FREE 30 Day Trading Programme | Muslim Share Trader

If you're interested in trading on the stock market but are unsure how to go about it, the 30 Day Trading Programme is for you.

What is the 30 Day Trading Programme?

As you've probably guessed, it's a programme that lasts 30 days (this is only a suggestion, you can do it in less, or more, time- whatever works for you). What's less obvious is who it's aimed at and what it involves:

It's aimed at people who are interested in trading on the stock market, but with absolutely no idea how to go about it.
the programme involves learning about Islamic principles of investing, basics of the stock market and how to use a trading platform.

More specifically, it has three components:

1) Learning the basic Islamic principles of investing: 10 days*

No Muslim should trade on the stock market until they've learnt the basic Islamic principles of investing.

2) Learning the basics of the stock market: 10 days*

Once you've learnt the Islamic principles, you will then learn the basics of how the stock market works.

3) Learning how to trade online (using a trading platform): 10 days*

*10 days is the recommmended amount of time on each section. You can spend more, or less time on each section as per your availability

After you've learnt the Islamic principles + the basics of the stock market, it's time to learn how to use a trading platform, then eventually have a go at trading on the real stock market with small amounts of money.

After doing this programme, you'll know if trading on the stock market is something you wish to do in the long term.

How Much does MuslimShareTrader charge for the 30 day trading programme?

MuslimShareTrader will not charge you for this programme. The study materials will also be provided free. (More info in the FAQ section at bottom of page).

How does the 30 day trading programme work?

There are 3 aspects to the programme you need to be aware of. These will be covered over the 30 days. However, the programme is totally flexible, which means you can finish the porgramme earlier (or after) the 30 days. The 30 days is just a suggestion. The table below explains more...

1. Duration

30 Days

30 days is the recommend time you spend to achieve the objectives of the programme (you can spend :

1) Learn the Islamic principles of investing (more info in box 3) - 10 days (recommended)

2) Acquire a basic understanding of the stock market - 10 days (recommended)

3) Learn how to use a trading platform - 10 days (recommended)

4) Decide if trading is for you; it's not for everyone. Unless you try it, you won't know. Take as much time as you need to decide if trading is for you. There is no hard sell at the end.

>>> ENROL ON THE 30 DAY TRADING PROGRAMME <<<

2. Investment amount

Under £40

Participants will be required to invest under £40 as part of this 30 day programme. This £40 will go into your own trading account, which will be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS*) and regulated by the FCA** (Financial Conduct Authority) and you will have total control over your account at all times. A trading account allows ordinary people to trade on the stock market and can be offered by banks, traditional brokers or new app-based platforms.

*https://register.fca.org.uk/s/firm

**https://www.fca.org.uk/about

The investment amount of £40 is there for a few reasons:

1) If too small an amount is invested, the returns/ profits may be in the pennies. Realistically, this will not make a difference to anyone’s life.

For example, if you invest £2 into a stock, then it rises 5% and you sell it, your return will be £2.10, meaning your profit will be 10p.

2) On the stock market, it is possible for investments to increase or decrease in value; if you sell shares for less than you paid for ithem, you will end up with a loss. £40 is an amount sufficient to see some returns yet mitigate aginst the risk of major loss.

3) Because the programme itself is free, unfortunatey some people may sign up but not take it seriously. A £40 investment encourages people ot take the programme seriously.

4) It costs the trading platform money to execute a trade on their clients' behalf. Every trading platform sets its own minimum investment amount. Some are under £10. However, I'm suggesting £40 to make sure students can place a few trades (to diversify) as part of the learning experience.

So, £40 is an amount which encourages people to take the programme more seriously, get returns which is not negligible and most importantly, not result in heavy losses in the event that your stocks decline in value.

>>> ENROL ON THE 30 DAY TRADING PROGRAMME <<<

3. Studying

Islamic + practical learning

The typical MuslimShareTrader reader is likely to be either working full-time or studying full time. So, it makes sense for the the learning to be broken down into manageable chunks over 30 days.

There are three sections to the learning:

1. Islamic investment principles (introductory/ basic) [theory based] - 10 days (recommended)

2. How the stock market works (introductory/ basic) [theory based] - 10 days (recommended)

3. How to use a trading platform [practical/ skill based] - 10 days (recommended)

The learning will take place via online and paper resources. This means you can complete the programme from the comfort of your own home. There are no 'fixed' days or times of study, so it's totally flexible (we recommend 30 days because that's sufficient to take in the content yet maintain momentum. But ultmately, you need to go at your own pace).

Your knowledge will be tested before and after each section of study to see where the gaps in your knowledge are (and also to see how much you've learnt). This will be done online.

1. The principles of investing you will learn on this programme are based on Mufti Taqi Usmani (Kerachi, Pakistan) and Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam’s (Leicester, UK) work. You will be using physical resources and digital resources for this.

Participants of the programme will be given the literature necessary via post/ online. The literature is provided fi sabeelillah (free of charge, for the sake of Allah).

2. You'll also be learning the basics of how the stock market works. This will be entirely online and you wil llearn this via video and written content.

3. The final part involves learning how to use a trading platform. This will, of course, be online.

At the end, once you've learnt the theory, you'll begin to invest real money (though small sums at first) and begin trading on the stock market. (Don't worry! we'll be using a dummy account with virtual money at first).

>>> ENROL ON THE 30 DAY TRADING PROGRAMME <<<

FREQUNTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

If MuslimShareTrader does not charge for this programme, what's in it for MuslimShareTrader?

Whilst I do not seek monetary payment, there is something in it for me:

1) Dua

My main motivation is to raise awareness of Islamic principles of investing. If you find the information on this website useful, I ask you to make dua for me.

2) Feedback

Since this is a new service/ programme, realistically I cannot charge for it. Thus early adopters will be able to do the programme for free. Using the feedback I receive, I will try to improve the offering. If I can get the programme to a level where I can charge for it in the future, that is something I will consider.

3) Investing service

If my trading strategies impress you enough, perhaps you will consider my soon-to-be-launched investment service.

4) Passion and interest

Some people are interested in movies and football. I have an interest in writing and stock markets. By running this blog site, I am able to combine two interests in a meaningful way.

How much can I make on the stock market?

There is no fixed answer to this because there are too many variables. However, as a rough idea, the average stock market return is about 10% per year. (Inflation is eroding your wealth by about 2.5% a year, so you should consider a way to beat or at least match inflation).

What happens if I do the programme for 30 days and decide trading on the stock markets is not for me?

If you try it and decide it's not for you, simply withdraw the money that is in your trading account and close your account after the 30 days.

How can I be sure you know what you're talking about?

I first started trading in 2010 (whilst doing my PGCE). But I had to cool my interest in trading because being a new teacher is hard work and all-consuming. I then restarted my trading once I was able to. Alhamdulillah, I'm pleased to say I've outperformed the market on every platform I've used. For example:

On my Freetrade account (which is an exclusively app-based trading platform), I have achieved a return of around 53% in just over half a year (at the time of writing this, I've been a Freetrade user for just over 6 months).

On another platform I use, eToro, my returns are around 37%. I have been using this platform for less time compared to Freetrade, but that's still close to 5x more than the average stock market return. Alhamdulillah.

Understandably, I am having to mask some details from this screenshot. However, I've left some details so you get an idea of the amount and volume of trade I am doing. My trades typically range from a few hundred to a few thousand per stock (depending on my confidence in that stock). InshaAllah, these sums are doable for the average Muslim.

My trades are generally short term. This is part of my strategy to reduce risk. When I started trading 10 years ago, I bought shares in a company called African Medical Investments. I believed in the spiel the broker was telling me, so I left the money in for a long time. Outcome? I lost 99% of my money. That was an epensive lesson. I now know it's important to check my stocks regularly.

How do I know I can trust you?

Good question! At a time when scams are widespread, this is the exact sort of question you should be asking. Here are some general guidelines:

1) Follow government advice on how to avoid scams. If you're in the UK, check out this page: https://www.gov.uk/report-suspicious-emails-websites-phishing

2) If you are not buying a product or a service, you should not be handing money (whether physical or via bank transfer) over to any individual directly. This includes giving someone money as a 'test payment' or any other type of payment. If you pay someone, you should receive a product or service for it.

3) Seek references. Nowadays, sites like LinkedIn and FaceBook can help (especially if there's a mutual contact).

4) Verify any claims made. For instance, above, you'll notice I wrote something about 'FCA regulated'. You should independently verify such claims. Scammers may very well throw around names of organisations to look more legitimate, but you have to verify!

5) Use regulated services where possible. For instance, if you were defrauded via a credit card scam, sometimes it may be possible to recover that money via the credit card provider.

There is no expectation to provide the literature for free; why are you willing to provide free literature?

Helping to spread beneficial knowledge is never a bad thing. According to hadiths:

Mu’adh ibn Anas reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever imparts knowledge will have the reward of whoever acted upon it, without detracting from the reward of one who acted.”

Source: Sunan Ibn Mājah 240

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani

And...

Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“When a person dies, his deeds are cut off except for three: Continuing charity, knowledge that others benefited from, and a righteous son who supplicates for him.

Source: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1376

You mentioned learning Islamic principles; does that mean you're some sort of Mufti?

I wish! (may Allah reward everyone that has dedicated their life to the service of His deen).

I am a practising teacher by profession. As for the Islamic aspects that will be learnt on the programme, I will not be deriving any hukums from the Qur'an and sunnah. The principles that will be taught are what the 'ulama have derived and taught in their books. We just need to learn and implement them in our life. I do not claim to be a Mufti, Shaykh or 'Aalim. I also do not provide my own opinions on Islamic matters (that's the job of the 'ulama).

To give an example, when a person qualifies to pay zakat, they can read the rules of zakat, do the calculations then pay the zakat. Every single Muslim does not need to consult a mufti when it's time to give zakat (there won't be enough muftis around for that!). But it is important to take knowledge from learned scholars to make sure we are not following our whims and desires.

What resources will we use on the 30 Day Trading Programme?

There are three types of resources/ materials we need to use. These are:

1) Resources related to Islamic principles:

'Introduction to Islamic Finance' (section on trading shares) by Mufti Taqi Usmani
'Issue of Shares' by Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam.

Both of these works should be available from any good Islamic book shop.

2) Resources related to Stock markets:

MuslimShareTrader website,
Investopedia website,
YouTube,
Hargreaves Lansdown website
and other well known resources.

Resources related to trading on the stock market itself:

We will be using one of the trading platforms that has been reviewed on the MuslimShareTrader website. Understandably, it will have to be a platform I am familiar with (I am currently using three different platforms). The specific platform we use is not set in stone because they all allow you to buy shares in the UK and US stock market. However, to help MuslimShareTrader provide this service for free, I will try to find one that pays some sort of commission to help cover costs iA. Whichever one that ends up being, participants of the programme will be told in writing.

If a commission is received from a trading platform, won't that affect the impartiality and independence of the 30 Day Trading Programme?

No. Here are a few points to bear in mind:

1) We already have in depth reviews of trading platforms. One question specifically asks "what are the worst things about [insert name of trading platform]?". From this, it should be clear to see that MuslimShareTrader's impartiality and independence is not affected.

2) As Muslims, the main thing for us to hold onto is what our deen says. If there is one thing that needs to be independent and free from interference, it is our deen. This is why I follow the opinions of traditional ulama who resist liberal ideas.

Most trading platforms make the bulk of their profits from something called 'CFDs'. Trading platforms would love everyone to get involved with CFDs (and perhaps they'd be willing to pay high commission to get people into that). However, CFDs are haram. Thus the 30 Day Trading Programme will not teach you about this (except why it's haram) and we will not deal in this.

I already have a trading account, can I still join the programme?

If you already have an account and are trading already, it sounds like you're already too advanced for this programme. However, there are still two options:

1) You can open another trading account so every participant is using the same trading platform (if every participant is using a different trading account, it will become unworkable. Bit like 30 students using 30 different text books in a class!)

2) If you're unwilling to open an account on the same trading platform as all other participants, I can send you the Islamic literature. Please see next answer for this.

I don't want to do the 30 Day Trading Programme, but I do want the free learning materials. Can you email or post it out to me?

Alhamdulillah, a willingness to learn the Islamic rules of trading is a good thing.

Email:

As for the learning resource 'An Introduction to Islamic Finance', I can email that to you (because the PDF was published and available freely to download from Mufti Taqi Usmani's website). You can obtain it yourself from Mufti Taqi's website. If for any reason you can't find it, I can send you the PDF. Just ask.

Post:

In the first instance, the learning materials are for students that enrol onto the programme. In the very unlikley event that there are lots of left over copies, I can post out a copy of 'Issue of Shares'. You'll need to cover postage.

The 'Issue of Shares' resource is not available as a free PDF. If I were to photocopy it, I would probably be breaking some code (legal or otherwise).

Alternatively, you can purchase these works from Islamic bookshops.

Hmm, I'm not convinced. Could this be too good to be true?

No problem. You should not do things you feel uncomfortable with.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this. And please make dua for me :)

Hmm, I am convinced! How do I sign up?

By clicking the orange sign up button below. Jzk!

Enrol on the 30 day trading programme

Enrol on the 30 day Trading Programme

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30 Days

Under £40

Islamic + practical learning

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