Insurance on Things Sent by Mail

25-7-2022 | IslamWeb

Question:

Cover included in postage cost – is it permissible?Assalamu Alaikum, my question is regarding compensation included in postage services, are these permissible. For example it cost £1 to deliver an item that is size of a large letter, in this cost there is £20 cover for loss or damage, it is not separate; the cover is either free from the company or the cost of it is included in £1. It seems that there is no option to send delivery without this cover from this company and you can also pay extra to increase the cover (buying separately). So is it permissible to use this postal service and those similar to it which either has cover included in the cost or it’s free from the company or should I only go with companies that do not give this compulsory cover, but what if these companies are not available or hard to find? JazakAllahu Khair, Assalamu Alakium
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

If the insurance on things sent by mail is a cooperative insurance, then it is permissible and it is permissible to benefit from its compensation, whether the insurance is free or in return for money.

However, if it is a commercial insurance, then it is not permissible. If this commercial insurance is compulsory and you do not find a company that does not have this commercial insurance or that it is difficult to find it, then it becomes permissible, in this case, to deal with the mail companies that provide commercial insurance on letters.

For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 81425.

Allah knows best.

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