Definition of Major Islamic Finance Instruments (A-F)

Al Ajr
Refers to commission, fees or wages charged for services. 

Al Fard al Kifa'i
Socially obligatory duties. Literally, a collective duty of Muslims, the discharge of which by some of them absolves the rest of its performance, such as funeral prayers. Technically it covers such functions which the community fails to or cannot perform and hence are taken over by the state, such as the provision of utilities, building of roads, bridges and canals etc. 

Amana/Amanah
Lit: reliability, trustworthiness, loyalty, honesty. Technically, an important value of Islamic society in mutual dealings. It also refers to deposits in trust. A person may hold property in trust for another, sometimes by implication of a contract.

Al Wadia
Resale of goods with a discount on the original stated cost. 

Al Wakala
Absolute power of attorney.

Al Rahn Al
An arrangement whereby a valuable asset is places as a collateral for a debt. The collateral may be disposed off in the event of a default. 

Al Wadiah
Safe keeping

Awkaf/Awqaf
A religious foundation set up for the benefit of the poor. 

Bai Muajjal (Deferred Payment Contract)
A contract involving the sale of goods on a deferred payment basis. The bank or provider of capital buys the goods (assets) on behalf of the business owner. The bank then sells the goods to the client at an agreed price, which will include a mark-up since the bank needs to make a profit. The business owner can pay the total balance at an agreed future date or make instalments over a pre-agreed period. This is similar to a Murabaha contract since it is also a credit sale. There is a financial institution in Malaysia that offers an Islamic Visa card based on this type of contract. 

Bai Al-Arboon
A sale agreement in which a security deposit is given in advance as a partial payment towards the price of the commodity purchased. This deposit is fortified if the buyer failed to meet his obligation

Bai al Dayn
Debt financing: the provision of financial resources required for production, commerce and services by way of sale/purchase of trade documents and papers. Bai al-Dayn is a short-term facility with a maturity of not more than a year. Only documents evidencing debts arising from bona fide commercial transactions can be traded. 

Bai al Salam
This term refers to advance payment for goods which are to be delivered later. Normally, no sale can be effected unless the goods are in existence at the time of the bargain. But this type of sale forms an exception to the general rule provided the goods are defined and the date of delivery is fixed. The objects of this type of sale are mainly tangible things but exclude gold or silver as these are regarded as monetary values. Barring these, bai 'salam covers almost all things which are capable of being definitely described as to quantity, quality and workmanship.

One of the conditions of this type of contract is advance payment; the parties cannot reserve their option of rescinding it but the option of revoking it on account of a defect in the subject matter is allowed. It is also applied to a mode of financing adopted by Islamic banks. It is usually applied in the agricultural sector where the bank advances money for various inputs to receive a share in the crop, which the bank sells in the market.

Bai Bithaman Ajil
This contract refers to the sale of goods on a deferred payment basis. Equipment or goods requested by the client are bought by the bank which subsequently sells the goods to the client an agreed price which includes the bank's mark-up (profit). The client may be allowed to settle payment by installments within a pre-agreed period, or in a lump sum. Similar to a Murabaha contract, but with payment on a deferred basis.

Baitul Mal
Treasury

Dirham
Name of a unit of currency, usually a silver coin, used in the past in several Muslim countries and still used in some Muslim countries, such as Morocco and United Arab Emirates.

Fatwah
A religious decree. 

Fiqh
Islamic jurisprudence. The science of the Shariah. It is an important source of Islamic economics.