EQRAZ is pleased to offer you halal home financing through it's 100% Shariah- and AAOIFI-compliant monthly Murabaha mortgage product. EQRAZ's Murabaha mortgage allows customers to close their mortgage at any time by paying off only the remaining principal and approximately three months of profit as a fee. Title belongs only to you, providing peace of mind that your home is truly yours. EQRAZ' sources of funding are 100% halal, received through Shariah-certified, AAOIFI-compliant Wakala Agreements. We are fully funded, and actively issuing mortgages within five business days of application in across most provinces. Click below to learn more.
In September 2017, with my three children growing up, my wife and I decided to move back to Canada from Qatar, where we had resided since 2007. Based on my past business and academic experience, I had planned to start a management consulting business. However, as I began to develop my network in Canada, I came across the idea of halal mortgages, and the dearth of them across the country. Being Muslim, and having lived over a decade in the Middle East, where Islamic finance is growing at an unprecedented rate, this piqued my interest, and I decided to start looking into providing Shariah-compliant mortgages to Canadian real estate buyers.
Following six months of extensive research and dozens of meetings with Canadian real-estate, mortgage, banking and financial services professionals, I realized that the Canadian financial and regulatory environment is ripe with challenges against Islamic finance ventures. As a Muslim, an entrepreneur, but most importantly a family person looking for a new home in Canada, I decided to take on the challenge of making halal mortgages available at scale for my fellow Canadian Muslims. Canada’s 1.6 million Muslims represent 400,000 households who, to date, lack access to institutional-grade Shariah-compliant financing. Moreover, my research has confirmed that many of these Muslims have been victims of malpractice and perhaps even fraud at the hands of opportunists seeking to make profits in this industry.
With God’s grace, following four long years of work, we issued our first halal mortgage on 30th December 2022, and have issued many more since! I sincerely believe that we have found the solution to Canada’s Islamic home-financing challenges, and I pray that EQRAZ’s offering meets with the satisfaction of my fellow Canadian Muslims.
Having spent the past 15 years in construction and oil & gas services in Qatar, the challenge of Islamic finance in a Western banking model reminds me of a cofferdam – an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out. This pumping creates a dry working environment so that the work can be carried out safely. Cofferdams are commonly used for construction or repair of permanent dams and, to me, the analogy seems appropriate.
The sea represents the world of interest-based finance that we live in, the cofferdam represents the relatively tiny yet growing Islamic finance industry, and the action of pumping water out of the cofferdam represents the efforts of well-wishing Islamic financial professionals to purify and grow Islamic finance by progressively removing the remaining conventional finance elements from within the Islamic finance industry.
Just like a cofferdam, creating a space for Islamic finance to grow requires the ability to simultaneously keep principles of Shariah-compliance while working within Canadian regulations and following the “laws of the land” as far as possible without breaking Islamic principles. It’s not the end state but a step on a journey towards a world without riba.
As an engineer, an actuary, and a practicing Muslim, I intend to submit myself to the highest possible standards of professional conduct, transparency and God-fearing sincerity through this journey, and I look forward to my fellow Canadian Muslims joining me on this journey.
The EQRAZ logo is designed as an eight-sided Rub-el-Hizb, also knows as the Islamic Star, which is a very important Islamic symbol that was used to aid in the recitation of the Qur’an and, as such, recognized as an essential part of a Muslim’s day-to-day life. It is reported that “أخضر “, the Arabic word for “green”, is used in its various forms eight times in the Holy Quran to represent the eight gates to Jannah (heaven), which are similarly represented by the eight sides of the Rub-el-Hizb.
Within the shape, EQRAZ is written in ancient Kufic script commonly used in Islamic works, with letters made out of straight lines and right angles. Geometric and square Kufic shapes were commonly used in Islamic architecture. Using this Kufic style in EQRAZ’s logo associates the EQRAZ brand with Islamic architecture or, said another way, Islamic “housing” – EQRAZ’s prime business.
The logo also signifies EQRAZ’s intention to adhere both to Shariah and Canadian rules and ethics without any twists, turns or compromises. Said another way, EQRAZ will be “straight-forward” and transparent with its clients, get compliance with Shariah requirements “right”, and appeal to our customers’ faith and sensitivities.
Finally, the navy-blue color of the logo signifies depth, expertise and stability. This characterizes the quality of the people and infrastructure EQRAZ has assembled to provide its clients with its halal financing products.
EQRAZ has over three years, developed partnerships with Canada’s best-in-class third party mortgage companies including origination and mortgage closing, reporting and compliance, servicing, and client management. All third-party agreements have been thoroughly vetted and approved to be Shariah and AAOIFI compliant (AAOIFI is the leading global authority on Shariah compliant financing). This ensures that our clients not only receive the best industry-standard services with EQRAZ, but their mortgages are always safe and independent of EQRAZ’s status as a corporation.
“When I decided to Purchase a new home in Ontario, I turned to EQRAZ for my halal financing needs. The team was incredibly helpful and supportive throughout the entire process, And they worked hard to provide me with a financing solution that aligned with my values as a Muslim. Their transparency, communication, and dedication to providing a Shariah-compliant financing option were impressive.
They were always available to answer any questions I had and to guide me through the process. Thanks to EQRAZ, I was able to purchase my dream home without any compromise. I recommend their services to anyone in need of a halal mortgage.”
“After spending years searching for an Islamic mortgage, I am so grateful to have found EQRAZ. This Canadian company has created a business model that is not only halal but one that is sustainable inshaaAllah. Brother Syed’s thorough research and meticulous planning was evident throughout our discussions. He was always upfront and provided timely and honest answers.
Working with him and his team, I successfully refinanced my existing mortgage to one that is affordable and halal, alhamdullilah. I am relieved to have this weight off my shoulders and would personally recommend them to anyone looking for an Islamic mortgage in Canada. Thank you to the EQRAZ team for making this possible.”
“I recently purchased a new home and had the pleasure of working with EQRAZ for my halal financing needs. From start to finish, the team was professional, knowledgeable, and attentive to my needs. They worked closely with me to understand my financial situation and provided me with a financing solution that was tailored to my specific needs.
I appreciated their transparency throughout the entire process and the fact that they truly understood my values as a Muslim. Their dedication to providing Shariah-compliant financing options was a breath of fresh air, and I would highly recommend their services to anyone in need of halal mortgage financing.”
“I recently started my homebuying journey and was looking for a halal financing option that aligned with my values. That’s when I came across EQRAZ, and I’m so glad I did. The team was incredibly helpful and efficient, and they worked quickly to issue me a pre-approval for my mortgage. They were patient in answering all my questions and explaining the process to me in a way that was easy to understand. I’m excited to continue working with EQRAZ as I search for my dream home, and I highly recommend their services to anyone in need of a halal mortgage.”
« Après avoir passé des années à chercher une hypothèque islamique, je suis très reconnaissant d'avoir trouvé EQRAZ. Cette société canadienne a créé un modèle d'entreprise qui n'est pas seulement halal, mais aussi durable inshaaAllah. Les recherches approfondies et la planification méticuleuse de Frère Syed ont été évidentes tout au long de nos discussions. Il a toujours été franc et a fourni des réponses opportunes et honnêtes.
En travaillant avec lui et son équipe, j'ai réussi à refinancer mon hypothèque existante pour en obtenir une qui est abordable et halal, alhamdullilah. Je suis soulagé d'avoir ce poids en moins sur les épaules et je les recommanderais personnellement à toute personne cherchant une hypothèque islamique au Canada. Merci à l'équipe d'EQRAZ d'avoir rendu cela possible. »
« J'ai récemment acheté une nouvelle maison et j'ai eu le plaisir de travailler avec EQRAZ pour mes besoins de financement halal. Du début à la fin, l'équipe s'est montrée professionnelle, compétente et attentive à mes besoins. Ils ont travaillé en étroite collaboration avec moi pour comprendre ma situation financière et m'ont fourni une solution de financement adaptée à mes besoins spécifiques.
J'ai apprécié leur transparence tout au long du processus et le fait qu'ils comprenaient vraiment mes valeurs en tant que musulman. Leur engagement à fournir des options de financement conformes à la charia a été une bouffée d'air frais, et je recommanderais vivement leurs services à toute personne ayant besoin d'un financement hypothécaire halal. »
« J'ai récemment commencé à acheter une maison et j'étais à la recherche d'une option de financement halal qui correspondait à mes valeurs. C'est alors que je suis tombée sur EQRAZ, et j'en suis ravi. L'équipe a été incroyablement serviable et efficace, et elle a travaillé rapidement pour me donner une pré-approbation pour mon prêt hypothécaire. Ils ont fait preuve de patience en répondant à toutes mes questions et en m'expliquant le processus d'une manière facile à comprendre. Je suis enthousiaste à l'idée de continuer à travailler avec EQRAZ alors que je suis à la recherche de la maison de mes rêves, et je recommande vivement leurs services à toute personne ayant besoin d'un prêt hypothécaire halal ».
« Lorsque j'ai décidé d'acheter une nouvelle maison en Ontario, j'ai fait appel à EQRAZ pour mes besoins de financement halal. L'équipe a été d'une aide et d'un soutien incroyables tout au long du processus, et elle s'est efforcée de me proposer une solution de financement conforme à mes valeurs en tant que musulmane. Leur transparence, leur communication et leur engagement à fournir une option de financement conforme à la charia ont été impressionnants.
Ils ont toujours été disponibles pour répondre à mes questions et me guider tout au long du processus. Grâce à EQRAZ, j'ai pu acheter la maison de mes rêves sans aucun compromis. Je recommande leurs services à toute personne ayant besoin d'un prêt hypothécaire halal. »
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