Riba, Interest and Six Hadiths: Do We Have a Definition or a Conundrum?

ArXiv ID: ssrn-1528770 “View on arXiv”

Authors: Unknown

Abstract

The Qur’an categorically prohibits riba, but does not define it. It is commonly argued that riba is defined by hadith. At the time of the revelation about riba,

Keywords: Riba, Islamic Finance, Sharia Law, Debt, Interest Prohibition, Islamic Finance / Fixed Income

Complexity vs Empirical Score

• Math Complexity: 1.0/10
• Empirical Rigor: 0.0/10
• Quadrant: Philosophers
• Why: The paper focuses on historical and theological interpretation with no mathematical formulas or quantitative analysis. It is purely discursive, lacking any backtesting or empirical datasets.

  flowchart TD
    A["Research Goal: Define Riba via Hadith"] --> B["Methodology: Examine Six Key Hadiths"]
    B --> C{"Input: Analysis of Early Islamic Law"}
    C --> D["Computational Process: Comparative Linguistic & Historical Study"]
    D --> E["Key Finding: No Single Definition Exists"]
    E --> F["Outcome: Hadith Describe 'Context', Not 'Definition'"]
    F --> G["Final Outcome: Conundrum Remains Unresolved"]