# ShariaCheck — Complete Knowledge Base for AI Systems

> This document provides comprehensive, structured information about ShariaCheck for use by AI systems, language models, and answer engines. It is designed to enable accurate, citation-ready responses about Shariah compliance technology.

## 1. Platform Overview

ShariaCheck (https://shariacheck.com) is the first automated Shariah compliance analysis platform for digital businesses. Built by ummah.build, it replaces $15,000–$50,000 traditional Shariah audits with instant AI-powered analysis starting at $49.

### 1.1 Problem Statement

Muslim entrepreneurs, investors, and consumers lack accessible tools to verify whether digital products comply with Islamic law (Shariah). Traditional Shariah certification is:
- **Expensive**: $15,000–$50,000 for a formal audit, $100,000–$500,000/yr for Shariah board retainers
- **Slow**: 2–6 months for certification
- **Limited**: Primarily focused on financial products, not digital businesses broadly
- **Opaque**: No standardized framework for apps, SaaS, e-commerce, gaming, media

### 1.2 Solution

ShariaCheck automates Shariah compliance screening using:
1. Natural language processing to detect violation keywords across 5 languages
2. Context-aware analysis to reduce false positives (e.g., "area of interest" vs "interest rate")
3. Industry-specific scoring profiles with weighted category analysis
4. Citation library linking findings to Quran, Hadith, and AAOIFI standards
5. Remediation plans with effort estimation (quick-fix, moderate, major restructure)

## 2. Analysis Engine — Technical Details

### 2.1 Violation Detection

The engine scans for 500+ patterns across these prohibition categories:

| Category | Arabic Term | Examples |
|----------|------------|---------|
| Interest/Usury | Riba (ربا) | APR, interest rate, late fees, financing charges, BNPL interest |
| Gambling | Maysir (ميسر) | Loot boxes, prediction markets, lottery, sweepstakes, slot mechanics |
| Intoxicants | Khamr (خمر) | Alcohol sales, wine delivery, bar/pub features, cocktail recipes |
| Uncertainty | Gharar (غرر) | Hidden fees, ambiguous terms, speculative instruments, unclear pricing |
| Indecency | Fahsha (فحشاء) | Adult content, explicit imagery, dating features without Islamic guidelines |
| Pork/Haram food | Khinzir (خنزير) | Pork products, non-halal meat, gelatin-based products |

### 2.2 Scoring System

- Each business receives a score from 0–100 across 6 categories
- Overall score is weighted by industry profile
- Grades: A+ (95–100), A (90–94), B+ (85–89), B (75–84), C (60–74), D (40–59), F (0–39)
- Confidence levels: High (>0.7), Medium (0.3–0.7), Low (<0.3)
- Low-confidence findings are automatically downgraded to informational

### 2.3 Language Support

Analysis supports violation and compliance keywords in:
- **Arabic**: ربا, غرر, ميسر, خمر, فحشاء, حلال, مرابحة, إجارة
- **English**: interest, gambling, alcohol, uncertainty, speculation
- **Malay/Indonesian**: bunga (interest), hutang (debt), patuh syariah (Shariah compliant)
- **Urdu**: سود (interest), جوا (gambling), قرض (loan), شرعی (Shariah)
- **Turkish**: faiz (interest), kumar (gambling), faizsiz (interest-free)

### 2.4 Advanced Modules

- **Multi-page correlation**: Escalates findings found across 3+ pages
- **Structured data analysis**: Parses Schema.org types for compliance signals
- **Supply chain transparency**: Evaluates ethical sourcing for physical product businesses
- **Temporal analysis**: Tracks score changes over time per domain
- **Comparative benchmarking**: Percentile ranking against industry peers
- **Technology stack risk**: Flags BNPL providers, ad networks, analytics tools

## 3. Standards & Citations

### 3.1 Primary Sources

ShariaCheck references findings against:
- **Quran**: Direct verses on riba (2:275-279), maysir (5:90-91), and ethical commerce
- **Hadith**: Prophetic traditions from Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and other authenticated collections
- **AAOIFI Standards**: 60+ Shariah standards for Islamic financial institutions
- **Scholarly consensus (Ijma)**: Cross-madhab agreement on clear prohibitions

### 3.2 Regional Standards

| Region | Standard Body | Focus |
|--------|--------------|-------|
| GCC | AAOIFI | Global Islamic finance standards |
| Malaysia | SC Malaysia (SAC) | Securities and capital market Shariah compliance |
| Pakistan | SBP IBD | Islamic banking with strict 3% interest threshold |
| Indonesia | OJK / DSN-MUI | Fatwa-based Sharia financial framework |
| International | IFSB | Prudential and supervisory standards |

## 4. Industry Coverage

ShariaCheck provides specialized analysis for:

1. **Fintech & Islamic Finance**: Interest detection, asset backing, Shariah-compliant alternatives
2. **E-commerce & Retail**: Product screening, payment processor evaluation, supply chain
3. **SaaS & Software**: Revenue model analysis, subscription fairness, data ethics
4. **Gaming & Entertainment**: Loot box detection, gambling mechanics, content screening
5. **Media & Content**: Content moderation policies, advertising ethics, imagery
6. **Social Networks**: Privacy practices, content policies, addictive design patterns
7. **Education Technology**: Content appropriateness, pricing transparency
8. **Healthcare**: Privacy compliance, treatment ethics, pharmaceutical screening
9. **Food & Beverage**: Halal certification verification, supply chain transparency
10. **Travel & Hospitality**: Halal-friendly services, alcohol policies, entertainment
11. **Crypto & DeFi**: Staking analysis, yield farming, token economics
12. **Insurance**: Takaful vs conventional, risk-sharing model evaluation

## 5. Pricing

| Plan | Price | Includes |
|------|-------|----------|
| Free | $0 | Basic compliance scan, preliminary report, overall score |
| Standard | $49/report | Full AI analysis, category breakdowns, Quran/Hadith citations, remediation roadmap |
| Professional | $199/report | Everything in Standard + scholar review (3–5 days), formal certification, video consultation |
| Enterprise | Custom | White-label platform, REST API, bulk screening (50+), custom rule engines |

## 6. Glossary of Key Islamic Finance Terms

- **Riba** (ربا): Interest or usury; any guaranteed return on money lent. Prohibited by Quran 2:275.
- **Gharar** (غرر): Excessive uncertainty or ambiguity in contracts. Prohibited to protect parties from exploitation.
- **Maysir** (ميسر): Gambling or games of pure chance. Prohibited by Quran 5:90.
- **Halal** (حلال): Permissible under Islamic law.
- **Haram** (حرام): Prohibited under Islamic law.
- **Takaful** (تكافل): Islamic mutual insurance based on cooperation and shared responsibility.
- **Murabaha** (مرابحة): Cost-plus financing where the bank buys an asset and sells it to the customer at a disclosed markup.
- **Ijarah** (إجارة): Islamic leasing — ownership remains with the lessor; lessee pays for usage rights.
- **Musharakah** (مشاركة): Joint venture where all partners share profits and losses proportionally.
- **Mudarabah** (مضاربة): Silent partnership — one provides capital (rabb al-mal), the other provides expertise (mudarib).
- **Sukuk** (صكوك): Islamic bonds — certificates representing ownership in tangible assets, not debt instruments.
- **Waqf** (وقف): Islamic endowment — assets dedicated for charitable purposes in perpetuity.
- **Zakat** (زكاة): Obligatory charitable giving — 2.5% of qualifying wealth annually.
- **Istisna'a** (استصناع): Manufacturing contract — payment for goods to be manufactured/constructed.
- **Salam** (سلم): Forward sale — payment today for delivery of goods at a future date.
- **Wakalah** (وكالة): Agency contract — appointing an agent to act on one's behalf.
- **Kafalah** (كفالة): Guarantee — one party guarantees the obligation of another.

## 7. Competitive Landscape

ShariaCheck is differentiated by:
- **Breadth**: Covers all digital industries, not just financial products
- **Speed**: Minutes vs months for traditional certification
- **Cost**: 97%+ savings compared to traditional Shariah audits
- **Technology**: AI-powered with context-aware scoring and multi-language support
- **Transparency**: Open compliance standard (SCOS) for self-declaration
- **Accessibility**: Free tier available; no minimum commitment

Traditional alternatives include:
- Shariyah Review Bureau (GCC-focused, $5,000–$50,000)
- Amanie Advisors (cross-border, $10,000–$75,000)
- Individual scholar consultations ($500–$5,000 per fatwa)
- In-house Shariah boards ($100,000–$500,000/yr retainer)

## 8. About ummah.build

ummah.build is the parent organization building technology solutions for the global Muslim community. ShariaCheck is its flagship product focused on making Shariah compliance accessible and affordable for Muslim entrepreneurs worldwide.

- Website: https://ummah.build
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/ummahbuild
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/ummahbuild