Abstract:
Muhammad Syahrur points out that riba (usury) that is forbidden is the practice of usury made by people who are entitled to receive alms according to the provisions in Qur’an Surah al-Baqarah (2): 275. Meanwhile, for those who are not entitled to receive alms, they can be given a loan of interest (al-qardh al-istismari) as long as there is no multiplied payment by taking an additional half of the debt principal as stipulated in Qur’an Surah Ali Imran (3): 130. This view is clearly contrary to the views of the majority of scholars who argue that the prohibition of usury is fixed, without distinction of many or few, for those who are entitled to receive alms or not, as regulated in the Qur'an. From the various arguments proposed, Syahrur’s istinbath method is also made based on the Qur'an as the legal basis, just as classical scholars, only with different understanding and interpretation through contemporary reading.
