Riba

Interest or unjust increase on a loan or exchange, forbidden in the Qur'an in severe terms.

Also written · Ribaa · Sood · Reba · Ribba · Riba al-fadl · Riba al-nasiah · Riba an-nasi'ah · usury · interest · bank interest · moneylending · faiz

The meaning

What Riba means in Islam

Two forms are named: riba al-fadl, an unequal swap of the same commodity hand to hand, and riba al-nasi'ah, the increase charged for time, which is what an interest bearing loan involves. The Qur'an permits trade and forbids riba in the same breath, and the objection is to money multiplying from money with no shared risk and no real goods. Scholars differ sharply over how far the ruling extends into modern banking, and Islamic finance is the attempt to answer that.

Evidence · Qur’an · Stated directly in the Qur’an

Read beside it

Words that sit beside it

Bay'Sale: the exchange of property for property by mutual consent.بَيْع
GhararExcessive uncertainty in a contract, which makes the deal invalid.غَرَر
MurabahahA sale at a disclosed cost plus markup, widely used in Islamic banking in place of lending.مُرابَحة
MudarabahA partnership where one side provides capital and the other the work, sharing agreed profits.مُضارَبة