Introduction vii
1 What is Islamic Banking? 1
2 If Islamic Banks Cannot Charge Interest 23
How Do They Make Money?
3 Sharia'a Law 83
It is Not Only Lawyers Who Need to Know About It
4 Sharia'a Boards 97
Roles, Responsibility and Membership
5 Financial Statement Analysis for Islamic Banks 121
6 The Islamic Banking Infrastructure 167
Appendix 1 How Much Arabic do You Need to Know to Work in the Islamic Banking Industry? 199
Appendix 2 Thee Top 500 Islamic Financial Institutions 235
Crossword 333
Index 335

The recent turbulence in the global financial markets has drawn attention to an alternative system of financial intermediation: Islamic banking and finance, which has so far remained on the sidelines of the unrest. Islamic Finance in a Nutshell is a quick and easy guide to understanding the fundamentals of Islamic Finance and how the Islamic Financial markets work. Designed as a quick read for practitioners needing to pick up the basics of the industry, it will enable readers to understand the differences Islamic and Western finance. Starting with the rise of Islamic finance, the book highlights the key areas which practitioners need to grasp to understand the marketplace including financial statement analysis, Sharia a law, making money in the absence of interest and regulation. The book also provides readers with a basic guide to Arab terminology and a guide to the top financial institutions within the Islamic markets. This is an ideal guide for anyone with an interest in how these financial markets work, but who do not want to be bogged down in complex and unnecessary terminology.