Q: I would like to know if it is permissible to have a type of funeral cover, in the area I live there is a type of funeral cover that you can join at the Mosque near to you. E.g. You pay an amount of R20.00 every month so in the case you pass away then your hole at the graveyard will be paid for & any other like transporting you to graveyard, etc. But what if you pass away after 6 months & the amount you paid them is not even half the costs of your burial, etc. & if you were paying for long time already now & you are still alive then you would have paid much more then what it would actually cost to do your janaazah. Please give a detail explanation if it is permissible in Islam to have something like this & why?
A: This is impermissible in Islam as the element of gambling and interest is found in it.
يأَيُّهَا الَّذينَ ءامَنوا لا تَأكُلُوا الرِّبوا أَضعفًا مُضعَفَةً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُم تُفلِحونَ ﴿النساء: ٢٩﴾
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿المائدة: ٩٠﴾
Answered by:
Mufti Zakaria Makada
Checked & Approved:
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)