Is health insurance haram? The published answers differ. The International Islamic Fiqh Academy has resolved that conventional fixed-premium insurance is prohibited and named cooperative insurance as the alternative, while a Hanafi answer on SeekersGuidance treats conventional insurance as impermissible by default but permits it where the law requires it or going without would cause clear and overwhelming hardship. This page sets out what those sources say, in their own words, for you to take to a scholar you trust; it gives no ruling of its own. For questions on takaful or cooperative cover, ask the FCA-authorised broker who phones you, at no cost, after you have filled out the form on this page.

What the International Islamic Fiqh Academy has resolved

One collective statement comes from the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, a body of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation based in Jeddah. At its second session (22–28 December 1985) it adopted Resolution No. 9 (9/2), which says:

"The commercial insurance contract with a fixed periodical premium, which commercial insurance companies commonly use, is a contract that contains major elements of deceit that void the contract and is therefore prohibited by Shariah."

The same resolution names the alternative as "the contract of cooperative insurance, founded on the basis of charity and cooperation".

The Academy returned to the subject at its 20th session in Oran (13–18 September 2012). Resolution No. 187 (2/20) says it "emphasizes its resolution no. 9 (9/2)" and describes the fixed-premium contract as one "which contains a high degree of gharar (uncertainty) to an extent that makes it invalid; it is, therefore, prohibited according to Shariah." It again names cooperative insurance as the alternative, and says that, because of problems in the practice of Islamic insurance companies and the legal, regulatory and supervisory issues they faced, a fuller framework for it needed to be developed.

Both texts speak of commercial insurance contracts in general. Neither mentions health cover by name, and neither mentions the UK.

Why do some scholars say health insurance is haram?

The reasons are worded differently from one source to the next. The 1985 resolution speaks of deceit and the 2012 one of gharar, which it glosses as uncertainty. SeekersGuidance, an online Islamic learning site, answered a reader who asked about "home, life, car, medical, and travel insurance" in its Hanafi fiqh section (answered by Ustadh Salman Younas, checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani). Its answer begins: "The default legal ruling of conventional insurance is that it is impermissible due to its incorporating elements of interest and chance, both of which are prohibited in the Qur’an."

So a reader who has searched "why is health insurance haram in Islam" will find deceit, uncertainty (gharar), interest and chance given as the grounds, depending on who is asked. How much weight each carries is for a scholar to say.

Is there a hardship exception, and does it reach Britain?

SeekersGuidance gives two exceptions to its default. One is where "the law of the land makes it a requirement to have insurance in order to use a certain commodity, such as a car". The other is "clear and overwhelming hardship in not having insurance, such as medical insurance in America." It says scholars such as Mufti Saeed Palanpuri and Shaykh Ali Qurra Daghi hold this position, and that cover beyond what lifts the hardship stays under the basic rule against it.

The answer says the kinds of insurance that may become permissible on these grounds will likely differ from region to region, and then adds: "while medical insurance is a necessity in America, it is not the same case in Britain." That is one site's view of how its test applies to Britain; it is not a rule that every scholar accepts. The same answer notes that Shaykh Mustafa Zarqa allowed conventional insurance, which SeekersGuidance says it is unable to present as followable because the vast majority of scholars rejected it. If you follow a different school or teacher, their answer may differ, which is a reason to put your own circumstances to them.

Someone who is weighing whether private cover is worth having at all, rather than whether it is permitted, will find that comparison in is medical insurance worth it in the UK.

Cooperative insurance and takaful

Cover run on the cooperative model the Academy names is commonly sold as takaful. Prudential BSN Takaful, a provider in Malaysia, explains on its website that the word comes from the Arabic root kafala, meaning "responsibility, joint guarantee or guaranteeing each other", and notes that Malaysia's "Islamic Financial Services Act (IFSA) 2013 has defined takaful as an arrangement based on mutual assistance".

That explainer describes Malaysian law, not a policy sold in the UK. Whether a particular takaful scheme meets a given scholar's conditions is for that scholar to judge, not the firm selling it.

Is there Sharia-compliant health cover in the UK?

What is on sale changes, and only a provider's current documents can say what a product is. Whether a takaful-style health plan can be arranged for you is something the broker can look into when they phone, which costs nothing to ask. The broker cannot decide whether a product fits your beliefs, which stays with you and your scholar.

Any firm that offers you cover can be looked up on the Financial Conduct Authority's Financial Services Register, which the FCA describes as "a public record of firms, individuals and other bodies that are, or have been, authorised by us or the PRA" (page last updated 13 February 2026).

What to take to your scholar

  • The policy wording or key facts document, so the question is about a real contract and not health insurance in general.
  • Which of the reasons above your scholar relies on (gharar, interest, chance), and whether they apply to a policy that pays for treatment.
  • Whether your situation falls under an exception that scholar recognises, such as a legal requirement or hardship, and how they see it in Britain.
  • If the cover would come from an employer, how they view a policy you did not choose yourself.

When your scholar has said what they need to see, the form on this page will bring a broker's call, and you can ask them for the policy wording to take back.

Common questions on Islam and health insurance

Is Bupa halal?

None of the rulings above names Bupa or any other UK insurer; they speak of the type of contract. A scholar can tell you how they view a particular policy once they have seen its wording.

Is health insurance halal in the Hanafi school?

The SeekersGuidance answer quoted above is from its Hanafi fiqh section and treats conventional insurance as impermissible by default, with the two exceptions described. It speaks for that answer, not for every Hanafi scholar.

Is private medical insurance allowed in Islam if it is the only way to get treatment quickly?

The hardship exception turns on "clear and overwhelming hardship", according to SeekersGuidance, and it says that in Britain medical insurance is not a necessity in the way it is in America. How that applies to a long wait for treatment is a question for your own scholar. The size of NHS waits is covered in private health waiting lists.

What does private health insurance normally pay for?

It pays for eligible private treatment, within the policy's terms; what private health insurance covers sets out the shape of it.