Question:
Asalamualikum, I had a question for you. Is investing in life insurance index funds that earn a certain percentage return allowed in Islam? I wasn’t sure if it was Sharia compliant or not so I wanted to ask you about it first before I invested. JazakAllah khair for your help!
Question Published as received.
The Fatwa
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The Answer
It is not permissible to invest in a life insurance index fund.
A life insurance index fund is a type of investment vehicle that combines the features of a life insurance policy with those of an index fund.
An index tracks the performance of the specific basket of investments, such as stocks or bonds. An index fund is a type of mutual fund or exchange-traded fund that aims to track the performance of a specific market index, such as the S&P 500. A life insurance index fund, therefore, is a type of investment that allows individuals to invest in an indexed market while also providing a death benefit to their beneficiaries. The investment return is linked to the performance of the underlying index, while the death benefit is provided by the life insurance component of the product.
Index funds can only be acceptable when the vehicle used to track itself is Sharia compliant. This will be involve the underlying assets of the fund being Sharia compliant as well as the fund structure, policies and facilities. Further, the index which is being tracked should be Sharia compliant too.
Life insurance funds work on principles which are inherently composed of Riba (interest) and Gharar (excessive uncertainty).
And Almighty Allah Alone Knows Best
Maulana Ammar Y Badat
Trainee Mufti
Reviewed and approved by
Mufti Faraz Adam
Darul Iftaa Muadh ibn Jabal
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