© 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to apply the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in predicting the intention to participate in family takaful schemes (FTSs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). One area of concern for takaful operators is their untapped market and lower market share compared to those of their conventional insurance counterparts. It is possible that the investigation of direct and indirect (belief based) measures of TPB could shed some light on these concerns and possibly offer some assistance to takaful operators. Design/methodology/approach: Interrelationships among attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral controls (PBCs) and intention to participate in FTSs were examined. The relationships between behavioral beliefs on attitudes, normative beliefs on subjective norm and control beliefs on PBC were also assessed to fully identify the structures underlying factors measuring intentions. The respondents consisted of 175 Muslims in the UAE. Data were collected using an online survey and analyzed using SPSS. Findings: This study found that attitudes, subjective norms and PBCs contribute to the prediction of the intention to participate in FTSs. This study used standard multiple regressions to identify an extensive set of specific belief composites this can be used in the prediction of direct measures of TPB and the intention to participate in FTS. Practical implications: The findings of this study provide useful information to takaful marketers on how to develop marketing strategies to increase FTS participation. This study suggests that informative and persuasive promotions can be used to improve the penetration rate of FTSs in the UAE. Originality/value: This study provides insights into previously unaddressed FTS participation in the UAE. Prior work on determining FTS participation has not been applied to both direct and indirect measures of TPB to understand the phenomenon.