What is the ruling on earning profit from the internet through the following methods: firstly, by browsing advertising sites for a small fee; secondly, by recruiting new members for advertising companies; thirdly, by investing money in companies that guarantee a fixed monthly profit ranging between 100% and 200%; and fourthly, by participating in companies that trade in website names? Is it permissible to donate money if there is a suspicion of it being unlawful?

Profiting from browsing websites or from participants entering them is a void ijara (leasing/hiring contract), because it does not correspond to a Sharia (definition)-compliant benefit. For an ijara to be valid, the wage and the benefit must be known, pure, usable, and deliverable. As for guaranteeing the principal with a fixed profit in transactions, this makes it a void mudaraba (profit-sharing partnership) and a prohibited usurious loan, especially with the existence of a money-back guarantee in case profits are not achieved. Furthermore, justifying the permissibility of investment companies' work by claiming it is based on gain and loss in currency trading is a justification without proof; for many of these transactions are essentially usury. Therefore, these investments are prohibited.