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copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Islamic Perspective of Accounting
Unit
1
Learning
Outcomes
By the end of this unit you should be able to
Define and explain the concept of Islamic Accounting
Argue that a separate accounting philosophy is required for
Islamic Banking due to differences in worldviews
Differentiate between the Accounting for Islamic Institutions and
Islamic Accounting
Define and Differentiate the differences between conventional and
Islamic Accounting
Topics in This Unit
1 Introduction
2 Meaning of Islamic Accounting
3 Religion and Accounting ndash An Explosive Mix
4 A Prima-facie case for Islamic Accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 2
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Key Terms
Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and
operated for a private profit decisions regarding supply demand price
distribution and investments are made by private actors in the market
Worldview fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing natural
philosophy fundamental existential and normative postulates or themes values
emotions and ethics
Sharia Islamic Law
AAOIFI Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions
Value free Not altered by value judgements
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with equity and do not deprive people of
what is rightfully theirs and do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which rests
with God is best for you if you but believe [in Him] However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-
86)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 3
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Need for Islamic
Accounting
All accounting activities will
have an impact on the welfare
of society in one way or
another ie having socio-
economic consequences The
emergence of Islamic banks as
a significant force in several
countries in the late-1970s has
prompted researchers to
consider the accounting
implications ldquoIslamic
accountingrdquo was almost
unheard of until
Abdel-Magid (1981) in his
seminal paper highlighted the
need for accounting practices
based on sharirsquoa principles to
cater for Islamic banks that
began to emerge at that
time The growth of Islamic
banking in the early 1990s
resulted in more scholarly
research into Islamic
accounting but they are either
not written in English and the
English-language literature
tends to be published in non-
mainstream accounting
journals (Napier and Haniffa
2010)or the internet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 4
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
11 INTRODUCTION
To professional accountants and those who have received a conventional
accounting education and who have been brought-up on the idea of
accounting as an lsquoobjectiversquo technical and value-free discipline the idea
of attaching a religious adjective to accounting may seem to be
embarrassing and unprofessional
On the other hand the development of Islamic banking and finance now
embraced even by ardent capitalist institutions such as Citibank HSBC
and ANZ banks may interest accountants and other job seekers to the
possibility of new opportunities in this new discipline Perhaps the
Enron affair has rekindled an interest in having a more honest profession
who truly care about the public interest in addition to their pockets
Whatever the interest or curiosity we hope readers will find this chapter
(and hopefully the entire book) interesting informative and profitable
and yes we hope it may even lead to a bit of soul searching
In this chapter what is meant by the term ldquoIslamic accountingrdquo is
explained together with a discussion of the main differences between
Islamic and conventional accounting Justifications for the addition of
the world lsquoIslamicrsquo to the word accounting is provided along with a
prima facie case for Islamic accounting Finally the distinction between
accounting for Islamic banks and Islamic accounting which is presently
thought of by many people as synonymous is made
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 5
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
accounting for Islamic banks is a subset of Islamic accounting The latter covers a wider scope including accounting for takafulsukuk waqf zakat and Islamic businesses
12 MEANING OF ISLAMIC ACCOUNTING
Islamic accounting can be defined as the ldquoaccounting processrdquo which
provides appropriate information (not necessarily limited to financial
data) to stakeholders of an entity which will enable them to ensure that
the entity is continuously operating within the bounds of the Islamic
Sharirsquoa and delivering on its socioeconomic objectives Islamic
accounting is also a tool which enables Muslims to evaluate their own
accountabilities to God (in respect of inter-humanenvironmental
transactions)
Figure 11 Islamic Accounting and Accountability
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 6
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Islamic Accounting
The system of accounting
which enableMuslims to
discharge their
accountabilities to Allah by
providing relevant
information on the
compliance of the company
to shariah principles
The diagram illustrates the purpose of Islamic accounting Muslims
believe in the hereafter All business activities should be in line with the
sharirsquoa or Islamic law including business In life people transact through
institutions such as business These activities are classified recorded and
summarized using a philosophic filter
(sharirsquoa and Islamic accounting
standards) to produce accounting
statements which people act on If the
information produced is useful and
appropriate to make economic or social
decisions through a moral framework
then the users will act in ways to correct
their lsquosinsrsquo and increase good behaviour
leading to Godrsquos pleasure in the hereafter If the accounting information
system misinforms or does not provide appropriate information the
business might be undertaking sinful activities the responsibility for
which will be borne by the investor as he is a participant This may lead
him to Hell
The meaning of Islamic accounting would be clearer if we compare this
with the definition of ldquoconventionalrdquo accounting (Conventional)
accounting as we know is defined to be the identification recording
classification interpreting and communication economic events to
permit users to make informed decisions (AAA 1966) From this it can
be seen that both Islamic and conventional accounting is in the business
of providing information The differences lie in the following
The objectives of providing the information
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
What type of information is identified and how is it
measured and valued recorded and communicated and
To whom is it communicated (the users)
Conventional accounting aims to permit informed decisions by users
whose ultimate purpose is to efficiently allocate scarce resources
available to their most efficient (and profitable) uses by providing
information efficiency in the market (FASB 1978) Apparently this is
achieved by the user making the appropriate buy sell or hold decisions
on their investments Islamic Accounting on the other hand hopes to
enable users to ensure that Islamic organisations (whether business
government or NFP) abide by the principles of the Sharirsquoa or Islamic Law
in its dealings and enables the assessment of whether the objectives of
the organisation are being met At the very basic level it can be said that
Islamic organisations (whether business or otherwise) differ from their
conventional counterparts by having to adhere to certain Sharirsquoa
principles and rules and also try to achieve certain socio-economic
objectives encouraged by Islam
Following from the above the type of information which Islamic
accounting identifies and measures is different Conventional accounting
concentrates on identifying economic events and transactions while
Islamic accounting must identify socio-economic and religious events
and transactions Older accountants may still remember when they first
learnt accounting They had to prepare final accounts (ie balance sheet
and profit and loss account) However Americanization of the
curriculum has popularised the term financial statements Hence the
concentration of accounting has moved from stewardship based
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 8
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
manorial accounts to accounting for money (accentuated by the
monetary measurement concept)
This is not to say that Islamic accounting is not concerned with money
(especially when accounting for businesses) On the contrary due to
prohibition of interest-based income or expense profit determination is
more important in Islamic accounting than conventional accounting
However Islamic accounting must be holistic in its reporting Hence
both financial and non-financial measures regarding the economic
social environmental and religious events and transactions are measured
and reported
Conventional accounting mainly uses historic cost (or lower) to measure
and values assets and liabilities (although the new IFRS seeks to
introduce fair value measurements) The profession is well aware of the
limitations of the stable unit of measure assumption of the monetary
unit and to its credit has tried in the past in its inflation accounting
initiatives However despite recommendation from its own research
efforts (True blood committee) the idea of using current values was
given up due to its complexity and presumed lack of verifiability From
an Islamic point of view at least for the purpose of computation of
Zakat current valuation is obligatory (see for example Clarke et al 1996)
prompting calls for a current value Balance Sheet (Baydoun and Willet
2000)
A further difference is Islamic accounting may require a different
statement altogether to deemphasize the focus on profits by the income
statement provided by conventional accounting Baydoun and Willlet
(2000) have suggested a Value Added Statement to replace the Income
Statement in Islamic Corporate Reports They argue that this shows and
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 9
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
encourages a cooperative environment in business as opposed to a
destructive competitive environment
The third category of differences is in the users of the information
Although the profession has recognised various stakeholders as users of
accounting information (see for example the Corporate Report 1975)
the users which it focuses on are shareholders and creditors (ie
Financiers ndash those who provide the funds) This is obvious from the fact
the FASBrsquos SFAC 1 dismisses a whole range of stakeholders by the term
ldquoand othersrdquo From recent developments in finance and financial
markets accounting seems to be serving an elite group of financiers ndash
market players and banks and other financial institutions It has been
accused of helping a group of rich people get richer (Gray et al 1996)- a
grave charge since the profession always justifies its monopoly on audit
services by virtue of the public interest
Islamic accounting serves the whole gamut of stakeholders Society as a
whole can make corporations accountable for their actions and ensure
they comply with Sharirsquoa principles and do not harm others while
making money ethically and achieve an equitable allocation and
distribution of wealth among members of society especially the
stakeholders of the concerned corporation
13 RELIGION AND ACCOUNTING- AN
EXPLOSIVE MIX
Now we come to the question is it wise to add the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to
accounting Why not accounting for Islamic organisations or accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 10
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
from the Islamic perspective The worry is that the addition of any
religious adjective may compromise the objectivity of the discipline as
religion is mostly seen as an unchanging dogma and code not subject to
pragmatic or logical considerations
We will take this matter in two stages
a) Is conventional accounting value free and objective as it portrayed to
be or is there a hidden adjective attached to it
b) The problem of epistemology- the nature and sources of knowledge
What are the implicit assumptions behind the theory and practice of
conventional accounting in other words ndash what is the worldview behind
conventional accounting Some years back European and communist
states adopted different systems of accounting In a centrally planned or
a socialist state there is a lack of profit motive or not too much of it
Hence the conventional accounting ie profit and loss account balance
sheet did not make much sense in that economic system This is why the
accounting profession never developed in the communist countries It is
only after liberalisation ie conversion to capitalism that these states are
trying to catch up with the West
A little more reflection and we come to the conclusion that the
conventional accounting system in which many of us were educated and
work in is in fact Capitalist Accounting The adjective lsquocapitalistrsquo is not
used before the word accounting because it would then not appear
neutral as capitalism is a philosophy and many ways a religion Its sacred
symbols are private property the hudud (literal meaning the definitive
borders) of the market and its God- wealth for the creation of which
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
business and finance exists Capitalism is not only the economic system
which allows choices and opportunities but a philosophy and religion
which forsakes equity for efficiency and the wants of a few for the needs
of the many It can be said to be the dominant lsquoreligionrsquo of the world
(both in Muslim and Non-Muslim countries)
Hence to call a spade a spade accounting should be renamed capitalist
accounting economics as capitalist economics and so forth Hence
faculty of economics in our universities should be renamed faculty of
capitalist economics However we do not do so because it is unnecessary
as it is assumed and implicit Due to the non-explicitness of this
assumption we sometime forget that accounting is not objective neutral
and value-free as it is portrayed to be
Secondly we discuss the problem of epistemology which is the theory of
the nature and sources of knowledge Ever since the lsquoenlightenmentrsquo
period in European history science has gained the upper hand and has
replaced religion as the authority in defining what is knowledge Modern
research emphasises positivism ie what is Knowledge is only what is
perceptible through our senses through observation and experiment or
what appears logical to our mind Revelation is not considered a source
of knowledge as religious truths cannot be verified by our senses
Accounting is considered a science (many US and UK universities use MS
or MSc not MA for post graduate accounting programs) and as such
mixing religion with accounting may be considered unprofessional
However as Chapra (2000) argues science and religion deals with
different levels of reality While sciences deal with the physical universe
perceptible by the senses religion deals with a higher level of reality
which is transcendental and beyond the sense of perception The sources
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
of scientific knowledge are reason and its method observation and
experiment It describes and analyzes lsquowhat isrsquo and tries to predict what
will happen in the future (eg forecast earnings from models) When
dealing with the physical universe it is exact in its description and
analysis and more accurate in its predictive power (eg in Physics or
Chemistry) However when it deals with human beings who do not
behave in a consistent manner unlike the revolution of the planets
above its analysis is less precise and its predictions less accurate The
recent move by the Malaysian Securities Commission on insistence of a
+-10 accuracy level on profit forecasts reports by accountants has
given a headache for accountants as forecasting market prices is not an
accurate science as it deals with behaviour of human beings in the
marketplace
Unlike science religion depends on Revelation as well as reason for its
knowledge Its objective is to help transform the human condition from
lsquowhat isrsquo (eg Enron WorldCom) to what should be (perhaps Johnson amp
Johnson under Burke) It should bring about individual and social
change to conform to its worldview values and institutions that it
provides
The ultimate objective of both science and religion is to bring about the
well-being of human beings One addresses the physical and material
while the other addresses the social mental emotional and the spiritual
Chapra (2000) further argues that if both of these are important then
both science and religion can better serve mankind by greater
cooperation and coordination between them Religion can help science
by reminding it of its ultimate objectives and limitations to use the
power and mastery over the universe for well-being rather than
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
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References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
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Key Terms
Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and
operated for a private profit decisions regarding supply demand price
distribution and investments are made by private actors in the market
Worldview fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing natural
philosophy fundamental existential and normative postulates or themes values
emotions and ethics
Sharia Islamic Law
AAOIFI Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions
Value free Not altered by value judgements
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with equity and do not deprive people of
what is rightfully theirs and do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which rests
with God is best for you if you but believe [in Him] However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-
86)
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Need for Islamic
Accounting
All accounting activities will
have an impact on the welfare
of society in one way or
another ie having socio-
economic consequences The
emergence of Islamic banks as
a significant force in several
countries in the late-1970s has
prompted researchers to
consider the accounting
implications ldquoIslamic
accountingrdquo was almost
unheard of until
Abdel-Magid (1981) in his
seminal paper highlighted the
need for accounting practices
based on sharirsquoa principles to
cater for Islamic banks that
began to emerge at that
time The growth of Islamic
banking in the early 1990s
resulted in more scholarly
research into Islamic
accounting but they are either
not written in English and the
English-language literature
tends to be published in non-
mainstream accounting
journals (Napier and Haniffa
2010)or the internet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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11 INTRODUCTION
To professional accountants and those who have received a conventional
accounting education and who have been brought-up on the idea of
accounting as an lsquoobjectiversquo technical and value-free discipline the idea
of attaching a religious adjective to accounting may seem to be
embarrassing and unprofessional
On the other hand the development of Islamic banking and finance now
embraced even by ardent capitalist institutions such as Citibank HSBC
and ANZ banks may interest accountants and other job seekers to the
possibility of new opportunities in this new discipline Perhaps the
Enron affair has rekindled an interest in having a more honest profession
who truly care about the public interest in addition to their pockets
Whatever the interest or curiosity we hope readers will find this chapter
(and hopefully the entire book) interesting informative and profitable
and yes we hope it may even lead to a bit of soul searching
In this chapter what is meant by the term ldquoIslamic accountingrdquo is
explained together with a discussion of the main differences between
Islamic and conventional accounting Justifications for the addition of
the world lsquoIslamicrsquo to the word accounting is provided along with a
prima facie case for Islamic accounting Finally the distinction between
accounting for Islamic banks and Islamic accounting which is presently
thought of by many people as synonymous is made
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accounting for Islamic banks is a subset of Islamic accounting The latter covers a wider scope including accounting for takafulsukuk waqf zakat and Islamic businesses
12 MEANING OF ISLAMIC ACCOUNTING
Islamic accounting can be defined as the ldquoaccounting processrdquo which
provides appropriate information (not necessarily limited to financial
data) to stakeholders of an entity which will enable them to ensure that
the entity is continuously operating within the bounds of the Islamic
Sharirsquoa and delivering on its socioeconomic objectives Islamic
accounting is also a tool which enables Muslims to evaluate their own
accountabilities to God (in respect of inter-humanenvironmental
transactions)
Figure 11 Islamic Accounting and Accountability
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Islamic Accounting
The system of accounting
which enableMuslims to
discharge their
accountabilities to Allah by
providing relevant
information on the
compliance of the company
to shariah principles
The diagram illustrates the purpose of Islamic accounting Muslims
believe in the hereafter All business activities should be in line with the
sharirsquoa or Islamic law including business In life people transact through
institutions such as business These activities are classified recorded and
summarized using a philosophic filter
(sharirsquoa and Islamic accounting
standards) to produce accounting
statements which people act on If the
information produced is useful and
appropriate to make economic or social
decisions through a moral framework
then the users will act in ways to correct
their lsquosinsrsquo and increase good behaviour
leading to Godrsquos pleasure in the hereafter If the accounting information
system misinforms or does not provide appropriate information the
business might be undertaking sinful activities the responsibility for
which will be borne by the investor as he is a participant This may lead
him to Hell
The meaning of Islamic accounting would be clearer if we compare this
with the definition of ldquoconventionalrdquo accounting (Conventional)
accounting as we know is defined to be the identification recording
classification interpreting and communication economic events to
permit users to make informed decisions (AAA 1966) From this it can
be seen that both Islamic and conventional accounting is in the business
of providing information The differences lie in the following
The objectives of providing the information
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What type of information is identified and how is it
measured and valued recorded and communicated and
To whom is it communicated (the users)
Conventional accounting aims to permit informed decisions by users
whose ultimate purpose is to efficiently allocate scarce resources
available to their most efficient (and profitable) uses by providing
information efficiency in the market (FASB 1978) Apparently this is
achieved by the user making the appropriate buy sell or hold decisions
on their investments Islamic Accounting on the other hand hopes to
enable users to ensure that Islamic organisations (whether business
government or NFP) abide by the principles of the Sharirsquoa or Islamic Law
in its dealings and enables the assessment of whether the objectives of
the organisation are being met At the very basic level it can be said that
Islamic organisations (whether business or otherwise) differ from their
conventional counterparts by having to adhere to certain Sharirsquoa
principles and rules and also try to achieve certain socio-economic
objectives encouraged by Islam
Following from the above the type of information which Islamic
accounting identifies and measures is different Conventional accounting
concentrates on identifying economic events and transactions while
Islamic accounting must identify socio-economic and religious events
and transactions Older accountants may still remember when they first
learnt accounting They had to prepare final accounts (ie balance sheet
and profit and loss account) However Americanization of the
curriculum has popularised the term financial statements Hence the
concentration of accounting has moved from stewardship based
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manorial accounts to accounting for money (accentuated by the
monetary measurement concept)
This is not to say that Islamic accounting is not concerned with money
(especially when accounting for businesses) On the contrary due to
prohibition of interest-based income or expense profit determination is
more important in Islamic accounting than conventional accounting
However Islamic accounting must be holistic in its reporting Hence
both financial and non-financial measures regarding the economic
social environmental and religious events and transactions are measured
and reported
Conventional accounting mainly uses historic cost (or lower) to measure
and values assets and liabilities (although the new IFRS seeks to
introduce fair value measurements) The profession is well aware of the
limitations of the stable unit of measure assumption of the monetary
unit and to its credit has tried in the past in its inflation accounting
initiatives However despite recommendation from its own research
efforts (True blood committee) the idea of using current values was
given up due to its complexity and presumed lack of verifiability From
an Islamic point of view at least for the purpose of computation of
Zakat current valuation is obligatory (see for example Clarke et al 1996)
prompting calls for a current value Balance Sheet (Baydoun and Willet
2000)
A further difference is Islamic accounting may require a different
statement altogether to deemphasize the focus on profits by the income
statement provided by conventional accounting Baydoun and Willlet
(2000) have suggested a Value Added Statement to replace the Income
Statement in Islamic Corporate Reports They argue that this shows and
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encourages a cooperative environment in business as opposed to a
destructive competitive environment
The third category of differences is in the users of the information
Although the profession has recognised various stakeholders as users of
accounting information (see for example the Corporate Report 1975)
the users which it focuses on are shareholders and creditors (ie
Financiers ndash those who provide the funds) This is obvious from the fact
the FASBrsquos SFAC 1 dismisses a whole range of stakeholders by the term
ldquoand othersrdquo From recent developments in finance and financial
markets accounting seems to be serving an elite group of financiers ndash
market players and banks and other financial institutions It has been
accused of helping a group of rich people get richer (Gray et al 1996)- a
grave charge since the profession always justifies its monopoly on audit
services by virtue of the public interest
Islamic accounting serves the whole gamut of stakeholders Society as a
whole can make corporations accountable for their actions and ensure
they comply with Sharirsquoa principles and do not harm others while
making money ethically and achieve an equitable allocation and
distribution of wealth among members of society especially the
stakeholders of the concerned corporation
13 RELIGION AND ACCOUNTING- AN
EXPLOSIVE MIX
Now we come to the question is it wise to add the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to
accounting Why not accounting for Islamic organisations or accounting
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from the Islamic perspective The worry is that the addition of any
religious adjective may compromise the objectivity of the discipline as
religion is mostly seen as an unchanging dogma and code not subject to
pragmatic or logical considerations
We will take this matter in two stages
a) Is conventional accounting value free and objective as it portrayed to
be or is there a hidden adjective attached to it
b) The problem of epistemology- the nature and sources of knowledge
What are the implicit assumptions behind the theory and practice of
conventional accounting in other words ndash what is the worldview behind
conventional accounting Some years back European and communist
states adopted different systems of accounting In a centrally planned or
a socialist state there is a lack of profit motive or not too much of it
Hence the conventional accounting ie profit and loss account balance
sheet did not make much sense in that economic system This is why the
accounting profession never developed in the communist countries It is
only after liberalisation ie conversion to capitalism that these states are
trying to catch up with the West
A little more reflection and we come to the conclusion that the
conventional accounting system in which many of us were educated and
work in is in fact Capitalist Accounting The adjective lsquocapitalistrsquo is not
used before the word accounting because it would then not appear
neutral as capitalism is a philosophy and many ways a religion Its sacred
symbols are private property the hudud (literal meaning the definitive
borders) of the market and its God- wealth for the creation of which
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business and finance exists Capitalism is not only the economic system
which allows choices and opportunities but a philosophy and religion
which forsakes equity for efficiency and the wants of a few for the needs
of the many It can be said to be the dominant lsquoreligionrsquo of the world
(both in Muslim and Non-Muslim countries)
Hence to call a spade a spade accounting should be renamed capitalist
accounting economics as capitalist economics and so forth Hence
faculty of economics in our universities should be renamed faculty of
capitalist economics However we do not do so because it is unnecessary
as it is assumed and implicit Due to the non-explicitness of this
assumption we sometime forget that accounting is not objective neutral
and value-free as it is portrayed to be
Secondly we discuss the problem of epistemology which is the theory of
the nature and sources of knowledge Ever since the lsquoenlightenmentrsquo
period in European history science has gained the upper hand and has
replaced religion as the authority in defining what is knowledge Modern
research emphasises positivism ie what is Knowledge is only what is
perceptible through our senses through observation and experiment or
what appears logical to our mind Revelation is not considered a source
of knowledge as religious truths cannot be verified by our senses
Accounting is considered a science (many US and UK universities use MS
or MSc not MA for post graduate accounting programs) and as such
mixing religion with accounting may be considered unprofessional
However as Chapra (2000) argues science and religion deals with
different levels of reality While sciences deal with the physical universe
perceptible by the senses religion deals with a higher level of reality
which is transcendental and beyond the sense of perception The sources
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of scientific knowledge are reason and its method observation and
experiment It describes and analyzes lsquowhat isrsquo and tries to predict what
will happen in the future (eg forecast earnings from models) When
dealing with the physical universe it is exact in its description and
analysis and more accurate in its predictive power (eg in Physics or
Chemistry) However when it deals with human beings who do not
behave in a consistent manner unlike the revolution of the planets
above its analysis is less precise and its predictions less accurate The
recent move by the Malaysian Securities Commission on insistence of a
+-10 accuracy level on profit forecasts reports by accountants has
given a headache for accountants as forecasting market prices is not an
accurate science as it deals with behaviour of human beings in the
marketplace
Unlike science religion depends on Revelation as well as reason for its
knowledge Its objective is to help transform the human condition from
lsquowhat isrsquo (eg Enron WorldCom) to what should be (perhaps Johnson amp
Johnson under Burke) It should bring about individual and social
change to conform to its worldview values and institutions that it
provides
The ultimate objective of both science and religion is to bring about the
well-being of human beings One addresses the physical and material
while the other addresses the social mental emotional and the spiritual
Chapra (2000) further argues that if both of these are important then
both science and religion can better serve mankind by greater
cooperation and coordination between them Religion can help science
by reminding it of its ultimate objectives and limitations to use the
power and mastery over the universe for well-being rather than
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destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
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It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
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are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
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Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
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1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
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3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
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communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
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B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
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two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
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2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
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women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
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References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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Need for Islamic
Accounting
All accounting activities will
have an impact on the welfare
of society in one way or
another ie having socio-
economic consequences The
emergence of Islamic banks as
a significant force in several
countries in the late-1970s has
prompted researchers to
consider the accounting
implications ldquoIslamic
accountingrdquo was almost
unheard of until
Abdel-Magid (1981) in his
seminal paper highlighted the
need for accounting practices
based on sharirsquoa principles to
cater for Islamic banks that
began to emerge at that
time The growth of Islamic
banking in the early 1990s
resulted in more scholarly
research into Islamic
accounting but they are either
not written in English and the
English-language literature
tends to be published in non-
mainstream accounting
journals (Napier and Haniffa
2010)or the internet
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11 INTRODUCTION
To professional accountants and those who have received a conventional
accounting education and who have been brought-up on the idea of
accounting as an lsquoobjectiversquo technical and value-free discipline the idea
of attaching a religious adjective to accounting may seem to be
embarrassing and unprofessional
On the other hand the development of Islamic banking and finance now
embraced even by ardent capitalist institutions such as Citibank HSBC
and ANZ banks may interest accountants and other job seekers to the
possibility of new opportunities in this new discipline Perhaps the
Enron affair has rekindled an interest in having a more honest profession
who truly care about the public interest in addition to their pockets
Whatever the interest or curiosity we hope readers will find this chapter
(and hopefully the entire book) interesting informative and profitable
and yes we hope it may even lead to a bit of soul searching
In this chapter what is meant by the term ldquoIslamic accountingrdquo is
explained together with a discussion of the main differences between
Islamic and conventional accounting Justifications for the addition of
the world lsquoIslamicrsquo to the word accounting is provided along with a
prima facie case for Islamic accounting Finally the distinction between
accounting for Islamic banks and Islamic accounting which is presently
thought of by many people as synonymous is made
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accounting for Islamic banks is a subset of Islamic accounting The latter covers a wider scope including accounting for takafulsukuk waqf zakat and Islamic businesses
12 MEANING OF ISLAMIC ACCOUNTING
Islamic accounting can be defined as the ldquoaccounting processrdquo which
provides appropriate information (not necessarily limited to financial
data) to stakeholders of an entity which will enable them to ensure that
the entity is continuously operating within the bounds of the Islamic
Sharirsquoa and delivering on its socioeconomic objectives Islamic
accounting is also a tool which enables Muslims to evaluate their own
accountabilities to God (in respect of inter-humanenvironmental
transactions)
Figure 11 Islamic Accounting and Accountability
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Islamic Accounting
The system of accounting
which enableMuslims to
discharge their
accountabilities to Allah by
providing relevant
information on the
compliance of the company
to shariah principles
The diagram illustrates the purpose of Islamic accounting Muslims
believe in the hereafter All business activities should be in line with the
sharirsquoa or Islamic law including business In life people transact through
institutions such as business These activities are classified recorded and
summarized using a philosophic filter
(sharirsquoa and Islamic accounting
standards) to produce accounting
statements which people act on If the
information produced is useful and
appropriate to make economic or social
decisions through a moral framework
then the users will act in ways to correct
their lsquosinsrsquo and increase good behaviour
leading to Godrsquos pleasure in the hereafter If the accounting information
system misinforms or does not provide appropriate information the
business might be undertaking sinful activities the responsibility for
which will be borne by the investor as he is a participant This may lead
him to Hell
The meaning of Islamic accounting would be clearer if we compare this
with the definition of ldquoconventionalrdquo accounting (Conventional)
accounting as we know is defined to be the identification recording
classification interpreting and communication economic events to
permit users to make informed decisions (AAA 1966) From this it can
be seen that both Islamic and conventional accounting is in the business
of providing information The differences lie in the following
The objectives of providing the information
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What type of information is identified and how is it
measured and valued recorded and communicated and
To whom is it communicated (the users)
Conventional accounting aims to permit informed decisions by users
whose ultimate purpose is to efficiently allocate scarce resources
available to their most efficient (and profitable) uses by providing
information efficiency in the market (FASB 1978) Apparently this is
achieved by the user making the appropriate buy sell or hold decisions
on their investments Islamic Accounting on the other hand hopes to
enable users to ensure that Islamic organisations (whether business
government or NFP) abide by the principles of the Sharirsquoa or Islamic Law
in its dealings and enables the assessment of whether the objectives of
the organisation are being met At the very basic level it can be said that
Islamic organisations (whether business or otherwise) differ from their
conventional counterparts by having to adhere to certain Sharirsquoa
principles and rules and also try to achieve certain socio-economic
objectives encouraged by Islam
Following from the above the type of information which Islamic
accounting identifies and measures is different Conventional accounting
concentrates on identifying economic events and transactions while
Islamic accounting must identify socio-economic and religious events
and transactions Older accountants may still remember when they first
learnt accounting They had to prepare final accounts (ie balance sheet
and profit and loss account) However Americanization of the
curriculum has popularised the term financial statements Hence the
concentration of accounting has moved from stewardship based
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manorial accounts to accounting for money (accentuated by the
monetary measurement concept)
This is not to say that Islamic accounting is not concerned with money
(especially when accounting for businesses) On the contrary due to
prohibition of interest-based income or expense profit determination is
more important in Islamic accounting than conventional accounting
However Islamic accounting must be holistic in its reporting Hence
both financial and non-financial measures regarding the economic
social environmental and religious events and transactions are measured
and reported
Conventional accounting mainly uses historic cost (or lower) to measure
and values assets and liabilities (although the new IFRS seeks to
introduce fair value measurements) The profession is well aware of the
limitations of the stable unit of measure assumption of the monetary
unit and to its credit has tried in the past in its inflation accounting
initiatives However despite recommendation from its own research
efforts (True blood committee) the idea of using current values was
given up due to its complexity and presumed lack of verifiability From
an Islamic point of view at least for the purpose of computation of
Zakat current valuation is obligatory (see for example Clarke et al 1996)
prompting calls for a current value Balance Sheet (Baydoun and Willet
2000)
A further difference is Islamic accounting may require a different
statement altogether to deemphasize the focus on profits by the income
statement provided by conventional accounting Baydoun and Willlet
(2000) have suggested a Value Added Statement to replace the Income
Statement in Islamic Corporate Reports They argue that this shows and
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encourages a cooperative environment in business as opposed to a
destructive competitive environment
The third category of differences is in the users of the information
Although the profession has recognised various stakeholders as users of
accounting information (see for example the Corporate Report 1975)
the users which it focuses on are shareholders and creditors (ie
Financiers ndash those who provide the funds) This is obvious from the fact
the FASBrsquos SFAC 1 dismisses a whole range of stakeholders by the term
ldquoand othersrdquo From recent developments in finance and financial
markets accounting seems to be serving an elite group of financiers ndash
market players and banks and other financial institutions It has been
accused of helping a group of rich people get richer (Gray et al 1996)- a
grave charge since the profession always justifies its monopoly on audit
services by virtue of the public interest
Islamic accounting serves the whole gamut of stakeholders Society as a
whole can make corporations accountable for their actions and ensure
they comply with Sharirsquoa principles and do not harm others while
making money ethically and achieve an equitable allocation and
distribution of wealth among members of society especially the
stakeholders of the concerned corporation
13 RELIGION AND ACCOUNTING- AN
EXPLOSIVE MIX
Now we come to the question is it wise to add the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to
accounting Why not accounting for Islamic organisations or accounting
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from the Islamic perspective The worry is that the addition of any
religious adjective may compromise the objectivity of the discipline as
religion is mostly seen as an unchanging dogma and code not subject to
pragmatic or logical considerations
We will take this matter in two stages
a) Is conventional accounting value free and objective as it portrayed to
be or is there a hidden adjective attached to it
b) The problem of epistemology- the nature and sources of knowledge
What are the implicit assumptions behind the theory and practice of
conventional accounting in other words ndash what is the worldview behind
conventional accounting Some years back European and communist
states adopted different systems of accounting In a centrally planned or
a socialist state there is a lack of profit motive or not too much of it
Hence the conventional accounting ie profit and loss account balance
sheet did not make much sense in that economic system This is why the
accounting profession never developed in the communist countries It is
only after liberalisation ie conversion to capitalism that these states are
trying to catch up with the West
A little more reflection and we come to the conclusion that the
conventional accounting system in which many of us were educated and
work in is in fact Capitalist Accounting The adjective lsquocapitalistrsquo is not
used before the word accounting because it would then not appear
neutral as capitalism is a philosophy and many ways a religion Its sacred
symbols are private property the hudud (literal meaning the definitive
borders) of the market and its God- wealth for the creation of which
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business and finance exists Capitalism is not only the economic system
which allows choices and opportunities but a philosophy and religion
which forsakes equity for efficiency and the wants of a few for the needs
of the many It can be said to be the dominant lsquoreligionrsquo of the world
(both in Muslim and Non-Muslim countries)
Hence to call a spade a spade accounting should be renamed capitalist
accounting economics as capitalist economics and so forth Hence
faculty of economics in our universities should be renamed faculty of
capitalist economics However we do not do so because it is unnecessary
as it is assumed and implicit Due to the non-explicitness of this
assumption we sometime forget that accounting is not objective neutral
and value-free as it is portrayed to be
Secondly we discuss the problem of epistemology which is the theory of
the nature and sources of knowledge Ever since the lsquoenlightenmentrsquo
period in European history science has gained the upper hand and has
replaced religion as the authority in defining what is knowledge Modern
research emphasises positivism ie what is Knowledge is only what is
perceptible through our senses through observation and experiment or
what appears logical to our mind Revelation is not considered a source
of knowledge as religious truths cannot be verified by our senses
Accounting is considered a science (many US and UK universities use MS
or MSc not MA for post graduate accounting programs) and as such
mixing religion with accounting may be considered unprofessional
However as Chapra (2000) argues science and religion deals with
different levels of reality While sciences deal with the physical universe
perceptible by the senses religion deals with a higher level of reality
which is transcendental and beyond the sense of perception The sources
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of scientific knowledge are reason and its method observation and
experiment It describes and analyzes lsquowhat isrsquo and tries to predict what
will happen in the future (eg forecast earnings from models) When
dealing with the physical universe it is exact in its description and
analysis and more accurate in its predictive power (eg in Physics or
Chemistry) However when it deals with human beings who do not
behave in a consistent manner unlike the revolution of the planets
above its analysis is less precise and its predictions less accurate The
recent move by the Malaysian Securities Commission on insistence of a
+-10 accuracy level on profit forecasts reports by accountants has
given a headache for accountants as forecasting market prices is not an
accurate science as it deals with behaviour of human beings in the
marketplace
Unlike science religion depends on Revelation as well as reason for its
knowledge Its objective is to help transform the human condition from
lsquowhat isrsquo (eg Enron WorldCom) to what should be (perhaps Johnson amp
Johnson under Burke) It should bring about individual and social
change to conform to its worldview values and institutions that it
provides
The ultimate objective of both science and religion is to bring about the
well-being of human beings One addresses the physical and material
while the other addresses the social mental emotional and the spiritual
Chapra (2000) further argues that if both of these are important then
both science and religion can better serve mankind by greater
cooperation and coordination between them Religion can help science
by reminding it of its ultimate objectives and limitations to use the
power and mastery over the universe for well-being rather than
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destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
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paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
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It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
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are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
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Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
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1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
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3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
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communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
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B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
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women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
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References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
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11 INTRODUCTION
To professional accountants and those who have received a conventional
accounting education and who have been brought-up on the idea of
accounting as an lsquoobjectiversquo technical and value-free discipline the idea
of attaching a religious adjective to accounting may seem to be
embarrassing and unprofessional
On the other hand the development of Islamic banking and finance now
embraced even by ardent capitalist institutions such as Citibank HSBC
and ANZ banks may interest accountants and other job seekers to the
possibility of new opportunities in this new discipline Perhaps the
Enron affair has rekindled an interest in having a more honest profession
who truly care about the public interest in addition to their pockets
Whatever the interest or curiosity we hope readers will find this chapter
(and hopefully the entire book) interesting informative and profitable
and yes we hope it may even lead to a bit of soul searching
In this chapter what is meant by the term ldquoIslamic accountingrdquo is
explained together with a discussion of the main differences between
Islamic and conventional accounting Justifications for the addition of
the world lsquoIslamicrsquo to the word accounting is provided along with a
prima facie case for Islamic accounting Finally the distinction between
accounting for Islamic banks and Islamic accounting which is presently
thought of by many people as synonymous is made
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accounting for Islamic banks is a subset of Islamic accounting The latter covers a wider scope including accounting for takafulsukuk waqf zakat and Islamic businesses
12 MEANING OF ISLAMIC ACCOUNTING
Islamic accounting can be defined as the ldquoaccounting processrdquo which
provides appropriate information (not necessarily limited to financial
data) to stakeholders of an entity which will enable them to ensure that
the entity is continuously operating within the bounds of the Islamic
Sharirsquoa and delivering on its socioeconomic objectives Islamic
accounting is also a tool which enables Muslims to evaluate their own
accountabilities to God (in respect of inter-humanenvironmental
transactions)
Figure 11 Islamic Accounting and Accountability
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Islamic Accounting
The system of accounting
which enableMuslims to
discharge their
accountabilities to Allah by
providing relevant
information on the
compliance of the company
to shariah principles
The diagram illustrates the purpose of Islamic accounting Muslims
believe in the hereafter All business activities should be in line with the
sharirsquoa or Islamic law including business In life people transact through
institutions such as business These activities are classified recorded and
summarized using a philosophic filter
(sharirsquoa and Islamic accounting
standards) to produce accounting
statements which people act on If the
information produced is useful and
appropriate to make economic or social
decisions through a moral framework
then the users will act in ways to correct
their lsquosinsrsquo and increase good behaviour
leading to Godrsquos pleasure in the hereafter If the accounting information
system misinforms or does not provide appropriate information the
business might be undertaking sinful activities the responsibility for
which will be borne by the investor as he is a participant This may lead
him to Hell
The meaning of Islamic accounting would be clearer if we compare this
with the definition of ldquoconventionalrdquo accounting (Conventional)
accounting as we know is defined to be the identification recording
classification interpreting and communication economic events to
permit users to make informed decisions (AAA 1966) From this it can
be seen that both Islamic and conventional accounting is in the business
of providing information The differences lie in the following
The objectives of providing the information
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What type of information is identified and how is it
measured and valued recorded and communicated and
To whom is it communicated (the users)
Conventional accounting aims to permit informed decisions by users
whose ultimate purpose is to efficiently allocate scarce resources
available to their most efficient (and profitable) uses by providing
information efficiency in the market (FASB 1978) Apparently this is
achieved by the user making the appropriate buy sell or hold decisions
on their investments Islamic Accounting on the other hand hopes to
enable users to ensure that Islamic organisations (whether business
government or NFP) abide by the principles of the Sharirsquoa or Islamic Law
in its dealings and enables the assessment of whether the objectives of
the organisation are being met At the very basic level it can be said that
Islamic organisations (whether business or otherwise) differ from their
conventional counterparts by having to adhere to certain Sharirsquoa
principles and rules and also try to achieve certain socio-economic
objectives encouraged by Islam
Following from the above the type of information which Islamic
accounting identifies and measures is different Conventional accounting
concentrates on identifying economic events and transactions while
Islamic accounting must identify socio-economic and religious events
and transactions Older accountants may still remember when they first
learnt accounting They had to prepare final accounts (ie balance sheet
and profit and loss account) However Americanization of the
curriculum has popularised the term financial statements Hence the
concentration of accounting has moved from stewardship based
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manorial accounts to accounting for money (accentuated by the
monetary measurement concept)
This is not to say that Islamic accounting is not concerned with money
(especially when accounting for businesses) On the contrary due to
prohibition of interest-based income or expense profit determination is
more important in Islamic accounting than conventional accounting
However Islamic accounting must be holistic in its reporting Hence
both financial and non-financial measures regarding the economic
social environmental and religious events and transactions are measured
and reported
Conventional accounting mainly uses historic cost (or lower) to measure
and values assets and liabilities (although the new IFRS seeks to
introduce fair value measurements) The profession is well aware of the
limitations of the stable unit of measure assumption of the monetary
unit and to its credit has tried in the past in its inflation accounting
initiatives However despite recommendation from its own research
efforts (True blood committee) the idea of using current values was
given up due to its complexity and presumed lack of verifiability From
an Islamic point of view at least for the purpose of computation of
Zakat current valuation is obligatory (see for example Clarke et al 1996)
prompting calls for a current value Balance Sheet (Baydoun and Willet
2000)
A further difference is Islamic accounting may require a different
statement altogether to deemphasize the focus on profits by the income
statement provided by conventional accounting Baydoun and Willlet
(2000) have suggested a Value Added Statement to replace the Income
Statement in Islamic Corporate Reports They argue that this shows and
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encourages a cooperative environment in business as opposed to a
destructive competitive environment
The third category of differences is in the users of the information
Although the profession has recognised various stakeholders as users of
accounting information (see for example the Corporate Report 1975)
the users which it focuses on are shareholders and creditors (ie
Financiers ndash those who provide the funds) This is obvious from the fact
the FASBrsquos SFAC 1 dismisses a whole range of stakeholders by the term
ldquoand othersrdquo From recent developments in finance and financial
markets accounting seems to be serving an elite group of financiers ndash
market players and banks and other financial institutions It has been
accused of helping a group of rich people get richer (Gray et al 1996)- a
grave charge since the profession always justifies its monopoly on audit
services by virtue of the public interest
Islamic accounting serves the whole gamut of stakeholders Society as a
whole can make corporations accountable for their actions and ensure
they comply with Sharirsquoa principles and do not harm others while
making money ethically and achieve an equitable allocation and
distribution of wealth among members of society especially the
stakeholders of the concerned corporation
13 RELIGION AND ACCOUNTING- AN
EXPLOSIVE MIX
Now we come to the question is it wise to add the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to
accounting Why not accounting for Islamic organisations or accounting
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from the Islamic perspective The worry is that the addition of any
religious adjective may compromise the objectivity of the discipline as
religion is mostly seen as an unchanging dogma and code not subject to
pragmatic or logical considerations
We will take this matter in two stages
a) Is conventional accounting value free and objective as it portrayed to
be or is there a hidden adjective attached to it
b) The problem of epistemology- the nature and sources of knowledge
What are the implicit assumptions behind the theory and practice of
conventional accounting in other words ndash what is the worldview behind
conventional accounting Some years back European and communist
states adopted different systems of accounting In a centrally planned or
a socialist state there is a lack of profit motive or not too much of it
Hence the conventional accounting ie profit and loss account balance
sheet did not make much sense in that economic system This is why the
accounting profession never developed in the communist countries It is
only after liberalisation ie conversion to capitalism that these states are
trying to catch up with the West
A little more reflection and we come to the conclusion that the
conventional accounting system in which many of us were educated and
work in is in fact Capitalist Accounting The adjective lsquocapitalistrsquo is not
used before the word accounting because it would then not appear
neutral as capitalism is a philosophy and many ways a religion Its sacred
symbols are private property the hudud (literal meaning the definitive
borders) of the market and its God- wealth for the creation of which
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business and finance exists Capitalism is not only the economic system
which allows choices and opportunities but a philosophy and religion
which forsakes equity for efficiency and the wants of a few for the needs
of the many It can be said to be the dominant lsquoreligionrsquo of the world
(both in Muslim and Non-Muslim countries)
Hence to call a spade a spade accounting should be renamed capitalist
accounting economics as capitalist economics and so forth Hence
faculty of economics in our universities should be renamed faculty of
capitalist economics However we do not do so because it is unnecessary
as it is assumed and implicit Due to the non-explicitness of this
assumption we sometime forget that accounting is not objective neutral
and value-free as it is portrayed to be
Secondly we discuss the problem of epistemology which is the theory of
the nature and sources of knowledge Ever since the lsquoenlightenmentrsquo
period in European history science has gained the upper hand and has
replaced religion as the authority in defining what is knowledge Modern
research emphasises positivism ie what is Knowledge is only what is
perceptible through our senses through observation and experiment or
what appears logical to our mind Revelation is not considered a source
of knowledge as religious truths cannot be verified by our senses
Accounting is considered a science (many US and UK universities use MS
or MSc not MA for post graduate accounting programs) and as such
mixing religion with accounting may be considered unprofessional
However as Chapra (2000) argues science and religion deals with
different levels of reality While sciences deal with the physical universe
perceptible by the senses religion deals with a higher level of reality
which is transcendental and beyond the sense of perception The sources
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of scientific knowledge are reason and its method observation and
experiment It describes and analyzes lsquowhat isrsquo and tries to predict what
will happen in the future (eg forecast earnings from models) When
dealing with the physical universe it is exact in its description and
analysis and more accurate in its predictive power (eg in Physics or
Chemistry) However when it deals with human beings who do not
behave in a consistent manner unlike the revolution of the planets
above its analysis is less precise and its predictions less accurate The
recent move by the Malaysian Securities Commission on insistence of a
+-10 accuracy level on profit forecasts reports by accountants has
given a headache for accountants as forecasting market prices is not an
accurate science as it deals with behaviour of human beings in the
marketplace
Unlike science religion depends on Revelation as well as reason for its
knowledge Its objective is to help transform the human condition from
lsquowhat isrsquo (eg Enron WorldCom) to what should be (perhaps Johnson amp
Johnson under Burke) It should bring about individual and social
change to conform to its worldview values and institutions that it
provides
The ultimate objective of both science and religion is to bring about the
well-being of human beings One addresses the physical and material
while the other addresses the social mental emotional and the spiritual
Chapra (2000) further argues that if both of these are important then
both science and religion can better serve mankind by greater
cooperation and coordination between them Religion can help science
by reminding it of its ultimate objectives and limitations to use the
power and mastery over the universe for well-being rather than
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destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
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It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
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are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
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Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
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1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
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3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
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communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
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B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
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two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
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References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
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accounting for Islamic banks is a subset of Islamic accounting The latter covers a wider scope including accounting for takafulsukuk waqf zakat and Islamic businesses
12 MEANING OF ISLAMIC ACCOUNTING
Islamic accounting can be defined as the ldquoaccounting processrdquo which
provides appropriate information (not necessarily limited to financial
data) to stakeholders of an entity which will enable them to ensure that
the entity is continuously operating within the bounds of the Islamic
Sharirsquoa and delivering on its socioeconomic objectives Islamic
accounting is also a tool which enables Muslims to evaluate their own
accountabilities to God (in respect of inter-humanenvironmental
transactions)
Figure 11 Islamic Accounting and Accountability
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Islamic Accounting
The system of accounting
which enableMuslims to
discharge their
accountabilities to Allah by
providing relevant
information on the
compliance of the company
to shariah principles
The diagram illustrates the purpose of Islamic accounting Muslims
believe in the hereafter All business activities should be in line with the
sharirsquoa or Islamic law including business In life people transact through
institutions such as business These activities are classified recorded and
summarized using a philosophic filter
(sharirsquoa and Islamic accounting
standards) to produce accounting
statements which people act on If the
information produced is useful and
appropriate to make economic or social
decisions through a moral framework
then the users will act in ways to correct
their lsquosinsrsquo and increase good behaviour
leading to Godrsquos pleasure in the hereafter If the accounting information
system misinforms or does not provide appropriate information the
business might be undertaking sinful activities the responsibility for
which will be borne by the investor as he is a participant This may lead
him to Hell
The meaning of Islamic accounting would be clearer if we compare this
with the definition of ldquoconventionalrdquo accounting (Conventional)
accounting as we know is defined to be the identification recording
classification interpreting and communication economic events to
permit users to make informed decisions (AAA 1966) From this it can
be seen that both Islamic and conventional accounting is in the business
of providing information The differences lie in the following
The objectives of providing the information
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What type of information is identified and how is it
measured and valued recorded and communicated and
To whom is it communicated (the users)
Conventional accounting aims to permit informed decisions by users
whose ultimate purpose is to efficiently allocate scarce resources
available to their most efficient (and profitable) uses by providing
information efficiency in the market (FASB 1978) Apparently this is
achieved by the user making the appropriate buy sell or hold decisions
on their investments Islamic Accounting on the other hand hopes to
enable users to ensure that Islamic organisations (whether business
government or NFP) abide by the principles of the Sharirsquoa or Islamic Law
in its dealings and enables the assessment of whether the objectives of
the organisation are being met At the very basic level it can be said that
Islamic organisations (whether business or otherwise) differ from their
conventional counterparts by having to adhere to certain Sharirsquoa
principles and rules and also try to achieve certain socio-economic
objectives encouraged by Islam
Following from the above the type of information which Islamic
accounting identifies and measures is different Conventional accounting
concentrates on identifying economic events and transactions while
Islamic accounting must identify socio-economic and religious events
and transactions Older accountants may still remember when they first
learnt accounting They had to prepare final accounts (ie balance sheet
and profit and loss account) However Americanization of the
curriculum has popularised the term financial statements Hence the
concentration of accounting has moved from stewardship based
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manorial accounts to accounting for money (accentuated by the
monetary measurement concept)
This is not to say that Islamic accounting is not concerned with money
(especially when accounting for businesses) On the contrary due to
prohibition of interest-based income or expense profit determination is
more important in Islamic accounting than conventional accounting
However Islamic accounting must be holistic in its reporting Hence
both financial and non-financial measures regarding the economic
social environmental and religious events and transactions are measured
and reported
Conventional accounting mainly uses historic cost (or lower) to measure
and values assets and liabilities (although the new IFRS seeks to
introduce fair value measurements) The profession is well aware of the
limitations of the stable unit of measure assumption of the monetary
unit and to its credit has tried in the past in its inflation accounting
initiatives However despite recommendation from its own research
efforts (True blood committee) the idea of using current values was
given up due to its complexity and presumed lack of verifiability From
an Islamic point of view at least for the purpose of computation of
Zakat current valuation is obligatory (see for example Clarke et al 1996)
prompting calls for a current value Balance Sheet (Baydoun and Willet
2000)
A further difference is Islamic accounting may require a different
statement altogether to deemphasize the focus on profits by the income
statement provided by conventional accounting Baydoun and Willlet
(2000) have suggested a Value Added Statement to replace the Income
Statement in Islamic Corporate Reports They argue that this shows and
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encourages a cooperative environment in business as opposed to a
destructive competitive environment
The third category of differences is in the users of the information
Although the profession has recognised various stakeholders as users of
accounting information (see for example the Corporate Report 1975)
the users which it focuses on are shareholders and creditors (ie
Financiers ndash those who provide the funds) This is obvious from the fact
the FASBrsquos SFAC 1 dismisses a whole range of stakeholders by the term
ldquoand othersrdquo From recent developments in finance and financial
markets accounting seems to be serving an elite group of financiers ndash
market players and banks and other financial institutions It has been
accused of helping a group of rich people get richer (Gray et al 1996)- a
grave charge since the profession always justifies its monopoly on audit
services by virtue of the public interest
Islamic accounting serves the whole gamut of stakeholders Society as a
whole can make corporations accountable for their actions and ensure
they comply with Sharirsquoa principles and do not harm others while
making money ethically and achieve an equitable allocation and
distribution of wealth among members of society especially the
stakeholders of the concerned corporation
13 RELIGION AND ACCOUNTING- AN
EXPLOSIVE MIX
Now we come to the question is it wise to add the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to
accounting Why not accounting for Islamic organisations or accounting
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from the Islamic perspective The worry is that the addition of any
religious adjective may compromise the objectivity of the discipline as
religion is mostly seen as an unchanging dogma and code not subject to
pragmatic or logical considerations
We will take this matter in two stages
a) Is conventional accounting value free and objective as it portrayed to
be or is there a hidden adjective attached to it
b) The problem of epistemology- the nature and sources of knowledge
What are the implicit assumptions behind the theory and practice of
conventional accounting in other words ndash what is the worldview behind
conventional accounting Some years back European and communist
states adopted different systems of accounting In a centrally planned or
a socialist state there is a lack of profit motive or not too much of it
Hence the conventional accounting ie profit and loss account balance
sheet did not make much sense in that economic system This is why the
accounting profession never developed in the communist countries It is
only after liberalisation ie conversion to capitalism that these states are
trying to catch up with the West
A little more reflection and we come to the conclusion that the
conventional accounting system in which many of us were educated and
work in is in fact Capitalist Accounting The adjective lsquocapitalistrsquo is not
used before the word accounting because it would then not appear
neutral as capitalism is a philosophy and many ways a religion Its sacred
symbols are private property the hudud (literal meaning the definitive
borders) of the market and its God- wealth for the creation of which
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business and finance exists Capitalism is not only the economic system
which allows choices and opportunities but a philosophy and religion
which forsakes equity for efficiency and the wants of a few for the needs
of the many It can be said to be the dominant lsquoreligionrsquo of the world
(both in Muslim and Non-Muslim countries)
Hence to call a spade a spade accounting should be renamed capitalist
accounting economics as capitalist economics and so forth Hence
faculty of economics in our universities should be renamed faculty of
capitalist economics However we do not do so because it is unnecessary
as it is assumed and implicit Due to the non-explicitness of this
assumption we sometime forget that accounting is not objective neutral
and value-free as it is portrayed to be
Secondly we discuss the problem of epistemology which is the theory of
the nature and sources of knowledge Ever since the lsquoenlightenmentrsquo
period in European history science has gained the upper hand and has
replaced religion as the authority in defining what is knowledge Modern
research emphasises positivism ie what is Knowledge is only what is
perceptible through our senses through observation and experiment or
what appears logical to our mind Revelation is not considered a source
of knowledge as religious truths cannot be verified by our senses
Accounting is considered a science (many US and UK universities use MS
or MSc not MA for post graduate accounting programs) and as such
mixing religion with accounting may be considered unprofessional
However as Chapra (2000) argues science and religion deals with
different levels of reality While sciences deal with the physical universe
perceptible by the senses religion deals with a higher level of reality
which is transcendental and beyond the sense of perception The sources
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of scientific knowledge are reason and its method observation and
experiment It describes and analyzes lsquowhat isrsquo and tries to predict what
will happen in the future (eg forecast earnings from models) When
dealing with the physical universe it is exact in its description and
analysis and more accurate in its predictive power (eg in Physics or
Chemistry) However when it deals with human beings who do not
behave in a consistent manner unlike the revolution of the planets
above its analysis is less precise and its predictions less accurate The
recent move by the Malaysian Securities Commission on insistence of a
+-10 accuracy level on profit forecasts reports by accountants has
given a headache for accountants as forecasting market prices is not an
accurate science as it deals with behaviour of human beings in the
marketplace
Unlike science religion depends on Revelation as well as reason for its
knowledge Its objective is to help transform the human condition from
lsquowhat isrsquo (eg Enron WorldCom) to what should be (perhaps Johnson amp
Johnson under Burke) It should bring about individual and social
change to conform to its worldview values and institutions that it
provides
The ultimate objective of both science and religion is to bring about the
well-being of human beings One addresses the physical and material
while the other addresses the social mental emotional and the spiritual
Chapra (2000) further argues that if both of these are important then
both science and religion can better serve mankind by greater
cooperation and coordination between them Religion can help science
by reminding it of its ultimate objectives and limitations to use the
power and mastery over the universe for well-being rather than
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destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
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paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
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It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
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are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
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Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
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1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
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B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
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2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
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References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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Islamic Accounting
The system of accounting
which enableMuslims to
discharge their
accountabilities to Allah by
providing relevant
information on the
compliance of the company
to shariah principles
The diagram illustrates the purpose of Islamic accounting Muslims
believe in the hereafter All business activities should be in line with the
sharirsquoa or Islamic law including business In life people transact through
institutions such as business These activities are classified recorded and
summarized using a philosophic filter
(sharirsquoa and Islamic accounting
standards) to produce accounting
statements which people act on If the
information produced is useful and
appropriate to make economic or social
decisions through a moral framework
then the users will act in ways to correct
their lsquosinsrsquo and increase good behaviour
leading to Godrsquos pleasure in the hereafter If the accounting information
system misinforms or does not provide appropriate information the
business might be undertaking sinful activities the responsibility for
which will be borne by the investor as he is a participant This may lead
him to Hell
The meaning of Islamic accounting would be clearer if we compare this
with the definition of ldquoconventionalrdquo accounting (Conventional)
accounting as we know is defined to be the identification recording
classification interpreting and communication economic events to
permit users to make informed decisions (AAA 1966) From this it can
be seen that both Islamic and conventional accounting is in the business
of providing information The differences lie in the following
The objectives of providing the information
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What type of information is identified and how is it
measured and valued recorded and communicated and
To whom is it communicated (the users)
Conventional accounting aims to permit informed decisions by users
whose ultimate purpose is to efficiently allocate scarce resources
available to their most efficient (and profitable) uses by providing
information efficiency in the market (FASB 1978) Apparently this is
achieved by the user making the appropriate buy sell or hold decisions
on their investments Islamic Accounting on the other hand hopes to
enable users to ensure that Islamic organisations (whether business
government or NFP) abide by the principles of the Sharirsquoa or Islamic Law
in its dealings and enables the assessment of whether the objectives of
the organisation are being met At the very basic level it can be said that
Islamic organisations (whether business or otherwise) differ from their
conventional counterparts by having to adhere to certain Sharirsquoa
principles and rules and also try to achieve certain socio-economic
objectives encouraged by Islam
Following from the above the type of information which Islamic
accounting identifies and measures is different Conventional accounting
concentrates on identifying economic events and transactions while
Islamic accounting must identify socio-economic and religious events
and transactions Older accountants may still remember when they first
learnt accounting They had to prepare final accounts (ie balance sheet
and profit and loss account) However Americanization of the
curriculum has popularised the term financial statements Hence the
concentration of accounting has moved from stewardship based
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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manorial accounts to accounting for money (accentuated by the
monetary measurement concept)
This is not to say that Islamic accounting is not concerned with money
(especially when accounting for businesses) On the contrary due to
prohibition of interest-based income or expense profit determination is
more important in Islamic accounting than conventional accounting
However Islamic accounting must be holistic in its reporting Hence
both financial and non-financial measures regarding the economic
social environmental and religious events and transactions are measured
and reported
Conventional accounting mainly uses historic cost (or lower) to measure
and values assets and liabilities (although the new IFRS seeks to
introduce fair value measurements) The profession is well aware of the
limitations of the stable unit of measure assumption of the monetary
unit and to its credit has tried in the past in its inflation accounting
initiatives However despite recommendation from its own research
efforts (True blood committee) the idea of using current values was
given up due to its complexity and presumed lack of verifiability From
an Islamic point of view at least for the purpose of computation of
Zakat current valuation is obligatory (see for example Clarke et al 1996)
prompting calls for a current value Balance Sheet (Baydoun and Willet
2000)
A further difference is Islamic accounting may require a different
statement altogether to deemphasize the focus on profits by the income
statement provided by conventional accounting Baydoun and Willlet
(2000) have suggested a Value Added Statement to replace the Income
Statement in Islamic Corporate Reports They argue that this shows and
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encourages a cooperative environment in business as opposed to a
destructive competitive environment
The third category of differences is in the users of the information
Although the profession has recognised various stakeholders as users of
accounting information (see for example the Corporate Report 1975)
the users which it focuses on are shareholders and creditors (ie
Financiers ndash those who provide the funds) This is obvious from the fact
the FASBrsquos SFAC 1 dismisses a whole range of stakeholders by the term
ldquoand othersrdquo From recent developments in finance and financial
markets accounting seems to be serving an elite group of financiers ndash
market players and banks and other financial institutions It has been
accused of helping a group of rich people get richer (Gray et al 1996)- a
grave charge since the profession always justifies its monopoly on audit
services by virtue of the public interest
Islamic accounting serves the whole gamut of stakeholders Society as a
whole can make corporations accountable for their actions and ensure
they comply with Sharirsquoa principles and do not harm others while
making money ethically and achieve an equitable allocation and
distribution of wealth among members of society especially the
stakeholders of the concerned corporation
13 RELIGION AND ACCOUNTING- AN
EXPLOSIVE MIX
Now we come to the question is it wise to add the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to
accounting Why not accounting for Islamic organisations or accounting
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from the Islamic perspective The worry is that the addition of any
religious adjective may compromise the objectivity of the discipline as
religion is mostly seen as an unchanging dogma and code not subject to
pragmatic or logical considerations
We will take this matter in two stages
a) Is conventional accounting value free and objective as it portrayed to
be or is there a hidden adjective attached to it
b) The problem of epistemology- the nature and sources of knowledge
What are the implicit assumptions behind the theory and practice of
conventional accounting in other words ndash what is the worldview behind
conventional accounting Some years back European and communist
states adopted different systems of accounting In a centrally planned or
a socialist state there is a lack of profit motive or not too much of it
Hence the conventional accounting ie profit and loss account balance
sheet did not make much sense in that economic system This is why the
accounting profession never developed in the communist countries It is
only after liberalisation ie conversion to capitalism that these states are
trying to catch up with the West
A little more reflection and we come to the conclusion that the
conventional accounting system in which many of us were educated and
work in is in fact Capitalist Accounting The adjective lsquocapitalistrsquo is not
used before the word accounting because it would then not appear
neutral as capitalism is a philosophy and many ways a religion Its sacred
symbols are private property the hudud (literal meaning the definitive
borders) of the market and its God- wealth for the creation of which
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business and finance exists Capitalism is not only the economic system
which allows choices and opportunities but a philosophy and religion
which forsakes equity for efficiency and the wants of a few for the needs
of the many It can be said to be the dominant lsquoreligionrsquo of the world
(both in Muslim and Non-Muslim countries)
Hence to call a spade a spade accounting should be renamed capitalist
accounting economics as capitalist economics and so forth Hence
faculty of economics in our universities should be renamed faculty of
capitalist economics However we do not do so because it is unnecessary
as it is assumed and implicit Due to the non-explicitness of this
assumption we sometime forget that accounting is not objective neutral
and value-free as it is portrayed to be
Secondly we discuss the problem of epistemology which is the theory of
the nature and sources of knowledge Ever since the lsquoenlightenmentrsquo
period in European history science has gained the upper hand and has
replaced religion as the authority in defining what is knowledge Modern
research emphasises positivism ie what is Knowledge is only what is
perceptible through our senses through observation and experiment or
what appears logical to our mind Revelation is not considered a source
of knowledge as religious truths cannot be verified by our senses
Accounting is considered a science (many US and UK universities use MS
or MSc not MA for post graduate accounting programs) and as such
mixing religion with accounting may be considered unprofessional
However as Chapra (2000) argues science and religion deals with
different levels of reality While sciences deal with the physical universe
perceptible by the senses religion deals with a higher level of reality
which is transcendental and beyond the sense of perception The sources
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of scientific knowledge are reason and its method observation and
experiment It describes and analyzes lsquowhat isrsquo and tries to predict what
will happen in the future (eg forecast earnings from models) When
dealing with the physical universe it is exact in its description and
analysis and more accurate in its predictive power (eg in Physics or
Chemistry) However when it deals with human beings who do not
behave in a consistent manner unlike the revolution of the planets
above its analysis is less precise and its predictions less accurate The
recent move by the Malaysian Securities Commission on insistence of a
+-10 accuracy level on profit forecasts reports by accountants has
given a headache for accountants as forecasting market prices is not an
accurate science as it deals with behaviour of human beings in the
marketplace
Unlike science religion depends on Revelation as well as reason for its
knowledge Its objective is to help transform the human condition from
lsquowhat isrsquo (eg Enron WorldCom) to what should be (perhaps Johnson amp
Johnson under Burke) It should bring about individual and social
change to conform to its worldview values and institutions that it
provides
The ultimate objective of both science and religion is to bring about the
well-being of human beings One addresses the physical and material
while the other addresses the social mental emotional and the spiritual
Chapra (2000) further argues that if both of these are important then
both science and religion can better serve mankind by greater
cooperation and coordination between them Religion can help science
by reminding it of its ultimate objectives and limitations to use the
power and mastery over the universe for well-being rather than
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destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
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paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
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It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
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are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
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Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
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1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
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3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
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communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
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B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
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2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
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women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
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References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 7
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CIFP
What type of information is identified and how is it
measured and valued recorded and communicated and
To whom is it communicated (the users)
Conventional accounting aims to permit informed decisions by users
whose ultimate purpose is to efficiently allocate scarce resources
available to their most efficient (and profitable) uses by providing
information efficiency in the market (FASB 1978) Apparently this is
achieved by the user making the appropriate buy sell or hold decisions
on their investments Islamic Accounting on the other hand hopes to
enable users to ensure that Islamic organisations (whether business
government or NFP) abide by the principles of the Sharirsquoa or Islamic Law
in its dealings and enables the assessment of whether the objectives of
the organisation are being met At the very basic level it can be said that
Islamic organisations (whether business or otherwise) differ from their
conventional counterparts by having to adhere to certain Sharirsquoa
principles and rules and also try to achieve certain socio-economic
objectives encouraged by Islam
Following from the above the type of information which Islamic
accounting identifies and measures is different Conventional accounting
concentrates on identifying economic events and transactions while
Islamic accounting must identify socio-economic and religious events
and transactions Older accountants may still remember when they first
learnt accounting They had to prepare final accounts (ie balance sheet
and profit and loss account) However Americanization of the
curriculum has popularised the term financial statements Hence the
concentration of accounting has moved from stewardship based
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 8
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CIFP
manorial accounts to accounting for money (accentuated by the
monetary measurement concept)
This is not to say that Islamic accounting is not concerned with money
(especially when accounting for businesses) On the contrary due to
prohibition of interest-based income or expense profit determination is
more important in Islamic accounting than conventional accounting
However Islamic accounting must be holistic in its reporting Hence
both financial and non-financial measures regarding the economic
social environmental and religious events and transactions are measured
and reported
Conventional accounting mainly uses historic cost (or lower) to measure
and values assets and liabilities (although the new IFRS seeks to
introduce fair value measurements) The profession is well aware of the
limitations of the stable unit of measure assumption of the monetary
unit and to its credit has tried in the past in its inflation accounting
initiatives However despite recommendation from its own research
efforts (True blood committee) the idea of using current values was
given up due to its complexity and presumed lack of verifiability From
an Islamic point of view at least for the purpose of computation of
Zakat current valuation is obligatory (see for example Clarke et al 1996)
prompting calls for a current value Balance Sheet (Baydoun and Willet
2000)
A further difference is Islamic accounting may require a different
statement altogether to deemphasize the focus on profits by the income
statement provided by conventional accounting Baydoun and Willlet
(2000) have suggested a Value Added Statement to replace the Income
Statement in Islamic Corporate Reports They argue that this shows and
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
encourages a cooperative environment in business as opposed to a
destructive competitive environment
The third category of differences is in the users of the information
Although the profession has recognised various stakeholders as users of
accounting information (see for example the Corporate Report 1975)
the users which it focuses on are shareholders and creditors (ie
Financiers ndash those who provide the funds) This is obvious from the fact
the FASBrsquos SFAC 1 dismisses a whole range of stakeholders by the term
ldquoand othersrdquo From recent developments in finance and financial
markets accounting seems to be serving an elite group of financiers ndash
market players and banks and other financial institutions It has been
accused of helping a group of rich people get richer (Gray et al 1996)- a
grave charge since the profession always justifies its monopoly on audit
services by virtue of the public interest
Islamic accounting serves the whole gamut of stakeholders Society as a
whole can make corporations accountable for their actions and ensure
they comply with Sharirsquoa principles and do not harm others while
making money ethically and achieve an equitable allocation and
distribution of wealth among members of society especially the
stakeholders of the concerned corporation
13 RELIGION AND ACCOUNTING- AN
EXPLOSIVE MIX
Now we come to the question is it wise to add the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to
accounting Why not accounting for Islamic organisations or accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
from the Islamic perspective The worry is that the addition of any
religious adjective may compromise the objectivity of the discipline as
religion is mostly seen as an unchanging dogma and code not subject to
pragmatic or logical considerations
We will take this matter in two stages
a) Is conventional accounting value free and objective as it portrayed to
be or is there a hidden adjective attached to it
b) The problem of epistemology- the nature and sources of knowledge
What are the implicit assumptions behind the theory and practice of
conventional accounting in other words ndash what is the worldview behind
conventional accounting Some years back European and communist
states adopted different systems of accounting In a centrally planned or
a socialist state there is a lack of profit motive or not too much of it
Hence the conventional accounting ie profit and loss account balance
sheet did not make much sense in that economic system This is why the
accounting profession never developed in the communist countries It is
only after liberalisation ie conversion to capitalism that these states are
trying to catch up with the West
A little more reflection and we come to the conclusion that the
conventional accounting system in which many of us were educated and
work in is in fact Capitalist Accounting The adjective lsquocapitalistrsquo is not
used before the word accounting because it would then not appear
neutral as capitalism is a philosophy and many ways a religion Its sacred
symbols are private property the hudud (literal meaning the definitive
borders) of the market and its God- wealth for the creation of which
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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business and finance exists Capitalism is not only the economic system
which allows choices and opportunities but a philosophy and religion
which forsakes equity for efficiency and the wants of a few for the needs
of the many It can be said to be the dominant lsquoreligionrsquo of the world
(both in Muslim and Non-Muslim countries)
Hence to call a spade a spade accounting should be renamed capitalist
accounting economics as capitalist economics and so forth Hence
faculty of economics in our universities should be renamed faculty of
capitalist economics However we do not do so because it is unnecessary
as it is assumed and implicit Due to the non-explicitness of this
assumption we sometime forget that accounting is not objective neutral
and value-free as it is portrayed to be
Secondly we discuss the problem of epistemology which is the theory of
the nature and sources of knowledge Ever since the lsquoenlightenmentrsquo
period in European history science has gained the upper hand and has
replaced religion as the authority in defining what is knowledge Modern
research emphasises positivism ie what is Knowledge is only what is
perceptible through our senses through observation and experiment or
what appears logical to our mind Revelation is not considered a source
of knowledge as religious truths cannot be verified by our senses
Accounting is considered a science (many US and UK universities use MS
or MSc not MA for post graduate accounting programs) and as such
mixing religion with accounting may be considered unprofessional
However as Chapra (2000) argues science and religion deals with
different levels of reality While sciences deal with the physical universe
perceptible by the senses religion deals with a higher level of reality
which is transcendental and beyond the sense of perception The sources
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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of scientific knowledge are reason and its method observation and
experiment It describes and analyzes lsquowhat isrsquo and tries to predict what
will happen in the future (eg forecast earnings from models) When
dealing with the physical universe it is exact in its description and
analysis and more accurate in its predictive power (eg in Physics or
Chemistry) However when it deals with human beings who do not
behave in a consistent manner unlike the revolution of the planets
above its analysis is less precise and its predictions less accurate The
recent move by the Malaysian Securities Commission on insistence of a
+-10 accuracy level on profit forecasts reports by accountants has
given a headache for accountants as forecasting market prices is not an
accurate science as it deals with behaviour of human beings in the
marketplace
Unlike science religion depends on Revelation as well as reason for its
knowledge Its objective is to help transform the human condition from
lsquowhat isrsquo (eg Enron WorldCom) to what should be (perhaps Johnson amp
Johnson under Burke) It should bring about individual and social
change to conform to its worldview values and institutions that it
provides
The ultimate objective of both science and religion is to bring about the
well-being of human beings One addresses the physical and material
while the other addresses the social mental emotional and the spiritual
Chapra (2000) further argues that if both of these are important then
both science and religion can better serve mankind by greater
cooperation and coordination between them Religion can help science
by reminding it of its ultimate objectives and limitations to use the
power and mastery over the universe for well-being rather than
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CIFP
destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
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CIFP
are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 8
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
manorial accounts to accounting for money (accentuated by the
monetary measurement concept)
This is not to say that Islamic accounting is not concerned with money
(especially when accounting for businesses) On the contrary due to
prohibition of interest-based income or expense profit determination is
more important in Islamic accounting than conventional accounting
However Islamic accounting must be holistic in its reporting Hence
both financial and non-financial measures regarding the economic
social environmental and religious events and transactions are measured
and reported
Conventional accounting mainly uses historic cost (or lower) to measure
and values assets and liabilities (although the new IFRS seeks to
introduce fair value measurements) The profession is well aware of the
limitations of the stable unit of measure assumption of the monetary
unit and to its credit has tried in the past in its inflation accounting
initiatives However despite recommendation from its own research
efforts (True blood committee) the idea of using current values was
given up due to its complexity and presumed lack of verifiability From
an Islamic point of view at least for the purpose of computation of
Zakat current valuation is obligatory (see for example Clarke et al 1996)
prompting calls for a current value Balance Sheet (Baydoun and Willet
2000)
A further difference is Islamic accounting may require a different
statement altogether to deemphasize the focus on profits by the income
statement provided by conventional accounting Baydoun and Willlet
(2000) have suggested a Value Added Statement to replace the Income
Statement in Islamic Corporate Reports They argue that this shows and
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 9
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
encourages a cooperative environment in business as opposed to a
destructive competitive environment
The third category of differences is in the users of the information
Although the profession has recognised various stakeholders as users of
accounting information (see for example the Corporate Report 1975)
the users which it focuses on are shareholders and creditors (ie
Financiers ndash those who provide the funds) This is obvious from the fact
the FASBrsquos SFAC 1 dismisses a whole range of stakeholders by the term
ldquoand othersrdquo From recent developments in finance and financial
markets accounting seems to be serving an elite group of financiers ndash
market players and banks and other financial institutions It has been
accused of helping a group of rich people get richer (Gray et al 1996)- a
grave charge since the profession always justifies its monopoly on audit
services by virtue of the public interest
Islamic accounting serves the whole gamut of stakeholders Society as a
whole can make corporations accountable for their actions and ensure
they comply with Sharirsquoa principles and do not harm others while
making money ethically and achieve an equitable allocation and
distribution of wealth among members of society especially the
stakeholders of the concerned corporation
13 RELIGION AND ACCOUNTING- AN
EXPLOSIVE MIX
Now we come to the question is it wise to add the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to
accounting Why not accounting for Islamic organisations or accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 10
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
from the Islamic perspective The worry is that the addition of any
religious adjective may compromise the objectivity of the discipline as
religion is mostly seen as an unchanging dogma and code not subject to
pragmatic or logical considerations
We will take this matter in two stages
a) Is conventional accounting value free and objective as it portrayed to
be or is there a hidden adjective attached to it
b) The problem of epistemology- the nature and sources of knowledge
What are the implicit assumptions behind the theory and practice of
conventional accounting in other words ndash what is the worldview behind
conventional accounting Some years back European and communist
states adopted different systems of accounting In a centrally planned or
a socialist state there is a lack of profit motive or not too much of it
Hence the conventional accounting ie profit and loss account balance
sheet did not make much sense in that economic system This is why the
accounting profession never developed in the communist countries It is
only after liberalisation ie conversion to capitalism that these states are
trying to catch up with the West
A little more reflection and we come to the conclusion that the
conventional accounting system in which many of us were educated and
work in is in fact Capitalist Accounting The adjective lsquocapitalistrsquo is not
used before the word accounting because it would then not appear
neutral as capitalism is a philosophy and many ways a religion Its sacred
symbols are private property the hudud (literal meaning the definitive
borders) of the market and its God- wealth for the creation of which
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 11
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CIFP
business and finance exists Capitalism is not only the economic system
which allows choices and opportunities but a philosophy and religion
which forsakes equity for efficiency and the wants of a few for the needs
of the many It can be said to be the dominant lsquoreligionrsquo of the world
(both in Muslim and Non-Muslim countries)
Hence to call a spade a spade accounting should be renamed capitalist
accounting economics as capitalist economics and so forth Hence
faculty of economics in our universities should be renamed faculty of
capitalist economics However we do not do so because it is unnecessary
as it is assumed and implicit Due to the non-explicitness of this
assumption we sometime forget that accounting is not objective neutral
and value-free as it is portrayed to be
Secondly we discuss the problem of epistemology which is the theory of
the nature and sources of knowledge Ever since the lsquoenlightenmentrsquo
period in European history science has gained the upper hand and has
replaced religion as the authority in defining what is knowledge Modern
research emphasises positivism ie what is Knowledge is only what is
perceptible through our senses through observation and experiment or
what appears logical to our mind Revelation is not considered a source
of knowledge as religious truths cannot be verified by our senses
Accounting is considered a science (many US and UK universities use MS
or MSc not MA for post graduate accounting programs) and as such
mixing religion with accounting may be considered unprofessional
However as Chapra (2000) argues science and religion deals with
different levels of reality While sciences deal with the physical universe
perceptible by the senses religion deals with a higher level of reality
which is transcendental and beyond the sense of perception The sources
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 12
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
of scientific knowledge are reason and its method observation and
experiment It describes and analyzes lsquowhat isrsquo and tries to predict what
will happen in the future (eg forecast earnings from models) When
dealing with the physical universe it is exact in its description and
analysis and more accurate in its predictive power (eg in Physics or
Chemistry) However when it deals with human beings who do not
behave in a consistent manner unlike the revolution of the planets
above its analysis is less precise and its predictions less accurate The
recent move by the Malaysian Securities Commission on insistence of a
+-10 accuracy level on profit forecasts reports by accountants has
given a headache for accountants as forecasting market prices is not an
accurate science as it deals with behaviour of human beings in the
marketplace
Unlike science religion depends on Revelation as well as reason for its
knowledge Its objective is to help transform the human condition from
lsquowhat isrsquo (eg Enron WorldCom) to what should be (perhaps Johnson amp
Johnson under Burke) It should bring about individual and social
change to conform to its worldview values and institutions that it
provides
The ultimate objective of both science and religion is to bring about the
well-being of human beings One addresses the physical and material
while the other addresses the social mental emotional and the spiritual
Chapra (2000) further argues that if both of these are important then
both science and religion can better serve mankind by greater
cooperation and coordination between them Religion can help science
by reminding it of its ultimate objectives and limitations to use the
power and mastery over the universe for well-being rather than
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 13
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 15
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CIFP
It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
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CIFP
are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
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1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
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CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
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CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
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2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 9
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CIFP
encourages a cooperative environment in business as opposed to a
destructive competitive environment
The third category of differences is in the users of the information
Although the profession has recognised various stakeholders as users of
accounting information (see for example the Corporate Report 1975)
the users which it focuses on are shareholders and creditors (ie
Financiers ndash those who provide the funds) This is obvious from the fact
the FASBrsquos SFAC 1 dismisses a whole range of stakeholders by the term
ldquoand othersrdquo From recent developments in finance and financial
markets accounting seems to be serving an elite group of financiers ndash
market players and banks and other financial institutions It has been
accused of helping a group of rich people get richer (Gray et al 1996)- a
grave charge since the profession always justifies its monopoly on audit
services by virtue of the public interest
Islamic accounting serves the whole gamut of stakeholders Society as a
whole can make corporations accountable for their actions and ensure
they comply with Sharirsquoa principles and do not harm others while
making money ethically and achieve an equitable allocation and
distribution of wealth among members of society especially the
stakeholders of the concerned corporation
13 RELIGION AND ACCOUNTING- AN
EXPLOSIVE MIX
Now we come to the question is it wise to add the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to
accounting Why not accounting for Islamic organisations or accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 10
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
from the Islamic perspective The worry is that the addition of any
religious adjective may compromise the objectivity of the discipline as
religion is mostly seen as an unchanging dogma and code not subject to
pragmatic or logical considerations
We will take this matter in two stages
a) Is conventional accounting value free and objective as it portrayed to
be or is there a hidden adjective attached to it
b) The problem of epistemology- the nature and sources of knowledge
What are the implicit assumptions behind the theory and practice of
conventional accounting in other words ndash what is the worldview behind
conventional accounting Some years back European and communist
states adopted different systems of accounting In a centrally planned or
a socialist state there is a lack of profit motive or not too much of it
Hence the conventional accounting ie profit and loss account balance
sheet did not make much sense in that economic system This is why the
accounting profession never developed in the communist countries It is
only after liberalisation ie conversion to capitalism that these states are
trying to catch up with the West
A little more reflection and we come to the conclusion that the
conventional accounting system in which many of us were educated and
work in is in fact Capitalist Accounting The adjective lsquocapitalistrsquo is not
used before the word accounting because it would then not appear
neutral as capitalism is a philosophy and many ways a religion Its sacred
symbols are private property the hudud (literal meaning the definitive
borders) of the market and its God- wealth for the creation of which
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 11
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
business and finance exists Capitalism is not only the economic system
which allows choices and opportunities but a philosophy and religion
which forsakes equity for efficiency and the wants of a few for the needs
of the many It can be said to be the dominant lsquoreligionrsquo of the world
(both in Muslim and Non-Muslim countries)
Hence to call a spade a spade accounting should be renamed capitalist
accounting economics as capitalist economics and so forth Hence
faculty of economics in our universities should be renamed faculty of
capitalist economics However we do not do so because it is unnecessary
as it is assumed and implicit Due to the non-explicitness of this
assumption we sometime forget that accounting is not objective neutral
and value-free as it is portrayed to be
Secondly we discuss the problem of epistemology which is the theory of
the nature and sources of knowledge Ever since the lsquoenlightenmentrsquo
period in European history science has gained the upper hand and has
replaced religion as the authority in defining what is knowledge Modern
research emphasises positivism ie what is Knowledge is only what is
perceptible through our senses through observation and experiment or
what appears logical to our mind Revelation is not considered a source
of knowledge as religious truths cannot be verified by our senses
Accounting is considered a science (many US and UK universities use MS
or MSc not MA for post graduate accounting programs) and as such
mixing religion with accounting may be considered unprofessional
However as Chapra (2000) argues science and religion deals with
different levels of reality While sciences deal with the physical universe
perceptible by the senses religion deals with a higher level of reality
which is transcendental and beyond the sense of perception The sources
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 12
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
of scientific knowledge are reason and its method observation and
experiment It describes and analyzes lsquowhat isrsquo and tries to predict what
will happen in the future (eg forecast earnings from models) When
dealing with the physical universe it is exact in its description and
analysis and more accurate in its predictive power (eg in Physics or
Chemistry) However when it deals with human beings who do not
behave in a consistent manner unlike the revolution of the planets
above its analysis is less precise and its predictions less accurate The
recent move by the Malaysian Securities Commission on insistence of a
+-10 accuracy level on profit forecasts reports by accountants has
given a headache for accountants as forecasting market prices is not an
accurate science as it deals with behaviour of human beings in the
marketplace
Unlike science religion depends on Revelation as well as reason for its
knowledge Its objective is to help transform the human condition from
lsquowhat isrsquo (eg Enron WorldCom) to what should be (perhaps Johnson amp
Johnson under Burke) It should bring about individual and social
change to conform to its worldview values and institutions that it
provides
The ultimate objective of both science and religion is to bring about the
well-being of human beings One addresses the physical and material
while the other addresses the social mental emotional and the spiritual
Chapra (2000) further argues that if both of these are important then
both science and religion can better serve mankind by greater
cooperation and coordination between them Religion can help science
by reminding it of its ultimate objectives and limitations to use the
power and mastery over the universe for well-being rather than
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 13
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 14
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 15
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 16
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 17
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 18
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CIFP
1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
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CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
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CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
from the Islamic perspective The worry is that the addition of any
religious adjective may compromise the objectivity of the discipline as
religion is mostly seen as an unchanging dogma and code not subject to
pragmatic or logical considerations
We will take this matter in two stages
a) Is conventional accounting value free and objective as it portrayed to
be or is there a hidden adjective attached to it
b) The problem of epistemology- the nature and sources of knowledge
What are the implicit assumptions behind the theory and practice of
conventional accounting in other words ndash what is the worldview behind
conventional accounting Some years back European and communist
states adopted different systems of accounting In a centrally planned or
a socialist state there is a lack of profit motive or not too much of it
Hence the conventional accounting ie profit and loss account balance
sheet did not make much sense in that economic system This is why the
accounting profession never developed in the communist countries It is
only after liberalisation ie conversion to capitalism that these states are
trying to catch up with the West
A little more reflection and we come to the conclusion that the
conventional accounting system in which many of us were educated and
work in is in fact Capitalist Accounting The adjective lsquocapitalistrsquo is not
used before the word accounting because it would then not appear
neutral as capitalism is a philosophy and many ways a religion Its sacred
symbols are private property the hudud (literal meaning the definitive
borders) of the market and its God- wealth for the creation of which
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
business and finance exists Capitalism is not only the economic system
which allows choices and opportunities but a philosophy and religion
which forsakes equity for efficiency and the wants of a few for the needs
of the many It can be said to be the dominant lsquoreligionrsquo of the world
(both in Muslim and Non-Muslim countries)
Hence to call a spade a spade accounting should be renamed capitalist
accounting economics as capitalist economics and so forth Hence
faculty of economics in our universities should be renamed faculty of
capitalist economics However we do not do so because it is unnecessary
as it is assumed and implicit Due to the non-explicitness of this
assumption we sometime forget that accounting is not objective neutral
and value-free as it is portrayed to be
Secondly we discuss the problem of epistemology which is the theory of
the nature and sources of knowledge Ever since the lsquoenlightenmentrsquo
period in European history science has gained the upper hand and has
replaced religion as the authority in defining what is knowledge Modern
research emphasises positivism ie what is Knowledge is only what is
perceptible through our senses through observation and experiment or
what appears logical to our mind Revelation is not considered a source
of knowledge as religious truths cannot be verified by our senses
Accounting is considered a science (many US and UK universities use MS
or MSc not MA for post graduate accounting programs) and as such
mixing religion with accounting may be considered unprofessional
However as Chapra (2000) argues science and religion deals with
different levels of reality While sciences deal with the physical universe
perceptible by the senses religion deals with a higher level of reality
which is transcendental and beyond the sense of perception The sources
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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CIFP
of scientific knowledge are reason and its method observation and
experiment It describes and analyzes lsquowhat isrsquo and tries to predict what
will happen in the future (eg forecast earnings from models) When
dealing with the physical universe it is exact in its description and
analysis and more accurate in its predictive power (eg in Physics or
Chemistry) However when it deals with human beings who do not
behave in a consistent manner unlike the revolution of the planets
above its analysis is less precise and its predictions less accurate The
recent move by the Malaysian Securities Commission on insistence of a
+-10 accuracy level on profit forecasts reports by accountants has
given a headache for accountants as forecasting market prices is not an
accurate science as it deals with behaviour of human beings in the
marketplace
Unlike science religion depends on Revelation as well as reason for its
knowledge Its objective is to help transform the human condition from
lsquowhat isrsquo (eg Enron WorldCom) to what should be (perhaps Johnson amp
Johnson under Burke) It should bring about individual and social
change to conform to its worldview values and institutions that it
provides
The ultimate objective of both science and religion is to bring about the
well-being of human beings One addresses the physical and material
while the other addresses the social mental emotional and the spiritual
Chapra (2000) further argues that if both of these are important then
both science and religion can better serve mankind by greater
cooperation and coordination between them Religion can help science
by reminding it of its ultimate objectives and limitations to use the
power and mastery over the universe for well-being rather than
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 13
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 14
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 15
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 16
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 17
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 18
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 20
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CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 21
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 11
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
business and finance exists Capitalism is not only the economic system
which allows choices and opportunities but a philosophy and religion
which forsakes equity for efficiency and the wants of a few for the needs
of the many It can be said to be the dominant lsquoreligionrsquo of the world
(both in Muslim and Non-Muslim countries)
Hence to call a spade a spade accounting should be renamed capitalist
accounting economics as capitalist economics and so forth Hence
faculty of economics in our universities should be renamed faculty of
capitalist economics However we do not do so because it is unnecessary
as it is assumed and implicit Due to the non-explicitness of this
assumption we sometime forget that accounting is not objective neutral
and value-free as it is portrayed to be
Secondly we discuss the problem of epistemology which is the theory of
the nature and sources of knowledge Ever since the lsquoenlightenmentrsquo
period in European history science has gained the upper hand and has
replaced religion as the authority in defining what is knowledge Modern
research emphasises positivism ie what is Knowledge is only what is
perceptible through our senses through observation and experiment or
what appears logical to our mind Revelation is not considered a source
of knowledge as religious truths cannot be verified by our senses
Accounting is considered a science (many US and UK universities use MS
or MSc not MA for post graduate accounting programs) and as such
mixing religion with accounting may be considered unprofessional
However as Chapra (2000) argues science and religion deals with
different levels of reality While sciences deal with the physical universe
perceptible by the senses religion deals with a higher level of reality
which is transcendental and beyond the sense of perception The sources
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 12
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
of scientific knowledge are reason and its method observation and
experiment It describes and analyzes lsquowhat isrsquo and tries to predict what
will happen in the future (eg forecast earnings from models) When
dealing with the physical universe it is exact in its description and
analysis and more accurate in its predictive power (eg in Physics or
Chemistry) However when it deals with human beings who do not
behave in a consistent manner unlike the revolution of the planets
above its analysis is less precise and its predictions less accurate The
recent move by the Malaysian Securities Commission on insistence of a
+-10 accuracy level on profit forecasts reports by accountants has
given a headache for accountants as forecasting market prices is not an
accurate science as it deals with behaviour of human beings in the
marketplace
Unlike science religion depends on Revelation as well as reason for its
knowledge Its objective is to help transform the human condition from
lsquowhat isrsquo (eg Enron WorldCom) to what should be (perhaps Johnson amp
Johnson under Burke) It should bring about individual and social
change to conform to its worldview values and institutions that it
provides
The ultimate objective of both science and religion is to bring about the
well-being of human beings One addresses the physical and material
while the other addresses the social mental emotional and the spiritual
Chapra (2000) further argues that if both of these are important then
both science and religion can better serve mankind by greater
cooperation and coordination between them Religion can help science
by reminding it of its ultimate objectives and limitations to use the
power and mastery over the universe for well-being rather than
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 13
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 14
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 15
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 16
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 17
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 18
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 19
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 21
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 12
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
of scientific knowledge are reason and its method observation and
experiment It describes and analyzes lsquowhat isrsquo and tries to predict what
will happen in the future (eg forecast earnings from models) When
dealing with the physical universe it is exact in its description and
analysis and more accurate in its predictive power (eg in Physics or
Chemistry) However when it deals with human beings who do not
behave in a consistent manner unlike the revolution of the planets
above its analysis is less precise and its predictions less accurate The
recent move by the Malaysian Securities Commission on insistence of a
+-10 accuracy level on profit forecasts reports by accountants has
given a headache for accountants as forecasting market prices is not an
accurate science as it deals with behaviour of human beings in the
marketplace
Unlike science religion depends on Revelation as well as reason for its
knowledge Its objective is to help transform the human condition from
lsquowhat isrsquo (eg Enron WorldCom) to what should be (perhaps Johnson amp
Johnson under Burke) It should bring about individual and social
change to conform to its worldview values and institutions that it
provides
The ultimate objective of both science and religion is to bring about the
well-being of human beings One addresses the physical and material
while the other addresses the social mental emotional and the spiritual
Chapra (2000) further argues that if both of these are important then
both science and religion can better serve mankind by greater
cooperation and coordination between them Religion can help science
by reminding it of its ultimate objectives and limitations to use the
power and mastery over the universe for well-being rather than
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 13
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 14
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 15
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 16
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 17
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 18
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 19
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 20
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 21
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 13
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IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
destruction Science can help religion by helping it realise lsquowhat ought to
bersquo by providing a better description of lsquowhat isrsquo facilitating prediction
and providing better technology for a more efficient use of all available
resources
It can thus be seen that rather then becoming an explosive mix the
mixing of science and religion can be fruitful and in fact serve to stabilise
society from the instability of a world dominated either by science or
religion alone Hence we conclude that the addition of the adjective
Islamic before accounting will not affect the objectivity of accounting
14 A PRIMA-FACIE CASE FOR ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a tool to achieve certain objectives In order to be useful it
must be relevant to its purpose The purpose of accounting has been
extended by the American Accounting Association in 1975 (presumably
concerned to promote the public interest responsibility of the
profession) which defined the purpose of accounting thus ldquoto permit
informed decisions which will enable scarce resources to be allocated
efficiently thereby achieving social welfarerdquo Hence like it or not the
accounting profession is entrusted with the responsibility of helping to
achieve social welfare by providing its services
It is common sense that one must use the right tool for the right job If
one were to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut the end result would be
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 14
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 15
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 16
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 17
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 18
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 19
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 20
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 21
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 14
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
paste instead of nuts Hence Islamic accounting may be more
appropriate to achieve the socio-economic and religions objectives of
Islamic institutions and Muslim users The diagram below (Shahul 2001)
shows the situation of match and mismatch
Briefly Islamic institutions (1) such as Islamic banks or the Lembaga
Tabung Haji in Malaysia etc are established to meet the socio-economic
objectives of the Sharirsquoa (Islamic Law) through the implementation of an
Islamic economic and financial system Hence these institutions should
logically use Islamic accounting (2) especially for monitoring these
institutions to achieve their objectives which are different from capitalist
institutions If such a system is used then Muslim users (as homeo
Islamicus) will make decisions in a manner congruent with Islamic
values (3) and will inshaAllah achieve the socioeconomic objectives of
the shariarsquo (4) thereby strengthening the Islamic economic and financial
system (5) However if conventional accounting which developed to
meet the needs of a capitalist economy is used instead in these
institutions (2A) a mismatch is likely This will lead to the institutions
not meeting the Sharirsquoate socio-economic objectives and even worse may
turn these Islamic institutions into capitalist institutions (4A) by
providing materialist profit-focused information instead of the holistic
information provided by Islamic accounting This will lead to Muslim
users making decisions incongruent with Islamic values but congruent
with capitalist values (3A) and thus it is the socio-economic objectives of
the capitalist system (5A) which will be achieved not the socioeconomic
objectives of the shariarsquo
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 15
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 16
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 17
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 18
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 19
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 20
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 21
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 15
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
It can thus be seen that it is not at all unscientific or objectionable to use
Islamic accounting and would in fact be more logical to use it as it
would result in an ethical based accounting system which measures not
only profits but social environmental and religious performance
Finally it must be borne in mind that accounting for Islamic banks and
financial institutions is not Islamic Accounting but only a subset of it
Although the efforts of AAOFI must be commended for developing
standards for Islamic Financial Institutions not all Islamic Institutions
5A THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE
SECULAR CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM
4 THE SOCIO -ECONOMIC
OBJECTIVES OF THE
SHARIrsquoA
5 THE ISLAMIC ECONOMIC
SYSTEM amp FINANCIAL
SYSTEM
1 ESTABLISHMENT
OF ISLAMIC SOCIO-
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2 USE OF ISLAMIC
ACCOUNTING CONSISTENT
WITH ISLAMIC VALUES
3 CONSISTENT DECISION MAKING IN
LINE WITH ISLAMIC NORMS (HOMEO
ISLAMICUS)
4A CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
2A USE OF CONVENTIONAL
ACCOUNTING BASED ON
SECULAR PHILOSOPHICAL
VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH
ISLAMIC VALUES
3A INCONSISTENT OR DEVIANT DECISION MAKING OF MUSLIM
USERS (HOMEO ECONOMICUS)
Figure 11 RESULT OF INCONGRUENCY BETWEEN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SSYSTEMSYSTEMSYSTEM(Source shahul 2001)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 16
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 17
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 18
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 19
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 20
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 21
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 16
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
are Financial Institutions Islamic accounting is not the just technicalities
of accounting for Islamic financial instruments employed by Islamic
banks but much more requiring whole new areas of performance
measurement including the social environmental economic and the
Sharirsquoate
Figure 12 Components of Islamic Accounting
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 17
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 18
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 19
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 20
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 21
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 17
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
Summary Point 1
It is contended that Islamic banks require a different accounting system to meet the
objectives for which they were established Failure to use an appropriate Islamic
accounting system may result in their not achieving their socio- economic objectives
as envisaged by their founders and in fact may result in Islamic banks becoming
completely capitalistic institutions
Summary Point 2
The concept of Islamic accountability is a dual accountability concept where in a
situation where investors endow resources to a company run by professional
managers who are contracted to run the company the managers do not only have an
accountability relationship to the investors but also to other stakeholders including
the community and the environment In effect by discharging these dual
accountabilities they are in fact discharging their accountability to Allah or God
Summary Point 3
It is contended that there is no danger in adding the adjective ldquoIslamicrdquo to accounting
as accounting is not value free or objective as generally propounded by its priests
the professional accountants It in fact reflects the values of the socio-economic
system it is developed and used
Summary Point 4
Islamic accounting is sometimes used interchangeably with accounting for Islamic
banks This is strictly not true it covers a broader scope of institutions and practices
such as takaful Islamic businesses waqf and zakat institutions and Islamic
government
Summary
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 18
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 19
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 20
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 21
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 18
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
1 What kind of standards are issued by the
Accounting amp Auditing Organization for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)
A Accounting and Auditing
B Accounting Auditing and
Governance
C Accounting Auditing
Governance and Ethics
and Sharirsquoa
D Accounting Auditing
Governance and Sharirsquoa
2 How is Accounting for Islamic banks related
to Islamic Accounting
A The same as Islamic
Accounting
B Subset of Islamic
Accounting
C The same as accounting
for Islamic financial
institutions
D The same as reporting for
Islamic financial
transactions
Multiple Choice
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 19
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 20
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 21
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 19
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
3 Identify the main pull factor for the
development of Islamic accounting
A The establishment of
Islamic financial
institutions
B The establishment of
Islamic republics
C The establishment of
Islamic business
organizations
D The establishment of
zakat
4 What is NOT a difference between Islamic
And Conventional Accounting
A The objectives of
providing the information
B What type of information
is identified and how is it
measured and valued
recorded and
communicated
C The people who prepare
the accounting reports
D To whom is it
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 20
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 21
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 20
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
communicated
5 Identify the category which does NOT fall
under Islamic Accounting
A Accounting for Takaful
B Accounting for Waqfs
C Accounting for Debt
Trading
D Accounting for Islamic
Banking and Financial
Institutions
6 The need for separate a separate field of
Islamic Accounting is based on
A Different Business models
being used by Islamic and
Conventional Institutions
B Different Target Market of
Customers
C Difference in Worldview
on which business
practices and instruments
are based
D Difference in the users
and investors in an
Islamic Bank
7 Which is of the following is a specific
accounting report for Islamic Banks only
A Balance Sheet
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 21
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 21
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
B Statement of Sources and
Uses of Zakat
C Profit amp Loss Statement
D Statement of Changes in
Shareholderrsquos Equity
E
Question 1
a) Discuss the concept of ldquoAllahrsquos bottom linerdquo as enunciated by Shahul and
Karbhari (2007)
b) What Islamic accountingauditing concepts can be inferred from the
verse 2282 from the Al-Qurrsquoan translated below
O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of
time reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as
Allah Has taught him so let him write Let him who incurs the
liability dictate but let him fear His Lord Allah and not
diminish aught of what he owes If they party liable is
mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to dictate Let
his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out of
your own men and if there are not two men then a man and
Questions and Problems
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 22
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
two women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one
of them errs the other can remind her The witnesses should
not refuse when they are called on (For evidence) Disdain not
to reduce to writing (your contract) for a future period
whether it be small or big it is juster in the sight of Allah
More suitable as evidence and more convenient to prevent
doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on
you if ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever
ye make a commercial contract and let neither scribe nor
witness suffer harm If ye do (such harm) it would be
wickedness in you So fear Allah For it is God that teaches
you And Allah is well acquainted with all things (Al Baqarah
2282)
(INCEIF MIF May 2009)
Question 2
Is Islamic accounting and Accounting for islamic banks the same Explain
(INCEIF CIFP Jan2009)
Question 3
i Explain the accounting principles enunciated in the Qurrsquoanic verses 2282 (AL
BAQARAH) and verses 1185-86(Hud) reproduced below in relation to the
primary financial statements ie the Balance Sheet and Income Statement
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 23
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
2282 O ye who believe When ye deal with each other in
transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between
the parties let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah Has taught
him so let him write Let him who incurs the liability dictate but let
him fear His Lord Allah and not diminish aught of what he owes If
they party liable is mentally deficient or weak or unable Himself to
dictate Let his guardian dictate faithfully and get two witnesses out
of your own men and if there are not two men then a man and two
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 24
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
women such as ye choose for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her The witnesses should not refuse when they
are called on (For evidence) Disdain not to reduce to writing (your
contract) for a future period whether it be small or big it is juster in
the sight of Allah More suitable as evidence and more convenient to
prevent doubts among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves there is no blame on you if
ye reduce it not to writing But take witness whenever ye make a
commercial contract and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm
If ye do (such harm) it would be wickedness in you So fear Allah
For it is God that teaches you And Allah is well acquainted with all
things
ويا ق وم أوفوا المكيال والميزان بالقسط وال ت بخسوا الناس ( 8811) أشياءهم وال ت عث وا ف األرض مفسدين
ر لكم إن كنتم مؤمنني وما أنا عليكم بفيظ ( 8811) بقية الله خي
Hence O my people [always] give full measure and weight with
equity and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs [118] and
do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption That which
rests with God [119] is best for you if you but believe [in Him]
However I am not your keeper (Hud 1185-86)
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2009)
Question 4
Islamic Banks face unique accounting problems both from a technical and
philosophical point of view Describe ANY FOUR (4) of these
(INCEIF CIFP Jan 2010)
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom
I s l a m i c P e r s p e c t i v e o f A c c o u n t i n g
U n i t 1 | 25
copy INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE 20111432 AH
IE 1002 Reporting of Islamic Financial Transactions
CIFP
References
Shahul Hameed(2000b) ldquoNurtured by Kufr The underlying philosophic
assumptions of conventional accountingrdquo International Journal of Islamic
Financial Services Vol 2 No2 Sept 2000
Shahul (2002) Islamic Accounting- Accounting for the new Millenium
paper presented at the IIUM International Accounting Conference I Kota
Bahru Kelantan 2001
Haniffa R (2002) Social Reporting Disclosure An Islamic Perspective
Indonesian Management and Accounting Research Vol 1 No2
Shahul Hameed (2000) The need for Islamic Accountinghelliprdquo Unpublished
Phd Dissertation University of Dundee
Shahul Hameed and Yusuf Karbhari (2006)Allahrsquos bottom line
Reorienting Accounting for Islamic Finance Paper presented at the Islamic
Law Symposium School of Oriental and African Studies University of
London
AAOIFI (2011) Statement of Financial Accounting 1 ldquoObjectives of
Financial Accounting for Islamic Banks
Web References
wwwiiumedumyiaw
httpsitesgooglecomsiteislamicaccountingwebHomeintroduction
wwwaaoificom