Am I Still Allowed to Purchase Conventional Health Insurance to Study in Turkey?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Insurance, to the best of my knowledge, is generally forbidden. I want to travel to Turkey to study Arabic, and later Islam, but conventional health insurance is required if I understand correctly.
Is it permissible for me to buy it to study there?
Technically, I could study in another country, such as Egypt, but I’ve already found places to study in Turkey that I’d like to visit.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. May Allah Most High make your journey for seeking knowledge of ease and success, and may you fulfill your aspirations and goals, amin.
The reasons that conventional health insurance, like other types of conventional insurance, is impermissible are due to deceptive uncertainty (gharar), interest (riba), and gambling (qimar).
There is uncertainty as to whether or not the customer will get anything for the premiums they are paying. For example, one is entitled to medical service if one falls ill; if they do not, then their premiums will not account for anything.
However, it would be permissible when there is a requirement by law in a country or when there is an overwhelming possibility of ending up in a situation that would leave one in extreme hardship in a foreign country. An example of this could be someone traveling to a war-torn country for aid, where an injury is likely, and medical costs are high (see the links below). [Zuhayli, al-Fiqh al-Islami wa Adillatuh]
Related links:
When Is It Permissible to Get Insurance?
The Legal Verdict on Prevalent Forms of Insurance
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
Arabic References
يجوز التأمين الإجباري أو الألزامى الذي تفرضه الدولة لأنه بمثابة دفع ضربية للدولة. [وهبة الزحيلي، الفقه الإسلامي و أدلته]
