KARACHI: Dr Humayon Dar, Director General of the Cambridge Institute of Islamic Finance, United Kingdom, visited the Saylani Welfare Head Office and the Zaitoon Ashraf IT Park on Tuesday.
He also met the Founder and Chairman of Saylani Welfare International Trust, Maulana Muhammad Bashir Farooq Qadri.
Dr Dar showed deep interest in Saylani’s educational initiatives, vocational training programs, employment-generation schemes, healthcare services, and several other welfare projects. He said he was pleased to see the high standards of performance across all departments, noting that Saylani Welfare has become a practical and outstanding “global philanthropic model.”
He added that Muslim countries and the wider world should adopt and promote such a humanitarian model, which reflects the true spirit of Islamic welfare. Saylani’s philanthropic framework, he said, is worthy of replication in other countries as well.
He also agreed on the need for joint efforts to strengthen Islamic banking globally.
Earlier, Muhammad Islam Ahmad, Head of the Islamic Finance Wing at the Saylani School of Business and Islamic Leadership (SBIL) and former Senior Joint Director of the State Bank of Pakistan, welcomed the dignitary and briefed him on Saylani’s various initiatives. Also present were CEO Saylani Mufti Madni Raza; Shariah Board advisors Mufti Syed Zahid Siraj, Mufti Muhammad Nadeem Siddiqui, Mufti Nauman Kareem, Mufti Haider Ali Lashari; and Furqan Aslam from Saylani’s CSR wing.
Maulana Bashir Farooq Qadri informed Dr Dar about two meetings held with the Governor State Bank of Pakistan within the past month regarding the transition to an interest-free banking system.
Dr Dar revealed that among Muslim countries, Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia have made the most progress in Islamic banking.
Maulana Bashir Farooq reiterated that an interest-free system is the only practical solution to the economic difficulties faced by Muslims in Pakistan and across the world. According to Islamic teachings, he said, an interest-based economic system constitutes a declaration of war against Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), and those who engage in it may face consequences both in this world and the Hereafter.
He further said that Saylani’s Islamic banking experts are continuously working on this initiative and are fully prepared to support the State Bank in every possible way. “We have also invited the Governor State Bank to visit Saylani so he can witness our efforts firsthand,” he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025