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The question

Is it Islamically permissible to create a website that displays companies' offers to subscribers in exchange for an annual subscription?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The annual subscription fee paid by companies for advertising space on a website is permissible if the website can accommodate all advertisements, provided these advertisements are free of any prohibitions, in accordance with the Almighty's saying: "And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression." However, if the website cannot accommodate all advertisements, the annual subscription system is not permissible due to it containing an element of gharar (excessive uncertainty). The permissible alternative is to pay for each advertisement published.

Regarding the browsing subscription for individuals, it is permissible on the condition that they can access the website without fault or interruption, and that the website can respond to their inquiries, so that the agreed-upon benefit is known and can be fulfilled. Minor gharar (such as a slight delay in access or response) is overlooked, as the fundamental principle in contracts of exchange is permissibility, and minor gharar is tolerated when needed, especially in commercial websites which have become essential and difficult to deal with except through subscription systems.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported

Read the full answer on Ftawy
Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
85454
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
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Read the full answer on Ftawy