Lexical Meaning of Ribā
The word ribā is derived from رَبَا – يَرْبُو and literally means “increase” or “excess.”
References: al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ: p. 1158; al-Munjid: p. 276.
Qur’ānic usage:
- ﴿أَن تَكُونَ أُمَّةٌ هِيَ أَرْبَىٰ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ﴾ (al-Naḥl: 92) – “…that one group may be greater in number than another.”
- ﴿فَإِذَا أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَاءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ﴾ (al-Ḥajj: 5) – “…when We send down water upon it, it stirs and swells.”
Sharʿī Definition of Ribā
① In transactions, to receive an excess amount when exchanging the same commodity; also applies to every unlawful sale.
[Fatḥ al-Bārī: 5/36; Subul al-Salām: 3/1112]
② An extra amount devoid of any Sharʿī counter-value, stipulated for one party in a transaction.
[al-Qāmūs al-Fiqhī: p. 143]
③ According to the Mālikiyyah and Ḥanafiyyah, every invalid sale is also a form of ribā.
Evidences for the Prohibition of Ribā
From the Qur’ān:
- ﴿وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا﴾ (al-Baqarah: 275)
– “Allāh has permitted trade and prohibited ribā.” - ﴿الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ﴾ (al-Baqarah: 275)
- ﴿وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ﴾ (al-Baqarah: 278–279)
From the Sunnah:
- The Prophet ﷺ cursed the one who consumes ribā, gives it, writes the contract, and witnesses it, saying: “They are all equal (in sin).”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1598; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 2086) - “Ribā has seventy-three levels; the least of them is like a man marrying his own mother.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Mājah: 1845) - “A single dirham of ribā knowingly consumed is worse than committing fornication thirty-six times.”
(Aḥmad: 5/225) - Ribā is among the “seven destructive sins” (al-mubīqāt).
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6857) - “When fornication and ribā become widespread in a nation, they bring upon themselves the punishment of Allāh.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Targhīb: 1860)
Consensus (Ijmaʿ):
The ummah unanimously agrees on the prohibition of ribā.
[Mawsūʿat al-Ijmāʿ: 1/429]
The Six Commodities Mentioned in the Ḥadīth
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, barley for barley, dates for dates, and salt for salt — equal for equal, hand to hand. Whoever gives or takes more has engaged in ribā, and the taker and giver are the same (in sin).”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1584)
Types of Ribā in Trade (Jumhūr View)
① Ribā al-Faḍl: Exchange of the same commodity in unequal amounts.
② Ribā al-Nasīʾah: Delay in delivery in an exchange of commodities where equality and immediate exchange are required.
Special Cases and Clarifications
- If the commodities are of the same type, they must be equal in measure/weight and hand to hand.
- If they are of different types, exchange may be in any proportion but must be hand to hand.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1587)
Major Scholarly Opinions on the Scope of Ribā
- Ahl al-Ẓāhir & Ibn Ḥazm: Ribā applies only to the six commodities mentioned in the ḥadīth.
- Jumhūr (Abū Ḥanīfah, Aḥmad): Applies to all items sharing the same effective cause (ʿillah) as the six commodities.
- Mālik: Restricts prohibition to all edible items.
Preferred (Rājiḥ) Opinion:
The stronger view is that ribā remains restricted to the six commodities mentioned in the ḥadīth unless there is clear evidence to extend it, as argued by the Ahl al-Ẓāhir.
