An Arabic term (قبض) that denotes “taking possession” or receipt of an object of sale or exchange, an amount of money, a financial instrument, etc. In the context of a contract of sarf (currency exchange), qabdh refers to taking possession, by the two parties, of the amounts of the two underlying currencies. In general, qabdh depends on shari’a rules as to a particular type of transaction, urf, or the common business practices prevalent in a specific market.

In certain markets, the possession of a good is recognized as having taken place either through actual or constructive delivery of that good. Basically, qabdh can be classified as qabdh haqiqi and qabdh hukmi.