Ensure financial resilience through permissible financial tools and products.
Accomplish your goals with financial planning appropriate for Muslims.
Achieve financial wellbeing through Islamic financial education.
Our Story
The number of Muslims is on the rise in the US. This is due to several factors including high rate of immigration from Muslim countries and high birth rate among Muslim families. American Muslims are sometimes unaware of the Islamic rules of financial transactions which may result in them getting involved financial products or institutions that are not shariah compatible. Even those Muslims that look for shariah compatibility before getting involved in any financial contracts, they would often fail to find them. Although, the Islamic finance industry is growing steadily around the globe, it is still a tiny, and often localized, niche within the US financial system. It is true that the landscape of Islamic finance is also expanding in the US, but it is still inadequate compared to the growing size of the Muslim communities. Therefore, we began to realize the need for an initiative to educate American Muslims the basics of Islamic financial principles, products and institutions.
Then came the COVID–19 that affected the entire world. During the pandemic, many people, individuals and families lost their jobs. Many other died, who were wage-earners or breadwinners for the family. Families with low income were hit hard. Affected families were unable to navigate this hard time with appropriate financial decisions, for many reasons including lack of knowledge and preparation. This also applies to Muslim families who found it very challenging to reach out to conventional sources of financing during the times of difficulty.
It is in this backdrop, we decided to create an organization which would help the underserved low-income families or middle-income families to understand financial literacy in the first place, and then to apply their knowledge and understanding in planning for their unpredictable financial events in their lives. This is the shortest story about the birth of this website.
Mission
Purity Institute of Islamic Finance (PIIF) wants to promote Islamic financial literacy and education among American Muslims, especially, its underprivileged segments and encourage financial planning compatible with religious guidelines which would create sustainable financial strength among them resulting in greater individual financial wellbeing, social harmony, and economic equity.
Vision
Purity Institute of Islamic Finance (PIIF) hopes to enhance Americans Muslims’ integration into mainstream financial systems by promoting Islamic financial literacy, education, planning and research to facilitate sustainable economic well-being and equity within and beyond their communities across the country.
Outcome
The expected outcome of this initiative with respect to American Muslims
- Improved financial literacy and wellbeing.
- Enhanced Social harmony and economic equity.
- Lower extremism arising from inequity and poverty.
- Greater social and economic integration.
Our Purposes
The Purity Institute of Islamic Finance is a project of the Purity Financial Education and Planning. The purposes of Purity Financial Education and Planning as set forth in the Articles of Incorporation, is charitable within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the corresponding provision of any future Federal tax law (“Section 501(c)(3)”). More specifically, the objectives and purposes of this organization shall include but not limited to the following:
- To enhance Americans’ integration into mainstream financial systems,
- To promote financial literacy, education, planning and research, and
- To facilitate sustainable economic well-being and equity.
We expect to reach out to the underserved population in the US including immigrants who often form ethnic and religious minority communities. Our specific focus of this website is to educate Muslim communities in the US principles of financial literacy that will help them succeed in their economic endeavor. Members belonging to underserved communities are often not integrated with the mainstream financial system. This can be due to their lack of financial access or financial literacy which would result in financial capability in the short run and financial wellbeing in the long run.
Our Programs
Informative Webinar & Invited Lecture
Educational Literature & Videos
Planning & Counseling
Research & Analysis
Sharing Financial Knowledge
Partnership & Collaboration
Financial Education
Financial education allows individuals to understand concepts of finance as they applied to personal and family financial situation. It is a broader term which includes another popular concept, namely, financial literacy. Islamic Financial literacy provides foundation for financial knowledge about financial products and instruments from an Islamic perspective that one can choose from to achieve financial goals that are compatible with Islamic concepts of human wellbeing. Financial literacy or numeracy can be defined as mathematical and numerical skills while financial knowledge is related to financial products and consumer choices and decision making.
Financial Planning
Personal financial planning is one of the important tasks every individual and family should consider working on. It helps understand the current financial position of an individual or a family and identify future goals and objectives in the short and long run. It also involves preparing a detailed financial plan to be able to reach those objectives. American Muslims need getting involved in financial planning like any other family. However, it is even more true for immigrant Muslims who would be careful in selecting financial products and financial institution that fulfil religious rules on financial transactions.
According to CFP Board online portal financial planning involves working with individuals’ “entire financial picture” with an aim “to achieve their short- and long-term financial goals”. CFP Board considers financial planning as a comprehensive exercise ‘from saving for education and planning for retirement to effectively managing taxes and insurance” which would result in “confidence today and a more secure tomorrow” (www.cfp.net).
You can also participate in this noble effort!
Consider donating to strengthen our initiative and promote financial literacy and wellbeing among the financially underserved in the US!
Your donation is tax-deductible!