A Rereading of «Qarḍ» in the Holy Quran Based Upon Economic Anthropology

"Qarḍ" is an economic concept which is mentioned several times in the Holy Quran, and is recommended by God. Accordingly, this key concept has attracted the attentions of exegetes and Muslim jurisprudents throughout the history of Islam. However, there is a need to new researches to comprehend the concept of "Qarḍ" according to the age of Quran's revelation. Illustrating the importance of this concept of the Holy Quran, this essay for the first time rereads the concept of "Qarḍ" as a gift exchange based upon economic anthropology. According to this study, "Qarḍ" , a kind of economic exchange with triple stages in its process, giving, receiving, and reciprocating, establishes or strengthens the social relationships between lender (Mugriḍ) and borrower (Mugtariḍ). This study shows that the Holy Quran, having an instrumental attitude towards properties that make mutual relationships between lender and borrower, makes an attempt to improve social solidarity and strengthen interpersonal cooperation in Muslim countries.