I am excited to announce a new workshop on February 11, 2011 at the MCA in Santa Clara. It would be my 4th visit to this center to speak on Islamic Inheritance. I often use the opportunity to do something a little (or a lot) different and add value to those who have seen my [...]
This post is a second on my series on Charity this Ramadan Let’s face it, we live in a society where most Americans do not trust Muslims. While this was certainly not the case in 2001, a general consensus appears to be emerging in the United States, particularly in American media, that all American Muslims [...]
In the Spirit of Ramadan, I will address charity a little more in this space. Monsoon rains in Pakistan caused perhaps the greatest natural disaster of our lifetimes. Yet a statement like that does not mean much merely in the abstract. For those of us with weak ties to Pakistan, who do not know the [...]
Ramadan Mubarak. I wanted to call to your attention a new video up on the www.planislam.com website, 4 Reasons an Islamic Will is likely useless. It can be found here. Your feedback on this is welcome. I also have another video on Asset Protection you can view by clicking on this link. Please feel [...]
I had a question recently from a reader (and not for the first time) on what would be an inappropriate way for Muslims couples to own a home. It may surprise many that I actually change the form of home ownership for most of my clients. You can always own a property individually, that means one person owns it. [...]
Many things that we regard as charitable come with no sacrifice. For example, a smile. Some provide no sacrifice but do provide a tax deduction. Others provide no sacrifice or tax deduction. Fire departments like to burn down homes for training purposes. People donate their homes to provide real world training experience to firefighters. The case [...]
I heard that from a client who said his wife told him this as a joke. But its important to address why shares are the way they are under the Islamic Rules of Inheritance. Of course, a daughter does not always (or even most of the time) receive 13/168. A daughter does not receive a fixed share, but it [...]
Long a topic of discussion at my workshops, because of the contrast it provides with the Islamic Rules of Inheritance, the New York Times did an interesting article on cryonics and how it affects a couple. The perspective is somewhat more sympathetic and complex then what you may expect from someone hostile to the concept. [...]
Yesterday we had a great workshop at Masjid Ibaadillah in Los Angeles. The issues of concern to those who came to Islam later in life are dramaticaly different from most immigrants. Planning also takes into consideration the fact that many people have fewer Muslim relatives and more non-Muslim relatives, who do not inherit by right [...]
Any family considering a “private foundation” should do so only after significant thought has been given to the charitable goals the foundation is supposed to undertake as well as a the level of commitment the family willing to bring to the table. It’s a lot of Money Many well-informed practitioners have recommended to their clients [...]