Fatwa ID: 09491
Answered by Muftiyah Humairah Badshah
Question:
I am a software consultant in the UK. I have a pension account with a company called Pensionbee.
In 2024, I realised that the company (Pensionbee) is investing my funds anywhere they want and I had no control/knowledge of that.
Therefore, I requested them to transfer my account to the Shariah compliant pension scheme which they did on 27/07/2024.
The balance of my pension account was as below on 26/07/2024:
My contributions: £53,500
Value of the account: £59,629.61
Value increased/profit: £6,129.61
I contributed further £30,000 into my pension account in 2025. Now my current contribution is £83,500 and the value of the account is 110,228.31.
Keeping in view the above, please advise me if the above pension current value/balance is halal or not.
If not halal, then what should I do?
JazkAllah Khair
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Your deposited funds and the profit from the shariah-compliant pension fund are permissible for you. However, part or all of the £6,129.61 profit from the first pension scheme may need to be donated, depending on the stocks which were invested in. You should investigate the investment and consult a qualified scholar to determine the exact percentage of the £6,129.61 you should donate.
The initial £53,500 and added £30,000 which you contributed are your funds and therefore permissible for you to keep. The profit which you gained after 27/07/2024 while your money was invested in the Shariah-compliant pension scheme would also be permissible.[1] This includes the profit from the Shariah-compliant pension scheme which was technically profit derived from the £6,129.61 of profit from the previous pension scheme.[2]
As for the rest of the money, you must attempt to investigate where exactly your funds were invested during the time period before you switched to the Shariah-compliant fund. This would depend on which type of pension fund you previously were invested in. Many of the pension plans offered by Pensionbee are entirely equity-based (such as the under 50s default plan) and so the permissibility of your £6,129.61 profit would depend on the activities of the companies in which shares were bought.[3] Try to calculate the percentage of your investments which were from impermissible sources and donate the equivalent percentage of the £6,129.61.[4] You should take the name of the fund and the companies involved to a qualified Islamic scholar for advice on how much to donate.
You must also repent sincerely to Allah (ﷻ) for investing in non-Shariah-compliant businesses and make a firm intention not to repeat your mistake.[5]
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Muftiyah Humairah Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
https://www.pensionbee.com/uk/plans/shariah-pension-plan
[2]
إذَا تَصَرَّفَ فِي الْمَغْصُوبِ وَرَبِحَ فَهُوَ عَلَى وُجُوهٍ إمَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ يَتَعَيَّنُ بِالتَّعْيِينِ كَالْعُرُوضِ أَوْ لَا يَتَعَيَّنُ كَالنَّقْدَيْنِ فَإِنْ كَانَ مِمَّا يَتَعَيَّنُ لَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ التَّنَاوُلُ مِنْهُ قَبْلَ ضَمَانِ الْقِيمَةِ وَبَعْدَهُ يَحِلُّ إلَّا فِيمَا زَادَ عَلَى قَدْرِ الْقِيمَةِ وَهُوَ الرِّبْحُ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَطِيبُ لَهُ وَلَا يَتَصَدَّقُ بِهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِمَّا لَا يَتَعَيَّنُ فَقَدْ قَالَ الْكَرْخِيُّ: إنَّهُ عَلَى أَرْبَعَةِ أَوْجُهٍ إمَّا إنْ أَشَارَ إلَيْهِ وَنَقَدَ مِنْهُ أَوْ أَشَارَ إلَيْهِ وَنَقَدَ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ أَوْ أَطْلَقَ إطْلَاقًا وَنَقَدَ مِنْهُ أَوْ أَشَارَ إلَى غَيْرِهِ وَنَقَدَ مِنْهُ وَفِي كُلِّ ذَلِكَ يَطِيبُ لَهُ إلَّا فِي الْوَجْهِ الْأَوَّلِ وَهُوَ مَا أَشَارَ إلَيْهِ وَنَقَدَ مِنْهُ قَالَ مَشَايِخُنَا لَا يَطِيبُ لَهُ بِكُلِّ حَالٍ أَنْ يَتَنَاوَلَ مِنْهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَضْمَنَهُ وَبَعْدَ الضَّمَانِ لَا يَطِيبُ الرِّبْحُ بِكُلِّ حَالٍ وَهُوَ الْمُخْتَارُ وَالْجَوَابُ فِي الْجَامِعَيْنِ وَالْمُضَارَبَةِ يَدُلُّ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَاخْتَارَ بَعْضُهُمْ الْفَتْوَى عَلَى قَوْلِ الْكَرْخِيِّ فِي زَمَانِنَا لِكَثْرَةِ الْحَرَامِ وَهَذَا كُلُّهُ عَلَى قَوْلِهِمَا وَعِنْدَ أَبِي يُوسُفَ – رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى – لَا يَتَصَدَّقُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْهُ وَهَذَا الِاخْتِلَافُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِيمَا إذَا صَارَ بِالتَّقَلُّبِ مِنْ جِنْسِ مَا ضَمِنَ بِأَنْ ضَمِنَ دَرَاهِمَ مَثَلًا وَصَارَ فِي يَدِهِ مِنْ بَدَلِ الْمَضْمُونِ دَرَاهِمُ وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي يَدِهِ مِنْ بَدَلِهِ خِلَافُ جِنْسِ مَا ضَمِنَ بِأَنْ ضَمِنَ دَرَاهِمَ وَفِي يَدِهِ مِنْ بَدَلِهِ طَعَامٌ أَوْ عُرُوضٌ لَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ التَّصَدُّقُ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ كَذَا فِي التَّبْيِينِ
Al-Fataawa Al-Hindiyyah (Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.5 p.141
مَنْ اشْتَرَى جَارِيَةً بَيْعًا فَاسِدًا وَتَقَابَضَا وَبَاعَهَا وَرَبِحَ فِيهَا يَتَصَدَّقُ بِالرِّبْحِ، وَإِنْ اشْتَرَى الْبَائِعُ بِالثَّمَنِ شَيْئًا وَرَبِحَ فِيهِ طَابَ لَهُ الرِّبْحُ لِأَنَّ الْجَارِيَةَ مِمَّا يَتَعَيَّنُ بِالتَّعْيِينِ فَيَتَعَلَّقُ الْعَقْدُ بِهَا فَيُؤَثِّرُ الْخُبْثُ فِي الرِّبْحِ وَالدَّرَاهِمُ وَالدَّنَانِيرُ لَا تَتَعَيَّنَانِ فِي الْعُقُودِ فَلَمْ يَتَعَلَّقْ الْعَقْدُ الثَّانِي بِعَيْنِهَا فَلَمْ يُؤَثِّرْ الْخُبْثُ فِيهِ وَهَذَا إنَّمَا يَسْتَقِيمُ عَلَى الرِّوَايَةِ الصَّحِيحَةِ وَهِيَ أَنَّهَا لَا تَتَعَيَّنُ كَذَا فِي الْعِنَايَةِ هَذَا فِي الْخُبْثِ الَّذِي لِفَسَادِ الْمِلْكِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ الْخُبْثُ لِعَدَمِ الْمِلْكِ كَالْغُصُوبِ وَالْأَمَانَاتِ إذَا خَانَ فِيهَا الْمُؤْتَمَنُ فَإِنَّهُ يَشْمَلُ مَا يَتَعَيَّنُ وَمَا لَا يَتَعَيَّنُ عِنْدَ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ وَمُحَمَّدٍ رَحِمَهُمَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى كَذَا فِي التَّبْيِينِ
وَلَوْ ادَّعَى عَلَى آخَرَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ فَقَضَاهُ الْأَلْفَ وَتَصَرَّفَ الْقَابِضُ فِيهِ وَرَبِحَ ثُمَّ تَصَادَقَا إنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِ دَيْنٌ طَابَ لَهُ رِبْحُهُ كَذَا فِي الْكَافِي
Al-Fataawa Al-Hindiyyah (Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.3 p.211
[3]
https://www.pensionbee.com/uk/plans/global-leaders-pension-plan
[4]
يَتَصَدَّقُوا بِهِ؛ لِأَنَّ سَبِيلَ الْكَسْبِ الْخَبِيثِ التَّصَدُّقُ إذَا تَعَذَّرَ الرَّدُّ
Kitab Al-Bahr Al-Raa’iq (Daar Al-Kutub Al-Islaamiyyah, https://shamela.ws) v.8 p.229
https://aaoifi.com/ss-21-financial-paper-shares-and-bonds/?lang=en
[6]
يَكْفِيه فِيمَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى التَّوْبَةُ، وَالْإِنَابَةُ
Kitab Al-Bahr Al-Raa’iq (Daar Al-Kutub Al-Islaamiyyah, https://shamela.ws) v.5 p.5