What is the ruling on a lender giving gold to a borrower, stipulating that the borrower must return it in the same weight and form so that the borrower can sell it and use its value? Is it permissible to return it with the same weight of gold but in a different form, which varies in manufacturing cost?

It is permissible to lend gold on the condition that the same weight be returned. The borrower may return more than what he took, provided there was no prior condition for it. It is permissible to stipulate the return of gold in the same form if it is widely available in the market or can be easily manufactured to be similar. The rule is that fungible items are returned in kind. If the same item is not available, its value at the time of the loan should be returned. Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen mentioned that a fungible item is one that has an identical or very similar counterpart, and that modern manufacturing has made it possible to produce thousands of copies in the same form and shape, making jewelry and watches fungible. The fatwas of the Permanent Committee (for Scholarly Research and Ifta') permit lending gold and returning it in the same weight, and any increase without a condition is permissible. In summary: The basic principle is to return gold in the same weight and form. If the borrower increases the weight or improves the craftsmanship without a prior condition, there is no harm in it.