Interest rates form the backbone of the Capitalist system in many ways. It is used as a tool to regulate economic growth and monetary supply by acting as an ‘incentive’ for those who have surplus money to save/hoard. In Islam both interest and hoarding are prohibited. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an:

“And those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend in the way of Allah, announce to them a painful chastisement.” [TMQ 9:34] He also says, “Allah has permitted trade and forbidden interest.” [TMQ 2:275] Owners of capital therefore have to invest it either in the form of private business or partnership.

The most fundamental criteria that must be met by all companies of partnership are that there must be offer and acceptance between two or more parties, and that once they become partners they have equal say in the running of the company. In addition to these criteria, the manner of sharing profits and losses is dependent on the type of company and agreement made. In the Anan where partnership is formed by the wealth of two or more parties, any loss suffered by the company would be shared among the partners in proportion to the capital they put in. In the Abdan where partnership is based on services provided by the partners, loss is shared according to the salaries/wages of the partners. In the Mudharaba where partnership is based on capital from one party and labour from another, loss is incurred by the owner of capital while the provider of labour loses his wage/salary. From these elementary rules and structures, many other forms of company can be formed. In all cases, profit is shared according to mutual agreement independent of the amount of capital or service/labour provided.

Through this arrangement, continuous business investment keeps employment levels high and both the rich and the poor have the potential to get richer.