Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the new journal and articles in the first issue. Design/methodology/approach – The paper attempts to introduce the journal by answering the two “W” questions – what is Islamic accounting and why Islamic accounting research is...

Purpose – The aims of this paper are: first, to draw attention to the issues of displaced commercial risk (DCR) which arise as a result of the risk characteristics of profit‐sharing investment accounts (PSIA), the main source of funding of Islamic banks in most jurisdictions; and, second, to...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of standard‐setting bodies and rating agencies which compete for authority in Islamic finance. It does so through a consideration of a recent debate over the permissibility of sukuk financing. Design/methodology/approach – The...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature and structure of Islamic investment funds and evaluate their governance. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology employed is the conceptual framework of Islamic economics. Findings – It is found that Islamic investment...

Purpose – The paper seeks to examine the political and socio‐economic circumstances in three different periods of the evolution of Islamic finance and how the fundamental aim of its existence altered over time. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the existing literature on the evolution...

Purpose – The paper seeks to examine income smoothing practices in Islamic banks. It first focuses on detecting income smoothing practices. It then seeks to test whether loan loss provisions (LLPs) are used for earnings management purposes. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explores...

Purpose – The paper examines the impact of entry of foreign banks on the performance of the Malaysian Islamic banking sector during the period 2001‐2007. Design/methodology/approach – To maintain homogeneity, the empirical analysis is confined to two fully fledged domestic Islamic banks,...

Purpose – Recent calls by prominent Islamic scholars to shift the focus of Islamic finance away from bond‐like sukuk have been met with great unease by bankers in the industry. Islamic Financial Institutions, which hold the majority of all sukuk issued, face deposit side constraints on the...