IRFĀN SHAHID [Urdu: عرفان شاھد] is an Indian-based shariah scholar and economist[1][2]. He born at Shankar Pur Kalan in a village of Uttar Pradesh in northern India[3].
He has graduated from Loughborough University, UK in Islamic banking and finance. He holds an MPhil degree in Economics. Prof Shahid has authored a dozen of books and research papers on Islamic banking and finance. He is a regular columnist for Al-Jumuah Magazine[4], Radiance Weekly[5] and Australian Muslim Times.
Distribution of Zakah and Macroeconomics Approach, Farmers suicide and Islamic Economics, Trade Practice before Islam in Arabia, Shariah Rulings on Trade and Commerce, Science and Islam, Agriculture and Islam[9] are the most significant contributions of Irfan Shahid. He has also contributed the theory of Islamic Economics in various dimensions. His writings on Islamic Economics corroborates the idea of normative and social economics thus he emphasized on the free market economy. According to him poverty and starvation are not the outcome of scarcity of public resources. He believes poverty ad starvation occur due to mismanagement and abuse of public resources.
He has also refuted the modern theory of demand and supply with the support sustainable development model and Islamic Economics. He has shown in his studies that Zakah may reduce the social and economical gape in human society. He developed a model-based consumption function. The studies reveal that Distribution of Zakah has positive impact on national investment and GDP of economy. However, the effect could be measure through multiplier effect of Zakah and consumption. Various studies conducted on Zakah endorses the idea of Irfan Shahid. Zakah is an effective tool for poverty eradication.
Irfan Shahid is a frequent writer and public speaker[10]. he writes and speaks on various socio-economic issues of Muslim minority in Indian subcontinent[11]. He appears in various magazines and newspapers[12]. His writings also got space in various magazines and indexed research journal like Islamic Quarterly(Scopus Journal), Journal of Emerging Economies and Islamic Research, New Horizon and etc. He is Shariah scholar[13] thus we find many shariah application in his texts. he tried to internalize the shariah rulings in resolving the socio-economics issues of people. following are the some important writing of Irfan Shahid[14].
Prof Shahid delivering lecture on Islamic Finance
Professor Shahid lecturing on the contributions of Moorish in the University of Granada
This is the photo of an international conference which was organized by Mumbai University. Prof Irfan Shahid is highlighting the current challenges to Islamic banking industry in the gulf countries
Distribution of Zakah Helps Grow Economy and Remove Poverty
Malthusian theory of Population and Islam: a critical study
Professor Shahid delivering a lecture on the challenges and opportunities to Islamic Banking in India in an international conference in GoaConcept of Demand and Supply in Islamic Economics, A critical investigation of the theory of Demand and Supply[18]
