Financing homes by employing Ijara based diminishing Musharaka
Authors: Selim Mohammad 
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how homes can be purchased and financed by using Ijara-based diminishing Musharaka (IDM) modes of financing and thus both the home buyer (HB) and Islamic Bank (IB) become joint owners and share rental income jointly according to their respective shares. Such practice can help to avoid interest-based mortgage financing and eliminates excessive risks of bankruptcy as it often happens in conventional interest-based system.

Design/methodology/approach

A mathematical model as well as rental income, payments and share schedules for IDM will be developed where both the HB and IB will initially own the home. As the HB gradually pays off the principal amount, his or her share will increase while the share of the IB will gradually decrease as stipulated in the contract. Eventually, the HB will buy back all the shares and thus will own the home without paying for mortgage interest and taking excessive risks of foreclosures or living in constant fear of losing home over approximately 20 to 30 years of the tenure of the mortgage payments.

Findings

The HB can own home without paying any interest and without taking excessive risks of foreclosures. The HB is not borrower rather partners in business. In addition, the HB can minimize the total payments compared to interest-based mortgage financing. In the current IDM model, payments are flexible, and the HB will not be required to make regular installment payments, rather he or she receives regular rental income if the HB chooses not to live in the home. Even if HB lives in the home, part of the home can be rented, and the HB will receive regular share of rental income in each month. The HB will not lose the home even if he does not pay any installment while in interest-based mortgage system, the HB may lose the home if the HB stops installment payments even for a couple of months after paying for 29 years for 30 years mortgage. IDM mode of financing is risk free and worry free, and it instantaneously creates rental income for the HB, like any other business.

Originality/value

The current IDM model is one of the most recent, and unique approach of home financing, and it is extremely flexible and free from many restrictions compared to the existing similar models. Many of the existing diminishing Musharaka models impose many restrictions on the HB, such as the HB cannot even own or rent the place, cannot remodel or rebuild the place unless the HB pays off all the outstanding price of the home. If the current flexible IDM model is implemented, it will be truly revolutionary and even the people from other faith group will be extremely interested to join as HB and buy their homes by pursuing IDM mode of financing because it is risk free as well as it will free HB from the financial slavery of monthly installment payments for about two to three decades, especially during the most important and most valuable prime life time of the HB. The IDM model will unveil a potential and a promise to financial freedom by removing all constraints and preconditions in purchasing and financing homes.