Practical analysis for investment professionals
03 May 2013

Recommended Reading: The Best Books on Islamic Finance (Video)

A frequent question on the minds of those interested in learning about Islamic finance is, “What’s the best book that I should read?” To answer this question, I spoke with Rodney Wilson, a professor at the University of Durham and a well-known commentator on Islamic finance. His office seemed to have every known title on Islamic finance nicely stacked into his book shelves.


The video interview covers the books that Wilson recommends, and for your convenience, I have also provided a list of these books below:

If there are other books in Islamic finance that you have found useful, please share their titles using the comments section below.


Please note that the content of this site should not be construed as investment advice, nor do the opinions expressed necessarily reflect the views of CFA Institute.

About the Author(s)
Usman Hayat, CFA

Usman Hayat, CFA, writes about sustainable, responsible, and impact investing and Islamic finance. He is the lead author of "Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues in Investing: A Guide for Investment Professionals;" the literature review, "Islamic Finance: Ethics, Concepts, Practice;" and the research report "Sustainable, Responsible, and Impact Investing and Islamic Finance: Similarities and Differences." He is interested in online learning and has directed three e-courses for CFA Institute: "ESG-100," "Islamic Finance Quiz," and "Residual Income Equity Valuation." The other topics he writes about are macroeconomics and behavioral finance. He has experience working in securities regulation and as an independent consultant. His qualifications include the CFA charter, the FRM designation, an MBA, and an MA in development economics. He has served as a content director at CFA Institute. He is a former executive director at the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and former CEO of the Audit Oversight Board (Pakistan). His personal interests include reading and hiking.

14 thoughts on “Recommended Reading: The Best Books on Islamic Finance (Video)”

    1. Johan Tristan Aslim,

      Thanks for visiting the blog and sharing the link.

  1. Islamic Financial System: Operations & Operations, ISRA (International Shariah Research Academy for Islamic Finance) ISBN 978-967-349-181-0

  2. Imranullah Khan says:

    Understanding Islamic Finance by Muhammad Ayub, excellent book especially the chapters on Islamic Contracts (the backbone of operational Islamic finance).

  3. Mobin Sheikh says:

    Thank you brothers for sharing !!!

  4. Roslan Abdul Razak says:

    Assalamu’alaykum.

    There are many books on Islamic finance, but the best that I have came across for those who wish to understand the basic Islamic financial system are :

    1. Islamic Financial System: Operations & Operations, ISRA (International Shariah Research Academy) – written by many scholars, academicians as well as practitioners, including experiences from central bank.

    2. Understanding Islamic Finance by Muhammad Ayub (Wiley)

    3. A book written by Dr Muhammad Imran Asraf Usmani (apologies can’t recall the title)

    Allahuallam. Wassalam.

    1. Roslan Abdul Razak,

      Thanks for visiting our blog and sharing your suggestions. Much appreciated.

  5. nice video i will try to read them thanks sir

    1. Thanks for visiting our blog.

      1. NS Arif says:

        You will find this particular book on Islamic finance extremely interesting.

        Book : Murabaha Financing vs Lending on Interest written by Qazi Irfan

        Here is the link:
        https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0842B5GKV

  6. hina says:

    An introduction to islamic finance is also good for prior knowledge

  7. Faisal mahmud says:

    Assalamu alaikum, Uthman Hayyat, i am currently a postgraduate student of islamic banking and finance, please how can i get and buy above listed books?

  8. This is the future. I think the world will turn to the Islamic Finance once it is properly institutionalised and provided adequate ISLAMIC securities.

  9. MD ANWARUL ISLAM CHOWDHURY says:

    Good sources of specific knowledge and wisdom

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