A Study of Multi-Level Marketing from a maṣlaḥah perspective: A Preliminary Review

Multi-level marketing (MLM) businesses remain popular among today's society. This may be because this business is known to contribute significantly to increasing national income, in addition to the profits earned by companies and individuals involved in it. The involvement of various levels of society in this business has prompted the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) to provide comprehensive guidance in accordance with Islamic law. However, this study found that no previous academic studies have specifically described the MLM business from a maṣlaḥah perspective. Therefore, this highlight study aims to reveal the need for an assessment from a maṣlaḥah perspective of the MLM business, as it is a form of business that differs from conventional businesses and is said to provide numerous benefits while simultaneously posing disadvantages to society. This qualitative study employs thematic content analysis methods, utilising the library data collection method (library research) in its entirety. The findings of the study reveal that existing studies on MLM primarily discuss MLM businesses from the perspective of Islamic law without being linked to the perspectives of maṣlaḥah or mafsadah. Therefore, an assessment based on a maṣlaḥah perspective is necessary to further increase the public's understanding of the reality of the MLM business, while also preventing any manipulation of the maṣlaḥah element by any party.