A startup is simply a company that is up-and-coming. It's growing, it’s brand-new, and they are often raising funds from the public rather than venture-backed capital.

 

By investing in a startup, you basically become a shareholder in that company.

 

One of the companies that I have personally invested in is called Fuchsia. It’s a shoe company based in the United States that employs artisans from Pakistan to make beautiful khusas, or flats with embroidered tops.

 

I love the quality and sustainability of their shoes, and I am always a consumer before I become an investor. And beyond that, when I read more about how this company operates, I felt driven to invest.

 

For me, ethical investing is a huge component of what I choose to invest in. I don't only want the companies to be Sharia-compliant and halal; I want them to be ethical, I want them to be environmentally conscious, and I want the labor force working for those companies to be fairly compensated.

 

These are the three factors that I believe take my investments from average halal investments and elevate them to a level of ihsan, or excellence.

 

I believe these things are the minimum standards that we should be looking for, especially as Muslim women, because remember: it matters where we as women spend.

 

Do you know why? Because every kind of advertisement is majorly focused on women. The shoes, the bags, the clothes, the perfumes, the makeup, the cookware, the decorations…I could go on and on and on.

 

They are targeting our purses. So it’s important that we carefully consider where our money is going.

 

So, back to startups. You don't need a lot of money to become an investor in startups. Some of them have minimum investing, but you can always find something that doesn't require a lot of money.

 

The second investing opportunity I want to discuss came to me through a new book publishing company based out of New York.

 

It was run by two educators and mothers who had a printing press, and they were determined to bring bilingual Spanish books to the community. They also offered independent authors a chance to get their work published.

 

Being an independently published author myself now, I understand and respect them even more. I became an investor with that company because not only were they breaking barriers, but they were creating a community resource and a library of books that would, that would feature what are called “Own Voices” stories. Own Voices stories are books that allow people who belong to a particular country or culture to speak about their country or culture themselves instead of somebody who isn’t part of that culture to speak about it.

 

These books give you an insider look through a first-person lens, and this is extremely important to me, because I believe that if people do not come forward with their own original stories, the nuances are going to be missed.

 

The third Sharia-compliant investment avenue you can invest in is farmland. This is absolutely halal.

 

I found a company that invests in US farmland. They buy out the farmland completely so it's not mortgaged, which means the profit that comes in is simply from the crop that is sold, and you get shares from the profit.

 

This is called a profit-sharing model, but it’s also a real estate investment. When the farm is sold, it's normally sold for two to three times more than what it was bought for, so it's safe investing.

 

Lastly, there’s the tried-and-true investing avenue that’s been around as long as investing itself: gold.

 

Gold bars are absolutely halal, and they are also a great way to protect yourself from recessions because gold intrinsically holds its value.

 

 

I want you to start thinking about just how many Sharia-compliant investment opportunities there are for investing.

 

If farmland doesn't work for you, you can invest in community-oriented ventures. If the gold doesn't work for you, you can invest in a startup.

 

There are so many opportunities that I am able to provide to my current clients. Even if they only do one session, they’ll get access to some of these opportunities that I have personally invested in, and that can take the questions and anxiety out of the investment. It’s a huge deal to have access to these investments where somebody is investing alongside you.

 

All that to say, when people tell you that investing is absolutely not Sharia-compliant, think about these investment opportunities. There are many more out there. And if you’re ready to begin your journey, please reach out to me! I’m happy to help!

 

 

If you're ready to transform the trajectory of your life and the lives of your family members through investing, book a consultation with me: https://www.invest4lifemk.com/services

 

 

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