Question :

I live in the United States of America, and I have subscribed to one of the insurance companies there. According to the regulations of that company, my income enables me to receive 80% as a discount from the value of the treatment. I have been treated where I was supposed to pay 20% out of a 200-dollar bill. However, I have forged my income documents, and so I managed to get a 100% exemption, so I paid nothing. Is what I have done unlawful? And is the 200 dollars that I haven’t paid unlawful money? If it is unlawful, how should I atone that, knowing that uncovering what I have done to the concerned authorities will lead me to prison. Moreover, if that money is illegal, does it mean that Allah won`t answer my prayers?

The Answer :

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

Forging documents and resorting to fraud in order to get other people`s money is a major sin in Islam, and a Muslim is prohibited from committing such a sin, whether he is in a Muslim or a non-Muslim country.

We advise the person who has committed this act to repent and seek forgiveness, and find a way to give back that money to whom it belongs without causing harm to himself. It is worth warning that it is forbidden to subscribe to non-Islamic/commercial insurance because it is aleatory and involves gambling. For more information on this topic, please refer to Fatwa No. (325). And Allah Knows Best.