Ruling on establishing a newspaper for advertising
Question

                What is the ruling on making a newspaper just for trade advertisements, such as seeking work, selling apartments, selling cars, advertising some companies etc, and publishing commercial adverts for some companies? If it is permissible, what are the shar’i guidelines that must be adhered to with regard to choosing companies and types of advertisement? And the guidelines on taking money from companies or from those who want to put ads in the paper? 

Please note that I will be in charge of it along with some of my friends, so that we will be able to choose which adverts are put in the paper.
Praise be to Allah.
    Things that go against sharee’ah are common in many newspapers and 
    magazines, both daily and weekly. We have explained some of these haraam 
    things, and the ruling on working for those newspapers, and the ruling on 
    selling them in the answers to questions no.
    89737 and
    82704. 

    With 
    regard to publishing a newspaper that is just for advertising, the basic 
    principle is that publishing and distributing it is permissible, but there 
    are conditions and guidelines attached to this permissibility which may be 
    summed up as avoiding adverts that go against Islam. That includes: 

    1-
    
    Avoiding adverts for tourist 
    resorts and immoral places

    i.e., 
    adverts for tourist resorts where there are haraam things such as alcohol, 
    mixing and uncovering of ‘awrahs in beaches and in amusement parks, all of 
    which comes under the heading of cooperating in sin and transgression, and 
    liking to spread immorality. 

    Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

    “Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and 
    piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression”

    [al-Maa’idah 5:2] 

    “Verily, those who like that (the crime of) illegal sexual intercourse 
    should be propagated among those who believe, they will have a painful 
    torment in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allaah knows and you know 
    not”

    [al-Noor 24:19]

    2-
    
    Avoiding adverts for 
    companies that deal in riba (usury), gambling and haraam earnings, such as 
    adverts for riba-based banks, insurance companies and manufacturers and 
    stores that sell haraam things.

    3-
    
    Avoiding announcements of 
    innovated festivals or those that imitate the kuffaar, such as announcements 
    about celebrations of the Prophet’s birthday (Mawlid) or Laylat al-Nusf min 
    Sha’baan (the 15th of Sha’baan) or announcements of people’s 
    birthdays.

    4-
    
    Avoiding using pictures of 
    women or hand-drawn pictures of animate beings.

    5-
    
    Avoiding advertisements for 
    conferences where debates are that go against Islam or are opposed to it.

    6-
    
    Avoiding announcements that 
    praise the dead, especially if they were not Muslim.

    There 
    follow some fatwas about advertising some of these haraam things: 

    1 – 
    The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: 

    There 
    are some people who distribute advertisements door-to-door, and in these 
    adverts every store has its own page, so there are adverts for companies 
    that sell shoes and furniture, but there are some adverts for stores that 
    sell food, and these adverts show most of what they sell. So next to the 
    sugar and rice they show alcohol, or they show beef, lamb and pork. What is 
    the ruling on delivering these adverts? Some people deliver the adverts that 
    include food, but they throw away the ones that include alcohol and pork 
    without the advertiser knowing about it, then they charge them for having 
    delivered them. What is the ruling on that money? Some of the scholars in 
    Europe say that alcohol and pork are permissible in those people’s religion. 
    Does that mean that we can work in stores selling alcohol and pork? What is 
    your response to this idea? 

    They 
    replied: It is haraam for the Muslims to sell alcohol and pork and it is not 
    permissible for them to cooperate with others in distributing or marketing 
    haraam things or promoting or advertising them, or delivering adverts for 
    them, because that is cooperating in sin and transgression, which Allaah has 
    forbidden in the verse in which He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

    “Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and 
    piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear 
    Allaah. Verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment”

    [al-Maa’idah 5:2]

    The 
    money that a person gets in return for posting adverts for haraam things is 
    not permissible, even if he throws the haraam adverts away and does not 
    deliver them, the money is still not permissible for him, because that is 
    consuming people’s wealth unlawfully. End quote.

    Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah 
    (14/429, 430) 

    2 – 
    The Scholars of the Standing Committee were also asked: 

    There 
    is a man who is working as a journalist in a newspaper in Egypt and he 
    writes reports and he writes adverts, for which he is paid. The newspaper is 
    full of material that opposes Allaah and His Messenger. With regard to the 
    adverts, he plays the role of an intermediary between the newspaper and the 
    public. He goes to people (such as businessmen) and encourages them to place 
    ads, and they pay the fee for these ads without any pressure, so that the 
    names of their businesses will be published in the newspaper. This is a kind 
    of advertising, but they are supporting falsehood. The one who brings such 
    business gets a set share of the advertising fee and gets money for it. Is 
    this money halaal or haraam? If this money is haraam, is it permissible for 
    me and the rest of my siblings to eat from it as the son of this man? Please 
    note that he has other income from a government job. And is the money that 
    he gets from his government job permissible? 

    They 
    replied: 

    Firstly: Working to serve those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger is not 
    permissible, because it is cooperating with them in sin and transgression, 
    which Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, has forbidden to His slaves 
    as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 
    

    “Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and 
    piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear 
    Allaah”

    [al-Maa’idah 5:2]

    Secondly: Whatever money he has earned from cooperating with them in their 
    evil is haraam. 

    Thirdly: If your father’s wealth that he got from working with those who 
    oppose Allaah and His Messenger is distinct from that which he has earned 
    from other jobs or in other permissible ways, then it is not permissible for 
    you and your siblings to eat from it. But if it is not distinct, then it is 
    permissible for you to eat from it according to the correct scholarly view, 
    but it is better to avoid doing so in order to be on the safe side, 
    especially if the haraam portion is greater. End quote. 

    Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah 
    (15/102, 103) 

    3 
    –Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) was asked: 

    With 
    regard to condolences in the newspapers, notices of thanks for condolences 
    and announcements of deaths, what is the Islamic view on these? 

    He 
    replied: 

    If an 
    announcement of a person’s death is made in the newspaper for a valid 
    purpose, which is so that the people will know of his death so that they can 
    attend the funeral prayer and accompany the bier and say du’aa’ for him, and 
    so that those who were owed anything by the deceased may ask for it or waive 
    it, there is nothing wrong with announcements made for these purposes. But 
    there should be no exaggeration in the manner in which the announcement is 
    done, such as taking up an entire page of the newspaper, because that costs 
    a lot of money and there is no need for that. It is also not permissible to 
    write the verse which many people customarily write when announcing a 
    death: 

    “(It will be said to the pious — believers of Islamic Monotheism): ‘O (you) 
    the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction!

    28. ‘Come back to your Lord, __ well‑pleased (yourself) and 
    well‑pleasing (unto Him)!

    29. ‘Enter you then among My (honoured) slaves,
    

    30. ‘And enter you My Paradise!’”

    [al-Fajr 89:27-30]

    because this is praising the deceased and stating that he is one of the 
    people of Paradise, and that is not permissible, because it is speaking 
    about Allaah (without knowledge) and claiming to have knowledge of the 
    unseen. It cannot be stated that any specific person is in Paradise without 
    evidence from the Qur’aan or Sunnah. Rather we should hope for good for the 
    believer but we cannot state that for certain. End quote. 

    Al-Muntaqa min Fataawa al-Shaykh al-Fawzaan 
    (2/159). 

    Conclusion: 

    You 
    should avoid advertisements for haraam things and anything that goes against 
    sharee’ah. Everything else is permissible for you to advertise. 

    As 
    for taking money from companies and individuals who want to advertise in 
    your paper, there is nothing wrong with that, so long as the advert does not 
    include anything haraam and the contract is done with mutual consent. 

    And 
    Allaah knows best.