Intended Meaning
The author maintains that ribā is prohibited despite the immediate benefit it brings to the creditor, because its effect is harmful to the debtor and he places this harm in conflict with financial justice, not with mere increase in the transaction
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: legislative
- Movement of the argument: ribā is prohibited because of its harm to the debtor and its conflict with justice.
- Key terms: ribā, debtor, harm, financial justice.
- Degree of centrality: central.
It shifts the prohibition from a merely economic description to its social effect, thereby linking the ruling to protecting the weaker party and achieving financial balance.
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Basis
- Supporting text: “Ribā is prohibited despite the immediate benefit to the creditor, because it harms the debtor and runs up against financial justice.”
Basis Location in the Book
- Book: Mother of the Book and Its Details.
- Location: in the middle section of the book, within the chapter on ribā.
- Type of basis: direct evidence.
- Marker that helps verification: immediate benefit to the creditor
- Reading note: This passage is suitable evidence because it explicitly states that ribā has an immediate benefit for the creditor but leads to harm, which matches the idea of harm to the debtor.
Degree of Documentation
- Level: directly documented
- Meaning of the level: the atom rests on an explicit witness close to the wording of the claim.
- Reading limits: the wording above is an analytical summary and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is cited textually.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is argumentative; it supports a larger conclusion in the chapter or prepares for it.
Editorial note
The atom explains the ruling by a social rationale.