In Arabic the word used in the Qur’an for interest or usury is Riba. Riba literally means “to grow” or “to add to”, however English translations use usury, not interest, in place of riba. Usury has a different meaning than interest, usury is usually defined as excessive or exploitative interest where as a modest amount of interest is a way to generate profit from the lending of money.

Because Mohammad died before being able to fully explain the meaning of riba, there is debate within Islamic economic jurisprudence on exactly what riba entails. Some suggest the it refers specifically to usury and that charging a modest interest rate (euphemistically referred to as “commission”) that is in line with the markets is halal (permitted), while others say that any addition to the principle at all is considered riba and therefore haraam (forbidden) and is considered a sin worse than rape.

Modern Islamic banks though they claim not to charge interest (or usury) simply provide (fixed rate interest) “loan” packages. While it is forbidden to charge interest, buying and then selling at a profit is permitted. This is the crux of how Islamic loans work. For example, if you wish to buy a motor vehicle worth $10,000, the bank will purchase the vehicle on your behalf then resell it to you for $14,000. This is legal in Islam providing they are two separate transactions.

Of course, if one were to break down the final payment amount, one would find that bank has pre-calculated their desired interest, added it to the principle then resold the vehicle to the debtor at that higher price. It has been found that Islamic mortgages are actually a few percentage points above the market rate, so non-Muslims who are attracted to the idea of an Islamic loan purely on the basis that they think they will escape interest payments should think again and most definitely read the fine print on any such agreement. The devil, they say, is in the detail.