SO-CALLED ‘TAKAFOL’ IS BLATANT HARAAM INSURANCE
The financial venture being marketed in South Africa for Muslim consumption called Takaful is Haraam. The product being offered to the Muslim community has been called ‘Takafol’ by its sellers, Takafol S.A.Ltd. This company states in its introductory letter of advertisement:
“Takafol S.A., has with the mercy of Allah Ta’ala, been launched in March 2004: aiming at providing an Islamically acceptable alternate to the conventional insurance schemes.”
A perusal of the rules and conditions applicable to the new scheme offered by this company, establishes beyond the least shadow of doubt that there is absolutely no difference between ‘conventional’ insurance and the insurance of Takafol (S.A.) Ltd.
It is the same product with a name having an Islamic hue. It is the same wine in a different bottle. It is plain ‘zina’ described as nikah.
FUNDAMENTALS
The very same two fundamentals which render conventional insurance haraam exist in the ‘takafol’ scheme. The two fundamentals which make insurance haraam are riba and gambling. Everyone understands what riba is. It is commonly called interest although interest is just one aspect of riba.
The suspension of gain on a risk or on an unsure future development in an agreement requiring both parties to tender wealth is qimaar or gambling in the Shariah. Both these elements are found par excellence in the takafol scheme. In fact there is nothing new in the product which this company is offering. It is the same as conventional insurance. It has only changed the name.
SHAMELESS
The aggravating factor here is that the company is shamelessly offering its riba-qimaar product in the name of Islam and as a consequence of “the mercy of Allah Ta’ala” whereas Allah’s mercy never offers Muslims something which is glaringly haraam in the Shariah.
Even a layman who browses through the brochure of the company will quickly understand that there is no difference between conventional insurance and takafol insurance. Whether zina is committed by the kuffaar or by Muslims calling it ‘nikah’, it remains haraam.
It is essential to understand that a haraam scheme does not become halaal merely by a name-change and giving it a title which sounds Islamic to the Muslim ear.
TAKAFOL
Takafol is a mutual pledge between two parties. The one pledges to pay money for a possible future gain of an unstipulated amount, the gain being suspended on damage to his property which he insures with the takafol company. If the party does suffer a future loss of the insured assets, the other party (the takaol company) will pay him an amount after exhaustive investigations conducted with the desire to escape payment in exactly the same way as all insurance companies act.
The takafol company after being driven into a tight corner in consequence of the correct manipulation of its many haraam conditions by the one who has been insured, is forced to reluctantly pay up in consideration for the haraam premiums which the insured person has made over a period of time. There is, therefore, not the slightest doubt in the prohibition of the takafol product which Takafol (S.A.) Ltd is presently marketing in the Muslim community.
DEVIOUS
In a devious endeavour to convince Muslims of the acceptability of their Haraam takafol product, the company manipulates the names of senior Ulama who have departed from this world some decades ago. Thus, this company states: