads we make money, and on the day on which we do not click on ads we do not make any money. What we make is based on our work on the website, otherwise there is no money. This is the nature of the work we do on the website. What is the ruling on that? Please note that I have already deposited money, and every day I earn enough to cover a little less than my daily expenses. I hope that you can explain the ruling on this website, and the ruling on depositing money on it. If it is prohibited, what should I do?

Summary of answer

It is permissible to make money by clicking on ads subject to two conditions: 1- the ads should be permissible; 2- and the fee or payment should be known. It is not permissible to deposit money on the website because this is regarded as giving a loan to the website.

Praise be to Allah.

Is making money by clicking on ads permissible?

It is permissible to make money by clicking on ads , subject to two conditions:

  1. The ads should be permissible , because clicking on the ad and having a lot of visitors to it is regarded as promoting and supporting it, and it is not permissible to advertise, promote or help in spreading evils, because Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

{And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and transgression. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.} [Al-Ma’idah 5:2]

And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever calls others to misguidance will have a burden of sin like that of those who follow it, without it detracting from their burden in the slightest.” (Narrated by Muslim, 2674)

So it is not permissible to click on ads for permissive websites , or sites that sell intoxicants, or Riba-based banks, or gambling sites, or missionary sites [that promote Christianity], or other websites that spread and propagate what is prohibited.

  1. The fee or payment should be known , such as if it says that if you watch an ad or click on it, you will receive such and such. If the fee is unknown, then the contract is not valid.

Is depositing money on the website to make money from Ads permissible?

It is not permissible to deposit money on the website , because from an Islamic perspective this is regarded as giving a loan to the website, which borrows the money. Borrowing means taking the money to make use of it and benefit from it, with a commitment to return it. It is not permissible to stipulate that a loan be given when entering into a transaction such as buying and selling, hiring or renting, or when paying a fee for some work.

At-Tirmidhi (1234), Abu Dawud (3504) and An-Nasa`i (4211) narrated from ‘Amr ibn Shu`ayb, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “It is not permissible to arrange a loan combined with a sale.” (Classed as authentic by At-Tirmidhi and Al-Albani.)

What applies to buying and selling also applies to all other business transactions

It says in a statement of the Islamic Fiqh Council regarding margins: 

“Secondly: if the broker stipulates a condition for the customer that all his business should be done through him, then this leads to combining a loan and brokerage deal, which is like combining a loan with a sale, and that is prohibited according to Islamic teachings, as the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “It is not permissible to arrange a loan combined with a sale…”

This Hadith was narrated by Abu Dawud (3/384) and by At-Tirmidhi (3/526), who said: It is an authentic Hadith.

In this case, he will be benefiting from his loan, and the jurists unanimously agreed that any loan which brings a benefit comes under the heading of Riba , which is prohibited.”

To conclude, it is not permissible to deposit money on the website, no matter what the amount of money.

What you must do is repent and withdraw your money.

And Allah knows best.

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Source: Islam Q&A