The Hajdari Group Forms Scholar Advisory Board for Sharia-Compliant Investment Program
NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The Hajdari Group (https://thehajdarigroup.com/) recently announced that it had established an in-house team of scriptural experts to serve as advisors for its new InvestHalal program, and have secured the services of Imam Edin Gjoni as the board’s founding member. Imam Gjoni is a noted Koranic interpreter and has served New York and the borough of Queens with distinction as a spiritual leader and trusted liaison to the NYPD.
“I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Imam Gjoni as the inaugural advisor for InvestHalal,” said Hajdari Group President, Zaim Hajdari. “He is a meticulous and thoughtful scholar, and one of the most compassionate and caring human beings I have ever known. By lending us his considerable expertise, InvestHalal will continue to set the standard as the preeminent Sharia-compliant investment program in the country.”
Of his background, education and dedication to scholarship, Imam Gjoni said:
“I come from a hardworking family with a strong academic background. I give credit to my grandfather whose legacy left an imprint on my upbringing. He was the Head Mufti of Montenegro and one of the only few Hafiz of the whole Qur’an of his time. My late father was an Economist by profession. For a long time, he was a director of Yugo bank, up until his retirement. My mother played an active role in politics for most of her career. She is now the Vice President of the municipality of Ulqin.”
“Much of my early life was dedicated to studying. I tried to intertwine both religious and – so called – secular disciplines. I enjoyed studying Qur’an, Hadith, Kalam, Jurisprudence and History of Islam; learning Arabic morphology and syntax, as I also enjoyed learning foreign languages. I have also met and had discussions with well-renowned professors and scholars, like Enes Karic, Adnan Silajdzic, Resid Hafizovic, Fikret Karcic, but also Abdul Hakim Murad (Tim Winter), Abdulkarim Soroush, Tariq Ramadan and others.”
Imam Gjoni spoke about serving in New York and at the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center in Queens:
“I am currently working on the expansion project here at our center. In addition, I am actively involved as a clergy liaison with the NYPD. But my day-to-day work involves leading the five daily prayers as well as preparing for Friday sermons.”
When asked about his role on the InvestHalal board as a Koranic Interpreter, Imam Gjoni said:
“By definition, the commentator of the Qur’an (al-Mufassir) is the person who strives to understand, not only the meaning that comes from the Text, but God’s intention from the Holy Text. Because not every meaning that comes from the Text represents God’s intention. Therefore, the commentator’s task is to identify one or multiple meanings, to explore them, and through the methodology of preference (terjih) to distil one or more complementary meanings that could represent God’s intention. Although the Quran never changes, the social situation does. And it’s important to know how that text applies to the world we live in today. Considering that the Qur’an, as God’s Word, is the first and the main source of Islamic Law, then the matters of legal nature that includes the Halal/Haram domain by default become the subject of interest for any Mufessir. We can barely speak about any important legal issue without referring to Qur’an.”
“Yet, regarding the halal and haram investment, I believe that is not enough to be solely an expert in Qur’anic commentary nor in Islamic Law. The contemporary Islamic finance is a very complex multidisciplinary field that requires the attention of both religious and financial experts. And I would mention in this context the Qur’anic verse that represents my motto in the field: ‘He has not placed no hardship for you in religion’ (22:79).”
About The Hajdari Group
Based in New York City, the Hajdari Group is an independent, boutique wealth-management firm founded by Zaim Hajdari — an experienced former-JPMorgan Chase investment manager who oversaw $3 billion in client assets. The Hajdari Group provides financial planning and wealth-management services to middle and high-income individuals and families. Other services include 401(k) rollover advice, retirement planning, college planning and estate planning. Most recently, the Hajdari Group has expanded its services by creating InvestHalal, a Sharia-based investment platform exclusively for Muslim investors. Learn more at: www.TheHajdariGroup.com.
Media Contact:
Zaim Hajdari
212-381-0050
[email protected]
SOURCE Hajdari Group
