Life cover insurance

· 30 Muharram 1438 AH1 min readFatwa 36988English

Question

AssalamuAlaikum

The company I work for provides a Life cover insurance, this benefit is compulsory when employed by the company. We are required to select a beneficiary or nominee and the percentage they will receive in the case of death. I would like to find out if it will be permissable to make my wife a beneficiary and choose to give her 100% of the payout or will this money become part of my estate if I pass away. I have a wife and two daughters.

Jazakallah

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

In principle, it is not permissible to take out life insurance as it has interest and gambling in it, both of which are haram1. In the enquired situation, you are not taking out the life insurance. Your company is taking it out for you. You have no say in that. Hence, the insurance pay-out will be regarded as a gift to whoever you nominate as a beneficiary. The pay-out will not form part of your estate.2

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Ibn Jibran Kadarkhan

Student Darul Iftaa
Mauritius

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

لِأَنَّ الرِّبَا هُوَ الْفَضْلُ الْمُسْتَحَقُّ لِأَحَدِ الْمُتَعَاقِدَيْنِ فِي الْمُعَاوَضَةِ الْخَالِي عَنْ عِوَضِ شَرْطٍ فِيهِ) أي في العقد

(العناية شرح الهداية، ج ٣، ص ٦٦٢، دار الكتب العلمية)

وقال علماؤنا: هو نوع بيع فيه فضل مستحق لأحد المتعاقدين خال عما يقابله من عوض شرط في هذا العقد، وعلى هذا سائر أنواع البيوع الفاسدة من قبيل الربا، وفي جميع المعلوم الربا شرعا عبارة عن عقد فاسد وإن لم يكن زيادة. لأن بيع الدراهم بالدراهم نسيئة ربا، وإن لم يتحقق فيه زيادة

(البناية شرح الهداية، ج ١٠، ص ٣٨٧، المكتبة الحقانية)

[قال الحصكفي] (إنْ شُرِطَ الْمَالُ) فِي الْمُسَابَقَةِ (مِنْ جَانِبٍ وَاحِدٍ وَحَرُمَ لَوْ شُرِطَ) فِيهَا (مِنْ الْجَانِبَيْنِ) لِأَنَّهُ يَصِيرُ قِمَارًا

[قال ابن عابدين] (قَوْلُهُ لِأَنَّهُ يَصِيرُ قِمَارًا) لِأَنَّ الْقِمَارَ مِنْ الْقَمَرِ الَّذِي يَزْدَادُ تَارَةً وَيَنْقُصُ أُخْرَى، وَسُمِّيَ الْقِمَارُ قِمَارًا لِأَنَّ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ الْمُقَامِرَيْنِ مِمَّنْ يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ مَالُهُ إلَى صَاحِبِهِ، وَيَجُوزُ أَنْ يَسْتَفِيدَ مَالَ صَاحِبِهِ وَهُوَ حَرَامٌ بِالنَّصِّ، وَلَا كَذَلِكَ إذَا شُرِطَ مِنْ جَانِبٍ وَاحِدٍ لِأَنَّ الزِّيَادَةَ وَالنُّقْصَانَ لَا تُمْكِنُ فِيهِمَا بَلْ فِي أَحَدِهِمَا تُمْكِنُ الزِّيَادَةُ، وَفِي الْآخَرِ الِانْتِقَاصُ فَقَطْ فَلَا تَكُونُ مُقَامَرَةً لِأَنَّهَا مُفَاعَلَةٌ مِنْهُ زَيْلَعِيٌّ

(رد المحتار علي الدر المختار، ج ٦، ص ٤٠٣، ايج ايم سيعد كمبني)

فتاوى محمودية، ج16 ص390،ادارة الفاروق كراشي

اسلام اور جديد معاشی مسائل ج3 ص317 ادارۃ اسلاميات

عصر حاضر کے پيچيدا مسائل ج2 ص180 الطاف ايند سنز

فتاوی دار العلوم زکريا ج5 ص443 زمزم

فتاوی دار العلوم زکريا ج5 ص444 زمزم

امداد الفتاوی ج3 ص149 دار العلوم کراتشی

Answered by
Ibn Jibran Kadarkhan
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Questions about this ruling, answered only from the archive with sources.

Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.

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