International Shari'ah Research Academy for Islamic Finance (ISRA)

SHEIKH DR MOHD DAUD BAKAR
Dr Mohd Daud is a Malaysian, currently Chief Executive/President International Institute of Islamic Finance (IIIF) and Amanie Business Solutions Sdn Bhd. He was formerly the Deputy Rector at the International Islamic University Malaysia. He is the Chairman of the Central Shari’ah Advisory Council of the Central Bank Malaysia and a member of Shari’ah Advisory Council of Securities Commission of Malaysia. He also serves as a member of Shari’ah Board of Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions, International Islamic Financial Market (Bahrain), Dow Jones Islamic Market Index, Unicom Investment bank (Bahrain) and BNP Paribas. He received his Bachelor of Shari’ah from the University of Kuwait, Bachelor of Jurisprudence, University of Malaya and PhD from the University of St. Andrews,Scotland.

Dr Mohamed Ali Elgari who is from Saudi Arabia is currently Professor of Islamic Economics at King Abdul Aziz University, Saudi Arabia. He was formerly the Director of Center for Research in Islamic Economics of the same university. He is a member of Shari’ah Supervisory Board of Al-Jazira Bank apart from being an advisor to several financial institutions throughout the world. He is also a member of the Islamic Fiqh Academy of Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), International Islamic Financial Market, Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions and Dow Jones Islamic Market Index. A prolific writer, he has authored several books. He received his PhD in Economics from University of California, United States of America.

Dr Abdul Sattar is a Syrian, currently teaching at several institutions of higher learning including, Imam Al Da’awa Institute in Riyadh and Kuwait University amongst others. He holds the positions of Shari’ah Advisor and Director of the Department of Financial Instruments at Al-Baraka Investment Co. of Saudi Arabia. He is also an active member of the Islamic Fiqh Academy of Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) and Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions. He has performed the valuable task of researching information for the Fiqh Encyclopedia compiled by Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Kuwait, where he was a member of the Fatwa Board from 1982 to 1990. He holds several degrees in Islamic law from different universities including Damascus University and Al-Azhar University in Cairo where he obtained his PhD in Islamic Law.

Dr Mahmood is a Malaysian, currently a professor of Shari’ah at the International Islamic University Malaysia. He was the former Dean of the Faculty of Shari’ah and also the former Director of the Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya. He is the Chairman of the Shari’ah Committee of Public Bank Bhd. and acting as the Shari’ah Advisor to the As-Salihin Trustee Bhd. A very well-known speaker he is frequently invited to give his views on matters affecting the Ummah. He has published more than 20 books. He received his Bachelor in Shari’ah from the Kelantan Higher Islamic Education Foundation, Malaysia, Master in Shari’ah, University of Al-Azhar, Cairo and PhD from the University of Malaya.

Nizam Yaquby hails from Bahrain and is a very successful businessman. He also sits on several Shari’ah Supervisory Board that includes the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions, the International Islamic Financial Market and the Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes. In Malaysia he is also a member of the CIMB Islamic Shari’ah Committee. He has authored several articles and publications on Islamic finance both in English and Arabic. He has a Bachelor of Arts (Economics and Comparative Religions) degree and a Master of Science degree in Finance from McGill University, Canada. He also received guidance in classical Shari’ah from prominent scholars such as Sheikh Abdulla al-Farisi, Sheikh Yusuf al-Siddiqi, Sheikh Muhammed Saleh al-Abasi and Sheikh Muhammed Yasin al-Fadani.

Dr Aznan is a Malaysian, currently an Assistant Professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia, where he specialises in Islamic Commercial Law, Islamic Banking and Law of Zakat. He is a member of Central Shari’ah Advisory Council of the Central Bank Malaysia. He also serves as Shari’ah advisor to various financial institutions and corporate entities. He is also registered with the Securities Commission Malaysia to act as Shari’ah advisor for Islamic unit trust scheme and Islamic securities. He received both his Bachelor and Master in Shari’ah from Al-Azhar University, Cairo and PhD in Shari’ah from the University of Wales, United Kingdom.

Yusof is an American, currently Special Consultant appointed by the Asian Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah. He is considered a leading Islamic scholar in his country where he was at one time the Secretary of the Fiqh Council of North America. In the field of Islamic finance, he serves as Shari’ah advisor to many global financial entities, including index providers, mutual funds, real estate funds, leasing funds, institutional investors, home finance providers and alternative asset managers. Apart from being the first to compile the English translation of legal rulings by Shari’ah supervisory boards on the operations of Islamic banks, he has translated more than twenty books from Arabic, Persian and Urdu for publication in English. He has a degree from Cornel University, USA and is at presence completing his doctoral dissertation on the Legal Rulings of the Quran at Bahawalpur University, Pakistan.