📘 Qard (Loan): Linguistic & Shar‘i Definition, Legitimacy, and Legal Rulings
✍️ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❖ Introduction: Loan as a Form of Financial Assistance in Islam
Qard (loan) in Islam is not just a financial transaction; it is an act of charity and cooperation. Islam encourages helping others through interest-free loans while strictly prohibiting deriving any personal gain or benefit from the loan. This article discusses the definition, legitimacy, and rulings related to Qard, supported by authentic texts.
◈ 1. Linguistic Explanation (لغوی وضاحت)
The word Qard (قرض) is derived from the root:
قَرَضَ – يَقْرِضُ (form: Ḍaraba)
Linguistically, it means:
- To cut off
- To lend
- To compensate
Other related verb forms:
- Qāraḍa (مفاعلة): To enter a mutual business deal
- Aqraḍa (إفعال): To give a loan
- Iqtaraḍa (افتعال): To take a loan
- Istaqraḍa (استفعال): To request a loan
📚 [Al-Munjid: p. 682 | Al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ: p. 585]
◈ 2. Shar‘i Definition (شرعی تعریف)
“Qard is property given to someone with the condition that its equivalent be returned.”
It is called “cutting” (قرض) because it is as though the lender is cutting off a portion of his wealth to help another.
📚 [Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī wa Adillatuhu: 5/3786]
◈ 3. Legitimacy of Loan (مشروعیت)
The permissibility of giving and taking loans is unanimously agreed upon by the scholars.
📚 [Al-Mughnī: 4/313]
➊ Hadith: Double Loan Equals a Charity
❝مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يُقْرِضُ مُسْلِمًا قَرْضًا مَرَّتَيْنِ إِلَّا كَانَ كَصَدَقَتِهِ مَرَّةً❞
“If a Muslim gives a loan twice, it is equivalent to giving it once as charity.”
📚 [Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Mājah: 1972 | Ibn Mājah: 2430]
➋ Hadith: Help Others and Allah Will Help You
❝وَاللَّهُ فِي عَوْنِ الْعَبْدِ، مَا كَانَ الْعَبْدُ فِي عَوْنِ أَخِيهِ❞
“Allah helps the servant as long as he helps his brother.”
📚 [Muslim: 2699]
➌ Hadith: Intention in Borrowing Matters
❝مَنْ أَخَذَ أَمْوَالَ النَّاسِ يُرِيدُ أَدَاءَهَا أَدَّى اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَمَنْ أَخَذَهَا يُرِيدُ إِتْلَافَهَا أَتْلَفَهُ اللَّهُ❞
“Whoever takes people’s wealth intending to repay it, Allah will help him. But whoever takes it intending to destroy it, Allah will destroy him.”
📚 [Bukhārī: 2387 | Ibn Mājah: 2411 | Aḥmad: 2/361]
➍ Hadith: The Prophet ﷺ and Repayment
❝لَوْ كَانَ لِي مِثْلُ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا… إِلَّا شَيْئًا أُرَصِّدُهُ لِدَيْنٍ❞
“If I had gold equal to Mount Uhud, I wouldn’t like three days to pass with anything left of it except something kept aside to repay a debt.”
📚 [Bukhārī: 2389]
◈ 4. Obligation to Repay the Exact Amount
The loan must be returned in the exact same amount and kind. Any increase or benefit—if agreed upon or expected—is considered Ribā (usury).
➎ Warning Against Gaining Benefit from Loans
Narration from ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām (رضي الله عنه):
“If you are owed something and the debtor gifts you straw, barley, or grass—do not accept it, for that is Ribā.”
📚 [Bukhārī: 3814]
◈ 5. Ruling on Gifting During Loan Period
Imām al-Shawkānī (رحمه الله):
“If a gift, loan, or benefit is given during the loan period as a form of bribery, delay tactic, or compensation—it is ḥarām and considered Ribā.
But if it is a pre-existing custom or unrelated to the loan, then it is permissible.”
📚 [Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/617]
◈ 6. Permissibility of Voluntary Extra Return (Not Preconditioned)
➊ Hadith of Jābir (رضي الله عنه):
“I came to the Prophet ﷺ with a debt upon him. He paid me more than he owed.”
📚 [Bukhārī: 2394 | Muslim: 715 | Abū Dāwūd: 3347 | Nasā’ī: 7/283]
➋ Hadith: Prophet ﷺ Returned a Better Camel
When a man came to claim his camel, and only a better one was available, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Give it to him.”
Then he said:
❝إِنَّ خِيَارَكُمْ أَحْسَنُكُمْ قَضَاءً❞
“The best among you are those who are best in repaying.”
📚 [Bukhārī: 2305 | Muslim: 1601]
➌ Same Meaning Narrated from Abū Rāfiʿ (رضي الله عنه):
📚 [Muwaṭṭā: 2/280 | Muslim: 1224 | Abū Dāwūd: 3346 | Tirmidhī: 1318 | Ibn Mājah: 2285 | Aḥmad: 6/390]
◈ 7. Prohibition of Conditional Benefits in Loans
Hadith from Anas (رضي الله عنه):
“If you give a loan and the borrower gifts you or offers you a ride on his animal, do not accept it—unless it was a pre-existing practice.”
📚 [Ḍaʿīf: Ibn Mājah: 2432 | Graded weak due to unknown narrator Yaḥyā ibn Isḥāq]
General Principle:
❝كُلُّ قَرْضٍ جَرَّ مَنْفَعَةً فَهُوَ رِبًا❞
“Every loan that brings benefit is Ribā.”
📚 [Ḍaʿīf: Irwā’ al-Ghalīl: 1398]
🔍 Despite weakness in isnād, the principle is supported by authentic narrations and scholarly consensus.
✅ Summary of Rulings:
| Ruling | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Loan (Qard) | Permissible & encouraged |
| Repayment | Must be same amount/type as borrowed |
| Extra given voluntarily | Permissible, if not conditioned |
| Gifts or benefits during loan | Prohibited if tied to the loan |
| Conditional gain from loan | Considered Ribā |
| Loan for help only | Considered a form of charity |
