166 Int. J. Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Vol. 2, No.

2, 2013
Copyright 2013 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.











Islamic Shariah-compliant marketing
Munazza Saeed* and Aysha Karamat Baig
Riphah International University College,
Main campus, sector I-14 Islamabad,
Faisalabad, Pakistan
E-mail: myz_munaza@yahoo.com
E-mail: ayshakaramat@gmail.com
*Corresponding author
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to conceptually demonstrate Islamic
Shariah compliance in conventional marketing. We build upon two strands of
literature. The first belongs to Islamic economics, Islamic business ethics,
Islamic banking and finance, consumer rights, and conventional marketing, and
the second focuses on Islamic Shariah. The lack of extensive research on
Islamic marketing makes the profundity of argument limited to a certain extent.
Islamic teachings are civilised, good and absolute for all time. Marketing
products should be lawful, prices should be fair, and the objective should be to
generate reasonable and just profit on sales. Islam does not bear intervention in
the market system by hoarding, adulterating, short measuring or other forms of
exploitation. This paper attempts to exclusively discuss the concept of Islamic
Shariah marketing tactics: differentiation, marketing mix, and selling in detail.
Keywords: Islamic Shariah; differentiation; marketing mix; selling.
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Saeed, M. and Baig, A.K.
(2013) Islamic Shariah-compliant marketing, Int. J. Social Entrepreneurship
and Innovation, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp.166178.
Biographical notes: Munazza Saeed is a Researcher and working as a Lecturer
of Marketing at Riphah International University. She obtained her MS and
MBA degree from Riphah International University Islamabad. Prior to that, she
completed her BCom from Punjab University Lahore, Pakistan.
Aysha Karamat Baig is a Researcher and working as a Lecturer at Riphah
International University. She obtained her MS in Marketing from Riphah
International University Islamabad. Prior to that, she completed her BBA from
GC University Faisalabad, Pakistan.
This paper is a revised and expanded version of a paper entitled Islamic
Shariah complaint marketing; theory and practice presented at 2nd Global
Islamic Marketing Conference, Abu Dhabi, January 2012.

1 Introduction
In contemporary business, the success of companies is reliant on the tactics that are used
by the marketing department to sell their products. If marketers do not understand the
mind set of Muslim consumers then international investors may not only risk pushing









Islamic Shariah-compliant marketing 167












away a large proportion of the Muslim market but also find themselves in direct conflict
with them (Rogers et al., 1995).
The intention behind understanding Islamic marketing is to establish a strong bond
with consumers, and differentiate from competitors even though it is new compared to
Islamic finance, economics, and banking. Islamic doctrines stipulate all economic as well
as marketing operations that might be indigenised or global. In past studies, Sula and
Kartajaya (2006) avowed 17 postulates of Islamic marketing that should be applied when
institutions propose to rely on Islamic marketing. The authors considered three of these:
predilection towards being different and accompanying a good package through
differentiation, being truthful to your marketing mix, and establishing a relationship
based on selling. According to Islamic doctrines, submissions to the will of Allah is not
just a matter of worshipping Him, but obeying His orders, refraining from things that are
forbidden by Allah SWT (described in the Quran and Sunnah).
As Allah says in the Quran: This Day, I have perfected your religion for you,
completed my favours upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your way of life
(Al-Maidha No. 3). Islam encourages righteous methods of dealing during any business
deal and considers commerce as a crucial part of human life; Allah SWT predestined
Prophet Muhammad SAWW as a successful businessman before his prophetic life
(Antonio, 2007; Trim, 2009) who practiced as a truthful and honest business person. This
world is handed over to humans and should be managed in accordance with Allahs wills
(Khan, 1991; Haneef, 1997; Hassan and Lewis, 2007). This trust must be utilised in all
aspects of human life, including marketing.
The prominence of the study is to elucidate selling, marketing mix and differentiation
in the light of Islamic jurisprudence and to explore Shariah compliance in conventional
marketing. Selected studies have endeavoured to fill in the gap between seller and buyer
by recognising the major features of Islamic marketing and evaluating the borders and
possible role of marketers as perceived by Shariah.
Research questions: Argument is provided that Shariah-compliant marketing (SCM)
could play its role in modern activities of marketers; the questions that are going to
be discussed in this paper follow:
1 What is the need of SCM?
2 What is the conceptual framework of Islamic SCM?
3 How can differentiating, marketing mix and selling be discussed in the context
of SCM?
2 Need of Islamic marketing
Imam Ghazali avowed to acquire a thorough understanding of the rules of business
transactions codified in Islamic Shariah for the person who wants to adopt trade
as a profession. Islam emphasises Qat Haldl (food earned through lawful means). A
persons whole life represents a series of activities for which he/she is responsible and
will be accountable to God; similarly, commercial transactions are part of peoples lives
on a daily basis, and in Islam responsibility of each transaction represents a task that must
be executed in accordance with Islamic law and teachings. Pious people among Muslims
are of the belief that as non-nutricious and junk food spoils our health, food earned









168 M. Saeed and A.K. Baig












through unlawful means spoils our spiritual and moral health. According to Islamic
marketing all activities should be spiritualistic, ethical, realistic, and humanistic (Sula and
Kartajaya, 2006). Actions are already defined in Shariah and therefore only will is
required from believers who say Allah is our lord and Muhammad SAWW his last
Prophet. The Quran says: Verily, for the righteous are gardens of delight, in the presence
of their Lord. Shall we then treat the people of faith like the people of sin? What is the
matter with you? How judge you? (68: Nos. 3436).
The rights of one person with respect to another person are defined predominantly in
business transactions, and the rights of company and consumer with respect to each other
are honoured as Haqoq-ul-ebad which cannot be considered as anyones private affair,
and may not be concerned with their economic, business, and political life. Islam is
effectively operative in commerce and politics as well as in economic, domestic and
social life, and condemns political shrewdness, economic exploitation, and individual
dishonesty. People, at least Muslims, need to live in a way which is prescribed by Allah
and his messenger (Arham, 2010). In one of the Quranic verses, Allah SWT said: O you
who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the
Islamic religion) and follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). Verily, He is to you a
plain enemy (Al-Baqarah No. 208).
2.1 Shariah-compliant marketing
Islamic course of action guarantees that the interest of all parties in a transaction, like
buyers, sellers, business partners, and society, is protected. Islamic laws make businesses
able to maintain a balance between their responsibilities towards the company in terms of
profits, towards the customer through providing him safe and quality products, towards
making sure the welfare of society or a sense of justice is required which dictates one
should not be greedy in lawful earning (Saeed et al., 2001). It is the responsibility of the
marketer to uphold the trust Allah (SWT) has in him through proper management of the
resources bestowed upon him for the betterment of society and the surrounding
environment (Abdullah, 2010). Islamic religion merits substantial importance in the field
of global business ethics; literature elucidated six categories of ethical principles
truthfulness, trust, sincerity, brotherhood, justice, and science and technology, which are
applicable in marketing activities (Hanafy and Salam, 1988). Indeed, truthfulness in
advertisement and selling, sincerity in satisfying the needs of customers, ensuring social
well-being, brotherhood and justice in dealing with business partners, ensuring fairness to
all parties, and the use of science and technology for just practices would lead to
sustaining the confidence and loyalty of customers. The core form of the Islamic vision is
that any marketing activity that is unethical and negates the concepts of brotherhood and
equality of humanity is prohibited (Saeed et al., 2001).
2.2 Muslim scholars criticisms of modern marketing activities
Conscious consumption of Haram things, without regret, holds the risk of spiritual or
physical punishment in Islamic law or in the world hereafter. Accordingly, Muslims tend
to adopt a position of avoidance in the face of doubt. As such, it is now time for
marketers that want to target the Muslim market to differentiate according to the needs of
the Muslim market. Islamic law is named as Shariah law that is formed by Islamic
teachings originating from the Quran and the Hadith (Al-Qardawi, 2001; Wiechman









Islamic Shariah-compliant marketing 169












et al., 1996). After the death of Prophet Muhammad (SAWW), the majority of Muslim
scholars established a new source of Shariah principles that would lead to the solution of
miscellaneous problems, generated with the passage of time and cross-cultural activities;
that source was named Fatwa. It can permit or prohibit Muslim consumers in certain
activities or behaviours such as purchasing, consuming and preferring products or
services (Muhamad, 2008). Fatwa-generated principles may or may not be dependent on
certain conditions. Fatwa declarations have changed the behaviour of many Muslim
consumers towards many products or brands in the recent past. For example, it was
circulated through short messages services and e-mails that potato crisps brand Lays
(Masala) are not Halal and containing E631 code derived from pigs fat. That message
sharply reduced the consumption of that brand in Pakistan. That was later on proved to be
bogus but some people still avoid it. Similarly, Fatwa declaration caused the boycott of
Danish products following the supposed inauspicious portrayal of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (SAWW) by a Danish cartoonist (Bibbo, 2008). The consequences of such a
Fatwa were shocking for Danish businesses which suffered momentous falls in their
sales. Declaration of a Fatwa could harm the images and customer loyalty for almost two
billion Muslim consumers across the world. For example, in 2000 the Indonesian Ulama
council, MUI, found that an enzyme from pig is used by Chinese Salt Ajinomoto in its
production processes, and declared Haram from MUI. Fortunately, Ajinomoto confessed
their mistake in time and changed that enzyme with another ingredient taken from soy
beans. Now Ajinomoto has a Halal certificate from MUI that is lucrative for retaining
Muslim customers.
3 Conceptual framework

4 Targeting Muslim market
Being innovative or different is seen as far more important today than it was some years
ago. Through differentiation companies can compete in the market. An important factor
which is giving rise to the practices of Islamic marketing is the sheer size of the Muslim
market, which is usually estimated at between 1.5 and 2 billion consumers representing
nearly a quarter of the current world population (Huda, 2009; PRC, 2009), but
Muslim consumers are still an untapped market segment. Worldwide, some companies









170 M. Saeed and A.K. Baig












are differentiating their services to target Muslim consumers. For instance, Nokia
differentiated its services by introducing its mobile phones in Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) markets with a variety of many applications including Islamic
organiser with alarms for five daily prayers, downloaded Islamic ebooks, and an ecards
application that lets people send SMS greeting cards for Ramadan. Unilever promoted
Sunsilk Lively Clean & Fresh shampoo for those who suffer from oily scalps due to
wearing any head covering. This was the result of continuous research showing that many
women who wear a scarf complained of oily scalps. A television commercial was
broadcasted accordingly. Unfortunately, well known shoe company Nike committed a
blunder when they manufactured a pair of athletic shoes in 1996 with a logo on the sole
that resembled the Arabic letter ALLAH (Almighty). Muslims regard it as really very
unethical to produce shoes with the name of God on them. That was a real wakeup call
for all companies. It was also a turning point for Muslim consumers to make marketers
realise that the Muslim market exists and if they want to target them as consumers they
must differentiate their products accordingly, and if not they would lose their positive
image in the eyes of Muslim consumers.
The type of differentiation that Prophet Muhammad SAWW made was unique for his
time; this is significant as differentiating products on the basis of the sellers ethics might
bring real impact to the quality of the products sold, differentiation of both sellers and
products must be coherent, and this would lead to transparency in business deals
(Arham, 2010). The differentiation that Prophet Muhammad SAWW made was his moral
obligation to tell customers the defects of his products (Al-Fatih, 2009).
5 Marketing mix from an Islamic perspective
Conventional marketing means pushing the marketing substance to the target market
according to the identified needs of the target market. That is why companies have been
more focused on marketing mix. Although Kustin (2004) articulated that marketing mix
consistency is not achievable when implementing a global marketing approach, as
standardisation can only be successful in a uniform market, Jain (1989) noted that
adaptation or localisation strategies are more appreciated in diverse markets (Akaah,
1991; Kustin, 1994; Duncan and Ramaprasad, 1995).
Likewise, when companies have been operating in Muslim countries they must work
in a planned and strategised way according to Islam. Righteous deeds are hollow without
purity in matters concerned to production, consumption, and marketing, and also selling
of products and services that are pure and lawful (Halal). As Prophet Muhammad SAWW
said: You are not better than people with red or black skins unless you excel them in
piety. Once a Bedouin asked the prophet Muhammad SAWW when the hour (doomsday)
would take place? Prophet Muhammad SAWW replied: When honesty is lost, and then
wait for the hour (doomsday).
Any business activity in accordance with Islamic tenets is endorsed by two principles:
obedience to the honourable order of God and to work for the benevolence and
betterment of Gods creations, which involves abstaining from doing harm and shunning
unethical practices (Niazi, 1996).
Product: The process of production in Islam is visualised relatively different as
compared to conventional marketing as the Islamic perspective integrates moral









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and transcendental essentials within the production decision-making process,
directed by the principles of purity, lawfulness, value, existence, and precise purpose
(Al-Misri, 1991). The key objective of the production process must be to deliver,
promote and gratify basic human needs (Saeed et al., 2001) including the fact that
the product must not be creating flatness of mind, public aggravation, corruption or
contamination (Al-Ukhuwa, 1983). Moreover, Al-Ukhuwa categorised them into
four kinds as unclean organisms (like pig), commodities which made others
unclean by relationship, contaminated articles with partial destroyed usefulness
(e.g., contagious garment), and products that are useful in their clean form but in
contaminated form they are harmful or their usefulness is entirely shattered
(e.g., unhygienic, or contaminated olive oil). For instance, Prophet Muhammad
SAWW had chosen commodities to sell which are needed by all people and were not
rotten (Trim, 2009).
Price: Prophet Muhammad SAWW sold his products at a price which could be
absorbed by the market (Trim, 2008). He earned his profit on sales volume (Trim,
2008) using a cost leadership strategy that can be considered effective since one
could enter in all market segments with the same price (Arham, 2010). It was not
allowed to charge an extraordinary price or to decrease the price with intension such
that a competitor would bear loss. Once second Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab had
been passing by Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah and found him selling raisins at a much lower
price with the objective of putting his competitors up for loss. Caliph Umar Ibn
al-Khattab told him: Either enhance your rate or get away from our market (Anas,
1989). Certain activities are proscribed in Islam and might direct towards price
escalation, for example involvement of unnecessary middlemen (that would lead to
unduly putting up their profit margins as is the case in real estate in Pakistan),
increases in price without any value addition, profit addition with no effort, and
involvement of hard labour and alteration in quality or quantity of the product
(Shaw, 1996). It was not acceptable to swindle the easy-going customer for illicit
gains (Taymiyah, 1982). Pricing policies behind any proffered product must be cost
directed accordingly. However, Islam does not prohibit price controls and
manipulations to meet the needs of the market (e.g., charging higher prices as a result
of natural scarcity of supply of a given commodity or setting a price ceiling to curb
opportunistic tendencies among merchants (Abdullah, K., 2010). In Islam, the
self-operating mechanism of price adjustments and healthy competition (Munafasah)
was in fact encouraged (Al-Quran 83:26).
Place: On placing, Prophet Muhammad SAW prohibited the act of monopoly.
Governing distribution channels has as an objective to set the price level up, which is
condemned by Islamic teachings (Trim, 2009). According to Islamic principles,
distribution channels are not supposed to create a burden for the final customer in
terms of higher prices and delays (Al-Ukhuwa, 1983). The intent of distribution
channels should be to create value and strengthen the standard of living by providing
Islamic satisfactory services. Physical distribution can be examined as a set of
information, people, equipment, and organisation. These principles have been
followed by Islamic institutions. It is not allowed to influence the accessibility of any
product with the purpose of exploitation, domination in the marketing channel or
application of unnecessary influence over the re-sellers preference for handling a
product (Hassan et al., 2008).









172 M. Saeed and A.K. Baig












Promotion: Contemporise trends have been directing companies towards huge
investment in advertisements to promote their products. Advertisement is the need of
time nowadays, but it must be done in an appropriate manner without exaggeration,
just precise and necessary, in terms of quality and contents. Islam proscribed over
promising (Trim, 2008) and/or utilisation of emotional sex appeal, romantic
language, partially covered young model girls in advertising campaigns to promote a
product; this is strictly prohibited within the Islamic ethical framework. Prophet
Mohammad (PBUH) said: I have been sent only for the purpose of perfecting good
morals. When asked Which Muslim has the perfect faith? The Prophet (PBUH)
answered: He who has the best moral character (Alghazzali, 1983). For instance, in
Pakistan Yunas textiles are advertising their clothing by wearing printed clothes on
dummies. It is pertinent to not conceal defects and information dispersed must
encourage good deeds by portraying Islamic behaviours. It is stated in the Quran:
Let their arise of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islam) enjoining
Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar and it is they who are successful (Al-Imran:
104). Consequently, all advertising messages that follow Islamic teachings must be
proliferating good morals, like women in a civilised manner and clothing; their
role must be symbolised as a positive input for the family and society (Rice and
Al-Mossawi, 2002).
People: Islam is in favour of open-minded and self-governing judgment on the
part of the customer. It is prerequisite in Islamic law to think rationally while making
any decision in the global market (Ahmad, 1995). Society should not be deprived of
honest, free from coercion marketing information. The customer has the right to get
accurate information about the product and is pinpointing the status given to him
by Islam, as well as of the predetermined rights of his wealth that he spends in
purchasing the product of any company. Marketers have no choice for any form of
coercion, regard for intellectual truthfulness, and a higher degree of awareness of
consumers to make sure that the money of a customer is not wasted.
6 Selling from the Islamic perspective
The product that is to be sold should be of some value, specific, quantified, undisruptive,
capable of ownership, and deliverable, and must be in possession of the seller at the time
of sale. Islamic business ethics are also against the purchase of stolen goods, as Prophet
Muhammad SAWW said: He, who buys the stolen property, with knowledge that it was
stolen, shares in the sin and shame of stealing (Beekun, 1997) and extra cost-added
features must be identified which affect the buyers purchase decisions. To achieve the
organisational goals company must be more effective than competitors in creating,
delivering (selling), and communicating customer value to its target market (Kotler,
2003). Concern does not surround the fact that companies are trying hard to become more
competitive than their competitors, but the issue in Islamic marketing is whether or not
they are gaining a competitive edge through a righteous path and that the practice used is
in the favour of society. Islamic marketers must be able to incorporate the spirit of Islam
in all aspects of marketing activities, from planning to after sale services (Sula and
Kartajaya, 2006).









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Islamic marketing also talks about sale and trade in detail. Prophet Muhammad
SAWW elucidated the donts of sale and trade: putting low-quality and high-quality
products in the same place (Al-Fatih, 2009), using a descriptive image instead of visual
inspection, and inexact expression of quantity and quality of goods (Al-Ukhuwa, 1983)
are extremely proscribed.
Allah SWT said in the Quran: O you who believe! Eat not up your property among
yourselves wrongly except it is a trade amongst you, by mutual consent. And do not kill
yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is most merciful to you (An-Nisa
No. 29). From the above verse it can be deduced that no business is possible unless both
the parties agreed to the deal. Here, wrongly has two dimensions. The first is moral
prohibitions, like telling a lie, dishonesty, and cheating. Deen (Islam) just confirms these
prohibitions otherwise man by intuition knows what is wrong. The second includes
those things that are prohibited by Islamic Shariah, like interest, Ihtikar, adulteration,
Khiyar-e-Aib, selling a fictional commodity, giving less in measure and weight, and
taking oath just to sell goods.
6.1 Challenges in adoption of Shariah-compliant selling
Marketing decisions are generally based on conventional marketing, through designing
strategic philosophy and taking business decisions, marketing decision processes that are
based on Islamic marketing are burgeoning, or somehow inexistent. The challenges for
doing business in Islamic countries arise from the fact that people have diverse
management styles, communication values, and decision-making processes, and are
usually dependent on their religious values. Muslims are one of the largest consumer
markets in the world, and today the position of Islamic marketing as a new and isolated
discipline is exclusive due to an identified need and demand generated by consumers.
More significantly, existing schools of brand and frameworks appear to have gaps which
require investigation and modification. For any commodity to be Islamic, it must be
considered commendable and pure. However, wickedness would not be considered
Islamic. While operating in any Muslim country, marketers have to avoid these things in
any business transaction; the biggest challenge for them is to operate in accordance with
Islamic values and avoid that which is not permissible.
6.2 Riba (interest)
In the past people used to say that Riba and trade are the same as both give profit and
increase the capital. If trade is permissible then Riba is also permissible. But Allah SWT
denied their claim in the Quran: Those who eat usury will not stand on the day of
(Resurrection) except like the standing of a person beaten by the devil (Satan). The intent
of this part is to promulgate business ethics under the umbrella of Islamic jurisprudence.
Trade had been based on mutual consent, cooperation and sharing of profit and loss for
both parties; on the other hand, Riba is certainty of profit for one party, but uncertainty of
results for the second party. Moreover, it is not permissible to market Riba-based
products like those of conventional banks as most Muslim consumers are more likely to
get Islamic banking services.










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Ihtikar (hoarding): If one purchases a certain commodity in bulk quantity and stocks
it with the objective to sell it later at a time of scarcity, to earn maximum profit, it is
a clear case of consumer exploitation and condemned by Islam. Prophet Muhammad
SAWW said: No one hoarded but the sinner (Sahih Al Muslim No. 3912). The
importer of an essential commodity into a town will be fed by Allah, and the hoarder
will have Allahs curse upon him (Ibn Majah No. 2144). All possible kinds of
hoarding are prohibited in the law of trading in Islam.
Adulteration: To make food or drink less pure. While ignoring mutual benefit, one is
selling low quality products at the price of good quality products. Nowadays, this is
taken as a tool of profit maximisation, with no care of loss on the part of their
brothers, which is why the concept of brotherhood is navigated in our religion.
Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) said: The one who adulterates is not amongst us
(Sahih Al Muslim). Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab wasted the milk of milkmen who
added water in it.
Taking oath in a business transaction: The traders who take oath in selling to make
sure that their products are of good quality or try to sell their products by involving
Allahs name. It is prohibited in Shariah to take oath in any kind of business
transaction just to make the deal. Nowadays it can be taken as false claims of
marketers about a certain product. Abu Huraira (Allah PBWH) said he heard Allahs
messenger (SAWW) as saying: swearing produces a ready sale for a commodity, but
vanished the blessing (Sahih Al Muslim No. 3913; Sahih Al Bukhari No. 904).
Khiyar-e-Aib (sale of defective goods): Sellers are not allowed to conceal anything
from their buyers during a transaction (Trim, 2008). One cannot market defective
goods without explaining the defects in terms of clarity, if found defective. Hakim
Ibn Hizam narrated: The Prophet (SAWW) said that: The one who buys and the one
who sells have the option to cancel or to confirm the deal, as long as they have not
parted or until they part, and if they are honest and described what they sell
truthfully, then there will be blessing in their bargain. But if they are dishonest and
concealed the truth then the blessing of their bargain will be wiped out (Sahih Al
Bukhari No. 951). The concept behind the above Hadith is that it is proscribed to sell
a thing without describing its defects. A buyer has the full right as destined by Islam
to return the commodity in case of any defect which depreciates the value of the
goods. Prophet Muhammad SAWW never concealed anything from his customers,
including any defects that his products contained. Al-Fatih (2009) also added that
informing about the defects of the products sold was something of a must for Prophet
Muhammad SAWW.
Sale of Al-Gharar (selling a nonexistent commodity): This refers to the sale of a
product which is not present or comes into existence at a later date, and the quality of
which is not known. Sellers are prohibited to sell something that does not exist
(Trim, 2009). According to Islamic selling, if a non-existent thing has been sold,
even with mutual consent of buyer and seller, the sale is void. Prophet Muhammad
SAWW forbade the sale of fruit before they look healthy or a sale of what is in the
womb of a she-camel.










Islamic Shariah-compliant marketing 175












Short measuring: Bias in measuring is a scheme to make the trading system impure
and clumsy. The scaling needs to be as precise as possible (Trim, 2009). When a
trader gives short measures to a customer then the contract is void. As Allah says in
the Quran: Woe unto the defrauders: Those who when they take the measure from
mankind demand it full, but if they measure unto them or weigh for them, they cause
them loss (Al-Mutaffifeen Nos. 1-2-3). The upper coated verses were revealed at the
time when Muhammad SAWW migrated to Madina; Alama Tabri (R.A) narrated it
on the authority of Hazrat Abdullah Bin Abbas R.T.A (may Allah be pleased with
him): When Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAWW went to Madina Munawarah, the
people of Madina were defrauders in sale, they were used to selling with dual
measures. Prophet Muhammad SAWW taught them to be pure and true in measuring
(Tabri tafseer Nos. 1-2-3). Scale must display 1 Kg if the commodity is 1 Kg
(Arham, 2010). Islamic trading laws give the lesson of goodness more than justice.
The Holy Quran stressed the importance of fairness in business transactions as:
And, O my people give full measure and weight justly, and defraud not men of their
things, and act not corruptly in the land making mischief. What remains with Allah is
better for you, if you are believer (HUD Nos. 8586).
7 Conclusion and implications
Islamic practices are based on divinity and faith and it can appear, at times, to be in
conflict with contemporary conventional marketing practices.
According to the Islamic perspective, such pursuits based on satisfying material
objectives alone will impede the rational thinking of people and will make them
slaves of marketing firms. Islam, above all, respects freedom and offers a means of
freeing human beings from all restraints of enslavement, including that of
international marketers.
Islamic ethical guidelines, based on human nature, encapsulate its spiritual
dimension and thus cannot be compared with other artificial, purely physical
constraints. Since human nature is basically the same irrespective of time, culture,
economic status, race or creed, a global ethical business framework based on the
Islamic principles of value maximisation will be applicable for all times and across
all cultures.
It has been concluded that Islamic teaching of marketing could be used in marketing
tactics. Islamic teachings are civilised. They create wisdom of responsibility and
accountability in the mind of believers, be they buyers or sellers.
The authors proposition that Islamic teaching could be used as a marketing tool
shows that marketing science could stand very well with religious matters. Islam
does not bear intervention in the market system by hoarding, adulterating or other
forms of exploitation.
In Islamic business ethics deceiving a buyer is a sin. Islam not only deliberates
the relation between Creator and Human but inter-human relations and with the
entire universe. This paper clearly indicates that there is no room for dishonesty,









176 M. Saeed and A.K. Baig












manipulation, deception or other kinds of malpractice to exist in modern marketing
tactics.
Managers should not suppose Muslims to be an identical and already existing
segment. They should focus on the business practices that are described by Shariah
and introduce healthy practices to burgeon and capture a majority of the Muslim
market, given that Muslim consumers need great attention and identify important
ethical issues in marketing tactics that are conflicting with the philosophy of Islam.
Customer loyalty always remains a prime concern for business organisations, so
managers need to be attentive of the religious perception of consumers in order to
become successful in marketing their products and achieve public acceptance.
The foremost pertinent point to emphasise is that Muslim consumers feel more
comfortable with marketing practices carried out by businesses. Information about
the target Muslim market will be valuable for both businesses and Muslim
consumers in identifying the gap between Muslim consumer expectations and
current business practices with respect to Islamic marketing. Once the gap is known
it will make easier for businesses to improve on the present situation.
7.1 Limitations and future research
The lack of research on Islamic marketing makes the profundity of argument limited
to a certain extent.
Experimental validation still needs to be done.
This paper has discussed only three concepts of conventional marketing within the
Islamic perspective.
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Further reading
Al-Quran, translated and interpreted by Marmaduke Pickthall,
Al-Quran, translated and interpreted by Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali and Muhammad
Muhsin Khan, King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran, Madinah.
Al-Quran, translated and interpreted by Professor Shah Farid-ul-Haque from Kanz-al-eeman.
Ibn Majah.
Kanz ul Amal.
Mishqat Shareef.
Sahih Al Bukhari, translated by Mr. and Mrs. Zaidan.
Sahih Al Muslim, translated by Abdul Hamid Sidqiui.