المستشار الشرعي والمدقق الشرعي المعتمد (CSAA)

إن Certified Shari’ah Adviser and Auditor (CSAA) is AAOIFI’s Shari’ah-focused professional qualification aimed at developing practitioners’ capability in Shari’ah compliance, Shari’ah governance و Shari’ah audit/review within Islamic financial institutions (IFIs). It is designed as an advanced-level programme with an emphasis on practical, real-world application of AAOIFI standards.

What CSAA covers

The CSAA curriculum is built directly on AAOIFI standards across three domains:

• AAOIFI Shari’ah standards (products, contracts, and Shari’ah basis)
• AAOIFI governance standards (Shari’ah governance architecture, Shari’ah review, compliance function, central Shari’ah board, etc.)
• AAOIFI auditing standards (audit objectives, reporting and testing for Shari’ah compliance)

AAOIFI’s 2024 CSAA syllabus specifies an exam content weighting of 60% Shari’ah standards, 20% governance standards, and 20% auditing standards, with candidates tested on both conceptual and practical understanding of the standards.

What capability the qualification is meant to evidence

In practice, CSAA is intended to prepare professionals who can:

• Review and assure Shari’ah compliance of products, transactions, and processes against AAOIFI standards
• Contribute to Shari’ah governance and control frameworks (policies, procedures, documentation, reporting)
• Support or conduct Shari’ah audit/review work within IFIs and related market participants

Recent structure: CSA and CSE pathways

As part of AAOIFI’s revamp of CSAA, the qualification has been split into two distinct pathways:

• CSA (Certified Shari’ah Auditor) — audit and compliance review capability
• CSE (Certified Shari’ah Expert) — advisory capability on Shari’ah compliance of products, contracts, investments and related matters

Requirements and eligibility

• Prerequisites: One year of practical experience requirement, ensuring you apply your knowledge in real-world practice before becoming a certified Shari’ah advisor and auditor
• Education requirements: Bachelor’s degree in Islamic studies
• Experience requirements: One year of practical experience
• Language requirements: Arabic / English

Curriculum and learning outcomes

Module 1 — CPSS: Covers all AAOIFI Shari’ah standards. Passing this module earns you “Certificate of Proficiency in Shari’ah Standards”.

Module 2 — CPAAGE: Covers all AAOIFI audit, governance and ethics standards. Passing this module earns you “Certificate of Proficiency in Audit, Assurance, Governance and Ethics”.

Learning outcomes: High-level understanding of Shari’ah principles.