The cause of usury (Riba) in usurious (Ribawî) goods and the issue of workmanship, fineness and quality difference in exchange of usurious goods in islamic fiqh

The question of ribâ (usury/interest) is one of the main issues that Islamic law of obligations dwells upon keenly. The definition of riba, its division into multiple categories, and the diversity of opinions about the goods subject to riba (usurious/ribavî commodities) have made the concept of riba a very complex one. It is therefore extremely important to examine the issue in detail and clarify it. In the study, the nature of riba was treated within the framework of the Quran and Sunnah texts and of the interpretations of Islamic scholars; its different categories were examined, the relations and differences between these categories discussed in detail, and objections to the existence of excess riba (ribâ al-fazl) were examined. In addition, the issue of the brevity or conciseness (ijmâl) of the concept of riba mentioned in the Qur'an has been discussed and it has been concluded that it is not concise (mujmal). On the other hand, the question of goods subject to the trading riba (ribâ al-bay'), a question known as the 'cause of riba' in the classical literature, has been analyzed, all the views on the cause of the trading riba have been discussed and evaluated together with their justifications, and as a result, it has been concluded that the trading riba is realized in fungible goods that can be standardized. In addition, some important issues related to trading riba were also discussed. At the end of the study, the value and the effect on the contracts, of workmanship, fineness and quality difference in the exchange of usurious (ribawî) goods were examined, the views on this issue were discussed and evaluated, and as a result, it was concluded that workmanship, fineness and quality differences in goods subject to riba should be taken into account in cash exchanges. Keywords: Ribâ (Usury, Interest), Cause, Workmanship, Fineness (Carat), Quality