The Degree of Maintaining the Linguistic Variations of the Arabic Term 'Riba' (Usury) in the English Translations of the Quran

Authors

  • Shafi Alqahtani

    English Language and Literature Department, College of Arts and Letters, University of Bisha, Bisha 61922, Saudi Arabia
  • Yousef Sahari

    College of Languages and Translation, King Khalid University, Abha 62521, Saudi Arabia
  • Obeid Alaqlobi

    English Language and Literature Department, College of Arts and Letters, University of Bisha, Bisha 61922, Saudi Arabia
  • Jamal Kaid Mohammed Ali

    English Language and Literature Department, College of Arts and Letters, University of Bisha, Bisha 61922, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.11210
Received: 22 July 2025 | Revised: 25 September 2025 | Accepted: 26 September 2025 | Published Online: 18 November 2025

Abstract

Interpreting legal terms in Islamic jurisprudence has largely derived from the Quran or the Prophet's traditions. These terms consequently acquire a specific juridical significance in Islamic law. This study aims to examine the linguistic variations and semantic nuances of the Arabic term Riba (usury) as it appears in six selected Quranic verses, with a particular focus on its translation across different interpretive contexts. This term was chosen as a case study based on its English translations in nine different Translations of the Quran. A content analysis of the term and its contextual rendering was employed as the primary methodological approach. The analysis revealed that the term "Usury" is the most frequently used translation of riba, appearing 24 times. This is followed by riba and interest, each occurring 14 times. In addition, the term riba is further clarified in several instances: as interest (4 times), usury (5 times) and unlawful gain (3 times). The term increase also appears 6 times. These variations underscore the diversity in interpreting and translating riba across different contexts. Statistical analysis indicated a significant main effect across translation choices. Based on these findings, the study draws more attention to the linguistic nuances of translating religious texts.

Keywords:

Quran; Translation; Linguistic Variation; Islamic Legal Terms; Business; Finance; Banking; Usury; Interests

References

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How to Cite

Alqahtani, S., Sahari, Y., Alaqlobi, O., & Ali, J. K. M. (2025). The Degree of Maintaining the Linguistic Variations of the Arabic Term ’Riba’ (Usury) in the English Translations of the Quran. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(12), 1227–1235. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.11210

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 12 (December 2025): In progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Shafi Alqahtani, Yousef Sahari, Obeid Alaqlobi, Jamal Kaid Mohammed Ali

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.