The Relevance of Maqasid al Shari'ah to Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing

Abstract

The modern financial system has continuously been traumatised by money laundering and terrorism financing. This is partly because it is a concept that revolves around the complex relationship between money and crime. The challenges posed by these menaces have become a phenomenon that the world has ceaselessly looked for means to address. Yet launderers and terrorists continue to perfect methods of perpetuating their illegal activities, while the havoc created by the menace of these crimes are enormous and remains unquantifiable in term of the actual estimate. Interestingly, Maqasid al Shari'ah has caught the attention of several Muslim scholars as a useful tool that can resolve several contemporary issues. Consequently, examining the relevance of Maqasid al Shari'ah which is the basis of Islamic Finance on money laundering and terrorist financing (AML/CFT) is desirable. The focus of this chapter, therefore, is to examine the relevance of Maqasid al Shari'ah in the fight against the menace of money laundering and terrorism financing