The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of Hire Purchase under Sharikat al-Milk (HPSM) and identify the issues in its application by the Islamic banks in Bangladesh, a major Islamic finance market, with reference to the Shariah and accounting standards of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI). The research identified the essential requirements of AAOIFI Shariah and accounting standards, conducted content analysis of HPSM documents and audited financial statements of Islamic banks, held a focus group discussion with Islamic banking executives and Shariah experts and interviewed professionals in Islamic banking and members of Shariah supervisory committees. Although the HPSM concept was introduced in Bangladesh in 1990, there is no standardisation in its application. The research finds several issues in the application and financial reporting of HPSM by Islamic banks in Bangladesh. HPSM is a widely used mode of financing by Islamic banks in Bangladesh. The identification of the issues underlying HPSM will attract the attention of the practitioners, Shariah scholars, regulators and standard setters to introduce better controls, compliance, regulations and standards. This research provides valuable insights into HPSM by identifying issues in its application by Islamic banks in Bangladesh. Despite its widespread use in the country, there is a significant lack of research highlighting these issues and proposing potential solutions. Addressing these issues is essential for enhancing Shariah compliance and maintaining stakeholder confidence in Islamic banking.

In an increasingly interconnected world, where information flows at the speed of light and communities form with the click of a button, a curious paradox has emerged. We are more connected than ever, yet often find ourselves isolated within digital walls of our own making. We seek out voices that echo our own beliefs, news that confirms our existing biases, and communities that affirm our perspectives without challenge. This phenomenon, the "echo chamber," has become a defining characteristic of our modern discourse, quietly eroding our capacity for empathy, critical thought, and genuine understanding. This book, No echo chambers here: the power of varied voices, is an invitation to break free from these self-imposed intellectual confines. It is a journey into the profound importance of seeking out, listening to, and truly engaging with perspectives that differ from our own.

Ever wondered what really goes on behind those imposing University gates, in the hushed corners of the library, or within the seemingly impenetrable minds of academics? Well, pull up a comfy chair, grab a cuppa kopi o, teh tarik (or something stronger like espresso, depending on your current PhD stress levels), because you're about to embark on a roller coaster journey that's equal parts enlightening, frustrating, and, dare I say, I hilarious. This isn't your average dry, academic textbook. Oh no. This is a tell-all (mostly), a laugh-out-loud (hopefully) look at the the glorious, messy, and utterly unique adventure that is a PhD. Why am I qualified to guide you through this labyrinth, you ask? Because I've lived it. I have survived it. All of it.

This study examines the Islamic banking industry's commitment to ESG (environmental, social and governance principles) in selected countries by assessing it from the maqasid al-Shari'ah (objectives of Islamic law) pyramid perspective. A rigorous quantitative study was conducted using the Refinitiv database, which covered 12 countries from 2020 to 2024, resulting in 497 observations. The study finds statistically significant evidence that the Islamic banking industry sets a high standard of ESG for Islamic banks to comply with at the country level. In the long run, the rate of commitment of the Islamic banking industry to each component of the ESG score is explained by the industrial environmental index score (7.21%), the social index score (25.43%), and the governance index (17.98%), respectively. This parameter provides information about the proportion of the ESG score to which there is a greater commitment than for the others. This suggests that the Islamic banking industry pays more attention to the social index score, followed by governance and the environment. It can therefore be deduced that the Islamic banking industry pays substantial attention to the social aspects as daruriyat (essentials), followed by strengthening governance factors as hajiyyat (needs) and the environmental factor as tahsiniyyat (embellishments). On average, the commitment of Islamic banks to ESG at the country level is statistically significant (49.73%). However, there is still scope for Islamic banks at the country level to increase their commitment. Since ESG commitment varies among Islamic banks, the number of Islamic banks with low ESG commitment contributes to the average being driven down. Therefore, the Islamic banking industry is expected to have a standardised industry benchmark for each ESG component and the combined ESG. This study adds value to the body of knowledge by exploring the Islamic banking industry's commitment to ESG through the three levels of maqasid al-Shari'ah-a first in this area that is not found in previous studies on ESG. The availability of data imposed certain constraints on including more countries beyond the selected Muslim nations. Nonetheless, the findings offer valuable insights for Islamic banks in countries not covered in this study. This study provides Islamic banks with a clear understanding of the extent of their contributions to ESG within the framework of maqasid al-Shari'ah. Therefore, each Islamic bank could re-strategise its approach as necessary. These findings present Islamic banks with the opportunity to examine the environment in which they operate and adhere to the most essential aspects of maqasid al-Shari'ah that are pertinent to that location, thus making their contribution significant to the local community.

While most articles and studies are focused on zakat collection per se, this study would like to explore the optimality of zakat collection rate, albeit actual zakat collection rate versus potential zakat collection rate. Issues such as awareness, education and accountability are among the key obstacles that hinders the optimization of zakat collection rate. This study is explorative in nature. Data was collected from zakat institutions and Department of Statistics Malaysia, which are all publicly available, covering 2005 to 2022. Proxies were used for estimation of potential zakat collection rate, namely fraction of gross domestic product (GDP) and Muslim population. A formula was also used to complete this process. It was found that Kelantan is the state with the highest actual collection rate, followed by Kuala Lumpur and Terengganu. Issues of education, awareness and accountability is also present in this study; hence, better promotion of zakat and accountability of zakat institutions are required to optimize the zakat collection rate in Malaysia.