Islamic housing finance. There are two basic Quranic concepts shaping modern Islamic finance: explicit prohibitions by God against riba and maysir. The Quran, the divine word of God, does not explain in detail. This situation has resulted in a wide range of interpretations by Islamic scholars, some liberal enough to encompass most conventional forms of financial transactions. However, the bulk of the traditional interpretation of the Quran and the associated Sunna (the authenticated accounts of the Prophet’s activities and words) are relatively restrictive in some given ways.