|
Islaamic
co-operative insurance companies
Question:
In western societies the cost of medical treatment and hospital
care is extremely high. This is also true for damages arising
from car accidents or thefts from or fires to property and
other possessions. Insurance policies can be taken out with
companies that offer to pay a large proportion of any loss
suffered due to sickness, accident or theft. What is the ruling
concerning taking out insurance policies with these companies?
Also, what is your opinion concerning transactions with Islaamic
cooperative insurance companies, concerning which some committees
have given rulings, both inside and outside Saudi Arabia?
Response:
Concerning the first part of the question related to health
insurance, home cover and so forth, the answer has been clarified
previously.
The second part of the question relates to social cooperative
insurance and rulings permitting this have been made, as the
questioner rightly mentioned, by scholars both inside Saudi
Arabia and abroad. In fact, there are benefits to be had from
social insurance. However, despite these benefits there can
also be drawbacks. The person who has a right to assistance
from this insurance might become careless and irresponsible
and not care about any accident that he might cause because
he knows that he is covered by his insurance. He will not,
therefore, have due consideration for others and for the law
and, as a result, such a system could be detrimental. Because
of this, I believe that such an insurance system should try
to help those who are the victims of accidents and not those
who cause them.
I mean, for example, that if someone has been the victim of
an accident or an illness and as a result is injured or disabled
then we must help him.
If, however, someone was the cause of an accident and has
injured others or his negligence has led to him losing the
use of some physical function, he is not helped automatically.
Rather, his case is examined carefully and if he deserves
help and support, then he is given it, otherwise he is not.
In other words, we can say that this cooperative fund should
be used for those who are the victims of some kind of loss
but if it is used for those who caused the loss, then it could
be detrimental. However, we do not say that such a person
should never be assisted but rather each individual case should
be examined and studied separately and if the person deserves
help, he should be given it.
My fear is that irresponsibility and carelessness might result
from insurance, as does in fact happen. Some fools say, "I
don't care if I go 150 kilometers per hour. If, as a result,
I kill someone then his blood money is ready and waiting in
the draw. It doesn't bother me." We seek Allaah's protection
from having such an attitude!
Shaykh
Ibn 'Uthaymeen
al-Aqalliyaat al-Muslimah - Page 79, Fatwa No.20
|
