Dr Muhammad Imran Ashraf Usmani is a Pakistani Shariah scholar and Vice Chairman of the Shariah Supervisory Board of Meezan Bank, where he also heads Shariah research, product development and compliance, according to his official biography. He is the author of Meezanbank’s Guide to Islamic Banking (2002) and leads the advisory firm Usmani & Co.
Quick facts: who is Muhammad Imran Ashraf Usmani?
| Country | Pakistan |
| Education | Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi, specialisation in Islamic jurisprudence; advanced qualifications in Islamic economics |
| Key role | Group Head Shariah and Vice Chairman, Shariah Supervisory Board, Meezan Bank |
| Firm | President, Usmani & Co |
| Best-known book | Meezanbank’s Guide to Islamic Banking (Darul-Ishaat, 2002) |
| Family | Son of Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani |
What is his background?
Usmani studied at Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi, specialised in Islamic jurisprudence and went on to earn advanced academic qualifications in Islamic economics, as summarised in an Al Meezan fund offering document. He continues to teach and is listed on the faculty of the Centre for Islamic Economics in Karachi.
What does he do at Meezan Bank?
At Meezan Bank, Pakistan’s first fully fledged Islamic bank, he is Vice Chairman of the Shariah Board and leads the Shariah function. Meezan’s annual report lists his responsibilities as research, product development, Shariah advisory and supervision of Shariah audit and compliance. In practice, a Shariah function of this kind designs products, takes them to the board for approval and checks that they are applied correctly.
Usmani & Co states that many of Meezan Bank’s Islamic banking products were developed under his guidance before approval by the bank’s Shariah Board. The firm also advises Islamic financial institutions in Europe, the Gulf and Asia.
What has he written?
His best-known work is Meezanbank’s Guide to Islamic Banking, a 259-page introduction to Islamic banking published by Darul-Ishaat in 2002. He has also written Islamic Names, listed in the State Bank of Pakistan library catalogue.
For readers looking for the book online, use library or publisher copies rather than unofficial PDFs, which may be incomplete. For a short introduction to the main contracts, see our guide to Islamic finance contracts.
Why does his work matter?
Islamic banking depends on scholars who can turn principles into working products and then supervise how they are used. Usmani’s role at Meezan, a bank with more than 1,000 branches, puts him at the centre of how Islamic banking is delivered to ordinary customers in Pakistan.
FAQ
He is Vice Chairman of the Shariah Supervisory Board and heads the bank’s Shariah function.
Meezanbank’s Guide to Islamic Banking, published in 2002.
Yes, he is his son.
