Quick Answer: Affiliate marketing is a way to earn money online by promoting other people’s products and services and is considered halal if you’re recommending products permissible under Islamic law in an honest way and making commissions that don’t result in higher prices for customers. Get started here.
If you’re a Muslim looking to find out if affiliate marketing is permissible in Islam then you’re at the right place because here’s the honest truth:
There is Halal affiliate marketing and Haram affiliate marketing.
And whether your affiliate marketing business is Halal or Haram essentially comes down to the kind of products you’re promoting and how you market them online.
This post will break down everything you need to know about doing affiliate marketing as a Muslim.
What it is.
How it works.
What Haram and Halal affiliate marketing looks like.
And how you can build a thriving online business the right way.
Let’s dive right in.
What Is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a method of making money where you sell other people’s products online in return for a percentage of the product price. Anytime a customer makes a purchase via your unique affiliate link, it’s tracked back to you and the online store pays you a commission.
Commission rates vary depending on the affiliate program or company you’re promoting. There are commission rates as low as 1% for some physical products and as much as 90% for digital products, membership sites, software and online services.
Anyone can do affiliate marketing and people from all walks of life earn 6 figures a year doing this.
There are no requirements to get started and all you need is the drive to succeed and a willingness to learn.
How Does Affiliate Marketing Work?
Affiliate marketing can be done in many ways but most wealthy affiliates choose to start a website and create helpful content like how-to guides, answers to questions, product reviews and top 10 lists to attract free traffic to their website, generate clicks on their affiliate links and generate commissions.
Here’s how affiliate marketing works in a nutshell:
- You (the affiliate marketer) join an affiliate program
- You get your special product affiliate link
- You place your product affiliate link within your website content
- Customers find your site on Google, read your recommendation, click your link and purchase the product
- The affiliate program then sends your commissions based on their commission rate and payment schedule
And remember:
As a Muslim, you have complete control over what affiliate marketing topic or niche you choose, what kind of products you recommend and exactly how you recommend them.
Halal Affiliate Marketing
Halal affiliate marketing is when you are promoting Halal products using Halal marketing and is completely permissible in Islamic law.
It is also worth noting you could potentially promote Halal products but use dishonest and deceitful practices and your affiliate marketing efforts would still be considered Haram.
As a Muslim, promote Halal products with honesty and integrity and you can help a lot of people find the exact right products they’re looking for and make a lot of money at the same time.
Halal Affiliate Marketing Example
Let’s say you really love going to the gym and working out. You could create a website all about weight lifting where you share helpful tips and strategies to help people take care of their bodies.
You could then sign up for bodybuilding affiliate programs to earn commissions recommending your favourite supplements and gym gear.
You’re selling products that will actually help people reach their fitness goals in an honest and transparent way.
Haram Affiliate Marketing
Haram affiliate marketing is when you promote Haram products using haram marketing.
Haram affiliate products include anything containing pork, gelatin, alcohol or anything else forbidden for consumption in Islam. It would also include forbidden items like immodest women’s clothing, pornographic materials, gambling or get-rich-quick scams.
As a Muslim, you don’t want to profit from the sale of intoxicating or prohibited products because as an affiliate, you are essentially acting as an intermediatory between the customer and the online store.
Haram Affiliate Marketing Example
Maybe you decide that to make as much money as possible in the shortest amount of time you want to promote the latest make money online scams to as many people as you can.
You visit a shady program like WarriorPlus, get an affiliate link for a hyped-up “get rich overnight” course and tell everyone to go and buy it even though you know full well that it’s not going to help anyone achieve their online income goals.
This is dishonest and wreaks of desperation and greed. It also means you’re going to have a lousy reputation, no one is going to trust you and you’ll ultimately fail as an affiliate.
What Does The Quran Say About Making Commissions?
So now you know affiliate marketing is the process of earning commissions online, let’s take a look at whether or not this is allowed in Islamic law.
Earning commissions is entirely permissible under Islamic law as long as you’re promoting Halal products in an honest way and you don’t earn commissions as a result of increased product prices for the customer.
IslamQA puts it this way:
“If the factory-owner or shopkeeper gives you part of the money from each product that is sold through you, in payment for your efforts to find him customers, and this money is not added to the price of the product and that does not cause problems to others who sell the same product, and this factory or store sells it for the same price as others, then this is permissible and there is nothing wrong with it.
But if this money that you take from the owner of the factory or store is added to the price paid by the purchaser, it is not permissible for you to take it and it is not permissible for the vendor to do that, because this is harming the purchaser by making him pay a higher price.”
Is It Permissible In Islam To Promote Amazon Products?
Yes, Muslim affiliate marketers can make money selling products on Amazon as an affiliate because Amazon has fixed commission rates and paying you commissions does not result in a higher price for the customer.
Just be careful about the types of products you are promoting:
“Acting as a broker between the buyer and the seller is permissible whether this is on internet sale sites or else; what is important is that the broker should abide by Islamic rules while doing this.
For instance he should not act as an intermediary for forbidden goods, like acting as a broker in selling intoxicants, pork, porn magazines or forbidden films and so forth, or to act in a transaction that is religiously forbidden, like transactions which include Riba (interest or usury); [all different types of Riba].”
And if someone clicks your link to a Halal product and ends up adding Haram products to their shopping cart and purchases them then you are not deemed responsible as you did not recommend the products to them.
The good thing about Amazon is it’s a big brand everyone knows and trusts and they have literally millions of products you can promote as an affiliate to earn daily commissions.
Can Muslims Promote Clickbank Products?
Clickbank has a wide range of products in a variety of niches like sports and bodybuilding, cooking, home and garden. They offer up to 75% commission on each sale. The problem many Muslim affiliate marketers encounter when promoting Clickbank products is that so many of them are Haram so doing your research beforehand is key.
Clickbank is notorious for selling low-quality Haram products like:
- Get-rich-quick programs that promise $10,000 a day at 3 clicks of a mouse
- Fake diabetes cures that actually endanger people’s health
- Hyped-up shortcuts to losing belly fat that don’t deliver as promised
Being dishonest, using deceitful advertising practices and misleading people is Haram in Islam and the Quran strictly forbids it:
“O you who believe! Be afraid of Allaah, and be with those who are true (in word and deeds).”
Muslims who promote Clickbank products just need to ensure they only put their names to products they have tried and tested themselves to ensure they are of high quality and be careful not to use hype or make exaggerated claims when promoting these products to their audience.
Is Affiliate Marketing A Good Way For Muslims To Earn Online?
Yes, as a Muslim you can absolutely make money from affiliate marketing and go on to make 6 or 7 figures online if you want! There are so many wildly successful Muslim affiliate marketers who reach this level of income.
Just to be clear:
It’s going to take WORK to get there but affiliate marketing is fun and exciting ride when you do it right and you can achieve amazing things you never thought possible, no matter what your experience or background.
It’s also going to take TIME to learn the skills but follow the best affiliate marketing training and it gets easier (as your skills develop) and more lucrative (as your business grows).
And most importantly:
Affiliate marketing gives you the ability to take back control of your life. You’ll be able to enjoy the freedom and flexibility to spend your time doing what you care about with the people you care about the most.
Becoming an affiliate marketer is the smartest decision I ever made and I wouldn’t change it for the world!
How Much Money Can You Make As An Affiliate?
If you take massive action and start today then there is no limit to how much you can earn. Some affiliates earn $10,000 a month and some earn $100,000 a month. It all comes down to how many products you can sell and what percentage you make on each sale.
If you’re looking for a more in-depth breakdown of some typical affiliate earnings then watch this video:
Final Thoughts: Affiliate Marketing Is Not Haram, But…
Yes, affiliate marketing is a Halal business model and there are many Muslims who make very good money with affiliate marketing in line with Islamic law. Like any type of business though, it’s how you conduct yourself as an affiliate that determines whether or not it is deemed Halal or Haram.
Let’s quickly recap:
For affiliate marketing to be Halal you need to ensure you don’t profit from selling scammy, low-quality or Haram products and you need to be truthful in word and deed which means avoiding any misleading marketing.
How Do I Start Affiliate Marketing As A Beginner?
Now you know affiliate marketing is Halal and know the basics of how it works, it’s time to launch your dream business and make your online income goals a reality – and at Commission Academy, we’ve got you covered!
There are 5 steps to becoming an affiliate marketer:
- Step 1: Commit to starting a real affiliate marketing business
- Step 2: Choose an affiliate marketing niche you love
- Step 3: Build a website (easier than it sounds!)
- Step 4: Create helpful content
- Step 5: Promote good quality products and make money
Of course, there’s more to becoming a successful affiliate marketer than this short five-step list but it at least gives you a general overview of what to expect.
Take our 100% free fast-start training if you want us to walk you through everything click by click and give yourself the strongest start possible.
Assalamualaikum, brothers and sisters. I am a Muslim residing in Europe with programming skills, having created my own website. I plan to incorporate affiliate marketing to promote products on my site and earn commissions. I’ve read about the Islamic perspective on affiliate marketing, understanding that it’s generally allowed as long as the promoted products are not haram. In my case, I’m quite sure the products I’ll promote will be halal as I intend to only promote electronic gadgets such as vehicles, furniture, and technology devices like phones, laptops, and computers. However, I have concerns about the advertisements associated with these products. For example, when you go to Samsung.com to buy a phone, there might be ads/videos that feature immodestly dressed individuals. I am uncertain if earning income from such products, despite the products themselves being non-haram, would be considered halal income due to the associated advertisements. Many Western companies, for example, Samsung, IKEA, Canyon, and many more have some kind of partnership programs that one could join and earn from. What are the Islamic rules for such partnerships, as even when the product they sell is not haram, their websites’ videos/ads might contain something that is not allowed by Islamic rules? I seek a thoughtful answer and guidance on the Islamic rules regarding such partnerships. I appreciate your insight and guidance.
Hi Markus & thank you for your comment. The good news about affiliate marketing is that it is very easy to choose any company to promote & there are lots of different companies to promote. This means that you don’t have to promote anything you feel uncertain about. You can simply find a company that meets your criteria, and promote your products via them. This will be the best way to maintain peace of mind 🙂
Hi! Alhamdulilah and thank you for answering my question.
But as I mentioned I’m living in Europe and my intending is to promote electronic devices: Most of electronic gadgets companies that offer affiliate marketing are western and their website are made based on the western standards…
But if you no any that ally with islamic standards I’ll indeed appreciate your insight and guidance❤️.
You’re welcome 🙂
There are many, many companies. For example, Eufy is just one large tech company that you could promote products for.