Mali ni chochote kinachoweza kumilikiwa, bila kujali asili yake. Njia ya kumiliki mali ni sababu iliyoanzisha umiliki wa mali hiyo kwa mtu husika mwanzoni. Mabadilishano, katika aina zake zote, hayazingatiwi kuwa miongoni mwa njia za kumiliki mali. Ni njia ya kupata bidhaa kupitia kubadilishana bidhaa fulani ya mali, ambapo mali hiyo ilikuwa tayari inamilikiwa hapo awali, lakini baadhi ya bidhaa zake zikabadilishwa. Vilevile, uwekezaji wa mali, kama faida itokanayo na biashara, kodi ya nyumba, na mavuno ya mazao, haizingatiwi kuwa miongoni mwa njia za kumiliki mali. Ingawa mali fulani imeibuka upya kupitia uwekezaji huu, imeanzia kwenye mali nyingine, hivyo uwekezaji ni miongoni mwa njia za kuongeza mali, na si njia ya kumiliki mali. Mada iliyopo ni umiliki wa awali wa mali, yaani upatikanaji wa mali ya asili.

Property is anything that can be possessed, whatever its nature. The means of its possession is the cause, which initiated the ownership of the property to the person in the first place. Exchange, in all its forms, is not considered as one of the means of possessing property. It is a means of possessing commodities through the exchange of a particular commodity of property, where the property was originally in possession, but some of its commodities were exchanged. Investment of property such as the profit from trading, the rental of houses, and the harvest of crops, similarly is not considered as one of the means of possessing property. Though some property has been generated anew by this investment, it was initiated from another property, so investment is from the means of increasing the property, and not the means of possessing the property. The subject at hand is the initial possession of the property, in other words the acquisition of the original property.

Tofauti kati ya njia za kumiliki mali na njia za kuwekeza mali iliyokwisha kumilikiwa ni kwamba kumiliki ni kupata mali mwanzoni kabisa, kwa kupata chanzo chake. Ama kuwekeza mali iliyomilikiwa ni kuongeza mali ambayo tayari inamilikiwa. Mali tayari ipo, lakini inawekezwa na kuongezeka. Shari'a imeweka kanuni zinazohusu zote mbili, yaani umiliki wa mali na uwekezaji wa mali iliyomilikiwa. Mikataba kama vile uuzaji na upangaji ni kanuni zinazohusu uwekezaji wa mali, na kazi kama vile uwindaji na ushirika wa kimya ni kanuni zinazohusu umiliki wa mali. Kwa hiyo, njia za umiliki ni njia za kumiliki mali ya awali. Ama njia za kuwekeza mali iliyomilikiwa ni njia za kuongeza mali ambayo tayari ilikwisha kumilikiwa kupitia mojawapo ya njia za umiliki.

The difference between the means of possession and the means of investing already owned property is that possession is the acquisition of the property initially, by acquiring its origin. Whereas investing an owned property is increasing the property that is owned. The property already exists, but is invested and increased. Shar’a put rules pertaining to both the owning of property and the investment of owned property. Contracts such as selling and leasing are rules pertaining to the investment of property, and work such as hunting and silent partnership are rules pertaining to the possession of property. Accordingly, the means of ownership are the means of possessing the original property.Whereas the means of investing the owned property are the means of increasing the property, which was already owned through one of the means of ownership.

Kwa ajili ya kumiliki mali kuna sababu za kiungu, ambazo Ash-Shaari' ameziweka kwa njia maalum. Sababu hizi haziruhusiwi kuvukwa. Njia ya kumiliki mali kwa hiyo imepunguzwa kwa kile ambacho Shar'a imekiweka. Ufafanuzi uliotangulia wa mali kama hukm shar'i, unaopimwa kwa kigezo cha kitu chenyewe au manufaa yake, unahitaji kuwepo kwa ruhusa kutoka kwa Ash-Shaari' ili umiliki utokee. Kwa maneno mengine, njia inayoruhusu umiliki kutokea lazima iwepo ndani ya Shar'a. Iwapo njia halali ya umiliki ipo, basi umiliki wa mali upo; na iwapo njia halali za umiliki hazipo, basi umiliki wa mali haupo, hata kama mtu alikuwa na mali hiyo mikononi mwake. Umiliki ni hivyo, kumiliki mali kwa njia ya kiungu iliyoruhusiwa na Ash-Shaari'. Shar'a imeamua njia za umiliki kupitia kesi mahsusi, ambazo imezieleza kwa namna ya kikomo, si kwa namna isiyo na kikomo. Shar'a imeweka njia hizi kwa miongozo ya jumla iliyo wazi. Miongozo hii inajumuisha sehemu nyingi, ambazo ni matawi ya njia hizi na ufafanuzi wa hukumu zake. Shar'a haikuzieleza njia hizi kwa vigezo vya jumla vya aina fulani, hivyo njia nyingine yoyote ya jumla haiwezi kuongezwa kwa kutumia kipimo cha kulinganisha (qiyas). Hii ni kwa sababu mahitaji mapya yapo tu katika mali zinazozalishwa, si katika miamala; yaani, hayapo katika mfumo unaosimamia uhusiano, bali yapo katika somo la uhusiano wenyewe. Kwa hiyo ni lazima kuweka miamala ndani ya kesi mahsusi zinazohusu mahitaji mapya na mbalimbali, na mali kama mali, na kazi kama kazi. Mbinu hii huamua umiliki wa mtu binafsi kwa namna inayoendana na asili ya binadamu, na kuupanga umiliki huu ili kulinda jamii dhidi ya hatari ambazo zingetokana na kuuacha bila kikomo. Hamu ya kumiliki mali binafsi ni sehemu ya silika ya kuishi, kama vile ndoa ilivyo sehemu ya silika ya kuzaliana, na ibada za kiibada ni sehemu ya silika ya kutakasa. Kama sehemu hizi zingeachwa huru kutimizwa kwa njia yoyote, hilo lingesababisha machafuko na vurugu, na kutimizwa kwa njia isiyo ya kawaida au isiyo sahihi. Kwa hiyo, ni lazima kubainisha njia ambayo mtu hupata mali, ili kuzuia kundi dogo la Ummah kuitawala kwa kupitia mali, na ili watu wengi wasinyimwe kutimiza baadhi ya mahitaji yao, na ili mali isitafutwe kwa ajili yake yenyewe pekee, lest mtu apoteze maisha mazuri, na pia kuzuia kupata mali kwa madhumuni ya kuhifadhi kupita kiasi. Hivyo basi, ni lazima kubainisha njia za kumiliki. Kwa kupitia uchunguzi wa hukumu za Mwenyezi Mungu (Ahkam Shari’ah) zinazomruhusu mtu kumiliki mali, inadhihirika kwamba njia za kumiliki ni tano, nazo ni:

In order to possess property there are divine causes, which the Lawgiver has confined to particular means. These causes must not be transgressed. The means of possessing property is therefore limited to what the Shar’a has laid down. The previously mentioned definition of property as a defined rule (Hukm Shar’i) estimated in terms of the asset or benefit, requires that there should be a permission from the Lawgiver in order that possession occurs. In other words, the means permitting possession to occur must exist within Shar’a. If the legal means of ownership exists, ownership of the property exists, and if the legal means of ownership are absent, then the ownership of property does not exist, even if an individual actually possessed it. Ownership is thus possession of property by divine means permitted by the Lawgiver. Shar’a has determined the means of ownership by specific cases which it made clear in a limited, rather than unrestricted form. Shar’a has laid down these means in clear general guidelines. These comprise of numerous sections, which are branches of these means and clarifications of their rules. Shar’a did not characterise the means by certain general criteria, so no other general means can be included through analogy. This is because the renewed needs are only in the generated properties not in the transactions; i.e. it is not in the system that governs the relationship, rather it is in the subject matter of the relationship. Therefore it is necessary to confine transactions to specific cases which apply to the renewed and various needs, and to the property as a property, and to the work as work. This approach determines individual ownership in a manner that agrees with man’s nature and organises this ownership so as to protect the society from the dangers that would result from leaving it unrestricted. The desire to own individual property is an aspect of the survival instinct just as marriage is an aspect of the procreation instinct, and worship rituals are an aspect of the sanctification instinct. If these aspects were left free to be satisfied in any way this would lead to anarchy and disorder and to abnormal or wrong satisfaction. It is necessary, therefore, to define the manner by which man acquires property to prevent a minority of the Ummah from controlling her by means of property, that the majority of people are not deprived of satisfying some of their needs: and that property is not sought for its own sake only, lest man loses the pleasant life, and also to prevent the obtaining of property for the purpose of hoarding. Accordingly, it is necessary to define the means of possession. Through examination of the divine rules (Ahkam Shari’ah) which allow man to possess property, it becomes apparent that the means of possession are limited to five which are:

a. Kazi.

a. Work.

b. Urithi.

b. Inheritance.

c. Kupata mali kwa ajili ya maisha.

c. Obtaining of property for the sake of life.

d. Serikali kuwapa raia mali zake.

d. The State granting of its properties to the citizens.

e. Mali ambayo watu huipata bila kubadilishana mali au kufanya kazi.

e. Properties which the individuals take without exchange of property or work.