The document provides an overview of the similarities and differences between Shari'ah (Islamic law), Christian law, and Jewish law. It discusses how all three religions trace back to Prophet Abraham and how Jews, Muslims, and Christians have a shared ancestry. While they have some differences in beliefs, the core message and many principles are essentially the same between the three faiths. It outlines the key sources of law and guidance for each religion such as the Torah, Bible, and Quran. It also discusses concepts like prophets, angels, the day of judgment, and how the three faiths prohibit usury.

1. SHARI’AH, CHRISTIAN, AND
JEWISH LAW
By: Camille Paldi
CEO of FAAIF

2. INTRODUCTION
All of God’s prophets came from Prophet Abraham and his sons.
Isaac and Ishmael are the sons of Abraham.
Prophet Moses is the son of Isaac and Ishmael is the Grandfather of
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
Abraham is the Father of the Jews and the Builder of the Kaaba, the
father of monotheism.

3. JEWS AND MUSLIMS ARE COUSINS
Hence, Jews and Muslims are cousins as Moses descended from the
son of Abraham – Isaac and Muhammad descended from the son of
Abraham – Ishmael.

4. CHRISTIANITY, JUDAISM, ISLAM
The Ten Commandments, Bible (Christianity)
The Ten Commandments, The Twelve Tablets, Torah, Talmud
(Judaism)
Quran, Sunnah, Ijma, Ijtihad, Qiyas, Risalah (Shari’ah)

5. 6 PRINCIPLES OF ISLAM
Believe in Allah
Believe in His Angels
Believe in His Books
Believe in His Messengers (Prophets)
Believe in Day of Judgement
Believe in Divine Predestination

6. HIS MAIN PROPHETS
Abraham
Moses
Jesus
Muhammad

7. HIS BOOKS
Torah (To Moses)
The Psalms (To David)
The Gospel (To Jesus)
The Qu’ran (To Muhammad)

8. RISALAH CONCEPT IN ISLAM
In the Islamic context, ar-Risāla means scriptures revealed from God
through a Messenger (Arabic ar-Rasūl) to the people.
These messengers bring laws to their communities so as to guide
them towards the straight path of God.
They can be social laws, state laws, or any other kind of laws.
The Messengers are those prophets in the Islamic context, who have
been given a Revelation.
Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad are the well known
messengers in Islam.

9. PRE-DESTINATION
Qadar (Arabic: ‫,قدر‬ transliterated qadar, meaning "fate", "divine fore-
ordainment", "predestination")[1] is the concept of divine destiny in
Islam.
It is one of Islam's six articles of faith, along with belief in the
Oneness of Allah, the Revealed Books, the Prophets of Islam, the Day
of Resurrection and angels. This concept has also been mentioned in
the Quran as Allah's "Decree".

10. STAGES OF TAQDEER (FATE)
There are five stages where Qadar is determined and prescribed/send to creation:
The Decree of Allah that is written in Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuud before the creation of the
universe. This destiny written in the preserved tablet is never changed and encompasses
everything that will be.
Allah made a divine decree after the creation of Adam. Allah took out all of the progeny of
Adam (i.e. all of the humans from the beginning of time until the end of time), and asked
them "Am I not your Lord?" and all of the humans responded "We testify that You are our
Lord!" Then Allah decreed to them who shall go to paradise and who shall go to hell.
The Life-time decree. This occurs when a person is in the womb of the mother, specifically
120 days after conception. Allah sends an angel to put a soul into the person, and the angel
writes down the decree that Allah has made; his life-span, his sex, his sustenance (how
much he will earn throughout his lifetime) and whether he will be a dweller of paradise or a
dweller of hell.
The yearly decree. This is during the Night of Qadr (Night of Decree) where Allah sends
down his decrees from heaven to earth, in it he destines the actions (deeds, sustenance,
births, deaths, etc.) of creation for the next year. The word Qadar should not be confused
with Qadr; Qadar is destiny, Qadr is that which has been destined, i.e. decree, thus the
translation – Night of Decree.
The Daily Decree. Allah decrees the daily actions of his creation.

11. ANGELS
The angels are made from light and they can take any form they wish.
They are gentle, spiritual beings free from sins.
They are neither male nor female.
They do not disobey Allah, but rather obey and praise Allah at all
times.
They do not eat or drink and never tire.
All angels are assigned for certain duties either in the heavens or on
earth and some at the Divine Throne.

12. ANGELS
Only Allah knows the exact number of Angels.
Four Arch Angels including:
 Jibrail – (Gabriel) – He was charged with the responsibility of conveying the
messages of Allah to the Prophets from the time of Adam to Muhammad (S.A.W.).
 Mikail (Michael): He is charged with the responsibility of taking care of the nature
such as the rain, the floods, the wind, the snow, and growth of vegetation and
fruits.
 Israfil (Raphael): He has been charged with the task of blowing the trumpet on the
Day of Judgement.
 Azrael (Azrail) (The Angel of Death) – He is charged with taking the souls of human
beings at the time of death.

13. DAY OF JUDGEMENT
When the time comes for the Archangel Israfil (Raphael) to blow the
horn or the trumpet, the dead will be raised from their graves.
The assembling or gathering of all of the people form Adam to Azrail
will take place on the plain of Resurrection, which is as vast as one
can imagine, for the Final Judgement.
The Recorded Book of Deeds will be handed to each person.
The questioning and weighing on the scale (balance) of the deeds
done in the world will take place.
People will either be rewarded with (Al Jannah) Heaven 0r (Al
Jahannam) Hell.

14. JUDAISM
Belief that Uzair is son of God.

15. CHRISTIANITY
Belief that Jesus is Son of God.
Holy Trinity.

16. JEWISH, CHRISTIAN, SHARI’AH LAW
Apart from these differences, the message is essentially the same.
Jewish, Christian, and Shari’ah law are therefore, in fact, extremely
similar.
Chapra explains that “He has sent His guidance to all people at
different times in history through a chain of His Messengers including
Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad... Thus, there is a continuity
and similarity in the basic worldview and value system of all Revealed
religions” (2008, 21).

17. OBJECTIVES OF THE SHARI’AH
Dusuki says that Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111 CE) defined Maqasid
or the Objectives of the Shari’ah through five objectives “The very
objective of the Shari’ah is to promote the well-being of the people,
which lies in safeguarding their faith (din), their lives (nafs), their
intellect (aql), their posterity (nasl) and their wealth (mal)” (2011:3).
Whatever ensures the safeguarding of these five serves public interest
and is desirable and whatever hurts them is against public interest
and its removal is desirable.

18. TEN COMMANDMENTS
You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make idols.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.

19. QU’RAN
The Qur'an includes a version of the Ten Commandments in sura Al-
An'am 6:151:
"Say: "Come, I will rehearse what Allah hath (really) prohibited you
from": Join not anything with Him; be good to your parents; kill not
your children on a plea of want;- We provide sustenance for you and
for them;- come not nigh to indecent deeds. Whether open or secret;
take not life, which Allah hath made sacred, except by way of justice
and law: thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom. And
come not nigh to the orphan's property, except to improve it, until he
attain the age of full strength; give measure and weight with (full)
justice;- no burden do We place on any soul, but that which it can
bear;- whenever ye speak, speak justly, even if a near relative is
concerned; and fulfill the Covenant of Allah. Thus, doth He command
you, that ye may remember."[82]

20. QU’RAN
Another Chapter of The Qur'an also includes a version of the Ten
Commandments in Al-Isra According to Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Abbas
°the verses of Chapter 17 Al-Isra are the Quranic version of the ten
Commandments[83] Commandment 1 Verse 22 "Set not up with Allah
any other ilah (god), (O man)!"[84] Commandment 2 Verse 23 "And
your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you
be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old
age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at
them but address them in terms of honour." Verse 24 "And lower
unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and
say: "My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up
when I was small."[85] Commandment 3 Verse 26 "And give to the
kindred his due and to the Miskin (poor) and to the wayfarer. But
spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift ."[86]

21. QU’RAN
Commandment 4 Verse 29 "And let not your hand be tied (like a
miser) to your neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach (like a
spendthrift), so that you become blameworthy and in severe
poverty."[87] Commandment 5 Verse 31 "And kill not your children for
fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Surely, the killing of
them is a great sin."[88] Commandment 6 Verse 32 "And come not
near to the unlawful sexual intercourse."[89] Commandment 7 Verse
33 "And do not kill anyone which Allah has forbidden, except for a
just cause."[90]

22. QU’RAN
Commandment 8 Verse 34 "And come not near to the orphan's
property except to improve it, until he attains the age of full
strength."[91] Commandment 9 Verse 35 "And give full measure when
you measure, and weigh with a balance that is straight."[92]
Commandment 10 Verse 36 "And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or
do not or witness not, etc.) that of which you have no knowledge (e.g.
one's saying: "I have seen," while in fact he has not seen, or "I have
heard," while he has not heard). Verily! The hearing, and the sight,
and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by Allah)."[93]

23. RISALAH
The mission of all of the Prophets including Moses (p.b.u.h.), Jesus
(p.b.u.h), and Muhammad (s.a.w.) was to perform tazkiyah
(purification plus growth) of an individual in her relationship with
God, with other people, and with the environment, society, and the
state.
This purification process would lead to the purification of the
capitalist system into a moral economy. Tawhid, is the worldview,
which is based on risalah, akirah (life-after death) and a system of
accountability based on Divine Law.
“It provides for freedom of action whereby each individual is viewed
as an integral part of the whole” (Asutay, 2007:8). This freedom is not
without bounds and is seen in the context of the larger society.

24. RISALAH
“While freedom is indispensable for every individual, the well-being
of all is also indispensable and cannot be compromised. Therefore,
some socially agreed restrictions are necessary on individuals to
ensure that they do not trespass the rights of others and jeopardize
their well-being” (Chapra, 2008, 10).
Freedom is allowed to the extent it causes harm to another.
“As khalifas of God…the freedom of human beings is bounded by
moral values to ensure not just their own well-being but also the
well-being of all God’s creatures.
When the angels realized at the time of man’s creation that he was
going to be God’s khalifah on earth with freedom to act on his own
initiative, they had an apprehension that this freedom might lead him
to corrupt the earth and to shed blood (Qu’ran, 2:30)…

25. RISALAH
To help them avoid such a fall, God has Himself provided them with
the second precious asset which is the guidance sent by Him to all
human beings and nations at different times in history through a
chain of His Messengers.
The purpose of this guidance is to assist them in managing their
affairs in this world in a way that would help ensure the well-being of
all in harmony with their mission as khalifas of God.
Their freedom is, therefore, within the bounds of the guidance
provided by Him.” (Chapra, 2008, 13).

26. RISALAH
Therefore, Shari’ah provides injunctions to mankind to ensure the
well-being of humanity, justice, and peace on earth as well to
promote the man’s role as khalifah on earth.
The moral teachings of Islam, derived through the Shari’ah from the
Qu’ran and Sunnah, the Fiqh and Risalah, and the messages of all of
the Messengers of God provide mankind guidance on how to
structure financial transactions to preserve harmony and humanity as
a whole.

27. USURY IN THE HOLY BOOKS
Riba (interest) was prohibited in both Judaism and Christianity long before
Islam and the Qu’ran is just re-stating what the two previous Holy Books
have already mentioned.
In fact, many of the economic principles in Islam can be traced back through
the Holy Books to the messages expounded by Jesus (p.b.u.h.) and Moses
(p.b.u.h.).
Choudhury explains, “Indeed, to protect society’s integrity and means of
self-support for its members, every religion in history perceived that the
system of usury… was opposed to the proper workings of society”
(Choudhury, 2007:59).
Islamic banking is therefore a form of Holy Book Banking, encompassing
principles found in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

28. USURY IN THE BIBLE
Lending money is not prohibited in the Bible. What is prohibited is
charging abusively high interest.
This is because high-interest loans tend to prey on the most under
resourced people in society.
God strongly rebukes usury because it oppresses the poor.
The Bible also teaches us to be very cautious regarding borrowing
money.
This is because “the borrower is the slave of the lender” (Proverbs
22:7).
Once we borrow money we are beholding to the lender — and this
can be a form of slavery God wants us to avoid.

29. USURY IN THE BIBLE
Exodus 22:25English Standard Version (ESV)
25 “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you
shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact
interest from him.

30. USURY IN THE BIBLE
Leviticus 25:35
"'If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help
them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.
Leviticus 25:36
Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God, so that they may continue to live
among you.
Deuteronomy 15:7
If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is
giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them.
Deuteronomy 23:19
Do not charge a fellow Israelite interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn
interest.
Deuteronomy 23:20
You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless
you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.
Nehemiah 5:7
I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are charging
your own people interest!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them

31. USURY IN THE BIBLE
Psalm 15:5
Who lends money to the poor without interest; Who does not accept a bribe
against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.
Proverbs 28:8
Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it
for another, who will be kind to the poor.
Jeremiah 15:10
Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth, a man with whom the whole land
strives and contends! I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.
Ezekiel 18:8
He does not lend to them at interest or take a profit from them. He withholds his
hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between two parties.
Ezekiel 18:13
He lends at interest and takes a profit. Will such a man live? He will not! Because
he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his blood will
be on his own head.

32. USURY IN THE BIBLE
If you lend money to any of my people that is poor by you, you shall not be to him as an usurer, neither shall you
lay on him usury.
Leviticus 25:35-37 If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as
though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. 36 Take no interest from him or profit, but
fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. 37 You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give
him your food for profit.
Deuteronomy 23:19,20 Do not charge a fellow Israelite interest, whether on money or food or anything else that
may earn interest. 20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the LORD your God
may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.
2 Kings 4:1,7 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband
is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his
slaves.”
2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and
shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”
5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring.
6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”
But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live
on what is left.”

33. Nehemiah 5:2-5,7,10,11
2 Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous;
in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain." 3 Others
were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our
homes to get grain during the famine." 4 Still others were saying, "We
have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and
vineyards. 5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our
countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have
to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters
have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields
and our vineyards belong to others."

34. 7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and
officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own
countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them.
10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money
and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop! 11 Give back to them
immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also
the usury you are charging them--the hundredth part of the money,
grain, new wine and oil."

35. Psalm 15:5 Who lends money to the poor without interest; who does
not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things
will never be shaken.
Proverbs 28:8 Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit
from the poor
amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.
Jeremiah 15:10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth, a man with
whom the whole land strives and contends! I have neither lent nor
borrowed, yet everyone curses me.

36. Ezekiel 18:8,17
He does not lend to them at interest or take a profit from them.
He withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between two parties.
9 He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous; he will surely live,
declares the Sovereign LORD.
10 “Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things[a] 11 (though the father
has done none of them):
“He eats at the mountain shrines.
He defiles his neighbor’s wife.
12 He oppresses the poor and needy.
He commits robbery.
He does not return what he took in pledge.
He looks to the idols.
He does detestable things.
13 He lends at interest and takes a profit.
Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his
blood will be on his own head.
14 “But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does
not do such things:
15 “He does not eat at the mountain shrines
or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.
16 He does not oppress anyone
or require a pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry
and provides clothing for the naked.
17 He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor
and takes no interest or profit from them.
He keeps my laws and follows my decrees.
He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live.

37. Matthew 25:27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit
with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it
back with interest.
Luke 19:23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank,
that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?

38. SURAH BAQARAH 2:275
Those who consume interest cannot stand [on the Day of
Resurrection] except as one stands who is being beaten by Satan into
insanity.
That is because they say, "Trade is [just] like interest."
But Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest.
So whoever has received an admonition from his Lord and desists
may have what is past, and his affair rests with Allah.
But whoever returns to [dealing in interest or usury] - those are the
companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein.

39. HOLY BOOK FINANCE
The basic principles of this moral economy based on Risalah include
the prohibition of interest ( Riba) with the objective of providing a
stable and socially efficient economic environment and prohibition of
fixed return on nominal transactions with the aim of creating
productive economic activity or asset-based financing as opposed to
the debt-based system.
In this moral economy, money does not have any inherent value in
itself and therefore it cannot be created through the credit system.

40. HOLY BOOK FINANCE
The principle of ‘profit and loss sharing’ (PLS) and hence ‘risk
sharing’ is the essential axis around which economic and business
activity takes places.
This prevents the capital owner from shifting the entire risk onto the
borrower and hence it aims at establishing justice between work,
effort, and return and between work, effort, and capital.
An important consequence of the PLS concept is the participatory
nature of economic and business activity, as Islamic banking and
finance instruments, capital, and labor merges to establish
partnerships through their individual contributions.

41. HOLY BOOK FINANCE
By essentializing productive economic and business activity,
uncertainty, speculation and gambling is also prohibited with the
same rationale of emphasizing asset-based productive economic
activity over a debt-based system where money is made from
unproductive activity (Asutay).

42. USURY
Taking additional money, without performing any useful work, is
unjust and it is overburdening, which causes hatred and enmity. The
giver of interest sometimes has to fail and, as a result of debts that
increase progressively, accepts kinds of disgrace and captivity.
Usury disturbs the equilibrium of the society and causes it to be
divided into two poles: the oppressors and the oppressed.

43. OBJECTIVE OF ISLAMIC FINANCE
Professor Mehmet Asutay says that “The entire objective of Islamic
Economics and the operational aspect of Shari’ah is to serve ‘human
well-being,’ which is the main and essentialized aim of all efforts
within the tawhidi (One-God framework)” (2012:22).

44. WHY ISLAMIC FINANCE MAKES
SENSE
The key ideas behind Islamic finance including the belief in divine
guidance, the no-interest rule, socially responsible investing, the
sharing of risk, and the using of real assets to finance deals find
resonance with all people desiring a moral economy, which works for
the benefit rather than the detriment of the majority of humanity.

45. THE MESSENGERS
God’s messages were delivered to earth at different times in history
through various messengers, the first being through Moses in the
13th Century, the second through Jesus who lived approximately
between 4 BC – 30 AD, and in 622 AD through Muhammad (s.a.w.).
The deliverance of these messages through different messengers at
different times of history was not meant to divide the believing
people, however, believers should be unified through the stories of
the Book, which correspond and correlate with each other in terms of
events, characters, and messages and is in fact a continuation of the
same story through different periods of time and history.

46. Let’s unite together in an effort for Holy Book Finance.
THE END