Archive for Islamic Insurance

Islamic finance accelerates into motor policies

Islamic finance accelerates into motor policies

Muslim insurance could prove popular with other drivers too, says Chiara Cavaglieri

Sunday, 15 February 2009

First it was Islamic current accounts, then mortgages and investment funds, and now we have a motor insurance product that conforms to Islamic law, or sharia.

This move will be welcomed by many of the two million British Muslims looking to buy insurance cover aligned with their faith. But it could also prove popular for non-Muslims who find the notion of an ethical or co-operative insurance product appealing.

Unlike conventional insurance, where risk is transferred from the policyholder to the insurance company, halal [permissable] insurance, or takaful (“guaranteeing each other”), requires all participants to share risk equally. Instead of premiums, participants pay contributions which, as with ordinary insurance, are calculated on the presumed risk of the individual and how likely they are to claim. These contributions are then pooled in a takaful fund which is invested in strictly halal activities. There is also a Shariah Supervisory Committee, made up of sharia scholars, to oversee all activities and to ensure that the whole process is consistent with Islamic principles.

Interestingly, once the fund has been used to pay for any valid claims, any surplus money is redistributed to participants at the end of the year in the form of discounted premiums, which come in addition to any no-claims bonuses.

“What is unique is the ethical nature of what we do,” says Bradley Brandon-Cross, the chief executive of Salaam Halal Insurance. “It’s a transparent process and the opportunity to get something back is attractive to customers, both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.”

But there is no guarantee that there will be any surplus money to share out. Motor insurance firms have been making underwriting losses in recent years: there was a recorded deficit of £267m in 2007 and £204m in 2006.

At Salaam Halal, if claims outweigh contributions, shareholders advance the money to pay for any excess claims. Shareholders then recover that cash in times of profit. This could mean that even in years in which there are surplus funds, there will be little or no money left to share out among participants after the retrieval of shareholders’ contributions.

Sharia prohibits usury – the receiving of interest – as well as the undertaking of haram activities (those that are forbidden to Muslims, such as gambling and dealing in alcohol or arms). This leaves many financial products, including conventional insurance, in opposition to sharia, and so many Muslims have few options when shopping for products that conform to their faith. Standard insurance falls down because it involves the taking of a financial risk that the policyholder will make a loss if a claim does not occur, which to many Muslim scholars constitutes a gamble.

Insurance is just the latest of Islamic financial products to become available in the UK. In comparison with mortgages, the insurance sector has been slow on the uptake. Islamic mortgages have grown from having a 0.3 per cent market share in 2003, to 0.8 per cent in 2009 with a value of £429m, according to the research company Datamonitor.

Salaam Halal’s motor insurance has just become available through price- comparison site Moneysupermarket. com and the indications are that it’s both popular and competitive. “There has been a lot of interest,” says Kaye Pimblett, motor insurance manager at the site. “During its first seven days on Moneysupermarket.com, Salaam Hall returned more than 37,000 quotes. And when they returned a quote, they appeared in the top three positions on over a third of occasions,” she adds. Already, the insurer has plans to take its co-operative model of doing business into the home insurance sector.

Lloyds Banking, which has pioneered Islamic finance products in the UK, is not surprised at the popularity of any sharia-compliant launch. “Although as a market, UK Islamic finance is in its infancy, it’s still set to become big business,” says Emile Abu-Shakra, a spokesman for the bank. “We offer Islamic current and business accounts, mortgages and investment funds.”

Mr Abu-Shakra adds: “We piloted these in just five branches in 2005 but that quickly expanded to all 2,000 the following year.”

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/money/insurance/islamic-finance-accelerates-into-motor-policies-1622160.html

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Growth of the Islamic Takaful Market in Malaysia

Growth of the Islamic Takaful Market in Malaysia
Kevin Willis, Standard & Poor’s – 22 Jan 2008

Malaysia’s well established regulatory and legal environments give its takaful market the edge over those being developed throughout the Gulf countries. However, this article argues that competition will hit Malaysian firms earlier than their neighbours.

Standard & Poor’s views the industry risk in the more established Malaysian takaful, or insurance, market as comparatively lower than in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), due to the country’s more developed regulatory and legal environment. Growth potential for Islamic finance in Malaysia overall is still strong, particularly if it is to reach the level outlined in the Financial Sector Masterplan by Bank Negara Malaysia, the central bank of Malaysia.

The historical stability and profitability of the takaful market is attracting an increasing number of takaful operators to Malaysia. The market expectations of growth in gross contributions of about 15-20% per year are broadly in line with our expectations. At the same time, however, competitive pressures are likely to affect the Malaysian market earlier than the GCC takaful market, particularly in the general takaful segment. This may place pressure on pricing as companies begin to more aggressively compete for policyholders through a broader range of distribution channels.

In terms of credit ratings on the takaful sector, Standard & Poor’s applies the same analytical process to the traditional insurance market. Less than 45% of the Malaysian population have life or family takaful policies (these being long-term savings, investment, and/or protection plans) but this is relatively high when compared with statistics for the GCC. More significant is the proportion of life insurance penetration relative to non-life, which shows a higher level of development for the Malaysian market relative to the world average.

This is based on our view that in a wealthier and more insurance-aware market, life premiums outstrip non-life premiums per capita. Nevertheless, the relatively low level of total premiums per capita supports strong growth potential, with market expectations of growth of 20% a year being broadly in line with our expectations.

The more developed regulatory and legal framework for takaful in Malaysia compared to the GCC supports this potential for growth. The regulatory focus on the introduction of a risk-based capital framework promotes better risk management by takaful players. Also, the compulsory takaful sales agent qualification, as introduced by the Malaysian Takaful Association, is encouraging as it enhances product recognition and the advice available to consumers. The local regulator has also been supportive in raising consumer awareness about the need to insure (through consumer education programmes) and in encouraging bancassurance (the distribution of an insurance company’s products via a bank’s branch network) and broader distribution channels to improve the availability and proximity of takaful to the consumer.

The broader Islamic capital markets in Malaysia allow for a greater depth of instruments to aid better risk management and asset-liability management. This ultimately improves product choice, particularly in the family takaful segment, where a broader range of products has gradually been rolled out. From the mainly mortgage-backed portfolio of family takaful products, investment-linked products have grown rapidly in line with a stronger marketing strategy, and will be further boosted by stronger stock market performance in 2006 and 2007.

In the general takaful segment, much of the 2006 growth was driven by the motor line of business. This was not just due to an increase in the compulsory motor segment, but also as a result of a greater volume of business written in comprehensive and third-party liability, reflecting an increased use of broader distribution channels (including banking institutions).

Other lines of business, in particular commercial, showed growth potential, although this may be constrained by a relatively limited availability of retakaful (the Islamic insurance equivalent of reinsurance, or
risk protection taken by takaful companies) capacity for large, specialised risks. Nevertheless, with new retakaful operators in Malaysia’s offshore financial centre of Labuan, a Malaysian island off the coast of Borneo, these concerns seem to be easing somewhat.

Source: http://www.gtnews.com/article/7058.cfm

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Insurance: Takaful gaining ground

Insurance: Takaful gaining ground

Hussein Mahmoud traces the origins of Takaful insurance and looks at why it is one of the fastest growing parts of the market

Takaful originates from the Arabic word ‘Kafalah’, which means ‘guaranteeing each other’ or ‘joint guarantee’. The Takaful market started in Sudan in 1979 and then spread to Asia, with Malaysia being one of the most mature markets in the Islamic Asian region. The Takaful concept reached the Gulf regional market in 2002, and gained ground in 2005.

The principles of Takaful are similar to those that underpin mainstream mutual insurance, as the Takaful system is based on mutual cooperation, responsibility, assurance, protection and assistance between groups of participants. In addition, however, a Takaful-branded product has to strictly follow the Muslim business norms of Islamic contracts for clients and Boards of Islamic Sharia scholars whose role is to vet business decisions.

Major international companies moving into the Takaful segment include AIG, Allianz, HSBC, Aviva, and Prudential. Further in 2008, the second largest Takaful company in the world, British Islamic Insurance Holding, is due to launch a UK base with the intention of raising more than $350m (£174m) of capital. As well as targeting the UK market, the company is also setting its sights on other European countries, especially France and Germany, the Gulf States and some Asian countries.

Why the demand?
Islamic banking institutions providing capital and Islamic financial instruments for asset management and investment have already developed successfully and there is now a strong demand, due to religious beliefs, for a Shariacompliant insurance product.

Takaful is one of the fastest-growing segments in insurance, with an average growth of 20% per annum. In 2006, worldwide Takaful contributions were estimated at around $3bn. Approximately 60% comes from general Takaful (general insurance) and 40% from family Takaful (life insurance and pensions).

According to Moody’s Global Credit Research service, total Takaful premiums were worth more than $2bn in 2005 and it is predicted that this will rise to $7bn by 2015.

In addition, consumer surveys have shown a high willingness for Muslims to switch their conventional savings, health and education plans to a Takaful product, given the same level of customer service, quality and profitability.

Defining a Takaful system
There are five elements that must co-exist to establish a proper framework for a Takaful system:

1. Ne’aa or utmost sincerity of intention — for knowingly following the guidance of, and adhering to the rule and purpose of, Takaful — co-operative risk sharing and mutual assistance.
2. Integration of Sharia principles — in particular, risk sharing under Ta’awuni principles, coincidence of ownership, participation in management by policyholders, avoidance of riba (an agreement in which the policyholder expects to receive a predetermined/ fixed amount that is greater than that invested), gambling (referred to as ‘qimar’ or ‘maisir’ in Arabic, which means any activity that involves an arrangement between two or more parties, each of whom undertakes the risk of a loss where a loss for one means a gain for the other), and al Gharar (activities that have elements of uncertainty, ambiguity or deception. In a commercial transaction, it refers to either the uncertainty of the goods or price of goods, or deceiving the buyer on the price of goods), and inclusion of the al Mudharabah (profitsharing arrangements) and/or al Wakalah (agents) principles for management practices.
3. Presence of moral value and ethics — whereby business is conducted openly in accordance with utmost good faith, honesty, full disclosure, truthfulness and fairness in all dealing.
4. No unlawful element — that contravenes Sharia and strict adherence to Islamic rules for commercial contract, namely:

  • Parties have legal capacity and are mentally fit n Insurable interest n Principle of indemnity prevails
  • Payment of premium is consideration (offer and acceptance)
  • Mutual consent, which includes voluntary purifi cation
  • Specific time period of policy and underlying agreement.

5. Appointment of a Sharia Advisory Council or Committee — to oversee the development and Islamic auditing of the Takaful operation and to make sure the investments are made in eligible areas that are allowed and approved by the Sharia board.

Two areas of business
Most Takaful products fall into two main areas.

General Takaful
General Takaful refers to schemes designed to meet the protection needs of individuals and corporate bodies in relation to material loss or damage resulting from a catastrophe or disaster infl icted upon properties, assets or belongings.

Participants (policyholders) pay their premiums (calculated by actuaries) into the Takaful fund as a Tabarru’ (donation). This will eliminate the elements of al Gharar and gambling. That is, the participant agrees to donate their contribution (premium) to the fund with a mission to help other participants covered under the various Takaful schemes when in distress. Therefore, it is the members who carry the risk and the Takaful operator is merely a custodian. Mudharabah, Musharakah and Wakalah models (see Takaful models box) can be implemented under this approach.

Family Takaful
The range of Takaful products offered falls into two categories: risk-type products that are provided for the protection of the participants; and investmenttype products with an element of risk. These products tend to be regular savings plans where a participant indicates his need to achieve a target lump sum by a specifi ed time in the future. Under this scheme the participants pay their premiums into the Takaful fund. A portion of the premium is allocated purely for saving and investment, and the balance goes as a Tabarru’ to build up reserves (claims reserves, unearned premium reserves and so on), to direct expenses, and to pay for Retakaful (reinsurance). Again, Mudharabah, Musharakah and Wakalah models can be implemented under this approach.

Beyond these two main areas, Takaful products are also available for health and pensions needs. It should be noted that Takaful insurance is not just for Muslims but also for non-Muslims, as it is seen by them as an ethical form of insurance.


Takaful models
» Mudharabah model (profit and loss sharing) This is a contract between capital providers with management, where any profi t is shared according to ratio or percentage agreed by both parties but any losses are borne entirely by the capital provider. In practice, participants provide capital to the Takaful operator.
» Musharakah model (joint venture) Both parties provide capital and/or management. Profi t is split either based on capital or upon negotiation, and any loss is distributed in proportion to capital contributions.
» Kafalah model (surety) A guarantor to become the surety in the event the debtor fails to honour his obligation. This type of contract can be used for the development of the Takaful scheme for bonds products.
» Wakalah model (agency) The principal appoints and authorises someone to act on his behalf. The authorisation could be either specific or general. The Wakeel (agent) could then charge a fee to the principal. This model is suitable for most Takaful products including products for corporate risks such as a ‘Rent-a-Captive’ concept.
» Ju’alah model (commission) Similar to the Wakalah contract except that the payment to the agent is measured on his output and performance. This contract could be used to develop distribution channels for Takaful. The most important element of a Takaful model is that there must be a subject matter of contract upon which contracting parties mutually agree by an ijab (proposal) and a qabul (acceptance).


Takaful structures
A Takaful operation in a non-Muslim country can be established in any one of the followings ways:
» A Takaful operator set up under the local Company’s Act with a distinct legal entity
» A Takaful window with any of the existing insurance companies
» A branch of any established Takaful company under a franchise agreement or other understanding
» Establishment of marketing facilities for Takaful products as part of an existing Takaful company with an agency agreement.

Hussein Mahmoud is a Senior Actuarial Analyst at ACE European Group

Source: http://www.the-actuary.org.uk/695085

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Capita to support Sharia-compliant insurance

Capita to support Sharia-compliant insurance
February 29, 2008

” Sharia policies will comply with strict Islamic beliefs, which are in conflict with conventional insurance products.” by Angela Jameson

Outsourcing giant Capita, best known for running London’s congestion charge, is providing backoffice functions for a new insurance business tailored to comply with Islamic beliefs.

The initiative, due to launch in April, will see Capita initially sell car and home insurance by working with British Islamic Insurance Holdings. Life insurance, investments, savings and ethical financial products are to be launched later this year.

Capita, also known for collecting the BBC licence fee, will sell the policies as well as process claims and run the company’s back office. The deal should be worth £87 million to Capita over eight years.

Conventional UK insurance products are in conflict with Islamic beliefs as the Koran prohibits “riba”, loosely translated as interest but interpreted by many progressive Muslims as usury or extortionate interest. Insurance also contains elements of uncertainty and gambling that make it unsuitable for devout Muslims.

Bradley Brandon-Cross, chief executive of British Islamic Insurance Holdings, said: “The Muslim faith states that, because of various product features, conventional UK insurance options are in conflict with Islam and this creates a dilemma for British Muslims. We are planning to create a British insurer that operates in a way that removes this dilemma and creates an exciting new sector in the British insurance market.”

The insurance product will comply with “Takaful” principles. Takaful is an Islamic insurance concept which has been practised in various forms for more than 1400 years. It originates from the Arabic word Kafalah, which means guaranteeing each other or joint guarantee. The Takaful system is a form of mutual insurance based on co-operation and responsibility. The principles of Takaful are that policyholders co-operate among themselves for their common good; each pays a subscription, which eliminates uncertainty and losses are divided and liabilities spread across a community pool. No individual should derive advantage at the expense.

Capita has been operating in the financial services market since 2000, first in the general insurance market and latterly in the life and pensions arena. The insurance sector has provided some of its biggest contract wins in the past year, when it began a £722 million contract with Prudential to administer 7 million mature life and pensions policies. The contract win has seen 1,750 Prudential UK staff transfer to Capita and a further 1,250 staff in Bombay have also joined Capita.

Since the turn of the year it has been taken on to run back office in Norwich of Marsh, the US-based insurance broker, in deal which is expected to be worth £200 million over 10 years.

Capita said yesterday that pre-tax profits had risen in the year to December 31 by 19 per cent to £238.4 million on turnover up 19 per cent to £2.07 billion. The company has all of its 2008 revenue of £2.3 billion in the bag and said that it has very good visibility on 2009 and 2010 earnings.

Paul Pindar, chief executive, said that any economic downturn was likely to be good for Capita as other companies looked to outsource their back offices.

Increasingly, Capita is also running other companies’ front office and sales operations. For instance, it runs customer contact centres for DSG, formerly Dixons, and eircom, the Irish telecoms operator.

Capita has said that it will increase its dividend by 33 per cent, in line with a five-year average of 32 per cent increases. It has also proposed to return 25p a share through a special dividend.

Source: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/support_services/article3458486.ece

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Takaful-Islamic insurance set for strong growth

Islamic insurance set for strong growth

Written by Adrie van der Luijt
Monday, 14 April 2008

Takaful growth has outpaced that in conventional insurance in most countries of the Middle East.

Takaful is an Islamic insurance concept which is grounded in Islamic muamalat (banking transactions), observing the rules and regulations of Islamic law.

Gulf cooperative countries (GCC) represented over 50 per cent of the value of global Takaful contributions of $2 billion in 2006.

Ernst & Young’s inaugural World Takaful Report 2008, launched at the Annual World Takaful Conference 2008, shows that 59 of the 133 Takaful operators worldwide are within the GCC countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The report also forecasts that accepted contributions globally would rise to more than $4.3 billion in 2010 and that the 20 per cent annual growth rate of the industry would be maintained for the foreseeable future.

General Takaful, which includes Property & Miscellaneous Accident Takaful, currently accounts for approximately 50 per cent of written business globally and in the region.

Key challenges and drivers

While current growth rates indicate a future Takaful industry of $10-15bn within the next ten years, there are critical factors that must be addressed to maintain this expansion.

Key challenges facing Takaful, as outlined by the report, include a fragmented and undercapitalised landscape, limited re-Takaful capacity, problematic asset management and lack of local solution offerings and local distribution channels.

The drivers of Takaful demand include high economic growth and increase in per capita GDP, a youthful demography, increasing awareness, a greater desire for shari’a compliant offerings and increasing asset based, shari’a compliant financing.

Noor Ur Rahman Abid, managing partner of audit and assurance business services at Ernst & Young Middle East, said that it is clear that there are significant growth opportunities for the Takaful industry, especially when the estimated global insurance premiums are as high as US$3.7 trillion.

Most Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) countries have underdeveloped insurance sectors. Premiums in the Middle East are at 1 per cent of nominal GDP compared to 8 per cent in North America.

In addition, high levels of market liquidity and with income levels rising in the region, should contribute to a future rise in the global Takaful industry.

Takaful used to underwrite risk

Despite significant challenges, the outlook for the Takaful industry has excited the Islamic finance world, according to Sameer Abdi, head of Ernst & Young’s Islamic finance services group.

He explains that assets held and financed by the Islamic financial services industry are increasingly motivated to use Takaful to underwrite risk.

Existing Takaful capacity is slowly replacing conventional insurance in the industry.

“The challenge for Takaful operators lies not only in tapping extrinsic demand but also in developing their capacity and expertise to provide a competitive alternative to conventional insurance,” Abdi concluded.

Source: http://www.dofonline.co.uk/economy/islamic-insurance-set-for-strong-growth2568.html

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Gulf Re and Islamic reinsurance services

Gail Norstrom, CEO of Gulf Re, answering question about re-Takaful during interview with Emirates Business 24:7 emagazine

Do you have plans for Islamic reinsurance services?

The re-Takaful products are growing by 20 per cent annually and reached $2.5bn last year. The Islamic insurance and re-insurance sector, Takaful and re-Takaful, started gathering momentum. It is based on the principle of co-operative insurance and mutuality.

As the Shariah compliant alternative to conventional insurance, the market for re-Takaful is making progress and looks set to continue this growth as more Islamic finance instruments become available.

We are just starting but we may think about creating a re-Takaful organisation to offer Islamic reinsurance services to our clients. This needs very precise evaluation and requires the recruitment of very highly specialised staff.

Source & full interview about overall insurance industry: http://www.business24-7.ae/cs/article_show_mainh1_story.aspx?HeadlineID=5490

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Origins and Operations of Takaful System

Note: I’ve found this explanation on Takaful as one of the best and comprehensive from Takaful Taawuni website.

Origins and Operations of Takaful System

Background Elements to Takaful

Four fundamental factors must co-exist to establish the proper framework for a Takaful system:

A. Nea’a, or utmost sincerity of intention for knowingly following guidance and adhering to the rules of a Takaful system.

B. Integration of Shariah Conditions, namely: risk protection sharing under ta’awuni principle, coincidence of ownership, participation in management by policyholders, avoidance of Riba and prohibited investments, and inclusion of al Mudharabah or Wakalah principles for Takaful management.

C. Presence of Moral Values and Ethics, business is conducted openly in accordance with utmost good faith, honesty, full disclosure, truthfulness and fairness in all dealings.

D. No Unlawful Element that contravenes Shariah and strict adherence to Islamic rules for commercial contracts; namely the key elements present are:

* Parties have Legal Capacity (ie. +18 years old) and are mental fit

* Insurable Interest

* Principle of Indemnity prevails

* Payment of Premium is consideration (offer and acceptance)

* Mutual Consent (which includes voluntary purification)

* Specific Time Period of Policy and underlying Agreement

Main Objections against Conventional Insurance

While there a number of objectionable elements existing with conventional insurance, three main ones stand out.

Qard Al Hassan

According to Islamic principles, only one type of loan, Qard el Hasan (lit. good or benevolent loan) is allowable. Under the concept of Qard el Hassan, the lender may not charge interest or any premium above the actual loan amount. Some Muslim jurists state that this restriction includes directly or indirectly any benefits associated with the loan: “…this prohibition applies to any advantage or benefits that a lender might secure out of the qard (loan), such as riding the borrower’s mule, eating at his table, or even taking advantage of the shade of his wall.”

Muslims are encouraged to invest actively in ventures with an intent to share profits or losses that may result, rather than becoming a passive creditor. Unlike conventional commercial banking (largely based upon fixed, guaranteed rates of return-interest), this mutual sharing of risk promotes communal enterprises, risk-taking and productive activities. Monies are not sitting idle or invested at nominal, fixed rates of return. Instead, monies are applied to commercial transactions or agarian cultivation where risks and rates of return are balanced. A higher degree of risk in investment attracts a concomitant high rate of return to investors, provides stimulus to an economy and creates an environment for entrepreneurs to maximize their productive efforts.

By contrast, most conventional insurers invest premiums in bonds/loans (corporate and municipal) as well as other interest generating investments (involving Riba from Islamic perspective).

Riba (Interest/Premium/Usury)

The single most important aspect that differentiates Islamic finance from conventional finance and banking is the absence of interest. As discussed earlier, the Sharia prohibits both the taking and paying of interest (Riba) no matter what the purpose of the transaction, or the amount of interest charged. Apart from a minority interpretation of Sharia by a few Scholars, the consensus among Islamic jurists is that Riba and interest are the same.

There are four occasions in the Holy Quran where Riba is clearly prohibited. Refer to V.30:39; V.4:161; V.3:130 and V.2:275-276.

In the Yusuf Ali translation, Riba is described in commentary as “undue profit made, not in the way of legitimate trade, but out of loans of gold and silver, and necessary articles of food, such as wheat, barley, dates and sale…including profiteering of all kinds, but exclude economic credit, the creator of modern banking and finance…” He goes on to comment on the relationship of debitor-creditor in the four verses that follow: “…on behalf of debtors, as creditors are asked to (a) give up even claims arising out of past on account of usury, and (b) to give time for payment of capital if necessary, or (c) to write off the debt altogether as an act of charity.”

The use of Riba is clearly prohibited by Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) in a Hadith, where the Prophet (PBUH) condemned those who accept interest, as well as those who pay it or are witness to such a transaction.

Riba, however, circumscribes other aspects that makes commercial transactions suspect as well: “The Prophet (PBUH) forbade indeterminent, doubtful or speculative transactions or selling something before having possession of it.” “The Prophet (PBUH) forbade purchases from needy people and purchases involving uncertainty such as the sale of fruit before its maturity. “

Al Gharar (Uncertainty)

All commercial transactions must contain full disclosure. In other words, any transaction entered into should be free of uncertainty, deception and unknown elements or speculation. Al parties involved should have “full disclosure” or knowledge of the “counter values intended to be exchanged as a result” of the transaction, including the fact that “profits” cannot be guaranteed. The purpose of this prohibition is to avoid exploitation and injustice, especially on the part of the holder of capital.

Examples of prohibited transactions include: options, futures, derivatives, short sales and forward foreign exchange transactions (rates are determined by interest differentials). A number of transactions are treated as exceptions to the rule of Gharar. Such commercial transactions contain special treatments to assure they are organized to minimize harm and risk to both parties. Such transactions are:

1. Sales with payment in advance (bai’bithaman ajil)

2. Contract to manufacture (Istisna)

3. Hire contract (Ijara).

Specifically, Takaful transactions are design to minimize Al Gharar since the risk of future events can neither be known in advance nor influenced in any way. Note that the mere fact of purchase of a Takaful Contract in no manner affects future events nor does it guarantee that any specific outcome will/will not occur. Obviously, nothing in a Takaful operations can influence Al Qadar (Allah’s swt destiny).

Precedents for Islamic Insurance (Takaful)

An Islamic alternative to contemporary insurance is known as Takaful, and is based on the concept of Ta’awun, or mutual assistance. Ta’awun forms the basis of many Islamic practices. The teaching of Islam in regard to the equality and brotherhood of believers, and their responsibilities toward one another and all humanity led to several forms of mutual assistance both social and economic. Takaful as practiced in the sixth century (Christian Era A.D. and +50 Hijrah) actually evolved from tribal practices of mutual assistance dating back to pre Islamic times. There are several examples in pre-Islamic history whereby families, tribes or related members throughout the Arabia peninsula pooled their resources as a mean to help the needy on a voluntary and gratuitous basis. There practices were validated by Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) and incorporated into the institutions of the early Islamic State in Arabia around 650 C.E.

Examples of these early Islamic practices include the following:

* Merchants of Mecca formed funds to assist victims of natural disasters or hazards of trade journeys.

* Surety called daman khatr al-tariq was placed on traders against losses suffered during a journey due to hazards on trade routes.

* Assistance was provided to captives and the families of murder victims through a grouping known as a’qila.

* Contracts, called ‘aqd muwalat, were entered into for bringing about an end to mutual amity or revenge.

* Confederation were brought about by means of a hilf, or an agreements for mutual assistance among people.

Origins of Bloodrite in Islam

Before the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) , raids, looting, and traditions to revenge those killed were a common fact of nomadic Arab life. The hardships of desert life and a war-like vigilance forged a unity amongst groups wherein a group would act as a social unit .

In the words of Dr. M. Muslehuddin: “..not only does the unit consider the loss of its individual member as its own, it also takes steps to cover such loss, either by revenge and blood-letting, or alternatively by payment of blood money” by the group on behalf of the individual.” Such a perspective towards life and early society can be viewed as an early form of insurance (mutual self-protection).

The practice of blood money, or “wergild” was sustained for nearly a thousand years as a provision against danger to which a group of persons are all equally subject. A group united by blood-ties and family-ties comes to the aid of a member through mutual action. Hence, the custom of sharing in common. This practice was used for plundered property as well as compensation for the loss of life to avoid feud and unchecked destruction. The Arabic term for bloodtie is maaqil , which is derived from aql or aqila.

{Note: The vestiges of these practices still exist in Saudi Arabia today. Motorists who cause injury or death are obliged to pay a “wergild” to the victim’s family.}

During the emergence of Islam( 623-670 CE), some of these customs, including ‘aqila were sanctioned by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In this way, these customs became part of the Sunnah (collection of sayings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and subject to regulations by the Shari’ah.

The principle of maaqil was affirmed by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as related in the following story from the Sunnah.

“Allah’s Apostle gave this verdict about two ladies of the Hudhail tribe who had fought each other and one of them had hit the other with a stone. The stone hit her abdomen and as she was pregnant, the blow killed the child in her womb. They both filed their case with the Prophet and he judged that the blood money was for what was in her womb. The guardian of the lady who was fined said,”O Allah’s apostle! Shall I be fined for a creature that has neither drunk nor eaten, neither spoke nor cried? A case like that should be nullified” On that the Prophet said, “This is one of the brothers of soothsayers.”

Two ladies (had a fight) and one of them hit the other with a stone on the abdomen and caused her to abort. The Prophet judged that the victim be given either a slave or a female slave (as blood-money). Narrated Ibn Shihab: Said bin Al-Musayyab said, “Allah’s apostle judged that in case of child killed in the womb of its mother, the offender should give the mother a slave or a female slave in recompense. The offender said, “How can I be fined for killing one who neither ate nor drank, neither spoke nor cried: a case like that should be denied.” On that Allah’s Apostle said “He is one of the brothers of the foretellers.” {Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 71, Number 654-655, Narrated by Abu Hurairah.}

The decree in this case was that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) decided that the second woman’s kin would pay a penalty to the relatives of the first woman who was killed (aqila), in accordance with established custom.

Mutual assistance amongst members of a tribe was not originally a commercial transaction and contained no profit or gain at the expense of others. Rather, it evolved as a social institution: to mitigate the burden of an individual by dividing it among his fellow members (group persons) or tribe. In contrast, most modern insurance (even mutual stock insurance entities, but not mutual associations) is a capitalist-based commercial enterprise, where losses are projected in advance and funds (premiums) allocated to risks to cover them. Premiums are paid in line with such projections of risk.

In short, the former practice involves compensation for actual losses upon occurrence by dividing them among the group, whereas, the latter involves the transfer of losses in advance based upon past experiences. This transfer often is from policyholders (the group) to shareholders (owner of insurance company) and thus voids the age-old principle of mutual assistance .

It is noteworthy that the first Constitution in Medinah (622 C.E.) arranged by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) contained three aspects directly relating to insurance.

· Provision for social insurance affecting the Jews, Ansar and the Christians.

· Article 3 which included “the immigrants among the Quraish shall be responsible for their word and shall pay their blood money in mutual collaboration.”

· Provision for Fidya (ransom) whereby payment is made to rescue the life of a prisoner and the aqila (relatives) could cooperate to free him.

Takaful Referenced with the Qur’an and Sunnah

Although the word Takaful does not appear in the Holy Quran, it is derived from the term Ta’awun, or mutual assistance and connotes the same meaning. The second verse of Surah 5 in the Holy Quran exhorts the individual to assist others:

* “Assist one another in the doing of good and righteousness. Assist not one another in sin and transgression, but keep your duty to Allah” V.5:2.

In addition, many of the virtuous customs from the pre-Islamic period of Jahiliyya were declared “Islamic” by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when he said: ” the virtues of the Jahiliyya are acted upon in Islam.” He further clarified this point in the constitution written in Medinah.

* They {Muslims of the Quraysh and Yathrib tribes} are one community (ummah) to exclusion of all men. The Quraysh emigrants according to their personal custom shall pay the blood-rite {aqila} within their number and shall redeem their prisoners with the kindness and justice common among believers.”

* Believers are to other believers like parts of a structure that tighten and reinforce each other.” Al-Bukhari and Muslim .

* The Believer, in their affection, mercy and sympathy towards each other, are like the body- if one of its organs suffers and complains, the entire body responds with insomnia and fever.” Muslim.

Given the Quranic admonition to “assist one another” and the words of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) regarding mutual assistance, Takaful may be understood as an imperative upon Muslim believers:

* “… a system based on solidarity, peace of mind and mutual protection which provides mutual financial and other forms of aid to Members {of the group} in case of specific need, whereby Members mutually agree to contribute monies to support this common goal.” O.Fisher

Finally, although a believing Muslim is required to accept (destiny or pre-ordainment) which can incorporate misfortune, s/he is not a passive “victim of circumstances. Conversely, the believing Muslim is exhorted by the injunctions of the Holy Quran to proactively take precautions in order to minimize potential misfortune, losses or injury from unfortunate events. One specific such instruction appears in Hadith to the owner of the camel to first tie your camel then rely upon the destiny ordained by Allah (swt).[Al Tirmidhi Vol.4,p.668].

A Perspective on Takaful from Islamic Scholars

The Majority viewpoint by contemporary Islamic scholars is that Takaful (cooperative insurance) is fully consistent with Shariah principles. This perspective is upheld by numerous meetings and resolutions :

* Council of Saudi Ulama (1397 Ah/1977 CE) resolution

* Fiqh Council of Muslim World League (1398/1978) resolution

* Fiqh council of Organization of Islamic Conference (1405/1985)

* Islamic Fiqh Week Conference, Damascus 1961

* Second Conference of Muslim Scholars, Cairo 1965

* Symposium on Islamic Jurisprudence, Libya 1972

* First International Conference on Islamic Economics, Meccah February 1976

* The Islamic Conference,Mekkah,October 1976

The esteemed shariah advisory Board of Bank Aljazira confirms also its viewpoint and whole heartedly endorsed the Family and Group Takaful Programs now offered by Bank Aljazira .{Refer to Fatwa dated April 2001}.

-THE END-

Source: http://www.takaful.com.sa/m1sub2.asp
(13 April 2008)

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Ahli United Bank to set up new JV in Bahrain

Ahli United Bank to set up new JV in Bahrain
04.03.08, 6:45 AM ET

LONDON (Thomson Financial) – Legal & General Group Plc. said it has signed an MoU with Ahli United Bank B.S.C. to set up a new joint venture company, headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The UK insurer said that the joint venture will initially offer a range of takaful life and health insurance products and pension plans to retail and corporate customers in the Gulf region.

Takaful is a form of insurance designed to provide life and non-life benefits to customers in a way that is compatible with Islamic Shariah Law, the company said.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2008/04/03/afx4848830.html

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Takaful (Islamic Insurance) Premium: A Suggested Regulatory Framework

Takaful (Islamic Insurance) Premium: A Suggested Regulatory Framework
Journal of Islamic Banking and Finance, 19, No.3, July-Sept 2002, 52-64
- By Dr. Mohd. Ma’sum Billah

Premium or contribution in a Takaful contract is a form of monetary consideration1 (al-‘iwad) from the participant’s part, which is an obligation arising from a contract between the participant and the operator. An insurance contract is a contract of mutual co-operation in which the consideration is required not only from one party but from both parties, in which the operator is unilaterally bound by the contract. The obligation of the settlement of the respective considerations in a transaction of a mutual co-operation is justified by the commandment of Allah (s.w.t.)

“Help you one another in righteousness and piety.” 2

This ayat of the Holy Qur’an renders a duty to mankind to provide their mutual co-operation on bilateral basis. Furthermore, in an insurance contract once the policy is concluded, the participant is regarded as a principal debtor and must settle the agreed-contribution to the operator accordingly. In such a transaction the participant is under a duty to pay the contributions regularly according to the terms and conditions as stated in the policy. This is justified by the repeated sayings of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) in which the principal debtor is urged to settle his debt on time. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said:

“Abu Rafa’ reported that…the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: give it to him, and verily the best of man is he who is best of them in payment it.”3

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) also said:

“Abu Hurairah reported…that a man demanded of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) for a repayment of a debt….and verily the best of you is he who is the best of you in repayment of loan.”4

An insurance policy is a binding contract, and therefore the performance of consideration from both parties, (the participant and operator) through the payment of contribution (by the participant) and the indemnification (by the operator) are obligations which must be fulfilled. This is justified by the Qur’anic sanction. Allah (s.w.t.) says:

“0 you who believe fulfil (all) obligations.”5

A participant in a policy is treated as the debtor who is under a contractual obligation to settle the agreed contributions on time. It is common to human being that it is not possible to always settle the debt on time due to some unexpected reasons. In such a situation what could be the legal position of the participant and also the policy itself? Under Islamic law if a debtor due to some logical reason is unable to settle the debt on time, the debtor should not be pressured by the creditor, rather the creditor is advised to extend the necessary time for the settlement to remit the obligation with a kind heart. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said:

“Abu Qatadah reported: I heard the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) saying: Who so gives respite to a debtor or grants him remission, Allah (s.w.t.) will save him from the calamities of the resurrection day.”6

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) also said:

“Imran bin Hussein reported that the Messenger of Allah (s.w.t.) said: whoso has his dues from a way and he gives time to him (for payment), he will get his reward of charity every day.”7

It is therefore suggested that in an insurance policy if the participant is sometimes unable to pay the agreed-contribution on time the participant should neither be penalized nor the policy be forfeited with paid-contributions. But the participant should be given a reasonable time for the settlement of the unpaid contributions and the enforcement of the policy should be continued according to the terms and conditions contained in the policy.

However if the participant fails to settle the unpaid contributions within the given period, the policy may be discontinued. This is because it is a contract of mutual co-operation. If, therefore, one party is unable to provide his agreed co-operation then it is unfair to the other party to continue the transaction with unilateral co-operation.

Thus, if the policy is terminated due to failure of the payment of the contributions by the participant, the paid contributions should not be forfeited rather it is suggested here that the paid contribution should be returned to the participant with the share of profits made over the paid-contributions after deduction of the charges due to the operator. The charges to the operator are the debt due on the participant which must be deducted from the paid- contributions as justified by the saying of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.):

“Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah (s.w.t.) said: Who so becomes insolvent and afterwards a man (creditor) takes hold of his exact property he is more entitled to it than others.”8

It is again suggested that under Islamic law, there is no circumstance which may render a policy forfeited with paid-contributions even if the participant commits a breach of good faith or any other offences. This is because an insurance policy is a financial, transaction in which the paid-contributions are the lawful right of the participant, which cannot be forfeited just because of his evil acts. The participant may be charged for the wrongful acts (if any) in different ways by different laws but not by forfeiting his paid- contribution or depriving him (participant) from his lawful right (paid-contributions). The paid-contributions are a trust (al-Amanah) to the operator, and they, therefore, should be due only to the participant. This is because, under Islamic law, there is no justification for the trustee to refuse to render the entrusted articles to their proprietor once the depositor rightfully demands from the trustee. This is justified by the Qur’anic injunctions:

“Verily Allah (s.w.t.) does command you to render back your trusts to those to whom they are due.” 10

Also Allah (s.w.t.) warned against those who betray a trust (s.w.t.) says:

“Contend not on behalf of such as betray their own souls; for Allah (s.w.t.) loves not one given to perfidy and crime.”11

It is therefore submitted that under no circumstance in Islamic law can the paid-contributions of the participant be forfeited, but a deduction may be made out of the paid-contributions and the profits made from them so as to cover the charges (if any) due to the operator.

The question arises as to how the contributions paid by the policyholder should be regarded. Should the contributions be regarded as partial capital to a Mudharabah financial deal or should they be regarded as a total donation to a charitable fund or should the contributions be paid into two accounts (i.e. partial amount would be regarded as a capital to a Maudharabah financing deal, while the remaining partial amount will be given away to the charitable fund of the company as a Tabarru’ standing or donation). To resolve the above question some possible suggestions are made as follows:

In any kind of life policy, the paid contributions may be divided into two portions; one portion may be regarded as partial capital to Mudharabh financing arrangement while the remaining portion would be given away as a Tabarru (donation) which is kept in the charitable account of the company (operator). The percentage of allocation of the paid-contributions into two separate accounts may depend on the company’s policy. The reason is that an insurance policy is based on the principle of al-Mudharabah financing, in which the operator is under a responsibility to pay the regular contributions, and in which the participant has the right over the portion allocated as capital to obtain a share of profits, and dividends and the capital, regardless of whether the risk runs over the subject matter of the policy or not. But the account credited in the charitable account of the company as Tabarru’(donation) would be utilized by the company to provide a material security for the beneficiaries of the deceased (participant) alter the unexpected risk occurs over the subject matter of the policy. The reason why the portion of the contribution is allocated as a Tabarru (donation) is that under Islamic law Tabarru’ is like Sadaqah (charity) or Hibah (gift.).12 The nature of al-Tabarru is that once the donor gives it as a Tabarru the ownership from him (donor) is transferred immediately to the donee without any consideration. Al-Nasafi maintains that:

“The Hibah (or Sadaqah or Tabarru) is the making of another person owner of the corpus of property without taking consideration from the donor.”13

In an insurance policy, however, once the policy holder pays the amount as Tabarru’ for the charitable fund, the participant may cease to have the right of ownership over the Tabarru once it is given away as a charity without consideration. This is because if the risk occurs in the subject matter, the operator is under a duty to pay, inter alia, an amount of donation from the charitable fund only to the beneficiary of the deceased (participant) but not to the participant himself as the beneficiaries are the ones who are entitled to it (the donation) on the basis of need, because the beneficiaries are in need after losing their bread winner (participant). Therefore, if the partial amount out of the paid contributions is given away as a Tabarru without seeking any consideration for the participant this may not clash with the general principles of al-Tabarru, al -Sadaqah, or al-Hibah.

In a general policy (operated by the Islamic insurance companies today,)14 the policy holder pays a contribution on a short term basis in which both the operator and the participant mutually agree that the paid contribution in the policy is like a contribution to the fund which is used for a reasonable compensation against an unexpected risk which may occur to a subject matter of the policy. However, if the risk runs over the subject matter the fund will provide necessary compensation but if no risk runs over the subject matter, the paid contribution to the fund may remain as a contribution. But for a non-claim ground, the operator upon the maturity of the policy provides an amount of bonus to the participant depending on the company’s policy.

In the light of the nature of a general policy, it is submitted that the contributions paid in the general policy on a short term basis is like a contribution (but neither a donation, a gift, nor a charity) to a mutual fund in which the participant is also regarded as a member of the fund and the designated members are the ones who have the right to seek material security against an unexpected risk if it occurs to the subject matter of the policy.

If, for instance, the paid contribution in a general policy is regarded as either Tabarru’ (donation) or Sadaqah (charity) or Hibah (gift) instead of labeling it (the contribution) as a contribution (al-Musahamah) this certainly creates a clash between the principles of (Tabarru, Sadaqah and Hibah) and the practices of general insurance in the sight of Shari’ah principles. The reasons for this clash may be pointed out as follows;

(i) The terms Tabarru, Sadaqah and Hibah are in principle interchangeable and share a common meaning of donation.15 In contrast the term al-Musahamah (contribution) need not necessarily involve the idea of donation. This is because once a person creates a Tabarru, Sadaqah or Hibah, they are made in favour of someone or something for love or affection or for spiritual achievement without peeking any form of consideration.17 This means that once the donor creates the above donations, the ownership of the donated property will immediately be transferred from the donor to the one in favour of whom the donation is made.18 The ownership in this situation is transferred in perpetuity, nature in which the donor ceases to have any form of right of benefit over the donated property after it is given away.

Under Islamic law, it is unlawful for the donor to seek any benefit over the donated property after the property is given away as a donation. This is indicated in the repeated sayings of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.):

“Ibn ‘Abbas® (reported that the Messenger of Allah (s.w.t.) said: He who takes his gift/donation back is like a dog which takes back its vomiting. There is no evil simile for us.” 19

“Ibn ‘Umar® (and Ibn ‘Abbas® (reported that the Messenger of Allah (s.w.t.) said: It is not lawful for a man to give gift and afterwards to take it back except a father regarding what he gives his child. The parable of one who gives a gift and then takes it back is like the parable of a dog which eats till when it is satisfied, it vomits and then takes his vomiting back.” 20

But in al-Musahamah (contribution) once a contribution is made by a person, it need not necessarily be in favour of someone else but it could also be in favour of the contributor himself. Moreover, the nature of contribution is far from the actual nature of donation. In other words, in a contribution, the contributor does not cease his right of benefit over the contributed fund and the contributor also has the right to revoke the contribution even after it is given away, unless the contribution is given as a charity. This includes for example: contributors themselves in the future, in which the persons who make contributions are entitled to mutual help from the fund. This is justified by the Qurianic sanction in which Allah (s.w.t.) commanded the believers to sustain mutual co-operation, which may include co-operation in consideration of voluntary contributions. Allah (s. w. t.) says to the effect:

“Help you one another in righteousness and piety, but help you not one another in sin and rancour.”21

(ii) In a general insurance policy both the operator and the proposer mutually agree that the proposer will pay the agreed contribution to the operator in consideration of a future coverage with reasonable compensation against the risk if it occurs over the subject matter within the policy period. But if the risk does not occur the participant may have the right to claim for a non-claim bonus (NCB) from the insurer after the maturity of each policy.22 If however, we regard the paid contribution as a donation (Tabarru), which according to Islamic law cannot either be revoked nor may the donor seek any benefit over it once it is given away, then this surely clashes with the fundamental principles of al-Tabarru’ and the practices of insurance (especially if the contribution is regarded as Tabarru). This is because the participant in practice reserves the right of claim in consideration of paid contribution despite the fact that the contribution has already been labeled as a Tabarru’ in principle. But if we regard the contribution as al Musahamah (contribution) it may not create a conflict between the fundamental principle of Islam and the practices of insurance because in a contributed fund the contributor has right to make a claim or get benefits from it. Therefore, in a general policy if a policy holder makes a claim for a coverage or no claim bonus (NCB) in consideration of paid contribution, since the contribution is considered as al-Musahamah or contribution, this will not contravene the Shari’ah principles.

A further distinction between at-Tabarru’ and al -Musahamah is given in the follow chart:

Al- Tabarru’ & al-Musahama: Compared

Donation (al- Tabarru’)

This is in the legal sense quite similar to al-Sadaqah and al-Hibah

It takes away the right of ownership from the donor soon after it is given away as al-Tabarru’. The donor may reserve no right of benefit over al-Tabarru. It is given away for the benefit of others. It is given away in consideration of love, affection and spiritual reward.

Contribution (al-Musahamah)

This differs from al-Sadaqah and al-Hibah and of course al-Tabarru.  It does not take away the ownership of the contributor even after it is given away as al-Musahamah.

The contributor may retain any form of benefit over al-Musahamah. It is not necessarily to be given for the benefit of others only, but the contributor also may benefit from it.

It is normally given away in consideration of material benefits which may be rendered to the contributor himself and all related persons as the case may be al Tabarru. It is therefore, submitted that al-Tabarru differs from al-Musahamah both in principles and practices. The property given away as al-Tabarru’ is given in consideration of no material benefit for the donor but mainly for the consideration of spiritual benefit whereas in al-Musahamah, the contributor normally gives it away in consideration of lawful material benefit. Since the nature of an insurance policy is that the policyholder pays voluntary contribution in consideration of material benefits but not in consideration of spiritual benefits or reward, it follows that the contribution paid by the policyholder in the general policy is considered a contribution (al-Musahamah) but not as a Tabarru’ (donation).

Relying on the logical, evidential, and legal point of views and also on practicality, it is suggested that in a general policy the contributions, required by the insurer to be paid by the policy holder should be labeled as al Musahamah (contribution) instead of al-Tabarru’ (donation), so that the practices of insurance with special reference to the contribution in general policy may not contravene the relevant Shari’ah principles and at the same time the policyholder may be able to make a claim 23 in consideration of paid contributions in a lawful manner.

Under Islamic law, there are basically four categories of participants (according to their age factors) as proposed in Chapter Four of this research under the title of ‘Participant’ (under Islamic Law). Among these four categories of persons there are some who, although they are suggested to have the capacity to be participants, are unable to buy the policy themselves due to, inter alia, lack of understanding or maturity, but the relevant guardians may buy the policy for the minor, infant and foetus under their name and solely for their benefits. The question may arise here as to what would be the source(s) of contributions, who may pay them and whether it (the contribution) would be regarded as capital, or gift or donation? A suggestion is made to the effect as follows.

(i) A person regardless of sex who has reached the age of 1524 is regarded as having the age of rushd (age of majority)25 and he/she has the right to hold own property and manage it26 according to his or her wish without interference by the guardian. This is justified by the following Qur’anic sanction:

“Make trial of orphans until they reach the age of marriage; if then you find sound judgement in them release their property to them.”27

In an insurance policy, once a minor regardless of sex reaches the age of 15 he or she may have the right to buy a policy in which the payment of the contribution may come from his/him own property, since he or she is already a person capable of managing his/her own property without depending on the guardian. In this case the contribution may be regarded as the property of the policyholder and it (contribution) is supposed to be paid by the policyholder himself or herself.

(ii) A minor at any age below the age of 15 (regardless of sex) may be able to buy a policy for himself provided that the policy is advantageous for the minor, the minor has full understanding about the policy and of course the guardian should have complete supervision over the policy so that the minor will be protection from any form of deception. In this situation the contribution may either come from the minor’s property itself, (if any), but if the minor does not own any property the guardian (if wishes) may pay the contribution for the minor policyholder, in which case the contribution may be regarded as a gift (Hibah) in favour of the minor himself for love and affection. This is because under Islamic law, there is no bar if one wishes to make a gift in favour of one’s own minor child. Sayyidina ‘Umar and Uthman ®(said that when someone makes a gift (Hibah) in favour of his own minor child it is valid once it is declared.29

(iii) In a case minor or an infant (regardless of sex) at any age between the moment of birth and below the age of 15 who does not have proper understanding about the policy but the policy is beneficial for him or her, the guardian of the minor or the infant may buy the policy under the name of the minor or the infant in which the contribution first of all is to be paid out of the minor or infant’s owned property (if any). But if the minor or the infant does not own any property the contribution paid by the guardian may be regarded as a gift (al-Hibah) in favour of the minor or infant (participant) for their benefits.30

(iv) Once a foetus exists in the uterus with ruh (soul), it has the right to be participant especially against the risk of health safety. An insurance policy aims at providing material security against unexpected risk be it against one’s life, property, health or business. Therefore, everybody with life regardless of age including a foetus in the uterus is also at risk. But the nature of risk may vary from person to person depending on age or other factors. It is thus unfair to say that an insurance policy may provide a material security for the one who is adult against risk while excluding the one who is under-age or even a foetus although they are also at numerous risks, especially to their health safety, and so on.

In this situation the guardian of the foetus may buy the policy under the foetus’ name (the name of the mother of the foetus), in which the guardian has to pay the contribution from his own estate since the foetus does not own any property until it is born. It is suggested that the contribution paid by the guardian should be regarded as a gift (Hibah) in favour of the foetus, so the foetus may be covered by the policy especially for medicare if required. There is no restriction under Islamic law to make a gift in favour someone out of love and affection, so long there is no consideration sought over it.31

It is concluded here that the contributions paid by the participant in a life policy could be divided into two accounts, i.e., personal account and charitable account. The amount deposited in the personal account may be regarded as the capital of the policyholder and be treated under the principles of al-Mudharabah profit and loss sharing while the amount deposited in the charitable account may be labeled as al-Tabarru’( donation), in which the policyholder reserves no right of benefits as it is given away for the benefit of others. In a general policy however, the paid contribution by the policyholder should not be treated as al Tabarru’ (donation) but as al-Musahamah (contribution), in which the policyholder may retain his right of claim (if the risk occurs to the subject matter of the policy), and also of a no claim bonus (if the risk does not run over the subject matter) upon the maturity period. This suggestion does not clash with the fundamental principles of Islamic law especially the governing principles of al-Tabarru’, al-Sadaqah, al-Hibah, al-Musahamah, and al-Mudharabah financing nor with the chief objective of insurance practices under Shari’ah discipline.

In the light of the above and also in harmony with the Divine sanctions for a general insurance policy the following suggestions are made:

(i) The contribution paid by the policy holder to the insurance company should not be regarded as a Tabarru’ (donation) nor Sadaqah (charity) nor Hibah (gift);

(ii) The contribution may be paid as a contribution in which the contribution could be labeled as al-Musahamah (contribution.)

(iii)The paid contribution could be credited in an account which may be named as a mutual fund;

(iv) The fund may be divided into three accounts. Firstly, a percentage to be allocated for the company’s management,33 secondly, a percentage could be kept in a special account which can only be used for the compensation against the risk on the subject matter of the policy, while the third portion may be credited in an account to meet the no claim bonus upon the maturity of each policy (to be paid to the policyholder who has not made any claim during the policy period); and

(v) The sources of this fund could be the paid Contributions from the agreed policyholders. Therefore, the policyholders may be regarded as members of the fund and they are the ones who have the right to make a claim against the risk if it occurs to the subject matter within the policy period.

The reason for proposing the contribution in a general policy as al Musahamah (contribution) instead of al-Tabarru (donation) or Sadaqah (charity) or Hibah (gift) is that al-Tabarru’, Sadaqah and Hibah are interchangeable ideas in nature, especially in the legal sense. In other words, once a person creates al-Tabarru or al-Sadaqah or al-Hibah in favour of someone or something, the right of ownership immediately will be transferred to the donee in perpetuity, in which the donor ceases to have any form of right of benefits over the donated property. Unlike al-Musahamah (contribution) which need not necessarily be created in favour of someone else; rather the contribution may also be made in favour of the contributor himself. For example this occurs if a group is preparing to go for a holiday, and the members of the group agree to contribute an amount of money to raise a fund for the benefit3 of themselves in case they need medical attention during the course of the journey. In this situation the contribution is for the common benefits of the members listed in the journey.

In a general policy therefore the policyholder does not contribute simply for the cause of charity, but he does it on a mutual understanding with the opera that in consideration of the paid contribution, the policyholder has a right to make a claim on the operator for reasonable material security should the risk occur on the subject matter of the policy. But if no risk occurs the policyholder may still have a right to claim for a no claim bonus (NCB) upon the maturity period of each policy.

If, therefore, the paid contribution in a general policy is regarded as al Tabarru’ (donation) or al-Sadaqah(charity) or al -Hibah (gift) it may clash with the fundamental principles of Islamic law. Under Islamic law, once a person declares a Tabarru’, Sadaqah or Hibah in favour of someone or something, the donor ceases the right of benefits over it soon after it is declared. This is indicated in the prophetic sanction:

“Ibn ‘Abas reported that the messenger of Allah (s.w.t.) said:

He who takes his gift back is like a dog which takes back its vomit. There is no evil simile for us.”34

But if the paid contribution in the general policy is regarded as al Musahmah (contribution) instead of labeling it as a Tabarru’, Sadaqah, or Hibah, it may not clash with the rules of Islamic law. This is because, under Islamic law, there is no provision which prohibits the contributor in a mutually contributed fund (al-Musahamah) from claiming any form of benefit from the fund. The purpose of a mutual fund is to provide benefits equally for the participants, so long the benefit is sought from the mutual contributed fund within the legitimate circle. This is indicated in the Qur’anic sanction:

“Help you one another in righteousness and piety. But help you not one another in sin and rancour.”

To sum up, the paid contribution in the general policy may be labeled as al- Musahamah (contribution) so that the policyholder will not have any restriction in claiming any form of mutual benefit over the contributed fund (paid contribution to the insurance operator) and justified if the contributor in a fund retains his or her right to claim any benefit accordingly.

* .masum2001@yahoo.com. The author is an Asst. Professor of Law (Business & Commerce), Dept. of Business Administration, International Islamic University Malaysia. He is a Member in the Islamic Advisory Board of SGM-OUI of Singapore; Author of www.Islamic-insurance.com: Shari’ah Consultant & Advisor of ICICL, Dhaka, also Moderator of Takaful Forum of IBF NET.

1. See Musa, Mohammad Yusuf, “The Liberty of the Individual in Contracts and Conditions According to Islamic Law,” in Islamic Quarterly, 2:1, 1955, p. 252, at 256 and 260.

2. al-Quran, Surah al-Maidah, 5:2.

3. Mishkatzjl Masabih, (Debt), Karim, al-Haj Maulana, Fazlul, (trans) op. cit., Ch. XIII, No. 4, pp. 206-207.

4. Mishkatul Masabih, Loc. cit No. 5, p.207.

5. al-Quran, Surah at Maidah,5:1.

6. Mishkatul Masabih, (Debt), Karim, al-Haj Maulana Faziul, (trans) op. cit Ch. XIII, No. 3, p. 206.

7. Mishkatul Masabih, Loc. cit, No. 288, W. p. 214.

8. Mishkatul Masabih, Loc. cit, No. 21, W. p. 216.

9. See Hamiltion, Charles, The Hedaya, op. cit Vol. II, p. 472.

10. al-Quran; Surah an-Nisa, 4:58.

11. al-Quran, Sarah an-Nisa, 4:107

12. See Al-Hilli, Najm al-Din Abu Jafar, Shara’i al-Islam, Beirut, Vol. II p. 253; also in Khan, Muhammad Akram, Glossory of Islamic Economics, See al Tabarra, p. 729.

13. Al-Nasafi, Abdullah b. Mahmud; Kanz al.Daqaiq, Cairo, n.d., p. 352.

14. Among them the takaful operators in Malaysia.

15. See al-Hill, Najmuddin Abu Jafar, Sharai al-Islam, op. cit, vol. II. p. 253. See also ‘al-Hi bah ‘al-Sadaqah and ‘al-Tabarru’, in Khan Muhammad Akram, Glossary of Islamic Economics, op. cit., pp. 56, 117, 129; and also ‘Gift ‘Donation’ and ‘Charity’ in A Dictionary of Economics and Commerce, English-Arabic, op. cit., pp. 145, 99 and 52,

16. See ‘Contribution’ in a Dictionary of Economics and Commerce, English- Arabic, p. 70.

17. al-Nasafi, Kanz al-Daqaiq, op. cit., p. 352.

18. See Arabi, Oussama, “al-Sunhuri’s Reconstruction of the Islamic Law of Contract Defect”, in Journal of Islamic Studies, 6:2, 1995, p. 153. 169.

19. Mishkatul Masabih, chapter of Hibbah, (Trans.) Karim A1-Haj Maulana Fazlul, op. cit, Book II No, 18, p. 316.

20. Mishkatul Masabih, loc.cit., No. 21, p. 318.

21. al-Quran, Surah al-Maidah,5:2.

22. This is common practice of the Islamic insurance companies in the contemporary world including the practices of Syarikat Take ful Malaysia Bhd.

23. See Mohamed, Abdullah I, “Stipulations for the Benefit of Third Parties in Islamic Law of Contracts,” in Journal of Islamic and Comparative Law, vol. 9, 1980, p. 7 at 8.

24. It is argued by the majority of Fuqaha that a minor regardless of sex once he reaches to the age of 15 is regarded as having attained rushd (age of majority) see Hamilton, C. The Hedaya, op. cit, Vol. III, pp. 529-530.

25. See Ali, A. Yusuf, The Meaning of the Holy Quran, op. cit, n. 512, P. 185.

26. Because once a person becomes rushd (puberty) he has the right to manage his own property. See The Mejelle Art. 981.

27. al-Quran, Surah an-Nisa, 4:6.

28. See Aurangzeb V Daud Khan (1957) PLD (Pesh) 85; See also Mohd Afzal V Khursheed Begum, (1975) PLD (pesh) 24, 27, 28.

29. See al-Sarakhsi, al—Mabsut, op. cit., Vol. XII, p. 51; See also Ibn Najayam, Bahr al-Raiq, Cairo, 1311 A.H., Vol. VII, p. 228.

30. Mahmasani, al-Nazariyya al-amma li al-mujibat wa al- ‘Uqud Fi Al-Sharia al-Islamiyyah, op. cit., Vol. II, p. 102.

31. See A Code of Muslim Personal Law, op. cit., S. 183.

32. See ‘Contribution’ in A Dictionary of Economics & Commerce, English- Arabic, op. cit., p. 70.

33. Because it is a short term policy (unlike a life policy) in which the company may not get enough time to mobilize the paid-contributions and makes profits in order to manage the company accordingly.

34. Mishakatul Masabih, al-Hibah, Karim (trans.) op. cit. Book II, No. 18, p. 316.

35. al-Quran, surah al-Maidah, 5:2.

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