Canadian Halal Investor.

NASDAQ Shariah screener · October 2026

Is Baidu, Inc. (BIDU) Halal?

FAIL

Baidu, Inc. · NASDAQ: BIDU · Telecom

The short answer

No - Baidu, Inc. (BIDU) fails this Shariah stock screen. It is an AI company with a strong internet foundation (search, online marketing, AI Cloud, Apollo Go robotaxi), but iQIYI online video streaming contributes about 21% of revenue (RMB 27,290M of RMB 129,079M, FY2025) - a material entertainment share. Total debt of RMB 99,794M (~$14.7B, Q2 2026 6-K) is about 50.9% of its ~$28.9B market cap ($85.59 latest quote, October 2, 2026) - above the ~33% ceiling. Interest income of RMB 8,602M - separately disclosed in the FY2025 income statement - is about 6.66% of total revenue - above the 5% ceiling. Note: Zoya rates BIDU 'currently not Shariah-compliant' and Musaffa classifies it 'Not Halal' (April 2026); no ShariaPortfolio rating was found.

Gate 1 — Business activity: FAIL

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU, ADS) describes itself as 'a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation.' FY2025 segment revenue (Q4/FY2025 6-K): Baidu General Business RMB 102,485M (79.4%) - search, online marketing, AI Cloud Infra, AI applications, Apollo Go robotaxi - and iQIYI RMB 27,290M (21.1%), an online video-streaming platform. Haram flags checked (factual, from the filings): iQIYI entertainment content is about 21% of revenue - a material share. Du Xiaoman (financial services) was spun off in 2018 and has been deconsolidated since (equity-method investee), so it is not a consolidated financial-services segment. The material entertainment segment plus the failed financial gates decide the result. Facts only.

Gate 2 — Debt and cash: FAIL

Per Baidu's Q2 2026 6-K (unaudited, announced August 18, 2026), total debt at June 30, 2026 was RMB 99,794M - short-term loans RMB 26,311M, long-term loans RMB 20,779M, notes payable RMB 46,089M, convertible senior notes RMB 6,615M - about $14.7B at the filing's rate (RMB 6.7851 = $1). Against a market cap of about $28.9B ($85.59 latest quote, October 2, 2026), debt / market cap is about 50.9%, well above the ~33% ceiling. Cash and cash equivalents were RMB 24,524M (~$3.6B). Gate 2 fails. Facts only.

Gate 3 — Non-compliant income: FAIL

Baidu's FY2025 income statement (Q4/FY2025 6-K, announced February 26, 2026) discloses gross 'Interest income' of RMB 8,602M as a separate line, against total revenue of RMB 129,079M - about 6.66% of revenue, above the 5% non-compliant income ceiling. Gate 3 fails on a directly disclosed figure. Facts only.

Key figures used

Frequently asked questions

What does Baidu do?

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU, ADS; one ADS = 8 Class A ordinary shares) describes itself as 'a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation.' Its FY2025 segments: Baidu General Business revenue RMB 102,485M (79.4%) - search, online marketing, AI Cloud Infra, AI applications, and Apollo Go robotaxi - and iQIYI revenue RMB 27,290M (21.1%), an online video-streaming platform. Baidu is a foreign private issuer filing 20-F; it is also listed on HKEX (9888). Du Xiaoman (financial services) was spun off in 2018 and has been deconsolidated since, so it is not a consolidated segment.

Why does Baidu fail this Shariah stock screen?

Baidu fails this Shariah stock screen at the debt and income gates, with a material business-gate concern as well. Business: iQIYI online video streaming contributes about 21% of revenue (RMB 27,290M of RMB 129,079M, FY2025) - entertainment content at a material share. Debt: total debt of RMB 99,794M (~$14.7B at the filing rate) is about 50.9% of its ~$28.9B market cap ($85.59 latest quote, October 2, 2026), above the ~33% ceiling - FAIL. Income: separately disclosed interest income of RMB 8,602M is about 6.66% of total revenue (RMB 129,079M, FY2025), above the 5% ceiling - FAIL. Result: FAIL. This is a factual screen, not a religious ruling - consult a qualified scholar for personal rulings.

What is Baidu's interest-bearing debt ratio?

Per Baidu's Q2 2026 6-K (unaudited, announced August 18, 2026), total debt at June 30, 2026 was RMB 99,794M - short-term loans RMB 26,311M, long-term loans RMB 20,779M, notes payable RMB 46,089M, and convertible senior notes RMB 6,615M. At the filing's rate (RMB 6.7851 = $1), that is about $14.7B. Against a market cap of about $28.9B ($85.59 latest quote on October 2, 2026), debt / market cap is about 50.9% - well above the ~33% ceiling. Cash and cash equivalents were RMB 24,524M (~$3.6B). Gate 2 fails.

What is Baidu's non-compliant income ratio?

Baidu's FY2025 income statement (Q4/FY2025 6-K, announced February 26, 2026) discloses gross 'Interest income' of RMB 8,602M as a separate line, against total revenue of RMB 129,079M - about 6.66% of revenue, above the 5% non-compliant income ceiling. Gate 3 fails on a directly disclosed figure.

Do Zoya, Musaffa, or ShariaPortfolio cover Baidu?

Zoya covers BIDU and states it is 'currently not Shariah-compliant' (zoya.finance/stocks/bidu). Musaffa classifies BIDU as 'Not Halal' (Musaffa Academy NASDAQ halal-stocks list, April 2026). No ShariaPortfolio screening page or rating for BIDU was found - reported as absent, not invented. All three positions are reported honestly.

Sources

Screened 2026-10-02 from published company figures and market data. Figures change; this page is educational, not financial advice and not a religious ruling.

Screened with our two-gate Shariah screening methodology (business-activity gate, then AAOIFI-style financial ratios).