Is It Permissible to Use the Services of Companies Such as Meta?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

META (Facebook), in the past years, has had its political agenda, has constantly censored Muslims and has allowed its platform to be used for Anti-Muslim Agendas. For example, the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar started on Facebook, and Facebook was being used as a tool to incite genocide. Most recently, Facebook was used to incite violence against Muslims in India. In all these issues, no action was taken by Facebook.  

Is it permissible to use services that Facebook offers, such as paid advertisements?

Using their services would directly benefit them, and Facebook as a company is complicit in oppression by allowing oppressors to use its platform to oppress Muslims.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.  

It is lawful to use the permissible services offered by retailers in general. We are not directly responsible for the actions, choices, or political positions of others.

Allah says: Whoever chooses to be guided, it is only for their own good. And whoever chooses to stray, it is only to their own loss. No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. And We would never punish ˹a people˺ until We have sent a messenger ˹to warn them˺. [Quran, 17:15]

The above is a strictly legal perspective. From an ethical perspective, if these accusations are proven to be accurate, it may sometimes be best to avoid such companies as an act of principled boycott. This, of course, is not something that we cannot enforce on individuals, nor is the issue black and white.

Of course, if you feel unease and concern about such a company, you have the choice of not using them. If you decide otherwise, the least you should know is that the income you earn would be lawful. 

Allah knows best.

I pray this benefits.

[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan. 

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and pursuing his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.