ادعيس, أمجد محمودأمجد محمودادعيسIdais, Amjad M IAmjad M IIdais2026-01-052026-01-052025https://studentrepo.iium.edu.my/handle/123456789/33743This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Salam contract (forward sale) in bridging the agricultural financing gap in Palestine, underscoring its potential as an Islamic finance instrument for supporting development and enhancing financial inclusion. The research problem lies in the persistent widening of the agricultural financing gap despite the liquidity surplus in Islamic financial institutions, and their widespread failure to adopt productive financing tools like Salam. This indicates a profound "Strategic Inertia" resisting innovation within the banking sector. The study employed a Qualitative Approach, utilizing a descriptive-analytical method and an in-depth Case Study of the Al-Reef Microfinance Company's Salam experience. The data collection tools included semi-structured individual interviews with twelve key informants (experts, managers, and farmers), alongside document analysis. The main findings confirm that Salam is highly compatible with farmers' needs and the seasonal nature of agriculture. However, the financing gap is fundamentally a systemic gap rooted in the Strategic Inertia of banks that prioritize low-risk Murabaha over complex production financing. The Al-Reef experience revealed critical challenges: the absence of regulatory endorsement from the Palestinian Monetary Authority, and the lack of essential Shariah-Operational Hedging mechanisms (like parallel Salam) required for microfinance sustainability. The research contribution lies in proposing an analytical framework linking implementation failure to the Strategic Inertia Theory. It advocates for an integrated normative model featuring key recommendations: (1) Regulatory mandate for a minimum percentage of productive financing (Innovation Theory), (2) Establishment of a Takaful Guarantee Fund to share risks (Financial Gap Theory), and (3) Converting the microfinance experience into a strategic partnership with banks for sustainability (Islamic Microfinance Theory)arCopyright International Islamic University Malaysia.salam financing contract;gap financing;agriculture sectorContracts (Islamic law) -- PalestineDoctoral Theses‘Aqd al-salam