Is It Permissible to Leave a Positive Review for a Friend’s Business Without Having Used Its Services?
Question: Is it allowed to write a positive review on your friend’s business (e.g restaurant) when you trust him but have never been to his restaurant?
Summary:
It is not permissible for you to write a positive review of the restaurant that gives people the impression that you visited it or tried its food and service when you have not done so, even if the restaurant belongs to a friend whom you trust. This is because a review is a form of testimony and informing people about something that you have not personally known, and it may result in people going there and spending their money. However, if you truthfully say: “I know the owner of this business and I trust his honesty and good dealings, but I have not tried the restaurant,” then this is permissible if it corresponds to reality, because you have testified only to what you know and have not claimed an experience that did not occur. A very similar issue was asked of the scholars regarding reviewing stores without having genuine knowledge of them, and the answer stated: “Reviews are a form of testimony from the person giving them, so they must be based upon knowledge and truthfulness. It is not permissible for a person to review something that he does not know.”
Answer:
Evidence from the Qur'an:
From the Qur'an:
- [Al-Isra: 36]
“And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart—about all those one will be questioned.”
Al-Tabari رحمه الله explained the verse by saying: “Do not say that of which you have no knowledge.” He also narrated from Qatadah رحمه الله: “Do not say, ‘I saw,’ when you did not see, or, ‘I heard,’ when you did not hear.” This applies to someone who writes about their experience of a restaurant and the quality of its food and service when they have not actually experienced any of that.
From the Sunnah:
- Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.Asma bint Abi Bakr رضي الله عنهما reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The one who pretends to have been given something that he was not given is like one who wears two garments of falsehood.”
The meaning is that a person should not present himself as though he has obtained or experienced something when, in reality, he has not.
From the Scholars:
- There is also a fatwa entitled: “What is the ruling on writing product reviews without examining or using the product?” It states:
“Reviewing things is regarded as testimony, so it is required that it be based upon knowledge and truthfulness. Therefore, it is not permissible for a person to review something that he has not examined.” They then cited the statement of Allah تعالى: “Except those who testify to the truth while they know.” [Al-Zukhruf: 86] They also quoted Al-Qurtubi رحمه الله as stating that testimony is connected to knowledge, both according to the Shariah and reason, and therefore testimony can only come from one who possesses knowledge. They permitted conveying an assessment based upon information from others if the writer clearly states that he has not personally tried the product.
There is another fatwa that corresponds even more closely to your question:
From the Scholars:
- A man was asked to give a place five stars on Google Maps based upon what the owner of the place had told him, despite not personally knowing the place. The answer stated:
“If you do not know anything about it, then it is not permissible for you to give it five stars, nor is it permissible for you to rely upon what its owner tells you about himself.” They also cited the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: “Whoever deceives us is not one of us.” Narrated by Muslim.
This is because an inaccurate review may cause people to think that a number of customers have tried the restaurant and approved of it, when in reality this is not the case.
The important distinction: If you have not visited the restaurant, then do not say, for example: “The food is excellent, the service is wonderful, and the restaurant deserves five stars,” because you have not tried the food or the service. However, if you genuinely know your friend, you may say, for example: “I know the owner of this business, and from what I know of him, he is an honest person who deals well with others, but I have not tried the restaurant yet.” In this case, you are not reviewing the restaurant based upon something you do not know. Rather, you are informing people about what you do know concerning your friend, while clearly stating that you have not tried the restaurant. Conclusion: It is not permissible to give the restaurant a positive review, such as five stars or praise for its food and service, if you have not visited it and do not actually know the reality of what you are reviewing. Merely trusting your friend is not sufficient for you to testify to the quality of his restaurant. It is permissible for you to praise what you know with certainty about your friend, provided that you make it clear that you have not tried the restaurant, so that people do not assume that your statement is based upon personal experience. This is closer to truthfulness and further removed from deception and misleading others.
And Allah knows best.
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