Fatwa ID: 08158

Answered by: Maulana Yusuf Badshah

Question:

Salam,

I know all types of insurance are haram, but in the UK, car insurance is mandatory. I have read in some answers that you are only allowed to have the minimum insurance, which is third-party. But are we allowed to choose a different insurance, like fully comprehensive, and even add more benefits, like breakdown cover or other stuff, or is this haram?

If it is haram, what about if my family forces me to do the fully comprehensive insurance? In such cases, would it be permitted even though I have advised them?

Jazakallah Khair.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Wa alaykum assalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

Car insurance, like most other forms of insurance, is generally impermissible due to the Gharar and gambling aspect of paying for a service where there is no guarantee of it ever being fulfilled. Additionally, the Riba resulting from the payout is not equal to the total insurance paid [1]. It is only permitted in countries such as the UK due to it being legally mandatory [2]. Thus, as with any necessity, one is only allowed to engage in the impermissible aspect to the minimum extent. Just as the starving person with no halal food can only eat the bare minimum haram food needed to survive [3], similarly, the one forced to take car insurance is only allowed to partake in the cheapest car insurance available, which is generally third-party insurance.

Thus, purchasing additional options such as comprehensive insurance would be impermissible, and would be no different from intentionally engaging in a haram transaction. Each payment towards your car insurance would be the same as gambling, and should your car be damaged in an incident, the additional money you would receive to repair it would not be rightfully yours.

It should be noted, however, that some have permitted non-insurance-based options, such as breakdown cover, on the consideration that one is paying towards the breakdown cover operators giving their time to make themselves regularly available to provide assistance should a breakdown occur, and because one receives their assistance in exchange rather than a payout.

If by your family forcing you, you mean that they are paying your car insurance and selecting the option on your behalf, then the consequences will be on them and not you. In this case, the best you can do is advise them as you have done [4]. However, if you are the one paying for the car insurance, then they are not in a position to force you to commit haram. Thus, you should refuse their wishes if possible and choose only the third-party insurance [5].

However, should the process be out of your control or should your family be such that you expect some form of severe retaliation if you go against their wishes, then it will be permissible for you to comply, seeking the forgiveness of Allah s.w.t and intending to fix the issue as soon as you have the power and freedom to do so [6].

And only Allah s.w.t knows best.

Written by: Maulana Yusuf Badshah

Checked and approved by: Mufti Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

References:

[1] Jami’ At-Tirmidhi 1230:
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، أَنْبَأَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ بَيْعِ الْغَرَرِ وَبَيْعِ الْحَصَاةِ‏

Bada’ius Sana’i, vol. 5, pg. 163, Darul Kutubul Ilmiyyah:
«وَنَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ بَيْعٍ فِيهِ غَرَرٌ» وَبَيَانُ تَمَكُّنِ الْغَرَرِ أَنَّ الْغَرَرَ هُوَ الْخَطَر

Raddul Muhtar, vol. 5, pg. 168-169, Darul Fikr:
بَابُ الرِّبَا هُوَ لُغَةً: مُطْلَقُ الزِّيَادَةِ وَشَرْعًا (فَضْلٌ) وَلَوْ حُكْمًا فَدَخَلَ رِبَا النَّسِيئَةِ وَالْبُيُوعُ الْفَاسِدَةُ فَكُلُّهَا مِنْ الرِّبَا فَيَجِبُ رَدُّ عَيْنِ الرِّبَا لَوْ قَائِمًا لَا رَدُّ ضَمَانِهِ لِأَنَّهُ يُمْلَكُ بِالْقَبْضِ قُنْيَةٌ وَبَحْرٌ (خَالٍ عَنْ عِوَضٍ)

Surah Al-Baqarah 275:
{ الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا الْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ الرِّبَا ۗ وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا ۚ فَمَن جَاءَهُ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ فَانتَهَىٰ فَلَهُ مَا سَلَفَ وَأَمْرُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ ۖ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ ۞}

[2] Raddul Muhtar, vol. 1, pg. 446, Darul Fikr:
إذْ الضَّرُورَةُ الْعَجْزُ الْمُبِيحُ لِتَرْكِ أَدَاءِ الرُّكْنِ

[3] Surah Al-Baqarah 173:
{ … فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ۞}

Surah Al-An’aam 119:
{ … وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُم مَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ ۗ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا لَّيُضِلُّونَ بِأَهْوَائِهِم بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُعْتَدِينَ ۞}

[4] Surah Al-Ma’idah 2:
{ … وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ ۞}

Sahih Muslim 1893a:
وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ وَابْنُ أَبِي عُمَرَ – وَاللَّفْظُ لأَبِي كُرَيْبٍ – قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي عَمْرٍو الشَّيْبَانِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، قَالَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ إِنِّي أُبْدِعَ بِي فَاحْمِلْنِي فَقَالَ ‏”‏ مَا عِنْدِي ‏”‏‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ سَأَلْتُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ أَبَا مُعَاوِيَةَ لَا يَشَكُّ أَنَّهُ فَقَالَ‏

[5] Sahih Al-Bukhari 2495:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، «َطَرْقٌ غَيْرُ حَقِيبَةِ الأَمَانَةِ الرَّاجِيعُ‏»‏