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This book provides an overview of the practice of Islamic finance and the historical roots that define its modes of operation. The focus of the book is analytical and forward-looking. It shows that Islamic finance exists mainly as a form of rent-seeking legal-arbitrage.

This book provides an overview of the practice of Islamic finance and the historical roots that define its modes of operation. The focus of the book is analytical and forward-looking. It shows that Islamic finance exists mainly as a form of rent-seeking legal-arbitrage. In every aspect of finance - from personal loans to investment banking, and from market structure to corporate governance - Islamic finance aims to replicate in Islamic forms the substantive functions of contemporary financial instruments, markets, and institutions. By attempting to replicate the substance of contemporary financial practice using pre-modern contract forms, Islamic finance has arguably failed to serve the objectives of Islamic law. This book proposes refocusing Islamic finance on substance rather than form. This approach would entail abandoning the paradigm of ‘Islamization’ of every financial practice. It would also entail reorienting the brand-name of Islamic finance to emphasize issues of community banking, micro-finance, and socially responsible investment.

Advance Praise for Gulf Capital & Islamic Finance "With the region's increasing prominence in global capital markets, this timely piece is essential for anyone trying to gather a nuanced understanding of the landscape of Gulf capital and the fast-growing Islamic finance industry and the increased 'Shariah-affinity' of its stakeholders. Brilliantly written and easy to read, Aamir Rehman has leveraged a luminous career as a corporate strategist for the Middle East to put together the comprehensive guide to Gulf capital and Islamic finance." -- S. Nazim Ali, Director, Islamic Finance Project, Harvard Law School

"Aamir Rehman has written a lucid and well-researched guide to tapping capital in the Gulf. He is right that appreciating the underpinnings of Shariah-compliant finance is key to understanding the mindset of Muslim investors." -- Samuel L. Hayes III, Jacob Schiff Professor of Investment Banking, Emeritus, Harvard Business School

A detailed look at the fast–growing field of Islamic banking and finance The Art of Islamic Banking and Finance is a modern American take on what it means to incorporate Islamic finance principles into everyday banking and investment techniques by introducing a new brand of banking for all people of all faiths: The Riba–Free (RF) banking.

The author is considered the father of RF (Islamic) banking in America. He has been a banker and an Imam/scholar for over 40 years in America since 1968. He started the tedious process with a finance company, LARIBA, in Pasadena, California in 1987. This is the first book ever in the field to trace the origins of prohibiting the renting of money at a price called interest rate and over–indulging in debt. The book reviews in great details the theological foundations of prohibiting interest in the Jewish Bible, the Christian Bible, and the Qur′aan. The author then discusses money and how fiat money is created, the role of the Federal Reserve, and the banking system in America. The book also discusses for the first time ever how to include an important aspect of RF (Islamic) finance using commodity indexation and marking the items to be financed to market in order to avoid participating in economic "bubbles." The author discusses how these rules work, how they affect consumer behavior, and how they change the role of the banker/financier.