Is it considered usury to lend a friend $700 so that he does not have to endure the hardship of travel and lose money, knowing that he will travel today if he does not receive the amount, bearing in mind that he will return the $700 after his transfer arrives?

This transaction is usurious and forbidden, as it involves both riba al-nasi'ah (interest due to delay) and riba al-fadl (interest due to excess). This is because the lender will take back the amount with an increase of seven hundred, which is precisely riba al-fadl. Delaying one of the two usurious عوضين (items exchanged in a riba transaction) constitutes riba al-nasi'ah. It is not permissible for a Muslim to engage in such usurious operations. Hardship or loss do not justify dealing with usury, and one must pursue the path of what is halal (permissible).