Riba (Usury / Interest)

Riba (ربا) — unlawful increase in an exchange — is forbidden in Islam in two forms, the second of which was legislated around the time of Khaybar.

Definition — the two types

1. Riba al-nasi’ah (ربا النسيئة) — “interest of delay”: purchasing time for money, e.g. lending $1,000 to be repaid as $1,100. The classic loan-interest.
2. Riba al-fadl (ربا الفضل) — “interest of surplus”: bartering certain like commodities (gold, silver/currency, wheat, barley, dates, salt) in unequal amounts. One must not swap 3 sa’ of ordinary dates for 1 sa’ of premium dates.

How it appears in the Seerah

At Khaybar a man brought superb dates and admitted trading “1 sa’ of these for 3 sa’ of ordinary dates.” The Prophet ﷺ forbade it: “Do not do this — sell the ordinary dates for money, then buy the premium ones with the money” (Bukhari & Muslim). Like commodities exchange only in equal measure; currency for the same currency only in equal amount (different currencies fall under different rules).

Evidences & lessons

The Quran’s grave warnings on riba (e.g. Q 2:275–279) with this prophetic legislation; the wisdom lies beyond the seerah class, but the principle is precise fairness in exchange and the closing of a back-door to interest. (Legislated alongside the muzara’ah sharecropping of Khaybar and the prohibitions of donkey meat and zawaj al-mut’ah.)

Cross-references

The Battle of Khaybar · Khaybar · Ghanima (Spoils of War) · Muhammad ﷺ

Sources

• S009 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 070. The “dates for dates” hadith in Sahih Bukhari & Muslim; Q 2:275–279 for the Quranic prohibition.