Pass if: prohibited revenue ÷ total revenue ≤ ~5% AND interest-bearing debt ÷ (market-cap or total-asset base) ≤ standard's cap (e.g. ~30%)
Sharia screening filters stocks against Islamic finance rules.
What it is
Sharia stock screening is the process of checking whether a company complies with Islamic investment principles. It has two parts: a business-activity screen that excludes companies earning meaningful revenue from prohibited areas such as alcohol, gambling, conventional interest-based banking, and pork, and a financial screen that limits how much debt, interest income, and non-compliant assets a company can have relative to its size.
Why it matters
Screening lets faith-conscious investors align their portfolios with Islamic principles, and the financial ratio limits also screen out highly leveraged companies as a side effect. The pitfalls are that different standards bodies use different thresholds and denominators, a stock can move in and out of compliance as its finances change, and screening is not investment advice about whether a stock is a good buy.
How it's calculated
A company passes if its prohibited-activity revenue stays under a small tolerance (commonly around 5%) and its financial ratios, such as interest-bearing debt relative to market capitalization (or total assets, depending on the standard), stay under defined caps set by the chosen standard.
How Quintarthai uses it
Quintarthai offers opt-in, AAOIFI-based Sharia screening with pass and fail verdicts on the Sharia screening page.
Cross-border note. The same AAOIFI logic applies to both US and Canadian stocks, but the figures it relies on may be reported under US GAAP (SEC filings) or IFRS (SEDAR+ filings), which can differ in how debt and assets are classified.
FAQ
Does a passing stock stay compliant forever?
No. Compliance can change as a company's debt, interest income, or business mix shifts, so screens are re-evaluated periodically and a stock can move from pass to fail or back.
Is Sharia screening the same as a buy recommendation?
No. Screening only assesses religious permissibility under a set of rules; it does not judge whether the stock is fairly valued or a good investment.
Check your understanding
Sharia stock screening typically involves which two components?
Sharia screening combines a business-activity screen (excluding prohibited revenue like alcohol or gambling) with financial-ratio limits on debt and interest income.