Our backgrounds span finance, Islamic law & Islamic scholarship. Each person has a distinct role. Financial planning & investment advisory services are provided by Shakeb Kundiwala; the biographies below do not promise access to Abed or Umer as service providers.
Managing Director and Investment Adviser Representative
Shakeb leads Shariawiz Advisory and provides its financial planning and investment advisory services. His background includes registered representative roles with NYLife Securities and Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, and insurance work through Haya Financial Strategies & Insurance Agency. His insurance activity is separate and may involve commissions disclosed in the brochure.
General Counsel & Estate Planning Strategist
Abed Awad, Esq. serves as General Counsel and Estate Planning Strategist for Shariawiz Advisory, bringing more than two decades of experience in estate planning, family law, and Islamic law to the firm's multidisciplinary approach to financial planning. Abed is a founding partner of Awad & Khoury, LLP, where his practice focuses on Sharia-compliant estate planning, including Islamic wills, trusts, and family waqfs, as well as Islamic law, nonprofit law, and business law. As an internationally recognized authority on Islamic law and the laws of Muslim countries, he brings particular insight to the intersection of estate planning, Islamic inheritance, family wealth, and legacy planning. Abed is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell and a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers. He was an adjunct law professor at Rutgers Law School from 2003 to 2020 and has also taught at Pace Law School and Seton Hall Law School. From 2016 to 2019, he was a contributor and U.S. Editor for Harvard Law School's Islamic Legal Studies Program's ShariaSource portal. At Shariawiz Advisory, Abed serves as an estate-planning resource for the firm's advisory team, helping identify estate, inheritance, and legacy-planning considerations that may need to be coordinated with a client's broader financial plan. Abed does not provide legal or investment advice through Shariawiz Advisory. When appropriate, legal services require a separate attorney-client engagement.
Islamic scholar and trustee of a non-managing member
Umer’s background includes Islamic scholarship and Islamic finance. His studies include scholarly training at Al Salam Institute and training in issuing Islamic legal opinions at Darul Ifta Birmingham. His scholarship is described here for biographical context. He does not provide advice or religious rulings to Shariawiz Advisory clients, manage portfolios, determine investment recommendations, solicit advisory services or supervise those activities.
No pressure. No jargon. Just a conversation about what matters most to you and your family.
