Islamic Fiqh > Financial transactions > Riba: its types and effects
Riba by excess (fadl) and delay (nasi'a), the 6 commodities of the Sunnah, same-type same-quantity exchange, and the riba effect on contracts.
Riba is formally forbidden by the Quran (Surah al-Baqarah, 275-279). It takes 2 forms: riba of surplus (fadl) and riba of deferment (nasi'ah). The rule of equivalence requires, on the 6 commodities of the Sunnah, the exchange of the same species in the same quantity. A surplus on a simple loan of money is riba; the qard hasan, the interest-free loan, is on the contrary rewarded like a charity.
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Updated on 07 October 2026 at 6:42 PM
Riba from A to Z: its status, types, the six categories, the equivalence rule, riba on currencies, and the wisdom of its prohibition.
The Quran formally forbids it (sura al-Baqara 275-279): gain without labor on another's distress, source of injustice and debt.
Neither keep nor use them: pay them in charity without reward intention (purification), per contemporary scholars' method.
Yes: that is qard hasan, the beautiful loan, rewarded as sadaqa (Muslim 1016 on multiplication).
No if it is a sale of a real asset owned by the seller (see the murabaha page); the supplement on a mere money loan is riba.