Dealing with money shouldn’t be difficult, but it is.

I’ve spent over 10 years trying to understand money. This pursuit wasn’t born of an obsessive interest in economics or Islamic finance. I just wanted to be smart with money while remaining true to my ethical standards as a Muslim.

It turns out that learning about money is difficult on its own. But learning about money as a Muslim is on an entirely different level.

Over the past decade, I’ve consumed the works of personal finance gurus and Muslim scholars - books, articles, classical texts, conference papers, and scholarly opinions. I’m years into my journey with money, and I’ve come to one major realization:

Our conversation about Muslim money is so complex that it leaves many of us confused and overwhelmed. It shouldn’t be this way.

I’m a husband, father of four, high school teacher, and novice basketball coach. I’m not a financial professional or a religious scholar, and that’s the point. You shouldn’t need to have a degree in finance or Islamic law to know how to get smart (and halal) with your money.

It’s taken me a few years, but I think I’ve wrapped my head around a lot of this Muslim money stuff.

Farooq Maseehuddin (Muslim Money Guy) is a financial educator and writer. He holds both a Bachelor of Education (BEd.) and a Master of Education (MEd.) from the University of Alberta. He's been a high school teacher and Muslim community organizer for nearly two decades.