- Its prohibition is a mercy to people, as it involves taking the wealth of others without offering anything of value in return. The usurer benefits from others
27 November 2025 • 407 views
- Ribā leads to the inflation of wealth at the expense of impoverishing others, particularly the poor.
- It encourages laziness and idleness, diverting individuals from engaging in productive, lawful, and beneficial economic activities.
- Engaging in Ribā severs acts of kindness among people, closes the door to good loans, and allows a class of usurers to dominate the wealth and economy of a nation.
- Ribā is a grave sin against Allāh, and while it may appear to increase the wealth of the usurer, Allāh removes its blessings and does not allow it to thrive. As Allāh states:
﴿يَمْحَقُ الله الربوا وَيُريِي الصَّدَقَاتِ﴾
"Allāh destroys Ribā and gives increase for charitable deeds." [Al-Baqarah: 276]
_____
FIVE IMPORTANT POINTS
1⃣l مال is categorised into two types:
1. مالٌ ربويٌّ Maal subject to Ribā
We will explain this in the next point.
2. مالٌ غيرُ ربويٍّ Maal not subject to Ribā
Whatever is not included in the first category falls under this category.
2⃣. The are 6 ribawi items by concensus:
1. Gold ذهب
2. Silver فضّة
3. Wheat ٌشَعِير
4. Barley بُرّ
5. Dates تَمْر
6. Salt مِلْح
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
((الذهب بالذهب والفضة بالفضة، والبر بالبر، والشعير بالشعير، والتمر بالتمر، والملح بالملح، مثلاً بمثل، يداً بيد، فمن زاد أو استزاد فقد أربي، الأخذ والمعطي سواء))
"Gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, barley for barley, dates for dates, salt for salt, equal for equal, hand to hand. Whoever increases or seeks an increase has engaged in usury; the giver and the taker are equal in sin." [Narrated by Al-Bukhari [2175, 2176] and Muslim [1584] on the authority of Abū Sa’eed Al-Khudri (may Allāh be pleased with him)].
Aside from these 6; the scholars differed.
3⃣. The above six ribawi items are categorised into two groups (by concensus):
Group 1: Currency
1. Gold ذهب
2. Silver فضّة
Group 2: Ediblity
3. Wheat ٌشَعِير
4. Barley بُرّ
5. Dates تَمْر
6. Salt مِلْح
4⃣. Aside from the 6 ribawi items, there are other items subject to ribā based on Qiyās (analogy)
BENEFIT: Four elements must be present for Qiyās to be valid and properly applied:
1. The Original Case (الأصل): i.e., the matter being compared to which already has a ruling established by textual evidence; in this case, the 6 ribawi items.
2. The New Case (الفرع): i.e., the case being compared which has no textual evidence; in this case, anything aside from the 6 ribawi items.
3. The Effective Cause (العلة): This is the shared attribute that links the original case and the new case, serving as the basis for the Qiyās.
4. The Ruling of the Original Case (حكم الأصل): This is the ruling of the original case based on textual evidence.
5⃣. What is the علة for Qiyās?
Scholars are divided into two main views:
1. The First View: Limiting the application of ribā to the six specified ribawi types.
- This opinion is held by the dhāhiriyyah (literalists) who reject Qiyās.
- Some jurists also support this view, arguing that the Prophet ﷺ explicitly mentioned these types despite the existence of other food items, and because the effective cause علة for Qiyās is disputed.
2. The Second View: Extending Qiyās to other items based on these six types.
- This is the view of the majority of scholars. However, they greatly differed regarding the علة for Qiyās, with approximately seven different views on the matter;
1. Measurable by weight الوزن
2. Measureble by volume الكيل
3. Sustenance/Food الطعم
4. A combination of measurability by volume (الكيل) and weight (الوزن)
5. A combination of measurability by volume (الكيل) and weight (الوزن), as well as edibility (الطعم)
6. Produced from the earth
7. Subject to Zakat
The Preferred View: The balanced view is to say:
- If the علة is clear, Qiyās is be applied to other items.
- If the علة is unclear, Qiyās should not be applied.