According to Dr. Zakir Naik:
To date, there are at least tens of millions of participants in the YouTube Monetization Program that make money through advertising, channel subscriptions, and other tools. The issue leading to the discussion of these earnings is that many have queried if these earnings respect Islamic law; A Pakistani turn visiting scholar, Dr. Zakir Naik has recently set aside controversy by deeming aspects of the YouTube monetization haram.
In the course of his visit he was able to point out the monetization strategies of the best video streaming platform and wondering about the kind of advertisements featured in the videos. He avenged with the use of the ad revenue eliciting content with women and music is unlawful in Islam. However, even when they get rid of advertisements that promote alcoholic products, they watch such advertisements that make women dress indecently, said Dr. Naik. He stressed that these elements are contrary to the Islamic teachings of humility and morality of the Prophet.
Of the many things that Dr. Naik also said in his speech are this on the very usual problem of channels that re-upload his videos. He pointed out that such re-shared clips have thumbnails with images of women, which he thinks contradicts the content he posts. This he said, alters the impact of his work and potentially gives out wrong impression about the kind of values he supports.
PEACE TV is founded by Dr. Naik who has garnered millions of followers in his personal social accounts. Still, he noticed that unofficial channels that republish his videos with unmentionable thumbnail and title will receive many more views than official ones. As far as this trend is concerned, he opined that they are actually deceiving while at the same time fueling more unethical practices among the online content development fraternity.
Dr. Naik appealed to content creators and told them to think about their earnings and avoid gaining money through methods that would violate the spirit of the Shari’ah. He was emphasizing the role of compliance with the religious life, including the use of the internet. His advice to content creators was clear: If they want to continue creating contents to become viral they may just stick to making good contents that every Muslim would approve, they don’t have to be focused on earning money through ads or through contents that are immoral or indecent.
The debate about monetization of YouTube has brought a lot of discussion among the Muslims content creators and the audience. It would seem that many people are now contemplating about whether their sources of revenues are consistent with their beliefs, and in this case religious beliefs. While monetization possibilities play in favor of millions of content creators, still, Dr. Naik and his actions pose the important question of how creators can [Continue Participation] and be acceptable to Shariah at the same time.
Ultimately, Dr. Naik’s message highlights a broader issue faced by many Muslim content creators: the question of how to be in the modern technical infrastructure, on various platforms, and remain devout. Depending on the further development of YouTube as a significant multimedia content distribution service, this discussion can lead to starting new related ethical debates among the Islamic people.
Perhaps, such statements made by Dr. Naik will help creators reconsider their strategies in content production and want to make money without degenerating their masterpieces. Some may opt to use the other sources of income such as donation based or crowdfunding or develop other platforms with much tighter rules concerning the content. For others the main issue will be to strike the right balance between creative expression and preoccupation with religious principles.
From here the debate proceeds though, it is apparent that concerns with regard to YouTube monetarization pursuant to the shari’ah are many-faceted. Therefore, it can be expected that Muslim creators’ search for ethical approaches to engaging in the creation of digital content will continue. Dr. As is the case with many ministries nowadays, Naik urged his audiences to be ethical when creating content and making money online, to be people of faith in the modern world of evolving platforms.