Q: I have a website business and part of it represents placing advert-banners on it. Alhamdulillah imam Allah has been very kind to me. I am blessed with the ni’mat of imaan. Now that I have come back from hajj I have this fear of haram and halal that has over taken me.  Is it permissible for me to accept money from advertises? Most of the companies I represent are in the stock market. They openly deal in Riba, alcohol, the major casinos of Vegas and the entertainment industry and these companies promote these things. I do have another job I can turn to which would provide a modest income. So if it is haram say it as it is. If halal fine too. (Willwait4urAnswer)

Answers:

• Allah instructs us to assist in doing good deeds (ayah.) For Muslims this ayah represents our primary duty towards our Creator. Thus, to work with/for companies that assist in the collapse of morals and promote the lack of human dignity is against the core values of humanity.
• To deal with those businesses that advertise halal products would be halal for you. Companies that represent the forbidden would also be forbidden for you to deal with.
• It would be best to sell your product to people that support your true religious sentiments, values and convictions.
• To support companies and institutions of wrong only contributes to their possible greater negligence and contributes to the problem of unworthy behavior to the rest of society. This is against the idea of ‘doing good and forbidding evil.’ (Ayah)

Noted advice from our pious predecessors: When you consume Haram (the forbidden), you will engage in sin whether you like it or not.

Verily, what is lawful is clear and what is unlawful is clear, and in-between the two are matters which are doubtful which many people are unaware. He (the one) who guards against doubtful things keeps his (her) religion and honor, and whoever who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful things like a shepherd who grazers his flock around a pasture (of another) will soon enter them into it (into the field of another.) Beware, every king has a domain and the domain of Allah (is His) declaring (of what remains) unlawful (upon his loyal servants.) Beware; in the body there is a flesh; if this piece of flesh is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it (this flesh) is the heart. (Mutafiq alay)

Allah Certainly Knows Best.