Purpose This paper aims to examine the practical issues in the Musharakah Mutanaqisah (MM) financing and subsequently, recommends possible solutions to mitigate these issues and improve the current practice. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyses the theory and current practices of MM offered by Islamic banks. Findings It is suggested that Islamic financial institutions consider revaluation of property’s value to its fair value, especially during termination of MM contract and annual or agreed periodic review of the market value of the assets to determine the “rental” payments by the customer. It is also recommended that Islamic financial institutions should share all associated costs in performing the contract. Research limitations/implications Research findings reported in this paper contribute to the body of knowledge on MM in general and to the Islamic finance practices in Malaysia and abroad. Indeed, the Malaysia Central Bank (i.e. Bank Negara Malaysia) should form a special committee to look into the issues highlighted in this paper and recommend strict guidelines for Islamic financial institutions to improve their practices. Practical implications Islamic banks should extend the use of MM contract in automobile and trade financing where rent or profit could be easily identified and value of the asset is more certain. The regulators and Islamic financial standard setting authorities need to oversee the Shari’ah board decisions on MM contracts and keep the gates in the interest of ensuring a more viable and authentic Islamic finance industry. Originality/value This paper briefly views the current mode of MM contracts, specifically for home financing, and highlights the incompliance to Shari’ah requirements in exercising these contracts in practice.

Purpose This paper aims to develop and validate a scale for Islamic conception of psychological nature of man. Al-Ghazali’s model of psychological nature of man considered as the theoretical background of the study. Design/methodology/approach Content validity test and factor analysis are used to refine measurement items and define and validate the scale. In total, 362 samples were collected from Islamic banking practitioners in UAE. Findings Item statements are refined through content validation test. Three dimensions are extracted, i.e. “Intellect,” “Satanic element” “Divine Knowledge,” through exploratory factor analysis and evidence of validation of scale/construct is reported through confirmatory factor analysis. Research limitations/implications As a caveat, it is critical to emphasize that Al-Ghazali’s model is based on religion (Islam). It should be noted that the scope of the theoretical aspects of the study is limited to the beliefs based on the Islamic tradition. Practical implications It is believed that the scope of the developed and validated measurement scale is broad as the nature of the scale is universal and can be applied in any kind of organization in which the study requires capturing Islamic religious aspects with special reference to understanding the psychological nature of individuals associated with the organization and better understanding of their decision-making pattern. Social implications Understanding or examining the psychological nature of human beings is always been an interesting area to study as they are the pillars of the society. Required policies can be formulated or adjusted according to the empirical evidence indicated in the study in respective field of the society. Originality/value To the best of author’s knowledge, this is an initial attempt that developed and validated a scale based on the Islamic philosophy, with focus on psychological nature man. Further, the application of the methodology used in the study supports the statistical robustness to the findings, which is relatively rigorous and novel approach in the area of study.

This study aims to examine the ethical dimensions of Islamic bankers, with a reference to the factors influencing decision-making behavior related to ethical issues based on al-Ghazali's ethical philosophy. The findings reveal the manner in which Islamic banking practitioners brace themselves into situations that warrant the use of reason in making decisions related to ethical issues, where desires tend to dominate human choices. While the guidance of divine knowledge has been found to be ineffective in decision-making, the element of satanic force was found to significantly influence this process. The insignificant heterogeneous effect of work experience suggests that banking authorities should intensify the capacity building in the area of ethical teachings and the foundation of Islamic faith, regardless of the job tenure of employees. This study contributes to the growing literature on the ethical aspects in Islamic banking and organizational behavior by offering important implications for understanding and refining the ethical stance related to Islamic banking practices based on the Islamic perspective.

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the differences in patronage factors influencing “retail customers” and “institutional clients” to bank Islamically and to identify the reasons bankers perceive that their customers’ bank with them in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach A total of 237; 416; and 70 balanced responses were collected from Islamic bankers, retail customers and institutional clients of UAE, respectively. Weighted average scores were computed for ranking the selection criteria factors across the data set and paired comparison analysis was conducted to analyse the variation of selection criteria between the data sets. Findings Empirical results indicate that Islamic banking practitioners maintain an identical perception with retail customers in relation to the selection criteria of Islamic banking products and services, with the “Sharīʿah-compliance” factor dominating other factors under examination. With respect to the perception regarding institutional/corporate clients, Islamic bankers exhibited a divergent perception in connection with selection criteria of Islamic banking products and services and the factor “cost and affordability” and “rates and return” are prioritized above factor “Sharīʿah-compliance”. Research limitations/implications The scope of the study is limited to a single country. Hence, the finding of this study cannot be generalized to the other regions. Although the study covers a considerable sample from each segment, still there is an avenue for improvement by covering more respondents into the survey. Consequently, the results of this study should be read with these limitations. Further, analysis of the variation among intra divisions of each segment such as Muslim and non-Muslim with respect to retail customers; the different level of management at the banks and focusing the specific sector of the industry is beyond the scope of this study. These directions provide avenues for future research. Practical implications The study provides useful insights for bankers to revisit their marketing strategies to attract and retain more clients. Hence, the findings also suggest policy recommendations for nascent Islamic banking markets to move to the next stages of maturity. The findings of this study have implications for firms’ strategic directions and future investments of organizations, especially when the competition in the industry is intense. Future studies are recommended in other countries where the Islamic financial market share is significant. Originality/value While ample perception studies have carried out in the Islamic banking industry of the UAE, studies that focus on institutional clients, especially with reference to the factors that determine the selection criteria; studies examining banker’s perception towards Islamic banks and their clients (retail and institutional); studies that reconcile the perception of bankers and customers (retail and institutional) are all inadequately covered in existing literatures. This study attempts to fill some of these significant gaps.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the influence of ethical judgement on decision-making behaviour related to ethical issues of Islamic banking practitioners in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a confirmatory approach in which validated/established “normative ethical standards” are taken into the consideration as theoretical underpinning. In total, 262 samples are collected from Islamic banking practitioners in the UAE and data analysis is conducted using structural equation modelling. Findings The empirical findings indicate that the decision-making behaviour related to ethical issues of Islamic banking practitioners in UAE does not adhere to any set of normative ethical standards and respondents are pragmatic in nature when it comes to the decision-making behaviour related to ethical matters. Practical implications The study elucidates to what extent Islamic banking practitioners have encountered themselves with situations that demand the proper attention to the ethical aspects, which affecting decision-making behaviour related to ethical issues. According to the findings, those situations considerably demand the attention of ethical judgement in the decision-making behaviour of Islamic banking practitioners. Hence, it is recommended for Islamic banks in UAE to contain or intensify the training on the importance of ethics, Islamic thought and worldview to enhance corporate decision-making and banking profitability within the purview of Islamic principles. Originality/value While ample emphasis has been given to the juristic (fiqh) aspects of Sharīʿah-compliant in Islamic banking and finance, relatively little has been attempted to explore its ethical dimensions (akhlaq) in the compliance parameters. Further, Sharīʿah-compliant has been product-centric rather than people-centric. While there is numerous literature documented that links ethics and Islamic banking and finance, ethical framework and practice in Islamic finance institutions, studies focusing on the “people” and their “ethical decision-making behaviour” in Islamic financial institutions found missing in the literature. These gaps serve as justification for undertaking this research.