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.