Guided Reflections: Crafting Decisions in Times of Uncertainty by Dr. Omar Suleiman

In our world today, times of uncertainty are a natural component of human life. Global health crises, economic fluctuation, social problems, and humanitarian crises prove that our future remains uncertain. Humans should not rely on the stability of anything; instead, they should be prepared to adapt and respond resiliently to these inevitable changes and challenges.

Maybank Islamic recently organised a session with Dr. Omar Suleiman, a Palestinian-American renowned Islamic scholar, in Kuala Lumpur to discuss these issues from the Islamic perspective.

Dr. Omar Suleiman talked about times of uncertainty, quoting that as Muslims, our approach to time is fundamentally rooted in the belief that all times are uncertain, regardless of their apparent stability. In these uncertain times, significant changes in technology, finance, and politics could also drastically alter the world in the next decade.

Below are three key takeaways from the sharing session:

1. Enhancement of Islamic social finance: Islamic social finance instruments, such, zakat, waqf and sadaqah are designed to balance the wealth within society and prevent economic exploitation. These instruments can be enhanced through integrating into spiritual and social strategies beyond a mere legal framework to foster impactful change.
2. Collaboration and cooperation among corporate leaders: Collaboration and cooperation among leaders are crucial to allow them to tap into a diverse range of knowledge, opinions and ideas. By fostering effective collaboration, leaders can significantly improve the decision-making and planning, paving the way for a brighter future.
3. Islamic wealth management: One of the common misconceptions about writing a will (wasiyyah) is some people consider it as unnecessary due to the existence of faraid ruling. The fact is, writing a will is crucial as it relates to wealth distribution and managing wealth during times of uncertainty to ensure continued rewards in the hereafter. In today's financial landscape, Islamic wealth management instruments have been developed specifically for wealth distribution to provide solutions in light of wasiyyah rulings and other Islamic concepts.

This session was held in conjunction with Maybank Islamic Shariah Discourse 2024 to support continuous learning and enhancement of Shariah knowledge among Board Members, Shariah Committee and Senior Management.

It was attended by 58 esteemed participants, including the Board of Directors, Shariah Committee, and Senior Management of Maybank Islamic, Maybank Group, Maybank Investment Bank, Maybank Islamic Asset Management, MAHB, ETIQA, and other selected participants.

Watch the insightful session by Dr. Omar Suleiman here: https://youtu.be/AHhI1XrbHb0

Don’t miss out on this valuable experience.