Unlawful Businesses

Unlawful Businesses

• The following set of business activities are considered prohibited in Islam, and thus investing in these kind of businesses is not something a Muslim should undertake.

Food and Beverage Related • Alcoholic Beverages Islam forbids a Muslim to manufacture, consume or sell all intoxicating material, which include all Alcoholic beverages (such as Wine, Beer, ...etc.) • Pork and Pork Products • Tobacco products Even though many Muslims do consume Tobacco, its harmful effects on one's own health (as well as other passive smokers) is undisputed. Therefore, many scholars are of the opinion that Tobacco products are prohibited in Islam.

Gambling • Gambling in all its forms is prohibited. • This includes Casinos, Internet Gambling, betting, such as Horse and Dog racing, ...etc. • Lottery schemes can also be considered as a form of gambling, regardless if it is run by governments or not.

Pornography and Adult oriented Material • Whether in the form of Video tapes, Magazines, or Internet images, all Adult oriented material is prohibited, whether of minors or adults alike.

Interest and Businesses based mainly on Interest • Interest is considered Usury (Riba) and therefore business that have a significant portion of its income from interest are considered prohibited. This includes Banks, Insurance Companies, Credit Card, Financing, Mortgage, ...etc.

Illegal Activities • Many illegal or unlawful activities are prohibited in Islam, either explicitly of implicitly. These include: • Prostitution Extra marital sexual relationships are forbidden in Islam. Therefore, it goes without saying that profiting from such activities are also prohibited. • Drugs Because of their intoxicating effect, drugs are considered the same as alcohol. Moreover, because of the deeply addictive nature of drugs, and their effect on ones health, finances, family and society, they are prohibited.

Other Activities • Day Trading and Speculation Day Traders and Day Trading Web Sites clearly acknowledge that their business has nothing to do with investing. All they do is watch the market and buy and sell on short term price fluctuation (normally within one day). For this reason, this is closer to Gambling than anything else, and is best avoided, not only for religious reasons, but also because of the very high risk it evolves.