The Fund uses a “passive management” (or indexing) approach to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index.

The Index includes all real estate investment trust (“REIT”) securities listed in developed and emerging markets and included as constituents of the S&P Global BMI Shariah Index, a comprehensive global Sharia-compliant index of publicly-traded equity securities. Constituents included in the S&P Global BMI Shariah Index must have a float-adjusted market capitalization of at least $100 million and an annual trading value of at least $50 million. A REIT is a security of a company that invests in real estate, either through real estate property, mortgages and similar real estate investments, or all of the foregoing. Islamic religious law commonly known as Sharia has certain restrictions regarding finance and commercial activities permitted for Muslims, including interest restrictions and prohibited industries. Constituents of the S&P Global BMI Shariah Index, and therefore constituents of the Index, have been screened for non-compliant business activities (companies that offer products and services that are not compliant with Sharia law such as gambling, alcohol, or tobacco) and compliance with certain accounting-based financial ratios (companies must satisfy financial ratios governing leverage, cash, and the share of revenues derived from non-compliant activities).

The Index is rebalanced and reconstituted monthly. Each security in the Index is subject to certain individual security weight caps. As of February 29, 2024, the Index was composed of 46 constituents, representing investments in 9 countries.

The Index was developed in 2020 by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (the “Index Provider”), a division of S&P Global, with active contribution by ShariaPortfolio, Inc. (the “Sub-Adviser”), the Fund’s sub-adviser. The Index is owned and administered by the Index Provider. The S&P Global BMI Shariah Index was developed in 2008 by the Index Provider and is owned and administered by the Index Provider.

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

The Fund attempts to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the component securities that make up the Index. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets will be invested in the component securities of the Index. This policy may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders. The Fund’s investment adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better.

The Fund generally may invest up to 20% of its total assets in Sharia-compliant securities or other Sharia-compliant investments not included in the Index, but which the Sub-Adviser believes will help the Fund track the Index. For example, the Fund may invest in Sharia-compliant securities that are not components of the Index to reflect various corporate actions and other changes to the S&P Global BMI Shariah Index (such as reconstitutions, additions, and deletions). Each investment made by the Fund is pre-screened and approved as Sharia compliant before investment by the Fund.

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning the Fund will generally invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the Index. However, the Fund may use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return, and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return, and other characteristics of the Index as a whole, when the Fund’s investment adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund (e.g., when replicating the Index involves practical difficulties or substantial costs, an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable, or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations that apply to the Fund but not to the Index).

To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds more than 25% of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of related industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index. The Fund is classified as non-diversified and therefore may invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a single company or a smaller number of companies than diversified funds. The Index is expected to be concentrated (i.e., holding more than 25% of its total assets) in REITs.

The Fund is deemed to be non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund.