University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Business - Accounting & Finance Working Papers Faculty of Business and Law 2007 A Primer on Islamic Finance: Definitions, Sources, Principles and Methods A. H. Gait University of Wollongong A. C. Worthington University of Wollongong Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/accfinwp Part of the Business Commons Recommended Citation Gait, A. H. and Worthington, A. C., A Primer on Islamic Finance: Definitions, Sources, Principles and Methods, School of Accounting & Finance, University of Wollongong, Working Paper 5, 2007. https://ro.uow.edu.au/accfinwp/5 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library:
[email protected] A Primer on Islamic Finance: 07/05 Definitions, Sources, Principles and Methods University of Wollongong School of Accounting & Finance Working Papers Series Alsadek H. Gait Andrew C. Worthington School of Accounting & Finance University of Wollongong Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia Tel +61 (2) 4221 3718 Fax +61 (2) 4221 4297 eMail
[email protected] www.uow.edu.au/commerce/accy/ A Primer on Islamic Finance: Definitions, Sources, Principles and Methods Alsadek H. Gait and Andrew C. Worthington* School of Accounting and Finance, University of Wollongong Islamic finance is one of the most rapidly growing segments of the global financial system. However, despite the increasing importance of Islamic finance, particularly in developing economies in the Middle East and South-East Asia, religious and social complexity has acted against a fuller understanding by regulators, policymakers, researchers and practitioners. This paper provides a succinct and accessible analysis of the definition, sources, principles and methods of Islamic finance.