Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) is one of the most popular ETFs in the world with $420B in assets. We screened every single holding — all 3500 stocks — against Shariah standards using the Halal Terminal API to give you a definitive, data-backed answer.

Verdict: VTI is NOT Shariah-Compliant

NOT Shariah-compliant. With 3,500+ holdings including banks, tobacco, alcohol, and insurance companies, VTI cannot be halal. Use SPUS or HLAL for broad US equity exposure.

Screening Results at a Glance

MetricValue
Total Holdings3500
Compliant Holdings2240
Non-Compliant Holdings1260
Compliance Rate64.0%
Weighted Compliance60.5%
Purification Rate4.8%
Expense Ratio0.03%
AUM$420B

Why VTI Fails Shariah Screening

VTI holds virtually every publicly traded US stock — over 3,500 securities. That breadth means it includes every sector, including those that are fundamentally non-compliant: banks, insurance companies, tobacco producers, alcohol manufacturers, and gambling operators.

With 64% of holdings passing Shariah screening, VTI actually has a lower compliance rate than the S&P 500 (67%). This is because VTI includes small-cap banks, regional insurance companies, and niche consumer companies that the S&P 500 doesn't. The broader you go, the more non-compliant holdings you pick up.

The weighted compliance of 60.5% is even lower because some non-compliant companies (Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan) carry significant portfolio weight.

Top Compliant Holdings

These VTI holdings pass Shariah screening:

  1. AAPL
  2. MSFT
  3. NVDA
  4. AMZN
  5. META
  6. GOOGL
  7. TSLA
  8. AVGO
  9. LLY
  10. UNH

Non-Compliant Holdings

These holdings fail and are the primary reason VTI is not compliant:

  1. JPM (banking)
  2. BAC (banking)
  3. WFC (banking)
  4. BRK.B (insurance/finance)
  5. V (financial services)
  6. AIG (insurance)
  7. MET (insurance)
  8. PM (tobacco — Philip Morris)
  9. MO (tobacco — Altria)
  10. BUD (alcohol — AB InBev)

Halal Alternatives

For similar market exposure with full Shariah compliance:

For a full comparison, see our Best Halal ETFs for 2026 guide.

Screen VTI Yourself

curl https://api.halalterminal.com/api/etf/VTI/screening \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY"
import requests

resp = requests.get(
    "https://api.halalterminal.com/api/etf/VTI/screening",
    headers={"X-API-Key": "YOUR_KEY"}
)
data = resp.json()

print(f"Compliance Rate: {data['compliance_rate']}%")
print(f"Compliant: {data['compliant_holdings']}/{data['total_holdings']}")
print(f"Purification: {data['purification_rate']:.1%}")

for h in data["holdings"]:
    if h["compliance_status"] != "compliant":
        print(f"  FAIL: {h['symbol']} ({h['weight']:.1%} weight)")

Two ways to screen

Halal Terminal

Screen stocks and ETFs interactively with real-time data, multi-methodology verdicts, and transparent financial ratios.

Key Takeaways

Important Disclaimer

Not financial advice. The information provided on this page is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice, investment advice, trading advice, or any other type of advice. You should not make any financial decisions based solely on the information presented here.

Not a fatwa. Shariah compliance screening results are generated using automated data analysis based on publicly available financial data. These results do not constitute a religious ruling (fatwa) and should not be treated as one. Always consult a qualified Islamic scholar or Shariah advisor for guidance specific to your situation.

Do your own research. Past performance and current compliance status do not guarantee future results or continued compliance. Screening data may contain errors or become outdated. Always verify information independently and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.