Sharia Management Standard (SMS 3102 : 2010)

As impact of global business competition that getting tougher everyday, enterprises or companies around the world are racing to be as perfect as possible in terms of quality and service so that they can win the customer’s heart and grow their business. This condition has leaded them to gain international standard in business process and environmental aspect.

Currently, we have notified some certification products that normally a company “must” have. Let’s mention some of them: ISO 9001:2008 for quality management system, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 for environmental matters. Those standards basically requisite a company to continually establish, maintain and control their business process which at the end they can fulfill customer’s demand. Based on my experience as a professional in various industries and multinational companies, these kinds of standards have been implemented very well even tough “the cost” is not cheap. It is not only related with some money a company must spend to bring in the standards but also much energy, time and effort to keep the business process running as required.

In Sharia Banking business (or in Bahasa recently known as “IB”), I think there are no such kind of global standards which can be a reference to all Sharia bankers around the world. That’s why I am writing this article as a hope or expectation for every Sharia bankers in Indonesia to be pioneer in developing global standards which concern mainly in Sharia aspects. Some of you probably raise some questions “Why must Sharia industry develop new standards?” or “Why don’t Sharia industry use ISO?”. Yes, having an ISO or any kind of common global standards is important however Sharia business is very different with any other business. In this business, moral and business ethics are the main soul so that it needs global standards which can guide every stakeholder to have standard point of view.

I am proposing to develop a Sharia Management Standard (SMS 3102:2010), this kind of standard will mainly concern and guide in Sharia aspect like how to behave and manage attitude of all persons involved. Like other standards which rooted on PDCA (Plan, Do, Check and Act) concept, SMS will also have similar process. If in ISO, we are familiar with quality and environment policy then in SMS a company has to establish a Sharia policy which will be implemented. This policy will be reviewed periodically and continually improved. Furthermore, if in ISO we recognize various versions like ISO 9001, ISO 14001 while in SMS, I prefer to mention this rule as SMS 3102 which SMS is abbreviation from Sharia Management Standards and 3102 is refer to Al-Qur’an surah Ali-Imran verse 102.

يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنْتُمْ مُّسْلِمُونَ

"O ye who believe! Fear God as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam”

(Al-Qur’an : 102, source : www.altafsir.com)

Above verse is really relevant to urge everyone who declares their involvement in Sharia business to live up Sharia values in their personality and day-to-day activities because it is advising all believer to be fear of God as much as possible. For sure fear of God is not only applicable whenever we are in praying room but fear of God should be implemented also in any place including market and office.

With this standard, we can bear our hope to have better picture of Sharia business in forthcoming years. Wallahu alam.

This article also published at : http://dhaniesdailynotes.blogspot.com