An Arabic word that carries the meaning of pretext, ploy, ruse, alleged reason, means, and so on. In Arabic script, it written as follows:

ذريعة (جمع: ذرائع)

Technically, it refers to the application of permissible means or devices to dodge a prohibition such as the case when the contract of sale (ba’i) is used as a means to circumvent the prohibition of riba (usury). For example, the contract of sale in question could be ba’i al-einah (ba’i al-inah) where the underlying commodity is purchased for a deferred price and then sold for a lower spot (cash) price to the same party from whom it was purchased. In this transaction, the difference between the deferred price and cash price is an outspoken riba.

The plural of zharia’a is dharae’e (zharae’e).