Fatwa ID: 05727

Answered by: Mufti Eunus Ali

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum. I have recently started to work with a company called Forever Living. Forever Living is a network marketing company. I know that a lot of these kinds of companies are haram as they don’t have a proper product and they are usually selling a dream. However, when I first joined and fully understood this company and its ethics I didn’t have a single doubt that it was haram and thought that this really was the fairest and logical business I had come across. In fact, I was surprised at how similar it functioned to Islam and giving dawa. However, after talking to some other Muslim brothers about the company and receiving warnings about the system being haram, I now want to be certain if this specific company is haram or not.

Usually, the people who said that it is haram equated the business to a pyramid scheme. It is clear to me that this is not a pyramid scheme as pyramid schemes are illegal, they don’t usually last for any longer than 10 years (as the main amount of money comes from getting others signed up) and they don’t have enough emphasis on the products they are distributing. Forever living on the other hand has been running for about 38 years and is in more than 150 countries. Moreover, the executives of the company put a lot of research and money into the products that are really high quality and have helped many people. The aim is to distribute the products and find others to do so as well.

Here is a video that shows the steps to earn money with the business:
https://youtu.be/_uQI2aMgOsw

And this is their website:
http://foreverliving.com

I want to keep this first email just as an overview but if there is anything else you need to know about the company I will happily write about it. I also want to add the fact that this is really important to me as if it is halal, I will be funding my university fees with the money I earn from it and avoid taking a university loan. So I need this information as soon as possible in order to know exactly what I will be doing next year.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

After reviewing the information available on their website and the video clip that you have provided, I have come to the conclusion that the above business is permissible as there is no involvement of interest or deception which is usually found in a pyramid scheme.

The above business allows individuals to either purchase the products on their website like a normal customer or work their way to becoming a business owner/manager promoting and selling the products available on their website as opposed to the promise of a product whilst not providing the product as found in a pyramid scheme.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Mufti Eunus Ali

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham