Islamic Finance

The paradigm of Islamic economics and finance is guided by the motivation of comprehensive human development (CHD) and its preservation as manifested in the objectives of Sharīʿah (maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah). However, the real world free-market economies are driven by the linear economy paradigm under the influence of Hotelling’s 1931 famous work concerning the economics of exploiting natural resources, in which, the ecological environment is not recognized as a resource. The global financial architecture is designed to protect and preserve the linear economic paradigm.

With advancing technologies like distributed ledgers, smart contracts, and digital payment platforms, financial services must be innovative in order to remain relevant in the modern era. The adoption of financial technology affects the whole Islamic financial industry as well as the economic stability of a globalized world. There is a need for research that seeks to understand financial technology and the regulatory technology necessary to ensure financial security and stability.

Undoubtedly, the emergence of cryptocurrencies has imposed the challenge of addressing their Shariah issues. These issues include the very permissibility of their issuance in view of the fact that they are not backed by real valuable assets or supervised by financial authorities, which makes their holders vulnerable to possible fraud and manipulative fluctuations in their values.

As an emerging global phenomenon, Islamic economics and the financial system has expanded exponentially in recent decades. Many components of the industry are still unknown, but hopefully, the lack of awareness will soon be stilled. This book provides emerging research on the latest global Islamic economic practices. The content within this publication examines risk management, economic justice, and stock market analysis.

Financial intermediation is the core of the banking business, as its role is to mediate between the owners of surplus funds and those in need of finance, sharing the generated profit with the funds' owners. However, financial intermediation does involve some economic risks in terms of concentration of debt in financial institutions and the possibility of the inability of financed clients to repay their debts. When this happens, financial crises are inevitable, as it occurred in 2008.

Unarguably the current methodology of product development in Islamic finance has failed to reflect the social dimension embedded in Islamic economics. This is evidenced by the nature of the current financing products in Islamic banks being hardly distinguishable from that of conventional products, according to critics and observers. Therefore, a substantial change is required in this methodology in order to observe the social responsibility while structuring a financing product.

This paper examines different dimensions of invaluable judicial support to Islamic financial services and products, and identifies specific areas where the judiciary has helped to shape the industry in line with the original value proposition of Islamic financial intermediation. While relying on qualitative legal methods with comparative case analysis from different jurisdictions, this study conducts cross-jurisdiction case analyses and identifies the role of the judiciary in introducing sustainable practices.

This study is an attempt to reexamine the ‘social failure’ and the contemporary dynamics of development needs in the Muslim World.

The book encompasses a comprehensive overview of the historical evolution of Shari’ah governance in Islamic Finance, the current practices, and the prospects of Shari’ah governance in the future. The chapters of the books are contributed by Shari’ah scholars, Islamic economists, regulators, practitioners, policymakers, and academicians from different parts of the world.