FINANCE

Mufti Taqi Usmani’s fatwa explains why cryptocurrencies are considered impermissible under Shariah, citing speculation, lack of intrinsic value and concerns over their status as recognised wealth. By MOGAMAT ALI SALIE As cryptocurrencies continue to reshape global finance, Muslim investors are increasingly asking a fundamental question: Are digital...

By MAHMOOD SANGLAY PART TWO In this concluding part of the series we follow Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as he migrated to Madinah in 622. He was not simply relocating a private enterprise. He was leading a vulnerable community of migrants who had lost homes, assets and trading...

By MAHMOOD SANGLAY PART ONE To remember the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in Rabi’ al-Awwal only as a messenger is to miss an important part of the life Muslims seek to honour. In this two-part series we explore how, long before revelation, he knew the pressures of earning,...

An Awqaf SA workshop examined how waqf in South Africa can move beyond charitable giving to preserve wealth, generate sustainable income and strengthen governance, leadership and community development over generations. By AHMED KAJEE A wide-ranging discussion on waqf as the legacy of Sayyidina Umar Ibn Al Khattab...

Islamic banking gives South African Muslims access to Shariah-compliant financial services without interest. Through structures such as murābaḥah, mushārakah and ijārah, finance is based on trade, partnership, leasing and shared risk. By ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ASHRAF BOOLEY The Quran lays out the injunction for interest-free finance for the...

Ever used or thought of using artificial intelligence (AI) for financial advice? Is it a good idea? BOMIKAZI ZEKA AND RAECHEL JOHNS offer some professional advice on this somewhat unchartered financial frontier. Anyone with the internet, even on their phone, can access AI. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude...

In the last of this two-part series, we examine why a DIY will may leave Muslim families exposed to overlooked debts, vulnerable heirs, inadequate provision for children and legal complications, and why Islamic estate planning matters. Walk into any bank, stationery shop or browse the internet and...

By MAHMOOD SANGLAY A halal label can lower an investor’s guard precisely when vigilance is most needed. Recent cases show how faith, community endorsements and promises of exceptional returns may be engineered to convert religious trust into financial loss. The danger has a name: affinity fraud. It...

By MOHAMED JAFFER Death may come without warning, yet many Muslims postpone drafting a valid Islamic will. Proper planning protects spouses and children, honours Allah’s inheritance laws and prevents grief from becoming a costly legal crisis for them. “It won’t happen to me.” Those are perhaps the...

By MAHMOOD SANGLAY The genocide in Gaza has exposed a grave fault line in Islamic finance: funds can exclude alcohol, gambling and interest yet invest in companies linked to occupation and warfare.  Can a portfolio be technically halal while enabling injustice today? The uncomfortable answer is yes...