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Question:

Are there any halal and Shariah compliant mortgages in the United Kingdom?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

The Answer:

It is imperative one understands how Islamic banks work and how their products are developed.  Thereafter, it will be clear that it is not appropriate for someone like myself who is not on the Shariah board of an Islamic bank in the UK to answer the question posed.  Islamic banks like any other bank have procedures and protocols to follow.  They must work within a framework and produce Shariah compliant products.  Product development for Islamic banks has many phases and stages.  Professor Habib Ahmed in his ‘Product Development in Islamic Banks’ mentions eighteen stages in the product development cycle involving idea screening, Shariah approval, product design, business case, marketing, reviews and Shariah audits.  A product has to be signed-off at each phase before being launched in the market.

Furthermore, a Shariah compliant model is subject to regulation at various levels:

1) Product level

A product must comply with all Shariah regulations to be certified as Shariah compliant.

2) Organisational level

A product must comply with the financial regulators such as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK.

3) Institutional level

A product must comply with the legal framework of the jurisdiction in which it is launched.

A product must comply and appease all the above dimensions before coming into existence. The challenge, skills and acumen invested in such product development can only be truly appreciated by those involved in the process.

To develop such products at an industry level, one needs to have knowledge, proficiency and literacy in some of the following:
1)    Fiqh al-Mua’malāt (Transactional laws of Shariah)
2)    Usul al-Fiqh
3)    Regulation and governance
4)    Economics
5)    Experience in the financial industry
6)    Legal awareness

Thus, scholars on the Shariah boards of Islamic financial institutions are relatively qualified and experienced in Islamic Finance.  Furthermore, many of the contemporary issues in the financial industry require some form of ijtihād and interpretation.  Hence, this can change from scholar to scholar depending on their expertise.  Therefore, it may be better to refer to the actual scholars on the Shariah boards to understand their thinking, reasoning and explanation of the products.

Nevertheless, there are reputable Ulama and scholars on the shariah boards of many of the financial institutions. They have tried their best to produce a shariah compliant solution to facilitate for the Muslims in the UK. Some particular issues may not be understood by all or may be open for debate, whilst other issues may require development, however, as it is an issue of ijtihad and reasoning, you may follow the approval and certification of such reputable Shariah boards. Hence, going back to the original question, the scholars who are most worthy and most appropriate to answer the question posed are the scholars on the Shariah boards.

And Allah Ta’ālā Alone Knows Best
Mufti Faraz Adam,
www.darulfiqh.com
 
DISCLAIMER:
The views and opinions expressed in this answer belong only to the author and do not in any way represent or reflect the views of any institutions to which he may be affiliated.
Arguments and ideas propounded in this answer are based on the juristic interpretations and reasoning of the author. Given that contemporary issues and interpretations of contemporary issues are subjective in nature, another Mufti may reach different conclusions to the one expressed by the author. Whilst every effort has been taken to ensure total accuracy and soundness from a Shari’ah perspective, the author is open to any correction or juristic guidance. On the event of any juristic shortcomings, the author will retract any or all of the conclusions expressed within this answer.
The Shari’ah ruling given herein is based specifically on the scenario in question.  The author bears no responsibility towards any party that acts or does not act on this answer and is exempted from any and all forms of loss or damage.  This answer may not be used as evidence in any court of law without prior written consent from the author.  Consideration is only given and is restricted to the specific links provided, the author does not endorse nor approve of any other content the website may contain.

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