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The question

Is it permissible to borrow from one of two banks: the first with 1% interest and life insurance, and the second a "Sharia-compliant financing" with life and home insurance?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

First: Borrowing with usury is forbidden, regardless of the interest rate. It is important to note that considering interest as fees or commission is an error.

Second: Lease-to-own contracts include both permissible and forbidden forms. If the contract includes an insurance clause for the item, the insurance must be permissible cooperative insurance, and its cost must be borne by the owner (lessor), not the lessee. This is because the responsibility for the leased item rests with the owner, unless there is an abuse or negligence on the part of the lessee. The International Islamic Fiqh Academy has stipulated this.

If the lessor stipulates commercial insurance on the lessee, then the condition is invalid. Does this invalidate the contract itself? There are two views on this, and some jurists, such as the Hanbalis and Malikis, consider the lease to be invalidated by it.

As for life insurance, it is fundamentally prohibited, and the lessee should not be compelled to take it, even if it is cooperative insurance.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy