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Fourth: A vendor's advertising should not include any
condemnation or belittling of any other person's products or services,
and it should not try to cause harm to others. The Prophet said:
"None of you truly believes until he wants for his brother what
he wants for himself." The guideline here is that if something
would cause him distress if it were done to him, he should not
do it to others. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said: "There should be no harm and no reciprocating
of harm."
Fifth: The advertising should contain nothing that calls
people to be extravagant or to spend too much, because these are
things that are forbidden in Islam. Allah says (interpretation
of the meaning): "… and waste not by extravagance. Verily, He
likes not Al-Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)." [al-An'aam
6:141] "But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of
a spendthrift. Verily, the spendthrifts are brothers of the Shayaateen
(devils)" [al-Israa' 17:26-27]
Sixth: The advertising should contain nothing that violates
the sanctity of the pure Shariah, such as advertising haraam things
or being accompanied by things that are not allowed, such as music
and singing, or showing women models, and so on.
Seventh: The advertising should not be so expensive that
the consumer has to pay towards the cost of the advertising. It
should be brief and to the point, concisely describing the product
or service without going to extremes that may cause the price
to be raised unnecessary. And Allah knows best.
Source: International Journal of Islamic Financial
Services, Vol.1, No.4, January-March 2000
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