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What is the ruling on advertising for a news publication that appears to be permissible because it transmits news, but some of its news contains pictures of women and female artists?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The ruling on commercial advertisements varies depending on what is being advertised. If it is permissible, then advertising it is allowed. However, if it is a forbidden matter (munkar), then it is not permissible to advertise it, as this involves spreading evil and assisting in it. Allah Almighty says: "Indeed, those who like that indecency should be spread among those who have believed - they will have a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter" (Quran 24:19), and He says: "And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression" (Quran 5:2). It is also stipulated that the advertisement itself must not contain any Sharia violation.

Accordingly, there is no harm in advertising newspapers that adhere to Sharia guidelines. As for newspapers that divert from the path of Allah, or publish atheistic articles, or are predominantly filled with pictures of immodestly dressed women and news of immorality and transgression, it is not permissible to advertise them. Regarding advertising news newspapers that contain some forbidden images, it is preferable to avoid it, although it is permissible to advertise them based on the opinion of some scholars who permit their sale.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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