Shari`ah Supervision of Islamic Mutual Funds

Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo

Islamic mutual funds presently represent one of the fastest growing sectors within the Islamic financial industry. As Shari`ah supervision is an integral part of the industry, its place in relation to Islamic mutual funds is certainly no less important. My intention in this paper is to discuss in a general way the variety of functions performed by Shari`ah supervision and their importance. In doing so, I will make observations about the industry and suggestions for a better future.

It is a matter of concern that a significant number of managed Islamic equity funds function without Shari`ah supervision of any sort. In fact, according to the data available on the ninety or so Islamic mutual funds, less than one half actually retain their own Shariah supervisory boards.1 This is an alarming circumstance which, for the reasons that will be discussed in this paper, needs to be remedied. Ideally, if management is slow to address the issue, then the remedy will come from the investors themselves. In fact, as Muslim investors grow in numbers and sophistication, they expect more from the professionals who manage their money. Then, in terms of performance, always the bottom line, and in terms of customer service, and in terms of Shari`ah compliance, Muslims have already begun to expect more and more from their funds. In terms of Shari`ah supervision, a great deal can be expected.