A Muslim should not be a slave to money in the sense that wherever he can earn it he follows it. Earning money should not be the ultimate goal of a Muslim. He should rather aim at qualifying himself for a job that both benefits his Ummah and provide him with a satisfying income. Whenever a source of income is doubtful, a Muslim should recall the prophetic injunction “”leave that which is doubtful to that which is not doubtful.“
Responding to this question, Dr. Monzer Kahf, an expert in Islamic economics and finance, said,
It seems that this kind of thing has a lot of mess. Of course, buying referrals is not permissible because it means nothing in real life; this is not a thing that can be traded; it is fake! Paying more money for increasing the commission is not permissible too; it is a form of riba (usury) — money for money!
Viewing permissible web pages or permissible views on sites that also have impermissible views is permissible, and it is permissible to get money for that. But this is a job of the idle, and one should avoid this kind of earning because it adds to one’s nothingness and wastes time.
