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of assurer, agrees in consideration of money paid to him, called premium, by another person called the insured or assured, to indemnify the latter against loss resulting to him on happening of certain events. The policy is the document in which is contained the terms of the contract” (Osborne Law Dictionary). The economist would prefer to define it as ‘a device for the transfer of some risks of economic loss from the insured who’s otherwise would have bourne the risk, to an insurer in return for a premium’. Whereas the sociologist’s perception of insurance are it’s a device whereby the participants provide financial compensations or succor to those among them encountering the many misfortunes or contingencies that befall humanity. Under a modern insurance system, payments to those who suffer losses are made from the accumulated contributions of all those participating in the insurance system’ (J.O. Irukwu, 1985).

The sociologist is more concerned with the social aspect of insurance; how it relates to social interrelationships, whereas the economist is interested in the gains in monetary terms, and the lawyer, the legal aspects. The Islamic economist on the other hand, is concerned about all the above aspects in addition to the moral, ethical, material and spiritual virtues of insurance.

However, while the aims and aspirations of insurance may be similar in principles in a secular as in Islamic communities, the ‘modus operandi’ will have to be different in order to accommodate the moral and spiritual requirements of the latter.

Insurance has been in existence long before the coming of Islam, there is a general consensus that marine insurance is the earliest form of insurance and it is generally agreed that it had its origin in Rome, later in the 14th – 15th centuries. Later it spread to the other parts of the world via Britain and Western Europe this view is held by M.A Mannan (1975) and J.O. Irukwu (1985) amongst others.

History also shows that an indigenous form of insurance also existed, more than four thousand years ago in China, where the Chinese merchants pooled their rice cargoes by placing a tradition of each man’s cargo on several junks (boats) instead of an entire cargo in one junk. This pooling arrangement reduced the chances of one man experiencing a huge financial setback. If a cargo was lost, all merchants would experience a loss, but no merchant would undergo total loss (S.S Yings, 1975).

Muslim traders also practice the concept of insurance for over 1400 year ago by the Muhajrin (emigrants) of Mecca and the Ansar (supporters) of Medina following the hijra of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In the past Muslim traders felt the necessity of insurance, in olden days they used to ships their goods across the seas to other part of the world and they mutually arrange for safeguards against the risk of the sinking of ship. They usually contribute certain amount to form a pool which will be used to compensate any trader that suffers losses as a result of perils and accident.

Over the last three to four decades now this new version of Islamic insurance (TAKAFUL) has become popular and continued to gain popularity in different part of the world including non-muslim countries. Takaful is an Arabic word meaning “guaranteeing each other” was considered to be an alternative form of insurance based on the concept of