Discover the meaning of the term Al-rba (ربا) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 3 min readIn language: increase; in the law: the surplus devoid of compensation, stipulated for one of the two contracting parties.
In language: increase and surplus; one says: this grows over that, that is, surpasses it; the elevated place was called 'rabwa' for its superiority over other places. In the law: a surplus of property without compensation in an exchange of property for property. In the Kanz al-dqa'iq: its cause is the measure (qadr) and the genus (jins). The pronoun refers to 'riba', as is apparent. If you say: it is corrupt, because the sale of the measured and the weighed with its own kind, in equality, is valid even though the cause of usury exists, we answer: the measure and the genus are the cause of the obligation of equality and the prohibition of surplus, from which usury necessarily follows; the meaning of his saying 'its cause is the measure and the genus': the measure and the genus cause the obligation of equality and the prohibition of surplus from which usury follows upon their lapse, namely the measure and the genus. The measure denotes volume for what is measured, and weight for what is weighed; the genus denotes the species, like wheat for wheat and dirham for dirham.
'The thing, rabwa': to grow, increase; from it Allah's saying, exalted be He: 'And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and puts forth every lovely kind' (al-Hajj 5). 'Property': to increase by usury. In the Quran: 'And whatever you give in usury, that it may increase within the wealth of people, does not increase with Allah; but what you give in alms, desiring Allah's countenance, those have the manifold reward' (al-Rum 39). 'Arba': to increase. In the Quran: 'Allah destroys usury and makes alms grow; and Allah loves not every sinful disbeliever' (al-Baqara 276). 'To take more than what one gave'. 'To come with usury, or practice it'.
In language: increase. In the law: a contract for a specified compensation, of uncertain equality by the legal standard, at the time of the contract, or with deferment of both counter-values or one of them; thus the Shafi'is expressed it. Ibn al-Kammal said (al-Ta'rifat p. 114): 'a surplus devoid of compensation, stipulated for one of the two contracting parties'.
In language: increase.
﴿قُلْ أَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ أَبْغِى رَبًّۭا وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ ۚ وَلَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلَّا عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌۭ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ﴾
« Say, "Is it other than Allah I should desire as a lord while He is the Lord of all things? And every soul earns not [blame] except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ." »
Surah الأنعام : 164
﴿وَمَآ ءَاتَيْتُم مِّن رِّبًۭا لِّيَرْبُوَا۟ فِىٓ أَمْوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ فَلَا يَرْبُوا۟ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَآ ءَاتَيْتُم مِّن زَكَوٰةٍۢ تُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ ٱللَّهِ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُضْعِفُونَ﴾
« And whatever you give for interest to increase within the wealth of people will not increase with Allah. But what you give in zakah, desiring the countenance of Allah - those are the multipliers. »
Surah الروم : 39