About

Al-Qalam Sharī‘ah Scholar Panel seeks to provide British Imams and Muslims with authentic referenced expertise on how to properly apply Sharī‘ah precepts to common place legal and financial concerns. Whilst the majority of our work focuses around Charity (Zakāh and Sadaqah) and Wills (Wasiyyah), we also provide guidance on Trusts, Pensions, Child Trust Funds, Divorce Settlements, Investments, Contracts and other such financial and legal matters.

Our panel has been set up on a charitable footing, enabling us to advise Imams and other grass root community-based organisations and individuals on a pro-bono basis. Our chair, Mufti Zubair Butt, oversees our online fatawa service, and authors all our research, which is then periodically reviewed by the other panel members.

For corporate bodies, we offer chargeable advisory and training services on a ‘not-for-profit’ basis. Any profits thereby generated are used to meet the running costs incurred in providing ‘no-charge’ services.

All chargeable services are offered via Sharī‘ah Consultancy Services Limited which is licensed to provide services on behalf of the Al-Qalam Sharī‘ah Panel.

When navigating the content of this website, it may be helpful to note there are ‘three core questions’ explained below, which if applied to any business / financial matter can hand, can help clarify permissibility:

1) Is the subject matter permissible? –  For example, can a supermarket cashier sell alcohol or lottery tickets?

2) Is there any interest based finance involved? –  For example, can a university student fund their tuition fees through an interest bearing loan?

3) Is there a valid contract acceptable in shariah? The four contract clauses below tend to be where contract issues may most frequently arise:

3 a) Penalty Clauses  – For example, a contract may require interest to be paid in case of late payment

3 b) Possession of sale goods  – For example, selling a commodity which one does not actually possess at the time of sale.

3 c) Excessive uncertainty (Gharar) – For example, insurance contracts where one cannot know the value of any claims (in any) are to be made during the period of insurance.

3 d) Interlinked contracts  – For example, where a contract for renting out a share in a property becomes linked to a contract to buy a property.

By applying the ‘three core questions’ above to any financial matter, we feel it is easier for permissibility to be ascertained. Please note the Q&A section of this website can help answer many of the wide range of scenarios arising when these ‘three core questions’ are applied to daily ‘real life’ scenarios.