Ensuring the future of Islamic finance is collective, not corporate
Islamic finance was never meant to be an institutional product reserved for the elite. When Islam introduced its financial ethics more than 1,400 years ago, the goal wasn’t corporate compliance but justice.
From Zakat (obligatory almsgiving) to Waqf (endowment for public benefit) to Shura (consultative decision-making), early Islamic finance systems were designed to empower individuals, protect communities, and keep wealth in circulation.
These weren’t abstract ideas; they were real, operational systems that funded schools, fed families, and supported the vulnerable — all without profit as the endgame.
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Sharene Lee