Given that religion is neither a static nor a single variable, we
argue that the task for development research is to understand
how religious discourses are embodied in certain social practices,
how social and historical processes have led to that particular
embodiment, and how the religion itself redefines its
discourses, and practices, in the light of changing social, economic,
and political contexts. For example, in Islam the prohibition
on charging riba (generally translated as interest but
closer to usury) originated in seventh century Arabia after people
were forced to borrow money to pay for repairs after natural
disasters. It was considered unjust to charge interest in these
circumstances because it was seen as exploiting people’s misfortunes
(Tripp, 2006, p. 128). Whether riba/interest should be
outlawed is still subject to disagreement within Islam