Interest is an economic problem that has been discussed in almost every period of history. The definition and justification of interest has been decisive in this process. Various definitions of interest have been made in Islamic and western sources. In this article, it is argued that the definitions that are widely accepted and used in the literature do not fully reveal the subject, and this situation results in the perception and marketing of many interest-bearing transactions in our age as trading. Therefore, it is emphasized that a new definition of interest is needed. Based on this assumption, an alternative definition of interest is proposed. In the Qur'an, riba is compared with sadaqa, zakat, qard and especially bay‘ and it is emphasized that riba is different from these asset transfer methods in terms of structure. Since riba is a method known and applied in every period of history, riba that is meant in the Qur'an and sunnah is riba that is known and practiced in the historical process. We do not consider the distinction of riba as Jahiliyya (riba of Qur'an) and sunnah (riba of fadl) appropriate. Because riba is expressed as a whole in different aspects in the scriptures. In classical sources, riba is generally defined with legal approaches as "unrequited surplus stipulated in the transaction" or "contract where unrequited surplus is stipulated". In both definitions, the emphasis is not on the operational aspect of riba, but on the revenue, surplus and result side from a legal point of view. This situation is similar in Western literature. The legal definition of riba, which focuses only on excess, has resulted in the fact that the operational side of the work is overlooked. As a result of this, many transactions in history and today, although they are riba in essence, are applied with different and innocent names and covers, thus deceiving humanity. We believe that the etymologically correct positioning of riba, how it was used in the pre-Islamic period, knowing what it means, and understanding the different meanings and contents that Islam ascribes to this concept will contribute to placing the subject on the right ground.
Primary Language | Turkish |
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Subjects | Religious Studies |
Journal Section | MAKALELER |
Authors | |
Publication Date | June 30, 2021 |
Published in Issue | Year 2021 |
İlahiyat Akademi Dergisi Creative Commons Atıf-GayriTicari 4.0 Uluslararası Lisansı (CC BY NC) ile lisanslanmıştır.