Glossary

Mudaraba

مضاربة

Definition

A profit-sharing partnership where one party provides capital and the other provides labour and expertise.

Profits are shared at a pre-agreed ratio. Losses are borne by the capital provider, except in cases of negligence by the manager. Mudaraba is one of the two core risk-sharing contracts in Islamic finance.

Modern Islamic banks use mudaraba for investment accounts (the bank manages depositors' money) and for capital-raising by enterprises.

How Mudaraba applies to your trading account

Mudaraba is the structural blueprint behind most halal investment accounts: you provide capital, the manager provides expertise, and profits are shared at a pre-agreed ratio. Losses of capital fall on you unless the manager is negligent.

A Shariah-aligned broker adapts this principle to retail trading by holding client funds in segregated accounts, charging transparent fees for their platform and execution service, and never taking a hidden interest cut on your positions. That is the halal alternative to a conventional brokerage account.

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