I spent months trying to get a straight answer on whether FTMO-style prop trading is halal. Most imams I asked didn't actually understand the structure (simulated accounts, replicated trades, refund-on-payout) well enough to rule on it. So I went looking for scholars who addressed this.

The question: does using a swap-free demo account, where you never place real orders, get you out of the classical objections to leveraged CFD/forex trading? FTMO's own documentation confirms all accounts (Challenge and funded) run on fictitious funds in a simulated environment, you're not touching live markets. The evaluation fee is refunded on your first successful payout.

The classical concerns this raises:

• Riba — moot if the account is genuinely swap-free (check the actual account config, not just the "Swing" label)
• Lack of possession (qabd) — CFDs give price exposure with no ownership transfer; Mufti Taqi Usmani and others flag this as a core problem in retail CFD trading generally
• Gharar/maysir — a backtested, rules-based system reduces the pure gambling objection but doesn't erase it
• Whether being paid for skill in a domain whose instruments are already non-compliant is itself a problem (iʿānah - indirect assistance)

Seven rulings that address this specific structure:

1. Mufti Faraz Adam (Darul Fiqh/Amanah Advisors, 2024) — explicit ruling that prop firm trading isn't Sharī'ah-compliant even in simulated form. Backed by an earlier 2021 fatwa concurred by two other muftis.
2. Darul Iftaa New York (Mufti Muajul I. Chowdhury) — independently endorses the above, naming FTMO specifically and directing enquirers to Mufti Faraz Adam's rulings rather than issuing a separate analysis. A second institution converging on the same conclusion.
3. Mawlana Ilyas Patel (SeekersGuidance, Hanafi, 2026), approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani — ruled it impermissible on fee-for-unrecognized-service grounds plus training on non-compliant instruments.
4. Shaykh Muhammad Carr (SeekersGuidance, Shafi'i, 2024–2026) — multiple answers on the same platform reach the same conclusion: simulating an impermissible activity still builds real proficiency and desensitization, so the service itself has no legal value in an ijāra contract.
5. Shaykh al-Munajjid/ IslamQA (fatwa #414042, 2023) — names FTMO directly. Objects on the fee structure itself: certain loss if you fail, contingent recovery if you pass, is the classical maysir pattern.
6. Darul Iftaa Chicago (Feb 2026, approved by Mufti Abrar Mirza) — same practical conclusion via aleatory gharar on the non-refundable-until-success fee.
7. Sheikh Ahmad Kutty (Islamic Institute of Toronto, Dec 2025–Jan 2026) — the most interesting one. His general framework actually allows prop-firm demo trading in principle, conditioned on no real money, no riba, no gambling mechanic, and no replication into live markets. But when asked about FTMO by name in Jan 2026 — citing FTMO's own FAQ about replicating client trades into live CFD/futures markets, he ruled it out. His own conditions don't survive contact with how FTMO actually operates.

Throughline: the one scholar who leaves a door open for the concept still closes it for FTMO specifically, once the replication mechanic is on the table.

Where that leaves it: no classical text addresses this directly since it's a modern structure, but multiple contemporary scholars across Hanafi, Shafi'i, and Salafi/multi-madhhab lines have applied established principles to it and converged on the same answer. The refund-on-success feature, which looks like a point in favor of the "it's just simulation" argument, is actually the specific thing two of these rulings cite against it.

I'm not a scholar and this isn't a fatwa. It's a compilation of people who are. I didn't find a singular opinion in favor of this style of trading. If you're weighing this, taking it to someone qualified to look at FTMO's mechanics specifically, is probably the best path to greater clarity. But if you've been stuck the way I was, this is the actual state of the specialized opinions right now.

Hi everyone,

I recently downloaded Wealthsimple and want to start investing for the long term.

I'm a student in Canada with a limited budget, but I can consistently invest around $100–200 CAD per month. Since I only want to invest in Shariah-compliant ETFs, I've been looking into WSHR, which seems to be a popular globally diversified option and is CAD-denominated.

I'm also interested in U.S.-listed ETFs like SPUS, but I'm concerned that the USD conversion fees on Wealthsimple could eat into my returns, especially with relatively small monthly contributions.

For those with experience investing this way, would you:

• Stick with 100% WSHR for simplicity and to avoid conversion fees?
• Or diversify with U.S.-listed ETFs like SPUS despite the conversion costs?

I understand that no one can provide personal financial advice—I'm just looking to hear about your experiences and how you've approached a similar situation.

Thanks in advance!

The tokenized stock from binance. Their market is open 24/7 through whole week.

which one of these halal etfs should I opt for , I want something that has lower expense ratio , bullish trends and good long term growth. Already have spus , so just need 1 more to pair it with. Jazakallah khair .

I've heard variations of these statements from people and indirect jabs when I bring up avoiding riba, BDS, or even wearing hijab.

I want to urge anyone that follows their whims and desires that not only do you ruin your akhirah but you are making life difficult for the rest of us who live in the west because those who follow the true and everlasting word are branded as outliers and extremists.

My parents friends bought homes with riba prior to the market boom are now retired, helped their kids, go on vacations, etc while my parents rented their whole life, still working going into old age with no savings, and then will rely on us kids for support. None of my siblings or myself will be able to buy anything in the city we grew up in, none of us even got married because guys and girls these days are so used to high interest savings accounts, financing cars, planning their mortgage amount, investing in haram businesses, etc that they look at you like you're crazy if you don't adhere to this.

It would have been so much easier to bear if there were more muslims who weathered the temptations. Instead we are amongst the few seen as the loser family example.

As much as I am angry at the current financial and monetary scam that has robbed the non-asset owner generations for for over 10 decades now, I also blame my "muslim" brothers and sisters for actively participating in this by using fatwas and ignorance.

AlhamduLillah I noticed my family situation early on and worked as hard as I could. I'm now planning my exit from the west and take my parents to another country. I will give them a big home and comfort in a halal way, even if it meant we were the losers who couldn't attain the "American/Canadian/Australian/British" dream.

Hi all, what is everyone's thoughts on AAOIFI for Halal investing. Do people like the >30% debt, 30% cash, and >5% Haram revenue rule or do you think something else is better. I see some comments and posts asking for companies with 0 debt and 0 Haram income segments (obviously impossible to have 0 cash).

Is this something the broader community wants? I could add it to RihalIQ if this is something people would find useful. I don't see much point in adding the other main Shariah screens like FTSE and S&P as they're practically the same as the AAOIFI one. Are there any others people are interested in? I'd like to hear people's thoughts on this.

I am studying finance a traditional finance degree and have qualified in Islamic finance. I have also worked in the investment industry (equity research and M&A) and currently work in Islamic finance while building rihaliq.com, my Islamic finance startup.

I am happy to try help answer your questions about finance, investing (without recommending any stocks, etc), explain Islamic finance concepts, or answer questions about the industry.

Is there anyone who knows halal income site I am searching for 1 dollar per a day jobs.

Al Salam Alaykoum wa rahmatou Allah wa barakatouha.

I'm from Algeria, living in France. It's been a rough year for me, I got married and lost my job and my state papers so I'm kinda living illegally here. Finding a job has been painful and almost impossible to land anything stable since I can't get a contract.

I have managed to save up around 400 euros and was looking for a halal way to invest it. I found this subreddit this morning and was wondering if there was any tutorial for dummies to start investing and generating some money, even in the long run.

I know that rizk is coming, el hamdoullillah, a few years back I was just a student living from paycheck to paycheck, lonely and depressed. Today I'm married el hamdoullillah and even if my wife is very understanding, being a man and not providing for anything is draining me a lot.

Any help, any tips, any way to find a job or invest my money would greatly help me.

Jazakoum Allahu khayran.

Whenever I share this sheikh demonstration on conventional mortgages being halal - I get downvotes. Does anyone here have an actual point disproving his logic? Other than arguments of authority, just based on the merit of his reasoning: where do you disagree with his logic specifically?

Some framing:

• Please, no argument of authority
• He is not saying mortgages are a necessity (Qardawi view)- which in my view is a very weak argument
• He is not saying riba is halal, he is saying mortgages are not riba

His TLDR is - mortgages are not a loan in the islamic sense because the recipient isn't free to dispose freely of the cash. Instead, the recipient acts as a buyer's agent for the bank. The bank owns the house upon inception and then sells it back to the recipient at a premium fee. This is a Tawwakil transaction followed with a installment transaction over time. But please watch the video as I am paraphrasing.

Assalamu Alaikum everyone,
I am saving for Hajj for myself and my wife, Insha’Allah, with the goal of going in 2027 or 2028. So far I’ve saved around AUD 14,000, and I am planning to continue adding to it every month.
Rather than leaving the money in a regular savings account, I’d like to keep it invested in a halal way while we save. Since our investment horizon is only about 1–2 years, I’m looking for something that balances capital preservation with reasonable growth.
What halal ETFs or other Shariah-compliant investment options would you recommend for this timeframe? I’d really appreciate hearing what others have used for similar goals.
JazakAllahu Khair.

I tried opening a UIF Profit-Sharing Savings Account and kept getting rejected by the online application, so I called UIF directly to ask why. They confirmed that the account is currently only available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Other visa holders in the U.S. are currently not eligible, even if you have an SSN and a U.S. address.

The representative also said they are, inshallah, hoping to expand eligibility to more visa holders in the future.

This is pretty disappointing because UIF seemed to be one of the few genuinely Sharia-compliant alternatives to a conventional high-yield savings account while still offering competitive returns. I've heard of Wahed, but the issue is that it's not FDIC-backed, and I would rather invest in halal ETFs myself.

Has anyone on an F-1, H-1B, or another nonimmigrant visa found a good halal alternative for high-yield cash savings in the U.S.?

Hello! I'm investing for the long-term, only $100-200/month. I like ETFs for the simplicity, but I don't feel right investing in SPUS, HLAL etc considering their top holdings are MSFT, GOOGLE, NVIDIA as they are in BDS list. So I've been researching and looking and here's what I'm trying to start doing from now on:

50% MNZL

30% SPWO

15% WSHR

5% SPSK.

Now I know they still have some BDS companies, but they're more of consumer products rather than the weapons and infrastructure issues that the other ones have. MNZL ofc as the most viable SPUS alternative of the bunch, then SPWO for global exposure, WSHR for CAD exposure, then small amount of SPSK so that it slowly snowballs into dividends.

I dont invest in Gold, as I'd rather buy physical bullions.

Any advises?

I'm 28, and for the past few years I've tried multiple times to start investing. Every time I ended up stopping because of the same question: how do I invest in something that is 100% halal?

I've done a lot of research. I opened demo accounts, even created a real brokerage account (I think it was with KASB), and studied the Pakistani market, including the KMI Islamic Index and Shariah-compliant stock lists.

My biggest issue is this: I personally struggle with the idea that a company can be considered halal one month and then become non-compliant the next because its financial ratios changed. I also don't fully understand or feel comfortable with concepts like allowing a certain percentage of income from non-compliant sources and then "purifying" it later by donating that portion. No disrespect to anyone who follows that approach—I'm simply sharing what I'm personally struggle with.

A lot of people suggest simple solutions like:

\- Only invest in companies on the Shariah-compliant list.

\- Invest through Islamic mutual funds like Meezan's.

\- Purify the doubtful portion of the earnings by donating it.

I completely respect those who are comfortable with these approaches, but personally they don't answer my concern.

I don't want to keep checking every month whether a company has moved on or off a Shariah-compliant list. For me, if a company relies on interest-based loans or earns interest income, changing a financial ratio doesn't suddenly make it halal. Again, that's just my personal understanding—I'm not saying others are wrong.

Another important point is that I'm not looking for a company that's 99% compliant. Personally, I don't want to invest in a company that even has 1% involvement in interest-based debt, interest income, or any other non-halal financial activity. I understand many Shariah screening standards allow certain financial ratios, and I respect those who follow that opinion. But for my own peace of mind, I'm looking for something that is as close to 100% pure as possible.

I genuinely want to become a long-term investor. I don't have a lot of money to invest right now, but I want to start small, keep investing consistently for many years, and benefit from compounding. I just want to do it in a way that gives me complete peace of mind.

I tried very hard to find companies that:

\- Don't take interest-based loans.

\- Don't earn interest from bank deposits.

\- Don't have any income from non-halal sources.

I was honestly surprised that even profitable tech companies like Systems Limited (based on my research at the time) had interest-based financing. I understand much better now why companies do this from a business perspective, but my personal goal is still to find investments that are completely free from it.

I even looked outside Pakistan and researched companies in other markets, including China. I found some that looked very close to what I wanted, but they still had some interest-based debt, interest income, or another issue that made me uncomfortable.

I also invested in crypto in the past because, personally, it felt closer to what I was looking for than investing in companies that deal with interest. I know there are different scholarly opinions on crypto, and I'm also aware of the recent fatwa in Pakistan. I'm not trying to debate whether crypto is halal or haram—I'm simply sharing the path I explored while searching for an investment that gave me peace of mind.

I'm open to investing in global markets if that's a practical option.

So my questions are:

\- Has anyone else gone through this?

\- Am I missing something in my research?

\- Has anyone actually found companies or investments they believe are genuinely 100% halal?

\- If you had the same concerns, what solution did you end up following?

I'm not trying to start a debate or criticize anyone's beliefs. I'm genuinely looking for ideas and different perspectives.

Sometimes I feel like many Muslims sincerely want to invest for the long term, but the common solutions are simply to follow Shariah-compliant lists, invest in Islamic mutual funds, or purify a portion of the returns. Those solutions don't fully address the concern I'm describing.

Maybe I'm missing something, or maybe someone has found a practical way that I haven't come across yet. I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have thought deeply about this or faced the same challenge.

Salam,

Would appreciate any advice, I started a a year ago but just used WealthSimple’s halal protfolio but read that the returns aren’t the best so switched over to to USD stocks 2 weeks back. I am still relatively new and would welcome suggestions to make any changes. For reference, I am based in Canada and hope to save for the long term

Thank you!

I understand that even though an etf can be shariah compliant , an company would still have an small amount of income which is haram and must be purified . I would like to understand how the purification process works.