06 Chapter 6 Islamic Asset and Funds Managment

Introduction to Islamic Banking and Finance:
Principles and Practice
M. Kabir Hassan, Rasem N. Kayed Umar A. Oseni
Chapter 6
Islamic Asset and Fund

Management
Instructor:
Masood Aijazi CFA
October 2017
Learning Objectives
Upon the completion of this chapter, the reader should be able

to:
1. Understand the unique nature and fundamentals of

Islamic asset and fund management;
2. Identify the criteria for the selection of Islamic stocks for
investing and review Islamic fund performances;
3. Examine the structure, marketing, and distribution of
Islamic funds;
4. Understand the Sharī'ah governance for Islamic funds and
the importance of Islamic fund management; and
5. Know the meaning and importance of risk management
issues for Islamic funds, including risk-reward profile,
with specific analysis of the risk-reward profile of the
major Islamic finance products
2
Review and Fundamentals of Islamic
Investing
• The Holy Qur'an emphasises necessity of financial planning

and asset management (Qur’an 12, verse 47-49)
• Wealth in Islam considered as a means to an end
• Wealth must be managed in such a way to cater for
interests of current and future generations
• Fund managers and Islamic asset management firms must

be professional in the discharge of their responsibilities
• Sharī'ah-compliant investing corresponds with the values of
socially responsible investing based on ethical dealings
• Islam prohibits all forms of interest (riba) in Islamic
investing
3
Investing
Islam prohibits unethical investments including investments

that deal with:
- Gambling
- Alcohol
- Pork
- Uncensored media/leisure
- Pornography
- Other activities that are explicitly prohibited under the
Sharī'ah
4
Review and Fundamentals of
Islamic Investing
Islamic investments must
– Exclude all riba (interest-bearing) products
– Avoid speculative investments
– Be socially responsible
– Ensure that contractual terms comply with Islamic law
5
Investing
Non-Interest-bearing Products
• Islam places special emphasis on ethical investing
• Islam prohibits all forms of interest, whether fixed or
floating, simple or compound
• “Nominal” or “excessive” interest amounts are prohibited
and they are treated alike under the prohibition rule
• Fund managers must ensure that clients’ investments are
free from all forms of interest-bearing products and
investments are Sharī'ah-compliant
• Financial returns must bear two inseparable features of
Islamic investing, i.e. profits and loss
6
Investing
Avoiding Speculative Investments

• Speculative investment may involve both uncertainty
(gharar) and gambling (maysir)
• Islam prohibits:
- Investment activities involving excessive risk,
speculation or uncertainty
- Uncertainty and contingency in contracts such as short
selling and derivatives
- Conventional insurance and derivatives
• Fund managers must respect the wishes of their clients by
investing only in Sharī'ah-compliant products
7
Investing
Social Responsibility
The Sharī'ah requires fund managers as well as their clients

to discharge their social responsibility from their investment
activities.
Mechanisms for fulfilling social obligation include

- zakat (compulsory alms)
- sadaqah (voluntary alms)
- waqf (charitable endowment)
- takāful (Islamic cooperative insurance)
8
Contractual Terms and Certification
by Sharī'ah Experts
• The fund managers must ensure contractual terms conform

to the principles of Islam
• Necessary certification by Sharī'ah experts (a panel or

Board) should be sought for all contracts
• The Sharī'ah Board ensure compliance of all investment

funds
9
The Islamic Stock Market Index

• Stock selection involves a process of screening to establish
Sharī'ah-compliance
• An index is used to measure fluctuations in the performance

of stocks
• Securities are traded in a place called the Stock Exchange –
buyers and sellers of securities trade here
• Islamic indexes were introduced to set benchmarks for

Sharī'ah-compliant products
10
Prominent Stock Exchanges
• The Honk Kong Stock Exchange
• The New York Stock Exchange (NYSC)
• The London Stock Exchange
• The Frankfurt Stock Exchange
• The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE)
• Tokyo Stock Exchange (Nike)
11
Prominent Islamic Indexes
• The Dow Jones Market Index
• FTSC Global Islamic Index
• S&P Global Investable Sharī'ah Index
• MSCI Barra
12
Figure 6.1: Example of a Stock Market Index
13
The Dow Jones Islamic Market Index
- The Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes are the most visible
and widely-used set of Shari´ah-compliant benchmarks
- Stocks are screened to determine eligibility for the indexes
14
Sharī'ah Supervisory Board
• Established to advise Dow Jones Indexes on methodology

for screening securities (for inclusion in the Dow Jones)
• The board consists of five eminent Shari´ah scholars from

around the world
15
The Process of Selection of Islamic Stocks
• Ensure Sharī'ah compliance at every step of the investment

selection process
• The selection process includes the following steps:

- Sector screen or industry screen
- Financial screen
- Selecting Sharī'ah compliant transactions and
instrument
- Purification of income distributions
16
Figure 6.2: The Sharī'ah Screening Process for Islamic

Funds
17
Sector Screen or Industry Screen
• Evaluate and certify business activity of the potential

company to ensure its compatibility with Sharī'ah
restrictions
• Exclude companies producing or selling prohibited goods or

services from Islamic funds investments
• Scrutinize investments in large corporations that might have

more than one line of business
• Analyze acquisition mode and target firms’ business focus

whenever a business conglomerate acquires a new
subsidiary business
18
Financial Screen
The firms under investment should be operating according to
Islamic financial norms. i, e., free of any prohibited financial
practice including:
- riba (interest)
- maysir (gambling and pure games of chance)
- gharar (speculations and excessive risk)
- any other prohibited element in commercial
transactions
19
AAOIFI Ratios For Financial Screening
• Conventional debt / total assets < 30%
• (Cash + interest-bearing deposits) / total assets < 30%
• (Total interest income + income from non-compliant

activities) / total revenues < 5%
• Accounts receivable / total assets < 45%
(AAOIFI Sharī'ah Standard No. 21)
20
Selecting Sharī'ah Compliant Transactions

and Instruments
Conventional investment funds rely heavily on interest-

based debt to finance their activities, thus they may invest
in:
- Interest-bearing debt securities
- Preferred stocks
- Warrants
- Common stocks
- Any other suitable instrument
21

and Instruments
• Because of prohibition of riba, maysir, and gharar, Islamic

investment funds cannot invest in fixed income
instruments such as:
- Corporate bonds
- Treasury bonds and bills
- Certificates of deposit (CDs)
- Preferred stocks
- Warrants
- Some derivatives (such as options)
22
Contractual Terms
and Certification by
Sharī'ah Experts
Figure 6.3: Fund Results:

Amana Trust Income Funds
23

and Instruments
Islamic investment funds cannot trade on margin or get

involved in any interest paying debt to finance their
investments
It is not permissible to engage in sale and repurchase

agreements (i.e., repos or buy-backs)
Islamic fund managers are not allowed to speculate or

undertake any unnecessary risks
24
Purification of Income Distributions

• If the fund observes some part of its income is doubtful
(income from interest-related dealings), then those
earnings should be foregone
• No consensus among Muslim jurists on the cleansing of
capital gains:
- Some observe that cleansing of capital gains earning is
necessary
- Others argue that no purification is required since
selected firms belong to halal industries
• Zakat may be used as a form of purification technique to
dispose the portion of income resulted from interest-related
dealings
25
Issues of Non-compliant Stocks
• Sharī'ah supervisory board keeps constant monitoring of the

business operations of the Islamic fund
• Sharī'ah compliance of firms that may engage in mergers,

acquisition or divestures should be re-scrutinized periodically
26
Issues of Non-compliant Stocks
Degree of non-compliance :
1. Temporary non-compliance with Industry or Financial Screens
2. Short-term non-compliance with Industry or Financial
Screens:
- Fund manager should report to the supervisory board if
stock becomes non-compliant for a longer period of time
- Supervisory board should review the status of the non-
compliant stocks at regular intervals
- Fund manager should donate restricted earning to
charity
3. Permanent non-compliance with Industry or Financial
Screens: The Sharī'ah board may ask fund manager to divest
from such stocks
27
Structure Islamic Investments
Funds
Islamic Investment Fund
Islamic investment fund can be defined as a joint pool to

which investors contribute their surplus money for the
sole purpose of investment in legitimate business from
which they will earn permissible (halal) profits in
conformity with the fundamental principles of the Sharī'ah
regulating business transactions
28
Funds
Islamic Investment Fund

• The fund manager issues a certificate (may be called
“shares”, “units” or “certificate” or “instrument” to the
subscribers (investors) certifying their rate of subscription
• Profits earned by the fund are distributed in accordance
with subscribers respective investment portfolios after
deducting the managerial expenses
• Certificates commonly known as sukuk in Islamic finance
• The validity of the subscribers' certificate is subject to:
- No fixed return for the certificates
- Funds realized from the pool should be invested in
Sharī'ah compliant activities
29
Funds
Structure of Islamic Investment Funds

Major Islamic investment funds commonly used by
Islamic funds manager:
• Islamic debt funds

• Islamic equity funds
• Alternative investments
• Special asset classes
30
Funds
Islamic Debt Funds
An arrangement where the capital of an equity-based fund

is invested in fixed-income yielding activity such as an
operating lease which naturally involves a debt
31
Funds
Figure 6.4:
The Five Steps
in the
Structure of
Islamic Debt
Funds
32
Funds
Commodity Funds
• Commodity funds involve murabahah operations or bai
bithaman ajil (BBA): the fund manager uses the
subscribed pool of funds to purchase different
commodities for reselling at a profit (based on a
deferred payment arrangement)
• The amount of profit from the resale constitutes the
main income of the fund
• Profit is distributed among the subscribers based on
their pro rata subscription to the fund
33
Structure Islamic Investments Funds
Ijarah Fund
• The ijarah fund is
- Created through the pool of surplus financial resources
- Managed by a fund manager
- Used to purchase a leasable asset for establishing a
lease agreement with a third party (the ultimate user)
• The rentals that are charged from the lessee constitute

the income for the fund
• The income is distributed pro rata to the subscribers

accordingly after deducting the managerial expenses
34
Islamic Equity Funds

• The most common and widely practiced portfolio among
Islamic fund managers around the world
• The structure of Islamic equity fund may either be based
on a mudarabah contract, or a musharakah contract
a mudarabah contract
The two main parties are:
a) The investors (rabb al-mal) assume the role of silent
partners in the trust partnership
b) The fund manager (mudarib) as the entrepreneur
performs the managerial functions
35
Islamic Equity Funds

A musharakah contract (partnership financing):
• The formation of partnership between the investor and the
entrepreneur. Both parties share the assets of the business
to the extent of the ratio of financing
• Musharakah gives both

the entrepreneur and the
bank the opportunity to share the
finances as well as the
management of the business
• Profit and losses are

shared according to pre-
determined proportions
after deducting the entrepreneur’s
management compensations)
36
Funds
Alternative Investments
The three main forms of funds under the alternative

investments are:
- Private Equity Fund
- Islamic Venture Capital Fund
- Real Estate Funds or Real Estate Investment Trusts
(REITs)
37
Marketing and Distribution of
Private Equity Fund

• Structured as private limited companies with a few
numbers of stakeholders
• Private equities usually

- engage in non-exchange traded or illiquid investment
strategies
- embark on long-term investments in a portfolio of
growth companies
• Applying Sharī'ah compliance audit to boost the
confidence of the investors in private equities
38
Islamic Venture Capital Fund

• The term “venture capital”
- defined as the money and resources made available to
promising startup firms and small businesses
- encompasses managerial and technical expertise
• Venture capital fund
- is not traded on exchanges but engages in long term
investments
- is structured as an open-end fund
• Venture capital investments may take place at any or a
combination of different stages
39
Islamic Venture Investments

• Venture capital investments may take place at any or a
combination of the following stages:
- Seed-stage financing
- Early-stage financing
- Formative-stage financing
- Later-stage financing
- Expansion-stage financing
- Balanced-stage financing
40
Liquidating the Investment

Venture capitalists liquidate their investment through any of
the following procedures:
• Initial public offering (IPO)

• Company buyback
• Trade sale
• Write-off
• Secondary sale
• Reorganization of investee company
41
Funds
The Structure of Islamic Venture Capital Fund
• Is based on a contractual arrangement between the

fund manager and the institutional and individual
investors
• Individual and institutional investors are the passive

investors and would act as the “limited partners”
• Private equity experts are considered as the “general

partners”; they undertake the management
responsibility
42
The Structure of Islamic Venture Capital Fund

• Analyzing the feasibility of possible ventures include:
- Islamic venture fund performs Sharī'ah-compliance

screening
- Islamic venture fund conducts project feasibility

analysis similar to the conventional venture capital
fund
43
Raising Funds for Islamic Venture Capital
The Islamic venture capital fund draws its funds

from a wide range of investors including:
• Sharī'ah-compliant institutions such as:
- Islamic banks and financial institutions
- Takaful companies
- Individual investors who prefer the Islamic
finance products
• Mudarabah contract
44
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

• The Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) structured as
limited companies and are often listed in stock
exchanges
• REITs that are not listed or that are traded over-the-

counter are known as Private REITs
• Islamic Equity REITs basically replicates a fund structure
that is similar to the Ijara fund
• While Ijara Funds may have fixed maturity, the maturity

of Islamic Equity REITs Funds may be long or ongoing
45
Three Categories of REITs
1. Lending or financing activities in the real estate sector
2. Managing own real estate

3. Both financing others' and managing own real estate
REITs are structured in such a way that allows the

investors to replicate their target exposure for stock
and real estate in a single contract
46
Three Categories of Conventional REITs

1. Equity REITs:
- acquires and develops its properties primarily to
operate them as part of its own portfolio
- engages in a wide range of real estate activities
such as leasing, real property and tenant services
2. Mortgage REITs:
Extends credit facilities to real estate owners and
operators
3. Hybrid REITs:
A combination of the above two categories where the
REIT acquires and develops properties and at the
same time lends money to real estate owners and
operators
47
Special Asset Classes
• Islamic Hedge Funds

• Funds of Funds
• Mixed Funds
48
Islamic Hedge Funds

Hedge funds are often set up as private investment
partnerships open to a limited investors and requiring
large initial minimum investments
• Investments in hedge funds are illiquid
• Hedge funds are acceptable in the Islamic investment

sector if they are free from all forbidden elements
• While some Sharī'ah scholars believe in the possibility of

having Islamic hedge funds, others argue otherwise due
to the speculative elements embedded in such portfolios
49
Fund of Funds
• Instead of creating its own portfolio, fund of funds
applies a passive investment strategy where the
investing fund invests in another fund with a different
investment objective to diversify its exposure
• The conception of fund of funds may be a less efficient

technique for Islamic funds due to the number of
Islamic funds as well as the higher commissions and
fees involved
50
Marketing and Distribution of Structure
Islamic Investments Funds
Mixed Funds
• Invest in a pool of different assets
• For Islamic funds, mixed funds require investment in

both equity and debt instruments like equities, leases,
commodities etc.
• Islamic funds have preferred mixed funds investment

style (during the declining global markets of 2001/2002)
to protect their capital
51
Distribution and Marketing of Islamic Funds

• Islamic funds as an industry is:
- still in its infancy stage
- going through a transitional phase in terms of
functional structure, marketing and distribution systems
• The interrelationship between the Islamic investment

funds and Islamic banks can partially be explained:
- Islamic banks have preceded other Islamic financial
institutions
- Islamic banks were the pioneers for the Islamic
investors’ demand for Sharī'ah-compliant alternatives to
conventional investment funds
52
Common Business strategies of Islamic Investment

Funds
• Joint Venture
• Strategic Alliances
• Franchising
• Outsourcing
53
Joint Ventures
Islamic investment funds may enter into joint venture
agreements with other Islamic banks or conventional banks
to:
- get higher market exposure and increase the investor
network at a lower cost
- create newer exposure

to prospective investors
in other geographical
locations
54
Franchising
• Islamic investment funds may engage in franchising to

promote their products in different markets
• Franchising is preferred between Islamic funds and other

Islamic financial institutions
• The Islamic fund should make sure that the buying

financial institution complies with the requirements of
the Sharī'ah
• Like a joint venture, an Islamic fund may seek investors

beyond national boundaries
55
Challenges in Marketing and Distribution of Islamic

Funds
• Lack of liquidity
• Inadequacy in the number of Sharī'ah-compliant

investment funds and investable securities
• Segmented Islamic financial markets
• Lack of appropriate management skills and difficulties in

outsourcing of such skills
• Lack of awareness of Islamic investment process entails

assuming additional responsibility to create an educated
investor base (to ensure customer loyalty)
56
Sharī'ah Governance of Islamic Funds
The Sharī'ah governance framework oversees that

every aspect of the investment products, services and
contracts is compliant with the fundamentals of the
Sharī'ah.
57
The Modern Practice of Islamic Wealth Management

– Three Alternatives
1. To adopt the practice in the wider Islamic finance

where standing Sharī'ah Boards are established industry
2. To employ the services of Sharī'ah consulting firms
3. To employ the services of independent Sharī'ah scholars

on an ad hoc basis to review their investment processes,
services, and contracts to ensure a full compliance with the
requirements of the Sharī'ah
58
Governance of Sharia Framework
Composition of the Sharī'ah Supervisory Board
• Islamic funds include members from different
demographics
• Whether an institution has a minimum of three members
for the Sharī'ah supervisory board (as per the
requirements of AAOIFI) or a single supervisor is its own
choice
• The composition of the Sharī'ah board should be included
in the charter of the fund
• The members of the board should possess:
- Strong academic and professional background in
Islamic jurisprudence
- Understanding of the financial transaction and
financial system
59
Functions of the Sharī'ah Supervisory Board
The responsibilities of the Sharī'ah board include:
• monitoring the fund’s compliance with the Sharī'ah

• overseeing the fund’s portfolio purification
• reporting on the compliance status of the fund
• assisting the fund management
• advising on zakat (charity) and identifying the
procedures for its distribution
60
Independence of Sharī'ah Committee & Islamic Fund

Infrastructure
• The independence of the Sharī'ah supervisory from the

management’s influence is more likely to:
- impart better supervision
- boost the confidence of the investors
- ensure the best functionality of the Sharī'ah
governance organ
• Any prospective new product should be cross-checked for

Sharī'ah compliance in the first place by the Sharī'ah board
61
Compensation and Monitoring Fees

•Compensation and monitoring fees for the Sharī'ah board
members is based on professional expertise and academic
qualifications
•Transparency and consistency in the compensation
system to avoid conflict of interest
•TheSharī'ah board members may be compensated in the
same manner as the Board of Directors on the basis of:
- monthly remuneration
- additional payment for meetings
- out-of-pocket expenses
- special allowance
62
Sharī'ah Governance of Islamic
Funds
Disclosure Issues
• Better disclosure practices for all the investment funds
• The disclosure of Sharī'ah compliance information
• In addition to the annual Sharī'ah-compliance reports

issued by the boards, Islamic investors might need to
prepare additional Sharī'ah-compliance reports on a
regular basis
63
Risk Management for Islamic
Investment Funds
• Islamic fund managers replicate some of the basic risk

management strategies found in ‘normal’ investment
funds
• There are additional risk management issues associated

with the uniqueness of Islamic funds and their products
• Islamic fund managers consider the limitations of Islamic

investments while forming risk management strategies:
- the lack of investable securities
- lack of liquidity
- lack of Sharī'ah compliant derivatives
64
Investment Funds
Risk-Reward Profiles of Islamic Investment Products

• Risk-reward theory is a cornerstone of investment
philosophy
• Risk reward profile - a chart of the maximum profit or loss
a particular investment can have in the portfolios of
investors
• Ratio used by investors to compare expected return on
investment to the amount of risk undertaken to realize
return
• The funds managers are in the best position to adequately
extend professional advice to clients on risk-reward profiles
of available investment products
65
Investment Funds
How to Calculate Risk-Reward Profile

• Potential investors identify suitable finance products
based on the chart
• Ratio calculated by dividing the amount of profit the
investor expects to make (i.e. reward) after the close of
position by the amount such investor stands to lose if
loss is recorded in such investment (i.e. the risk)
$ Reward
Risk-reward Profile Ratio -------------
$ Risk
Prospective investors must always aim at a ratio 1:2 risk-
reward profiles
66
Investment Funds
The risk-reward profile of stock ownership is represented in

the graph below
 The graph indicates that:

 a profit that is being expected to be gained does not have a maximum limit;
it can continue to rise to infinity
loss is limited to 0 (one's entire investment)
67
Investment Funds
Risk-Reward Profiles of Islamic Investment

Products
• The most common financial instruments used in
Sharī'ah-compliant investment funds are
musharakah, mudarabah, murabahah, and ijarah
• Knowledge of the risk-reward profile of each of these

instruments will guide potential investors in
identifying a better product for investing
• The fund managers must guide potential investors on

the best product according to the prevailing market
indices
68
Investment Funds
Risk Management Strategies for Islamic Funds

1) Market Risk Management
• Market risk for investment funds arises from price
volatility of the securities under investment
• Islamic fund managers adopt two main strategies to
manage market risks:
a) Portfolio diversification, and b) Portfolio protection
a) Portfolio Diversification
Islamic fund managers engage in portfolio
diversification as a strategy to minimize their risk
exposure
69
Investment Funds
Challenges for Islamic fund managers

• They need to diversify their portfolios within a limited
range of Sharī'ah compliant asset classes
• The Islamic market may be more volatile compared to
conventional markets
b) Portfolio protection
Fund managers engage in the following strategies in order
to minimize their risk exposures
- SWAPs
- Options (Call and Put Options)
- Futures Forwards
- Other investment strategies
70
Investment Funds
Risk Management Strategies for Islamic Funds
2) Liquidity Risk Management

• Most of the investors prefer investment in more
liquid assets
• Despite surplus of liquidity in the Islamic fund
market, there is low return rate on liquid assets
managed by Islamic financial institutions
• One important liquidity issue that Islamic fund
managers face is the investment exit strategy
71
Investment Funds
• As there is no secondary market in a conventional

sense, fund managers may have to depend on:
- sponsor principal
- nominated liquidity agent
- asset management company
• Islamic fund managers are wary of balance sheet
mismatches and exposures to assets that cannot be sold
easily
• Fund managers should be prepared for higher cash out-
flow possibilities during the downward markets when
individual investors may wish to liquidate their position
72
Investment Funds
Managing Liquidity Crunches

• Fund managers may cautiously enter into agreements
with other financial institutions or other liquidity
provider
• As an immediate measure, fund managers may leave

some of the short-term cash balances in interest-free
current accounts
73
Key Terms and Concepts
• Arbun • Hedge funds

• Economies of scale • Ijarah fund
• Ethical investing • Interest-bearing (riba)
• Exchange-traded • Investable securities
derivatives
• Islamic debt funds
• Fiduciary relationship
• Legitimate investment
• Firm-specific risk
• Leverage
• Fund managers
• Liquidity
• Gharar
• Maysir
• Halal industry
• Nisab
74
Key Terms and Concepts
• OTC derivatives • Screen

• Portfolio diversification • Stock exchange
• Portfolio protection • Stock market index
• Portfolios • Takaful
• Private equities • Venture capital
• Pro-rata profits • Waqf
• Real estate investment • Zakat
trust (REIT)
• Risk-reward profile
• Sadaqah
75
Thank You
76

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Introduction to Islamic Banking and Finance:

Principles and Practice

M. Kabir Hassan, Rasem N. Kayed Umar A. Oseni

Islamic Asset and Fund

Upon the completion of this chapter, the reader should be able

1. Understand the unique nature and fundamentals of

• The Holy Qur'an emphasises necessity of financial planning

• Fund managers and Islamic asset management firms must

Islam prohibits unethical investments including investments

Islamic investments must

– Exclude all riba (interest-bearing) products

– Avoid speculative investments

– Ensure that contractual terms comply with Islamic law

Avoiding Speculative Investments

The Sharī'ah requires fund managers as well as their clients

Mechanisms for fulfilling social obligation include

• The fund managers must ensure contractual terms conform

• Necessary certification by Sharī'ah experts (a panel or

• The Sharī'ah Board ensure compliance of all investment

The Islamic Stock Market Index

• An index is used to measure fluctuations in the performance

• Islamic indexes were introduced to set benchmarks for

Prominent Stock Exchanges

• The Honk Kong Stock Exchange

• The New York Stock Exchange (NYSC)

• The London Stock Exchange

• The Frankfurt Stock Exchange

• The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE)

• Tokyo Stock Exchange (Nike)

Prominent Islamic Indexes

• The Dow Jones Market Index

• FTSC Global Islamic Index

• S&P Global Investable Sharī'ah Index

The Dow Jones Islamic Market Index

- Stocks are screened to determine eligibility for the indexes

Sharī'ah Supervisory Board

• Established to advise Dow Jones Indexes on methodology

• The board consists of five eminent Shari´ah scholars from

The Process of Selection of Islamic Stocks

• Ensure Sharī'ah compliance at every step of the investment

• The selection process includes the following steps:

Figure 6.2: The Sharī'ah Screening Process for Islamic

Sector Screen or Industry Screen

• Evaluate and certify business activity of the potential

• Exclude companies producing or selling prohibited goods or

• Scrutinize investments in large corporations that might have

• Analyze acquisition mode and target firms’ business focus

AAOIFI Ratios For Financial Screening

• Conventional debt / total assets < 30%

• (Cash + interest-bearing deposits) / total assets < 30%

• (Total interest income + income from non-compliant

• Accounts receivable / total assets < 45%

(AAOIFI Sharī'ah Standard No. 21)

Selecting Sharī'ah Compliant Transactions

Conventional investment funds rely heavily on interest-

Selecting Sharī'ah Compliant Transactions

• Because of prohibition of riba, maysir, and gharar, Islamic

Figure 6.3: Fund Results:

Selecting Sharī'ah Compliant Transactions

Islamic investment funds cannot trade on margin or get

It is not permissible to engage in sale and repurchase

Islamic fund managers are not allowed to speculate or

Purification of Income Distributions