Step 1: Understand What Makes a Stock Halal
A stock represents ownership in a company. Islam permits owning businesses — trade and commerce are encouraged. The restrictions come from the type of business and how it's financed. A halal stock must pass two tests:
- Business Activity Test: The company must not derive significant income from alcohol, gambling, interest-based finance, weapons manufacturing, tobacco, pork products, or adult entertainment.
- Financial Ratio Test: The company must not have excessive debt (total debt should be under 33% of market cap) and must not earn significant interest income (under 5% of revenue).
Step 2: Use a Screening Tool
You don't need to calculate these ratios yourself. Several excellent tools do this automatically:
- Zoya App: The most popular halal stock screener. Search any ticker and get an instant compliance rating.
- Islamicly: Another widely used app with detailed screening breakdowns.
- Our Halal Checker: Use our free halal stock checker for instant results.
Step 3: Start With Well-Known Halal Stocks
As a beginner, it's easiest to start with large, established companies that are consistently rated halal:
- Microsoft (MSFT): Cloud computing, software. Clean halal status.
- Apple (AAPL): Consumer electronics. Generally halal.
- NVIDIA (NVDA): AI chips and graphics. Halal-compliant.
- Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): Healthcare. Halal and pays dividends.
- ExxonMobil (XOM): Energy. Halal with high dividend yield.
Step 4: Consider a Halal ETF Instead
If picking individual stocks feels overwhelming, halal ETFs are a great starting point. The SPUS (SP Funds S&P 500 Sharia) and HLAL (Wahed FTSE USA Shariah) ETFs give you diversified exposure to hundreds of halal-screened US stocks with one purchase.
Step 5: Open a Brokerage Account
Most mainstream brokerages work fine for halal investing — Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and interactive brokers all allow you to buy halal stocks. Avoid accounts with interest-bearing features. Some Muslim investors prefer Wahed Invest, which is specifically designed for Islamic investing.
Step 6: Think About Zakat
Once your investments reach the nisab threshold and remain there for a lunar year, zakat applies. Generally, zakat on stocks is calculated on the market value of the shares you hold. Consult a scholar or use our zakat on investments guide for details.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Buying popular stocks without checking if they're halal (many aren't — banks, entertainment companies, etc.)
- Ignoring dividend purification requirements
- Treating the halal label as permanent (company finances change, recheck annually)
- Over-concentrating in one stock — diversify across sectors
Bottom Line
Starting halal investing is straightforward: use a screening tool, pick a few well-known halal companies or a halal ETF, open a brokerage account, and invest consistently. The most important thing is to start — time in the market matters more than timing the market.