✅Answer: 'Riba' literally means increase or profit, and in jurisprudence, it has specific meanings and different types. According to numerous narrations, 'riba' is one of the major sins, including:

1 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فی حدیث قَالَ قُلْتُ فَأَیُّ شَیْ ءٍ الْکَبَائِرُ قَالَ أَکْبَرُ الْکَبَائِرِ الشِّرْکُ بِاللَّهِ وَ عُقُوقُ الْوَالِدَیْنِ وَ التَّعَرُّبُ بَعْدَ الْهِجْرَةِ وَ قَذْفُ الْمُحْصَنَةِ وَ الْفِرَارُ مِنَ الزَّحْفِ وَ أَکْلُ مَالِ الْیَتِیمِ ظُلْماً وَ الرِّبَا بَعْدَ الْبَیِّنَةِ وَ قَتْلُ الْمُؤْمِن

📚Al-Khisal, Vol. 2, p. 411

Muhammad ibn Muslim said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): 'What are the major sins?' He said: 'The greatest major sins are: 1- Associating partners with Allah 2- Undutifulness to parents 3- Bedouinism after 'hijra' (to the land of the Muslims) 4- Accusing chaste women 5- Fleeing from battle 6- Unjustly consuming the property of an orphan 7- 'Riba' after clarification 8- Killing a believer.'

✅'Riba' is one of the sins for which many punishments have been mentioned, and the important point is that, according to the following narration, it has seventy types:

2 جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ آبَائِهِ عَنِ النَّبِیِّ فِی وَصِیَّتِهِ لِعَلِیٍّ قَالَ یَا عَلِیُّ الرِّبَا سَبْعُونَ جُزْءاً فَأَیْسَرُهَا مِثْلُ أَنْ یَنْکِحَ الرَّجُلُ أُمَّهُ فِی بَیْتِ اللَّهِ الْحَرَامِ یَا عَلِیُّ دِرْهَمٌ رِبًا أَعْظَمُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ سَبْعِینَ زَنْیَةً کُلُّهَا بِذَاتِ مَحْرَمٍ فِی بَیْتِ اللَّهِ الْحَرَام

📚Man La Yahduruhu Al-Faqih, Vol. 4, p. 367

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said in his will to the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him): 'O Ali, 'riba' has seventy divisions, and the lightest of them is like a man marrying his mother in the Sacred House of Allah, O Ali, one 'dirham' of 'riba' is greater in the sight of Allah than seventy acts of adultery in the Sacred House of Allah, all of them with 'mahrams' (unmarriageable relatives).'

✅Pay attention to the following narration as well:

3 أَبِی جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ قَالَ أَمِیرُ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ آکِلُ الرِّبَا وَ مُؤْکِلُهُ وَ کَاتِبُهُ وَ شَاهِدَاهُ فِیهِ سَوَاءٌ

📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 144

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: 'The receiver of 'riba', the giver of 'riba', its scribe, and its two witnesses are all equal in 'riba'.'

✅The condemnation of 'riba' and its types is more than can be discussed in this brief text, but by mentioning the two following narrations, we invite all readers to seek a deeper understanding of the religion to be saved from all types of 'riba':

4 الْأَصْبَغِ بْنِ نُبَاتَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَمِیرَ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ یَقُولُ عَلَی الْمِنْبَرِ یَا مَعْشَرَ التُّجَّارِ الْفِقْهَ ثُمَّ الْمَتْجَرَ الْفِقْهَ ثُمَّ الْمَتْجَرَ الْفِقْهَ ثُمَّ الْمَتْجَرَ وَ اللَّهِ لَلرِّبَا فِی هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ أَخْفَی مِنْ دَبِیبِ النَّمْلِ عَلَی الصَّفَا شُوبُوا أَیْمَانَکُمْ بِالصِّدْقِ التَّاجِرُ فَاجِرٌ وَ الْفَاجِرُ فِی النَّارِ إِلَّا مَنْ أَخَذَ الْحَقَّ وَ أَعْطَی الْحَقَّ

📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 150

Asbagh said: I heard the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) say on the pulpit: 'O group of merchants, first jurisprudence and learning (the rulings of trade), then trading' (he repeated this three times), 'By Allah, 'riba' in this nation is more hidden than the slow movement of an ant on a stone. Mix your oaths with truthfulness. The merchant is a transgressor, and the transgressor is in the Fire, except (a merchant who) takes what is due and gives what is due.'

5 عن أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ قَالَ أَمِیرُ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ مَنِ اتَّجَرَ بِغَیْرِ عِلْمٍ ارْتَطَمَ فِی الرِّبَا ثُمَّ ارْتَطَمَ

📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 154

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: 'The one who engages in trade without knowledge becomes entangled in 'riba' and then becomes entangled in the mire of 'riba' again.'

✅In conclusion, we will mention a hadith about one of the types of 'riba' that is more common today:

6 عن عَلِیِّ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ أَخِیهِ مُوسَی بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ وَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ رَجُلٍ أَعْطَی رَجُلًا مِائَةَ دِرْهَمٍ عَلَی أَنْ یُعْطِیَهُ خَمْسَةَ دَرَاهِمَ أَوْ أَقَلَّ أَوْ أَکْثَرَ قَالَ هَذَا الرِّبَا الْمَحْضُ

📚Qurb al-Isnad, p. 265

Ali ibn Ja'far said: I asked my brother Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon him) about a person who gives someone one hundred 'dirhams' on the condition that he gives him back five 'dirhams' or less or more; the Imam said: 'This is pure and absolute 'riba'.'

✅Learning and abstaining from the prohibited matters in trade that have been mentioned in the narrations are necessary for our salvation from all types of 'riba'. According to the narrations, a condition in a loan constitutes 'riba', and transactions should be based on the conditions of 'mudarabah' (profit-sharing) or 'musharakah' (partnership) and so on, which requires learning the narrative conditions.