The Mashyakhat al-Aql in Lebanon prohibits engagement in marketing via Qnet and similar companies

The Mashyakhat al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze community has issued a circular prohibiting engagement in marketing through the company Qnet and similar entities, from both religious and legal standpoints. The text of the circular states:

It has recently come to our attention that a number of our young people are engaging in some unconventional forms of marketing through companies like QNET and their likes to sell their products in order to earn commissions, by inviting the public to market these products in exchange for receiving attractive commissions.

It has become clear to us that the business plan requires each client to seek to convince other individuals to join the company in order to obtain commissions, and that the joining individual does not acquire membership in the company until after purchasing one of its products. Furthermore, this purchase is only made through one of the previous marketing members, and anyone wishing to join the company's marketing team must pay membership registration fees, which must be paid annually to maintain their membership in the program.

From our position and our commitment to preventing harm to the members of our society, especially our Unitarian children in general, and those religiously committed among them in particular,

And after researching this type of marketing, analyzing its objectives and procedures, and reviewing the analyses of economic experts regarding it, it has become clear to us that dealing with this company and its likes, and joining it, involves many risks and religious, legal, economic, and social prohibitions, according to the following:

1) This pattern of marketing is considered a form of gambling, because the purpose of subscribing is the process of convincing clients to enter the program as marketers, not marketing the products. The person who enters this program pays a sum of money for a product that is not truly intended in exchange for obtaining commissions that, in most cases, do not materialize; the commodity is merely a cover and a medium, while the goal is to hunt for new clients.

2) This type of marketing is a form of usury (Riba), as the client pays a sum for the subscription in exchange for receiving large profits, and the commodity is nothing but a deceptive cover, which is precisely the forbidden usury.

3) This type of marketing involves fraud and deception of clients by luring them with large profits that often do not materialize.

4) This type of transaction involves uncertainty (Gharar) for the client, i.e., selling what does not exist, as the seller does not know if it is possible to attract other clients or not, which is forbidden by religious law.

1) The absence of specific legal frameworks that regulate the work of companies in this field; there are no laws enacted to regulate dealing with this type of marketing.

2) Lack of legal protection for those who practice this transaction, which exposes the buyer-marketer to great risk resulting from the absence of legislation regulating relations between the company and the buyer.

1) Absence of financial and administrative oversight.

2) Negative impact on the local economy, especially production, as this marketing pushes towards the consumption of goods that are not produced locally.

3) Many practitioners of this transaction abandon their regular jobs to devote themselves to this work, which threatens the abandonment of certain professions.

1) Disputes arising between the client-marketer and those they seek to bring into the marketing program under their name, especially when these individuals find that the imaginary profits they were misled into expecting do not materialize, in addition to the loss of their money.

2) Encouragement of irrational consumption by promoting goods for which there is no actual need, in addition to their very high prices which exceed their real value.

In light of the above, and in order to preserve our dear children and our Unitarian and national society,

The Mashyakhat al-Aql deems it necessary to prohibit engagement in marketing via QNET and similar companies, and that it is not permissible due to its violation of religious law and the exposure to the risks and prohibitions presented above, which are harmful to oneself and others. Note that some countries have addressed this phenomenon and prohibited dealing with this type of marketing, and many religious authorities and Fatwa houses in most Islamic countries have prohibited engaging in such activity.

We hope this warning will be taken into account, and that there will be cooperation to stop this strange phenomenon and save society from its harmful consequences, with the caveat that failure to respond to this prohibition will expose the individual to the penalty of expulsion and strict religious and social accountability.