Round-Trip Influence Between Legal Doctrine and Commercial Practice. The Ban on Ribā in al-Andalus

This article aims to shed light on the correlation between the theoretical ban and the practical implementation of ribā rules in the pre-modern Islamic West, with a particular emphasis on al-Andalus. The main objective is to provide specific evidence on how Islamic economic institutions were influential in shaping commercial practices and economic progress, and, inversely, on how commercial and economic necessities played a role in the development of Islamic commercial law. Special attention is given to the Mālikī doctrine on ribā, illustrating how Mālikī jurists employed ijtihād (rational effort) to develop jurisprudence (fiqh) in this area while concurrently addressing the economic and commercial requirements and necessities of the community. Furthermore, the legal doctrine related to specific activities will be examined in relation to the prohibition of ribā. This analysis aims to identify the methodologies employed by jurists to accept or reject certain practices.