This fatwa acknowledges the reality that shari'a financial institutions may need to request advance payments from customers to assure themselves during the execution of a murabahah financial agreement. The fatwa states that in order to prevent loss on the part of one of the parties, as well as to ensure shari'a-compliance, a set of guidelines for shari'a financial institutions are required.
More specifically, the fatwa permits a shari'a financial institution to receive an advance payment from a customer, on the condition that the parties agree to the sum of money. The monies can then be used in the event the customer terminates the agreement or the shari'a financial institution incurs some other form of financial damages.