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The purpose of this paper is to determine whether there is any fundamental difference in the meaning of contract in these two legal systems by analysing some of the essential principles of contract particularly parties’ agreement and consideration.

This paper seeks to investigate the degree of equivalency of the term contract and its Islamic law counterpart “Aqd”. To implement this task, it applies some comparative law techniques to examine certain contractual elements under common law and Islamic law.

The argument that “contract” and “Aqd” are not equivalent is superficial, and it is not well-supported by concrete evidence. The examples used to build this argument are merely limited exceptions to the general principles of contract, and some of them even exist under both legal systems in a similar manner such as “deed” and “Hibah”.

The paper is of interest to legal practitioners and professionals working in cross-cultural or international contexts, as understanding points of conformity and disconformity between “contract” and “Aqd” can help in multiple ways. These may include negotiating international transactions, contract drafting and dispute-resolution processes involving parties from Western and Islamic law-based jurisdictions. It may also aid policymaking and lawmaking processes aiming to harmonize contract principles across different jurisdictions.

The research paper is important for public attitude, as understanding similarities and differences between “contract” and “Aqd” fosters mutual respect, tolerance and cooperation between individuals and communities adhering to different legal systems.

There is a common belief that the term “contract” substantially differs from “Aqd”, and it is by no means safe to presume that every “Aqd” qualifies as a contract. The current research introduces a new point view on the degree of conceptual equivalency of the two terms by showing resemblances in aspects relating to some contractual elements which have always been viewed as an area of divergence rather than convergence.

This paper aims to provide a comparative discussion on silence as a misrepresentation in contractual obligations between common law and Islamic law. The objective of this paper is to – from a legal pluralism point of view – highlight the contrasts between the two traditions and provide recommendations for best practices to achieve fairness and equity among the contracting parties. While common law does not treat silence as conscious misrepresentation, in Islamic law, silence does not constitute affirmative will. This has repercussions for the contracting parties because if future disputes arise, the aggrieved party in Islamic law reserves the option to rescind or nullify the contract – an opportunity not afforded by common law. We have discussed and analyzed the implementations of the different contractual terms, such as fraud, misrepresentation, trickery and deception in relation with Islamic law principles and common law practices. This research is an effort to draw the attention for further development in both Islamic law and common law practices on contractual obligation. The notion of misrepresentation – subset of a broader gamut of fraud – is arguably nebulous in Islamic literature as well. We delve into these nuances and provide examples both from common law and Islamic law precedents and provide recommendations for reform in both traditions.

This paper operates under qualitative methodological framework and uses secondary sources for analysis. Sources include journal databases, review of cases, classical/medieval Islamic scripts, etc.

This paper provides a general comparative study between common law’s principle and practice and Islamic law’s principle to forge a better understanding of fine-tuning existing practice and contribute to the debate on determining the best practices to unify international trade and custom exercise. Common law principle, obviously, holds a historical and traditional reputation as those principles are derived from long years of practice and judicial interpretation. Such historical legal system should accommodate fresh ideas in their repertoire and welcome novel ideas which would positively influence its own practice. This paper affords the freedom to the reader to interpret which general principle is acceptable in terms of contractual obligation.

Previous works exist on the issue of misrepresentation. However, those are mostly explanations of fraud and deceit in Islamic law or common law. The treatment of silence as affirmative will is seldom touched upon. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt at contrasting the treatment of silence in common and Islamic law. They have also advocated pluralistic practices and argued for legal reform whereby both traditions can benefit from each other.

This paper aims to compare and contrast the concept of conventional futures contract from the Islamic law of contract perspectives. The underlying theory and practice of Islamic finance is based on the principles of Islamic law of contract. Although the necessity of derivative instruments such as the case with futures contract is essential for developments in Islamic finance, the permissibility of using these instruments still remains a debatable issue.

The paper discusses arguments for and against using derivative instruments as in futures, for example, in light with the Qur’an and Sunnah (the Prophet’s traditions), as well as the views of classical scholars, jurists and contemporary researchers. Arguments for and against are analysed systematically to derive a logical conclusion.

The study finds that majority scholars consider futures contracts as non-compliant with the Islamic law due to the fact that selling something that does not exist, deferment in the both counter values, gharar or ambiguity and excessive risk taking, pure speculation and sale of one debt for another.

The study focuses narrowly on conventional futures contract. Analysing other financial derivative contracts could be a future research endeavour.

The study has so far found the verdict of impermissibility of conventional futures contract in its current form as has been argued by majority scholars in the premise that they do not comply with the Islamic law. Policymakers and industry practitioners need to take this opinion of majority scholars while developing new Islamic financial derivatives.

To the best of the author's knowledge, the present research is the first attempt so far that explained the validity of conventional futures by analysing arguments of classical and contemporary jurists, scholars and researchers.

Often, the application of specific relief to Islamic banking is unspoken and unwritten. However, few studies suggest that legislation on specific relief needs amendment to cater for the effective application of Islamic banking and finance in the country and proposing the idea to introduce an Islamic Specific Relief Act. This paper aims to understand the application of specific relief to Islamic banking in Malaysia. This paper will look at the application of specific relief in Malaysia and discuss the extent of its application to Islamic banking cases reported in Malaysia from 1983 to 2015. The study will shed light on the general types of specific relief from Malaysian and Islamic law perspectives to conclude whether the provisions of Malaysian specific relief law invoked in courts in Islamic banking cases are in line with the general principles of Sharī^cah. To further support this, evidence from various commercial civil codes of Muslim countries have been discussed to analyse these provisions from a more practical perspective.

This is a legal exploratory study primarily focussed on library research.

When it comes to Islamic banking, federal legislations dealing with commercial matters are applicable. For example, in Islamic banking products, if the land is the subject matter, then National Land Code 1965 shall be applied, and when dealing with Islamic banking agreements, the provisions of Contracts Act 1950 shall be followed. This has been highlighted as a problem faced by Islamic financial services in the case of Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim v. Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad and other cases where the judge referred Engku Rabiah and quoted that in Islamic banking transactions, “the transactions entered by the parties may be Sharī^cah-compliant in the first place, but upon enforcement of the contracts, the court may make orders and decisions that may side line the Islamic legal principles”. This happens when the substantive laws applicable to Islamic banking are incompatible with Islamic law. Fortunately, the analysis of the relevant sections of Specific Relief Act 1950 in this research proves that the provisions reviewed are in line with Sharī^cah. However, to further enhance the operation of specific relief, the granting of specific relief could be made a general rule rather than an exceptional rule available with stringent rules. The research revealed that Specific Relief Act (1950) is expressly referred and discussed only in three cases reported from 1983 to 2015. There are only two specific sections of Specific Relief Act (1950) that have been deliberated in the reported case law on Islamic banking: provisions related to granting of a mandatory injunction and specific performance of contracts.

It is anticipated that this paper will assist to comprehend the importance of converging law and Sharī^cah in legislations to attain Sharī^cah compliance and will help to realise that not all conventional legislations are Sharī^cah non-compliant.

This paper aims to propose a derivation of Shariah risk from both the Islamic finance theory and theory of contracts in Islamic law. Specifically, it deliberates the derivation of Shariah risk following the contracts validity and apprises the readers of the Shariah risk issues currently under debate.

This study reviews the relevant literature and presents an analysis of contract rulings through evidence derived from the Qur’an, Hadith and other secondary sources of Islamic law. Various theories of Islamic finance and Islamic law of contracts are identified, to examine the general principles and essential elements and conditions of a valid contract.

This analysis asserts that any circumstances that may render invalidity of the contract will trigger Shariah risk. More importantly, this paper highlights the implications of invalid contracts, based on the opinion of Hanafi jurists, who concluded that Shariah risk may be derived from any void or voidable contracts due to the failure of the contractual parties to comply with Shariah contractual obligations.

This paper emphasises the derivation of Shariah risk over theoretical approaches. It does not include an explanation in the form of any empirical model.

This is the first study that contributes to the field of derivation of Shariah risk, based on the theory from the Islamic law of contracts.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the main contract principles which govern the international arbitration contract with special emphasis to examine contract principle found of the Middle East, how international principles of contract are perceived in the region, and whether there are any dominant contract principles.

A general exploratory research procedure used to give a better grasp of various aspects of socio‐legal approaches. The paper seeks to create knowledge that can be used to retrieve some pressing social and organisational understanding in the said region. The first part of the paper examines the role of ethics and tradition in understanding Middle Eastern contract principles. The second part examines the impact of Islamic Law on commercial contract principles. The third section analyses the regional perception of international contract principles. Finally, the paper addresses some contemporary issues of international contracts in the Middle East.

The paper showed that the legal perceptions of international contract principles reflect regional legal thinking which has been influenced by a mixed understanding of regional traditions, Islamic contract law principles as well as Western contract principles when these principles match regional legal culture. Overall, it showed that still under such mixed understanding, there are strong regional legal traditions and these are found in Islamic contract principles and affects commercial contract experiences. In general, a significant difference still exists between modern international contract principles and those in the Middle East.

The paper generates a knowledge that mixed understanding in regard to international contract arbitration principles due historical and cultural reasoning. Arab States does not share common understanding of international contract principles. Thus, it is very superfluous to propose the argument that there is sole Middle Eastern regional perception which dominates every Arab State. Therefore, special understandings and considerations should be given to every international arbitration contract from certain Arab State entity to another.

The paper provides a clear understanding of the guidelines for international commercial arbitration contract in the Middle East. Legal culture should be taken into consideration if a successful contract implementation has to be achieved.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the application of Kafalah in the practice of Islamic banking in Malaysia generally and ascertain applicable rules governing the application under relevant legislations and Shariah. The study also aims to examine the legislations in the light of Shariah provisions governing Kafalah and propose amendments.

This is a qualitative research where primary data sources mainly legislations and secondary sources comprising of articles and books on the subject of Kafalah were examined. It is an exploratory legal research that primarily focuses on library studies and adopts doctrinal approach for content analysis of data from the identified sources.

Kafalah is widely used in Islamic banking in Malaysia with primary or secondary application in structuring such products/services as personal guarantee, bank guarantee, Islamic credit card among others. The substantive law applicable to Kafalah in Islamic banking in Malaysia is the Contracts Act 1950 as decided cases indicate. However, provisions of the Act are at variance with rules of Shariah applicable to Kafalah on absolution of guaranteed debtor, multiple guarantors’ liability towards guaranteed sum as well as recourse and recovery from principal debtor.

This research explored the practice of Kafalah in Islamic banking under Malaysian legal framework based on the available literature. The research does not embody an empirical evaluation.

This research suggests, with respect to the identified issues, an amendment to the Act for clarification as follows: that recourse and recovery from principal debtor is only where creditor has requested guarantor to settle outstanding debt, that presence of surety does not absolve principal debtor from his original liability and that multiple guarantors stand as having equal responsibility towards guaranteed amount. The research findings will assist policy and law makers to harmonize the relevant laws with the Shariah to facilitate sustainable development of Islamic banking.

This study aims to examine the validity of the installment payment contract when using the first Islamic credit card (ICC) in Jordan and will explore the hidden techniques that are used to operate such a financial product. The purpose of the study will be achieved by examining the structure and the issues surrounding the first ICC that was introduced to the Jordanian market as a hybrid contract of Qard Hassan (benevolent loan), Murabaha, Wakalah (agency) and Bay‘ Al Ajjal (credit sale). In addition, a further objective is to examine whether this credit card is a Sharia-compliant financial product.

A qualitative research method approach was adopted to understand the issues, nature and structure of the first Jordanian ICC. This was due to the explanatory nature of the product, the different financial solutions it offered and the fact that the ICC in Jordan is, to date, relatively unexplored. This paper used the technique of content/thematic analysis that involves multiple sequenced steps to analyze these matters.

The main finding of this research is that the first ICC in the Jordanian financial market has caused a degree of uncertainty. This is because, once a customer decides to choose the installment payment contract option, the bank does not have real possession of the assets in question. The issue of constructive possession has been denied by several classic and contemporary Islamic scholars, including the General Iftaa Department of Jordan. Therefore, it can be seen that the installment payment contract option does not comply with Islamic principles and particular Fatwas that have been decreed.

This is the first study that shows how the first ICC, being a new Islamic financial product in Jordan, operates in relation to the installment payment contract. In addition, focusing on the concept of changing the nature of the contract from a Qard Hassan (benevolent loan) to a hybrid contract is significant, to encourage Islamic scholars to take a clear, legal stand under Sharia law.

This paper aims to provide an analytical literature survey of selective studies on legal documentation in Islamic home financing with particular reference to Malaysia.

This study adopts the legal positivist methodology, with particular reference to inclusive legal positivism which takes into consideration the possibility of moral values challenging positive law. Within the context of this study, though positive law provides for rules that govern contractual matters in Islamic home financing, standardisation is a functionality of maslahah (or public interest) which transcends the mandatory provisions of positive law but helps to protect the interest of all stakeholders. This is analysed through a systematic literature review which aims to provide practical insights into industry practices relating to Islamic home financing in Malaysia.

This paper provides information on the standard documentation used by conventional banks and existing practices of diverse models of legal documentation in the home financing sector within the Islamic financial services industry in Malaysia. It also recognises the need for standard documentation that is not only Sharīʿah-compliant but also consumer-friendly, as the terms of any standard financing agreement ought to ensure consumer protection. There is also the need for a Shari’ah-compliant Sales and Purchase Agreement, as it forms part of the complete set of legal documentation for Islamic home financing.

It is not an exhaustive study, as it did not consider practices in other jurisdictions offering Islamic financial services and products but only focusses on Malaysia. Though one may not generalise the findings of this study, Malaysia remains a leading model and a global hub for Islamic financial services and products.

A very useful source of information on the current state of legal documentation in Islamic home financing in Malaysia and the prevailing practices in the industry, which may serve as a guide for policymakers such as the Association of Islamic Banks in Malaysia (AIBIM) to embark on a full scale project of standardisation of all the legal documentation used in Islamic home financing.

This study fulfils an identified need of standardisation of legal documentation used in Islamic home financing in Malaysia and offers practical help to policymakers and future researchers starting out on systemic reforms.

This research aims to deal with the law of evidence invoked in Islamic banking cases reported in Malaysia from 1983 to 2015 and determine whether the invoked provisions of the statute in the case law have any conflicts with Islamic law that are threatening the development of Islamic banking in Malaysia.

The methodology used in this research is assessing the implication by studying the provisions of the law of evidence that has been invoked in the reported case law.

It is evident from this research that following are the evident conflicts found in the Evidence Act 1950. In this arena, the following changes are significant for sustaining Islamic banking in Malaysia. Expert opinion under Section 45 of the Evidence Act 1950 should be amended such that in Islamic banking, under this Act, expert opinion can be sought by the court. The rule and exceptions of parol evidence in Sections 91 and 92 of the Evidence Act 1950 need to be amended such that in Islamic banking matters, anything that is contrary to Shari^cah is mentioned in the contract; this amendment will be an exception to the parol evidence rule on the grounds that the written Islamic contract can be amended or set aside depending on the circumstances of the case.

It is anticipated that this research will assist jurisdictions to understand that even adjective laws applicable to Islamic banking will be harmonized with Islamic law. This is because the prefix Islam attached to the term banking is not merely a namesake, but it means more than that, i.e. all aspects of Islamic banking will be consistent with Islamic law.