Additional Fatawa
Gold, Silver & other types of Rings for Men
Mufti Muhammad Ibn Aadam
Question:
Are men allowed to wear white gold rings or those that are made from metal, wood, brass, etc?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
It is unlawful for men to adorn themselves with any type of jewellery besides a silver ring. Gold has been decisively prohibited for men by the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace).
Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said:
"Gold and silk have been made lawful for the women of my Ummah and prohibited for men." (Sunan Tirmidhi, no. 1720 & Sunan Nasa'i)
Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) held silk in his right hand and gold in his left, and then said: "These two have been prohibited for the males of my Ummah." (Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan Nasa'i & Musnad Ahmad)
Sayyiduna Ali (Allah be pleased with him) reports that "the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) forbade the wearing of gold rings." (Sahih Muslim).
Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) saw a man wearing a gold ring. He (Allah bless him & give him peace) took of the ring, flung it and said: "One of you desires the live coal of fire, thus places it in his hand." (Sahih Muslim)
Due to the above narrations, it is unlawful (haram) for men to wear any type of gold jewellery. This also includes white gold, as the ruling is for gold regardless of the colour. Gold is Haram whether it is white or yellow.
Rings made from other substances for men
In the Hanafi Madhhab, the only jewellery men are permitted to wear is a silver ring. Rings made from other than silver are impermissible, such as rings made from stone, metal, brass, platinum, etc...
Imam al-Haskafi (may Allah have mercy on him) states in his famous work in Hanafi Fiqh, Durr al-Mukhtar:
"It is not permissible for a man to adorn himself with any type of gold and silver besides a ring..... And it is impermissible to wear a ring except that which is made from silver, as silver rings are sufficient (m, for stamping), thus it will be unlawful (haram) to wear rings made from other than silver."
The great Hanafi jurist, Allama Ibn Abidin (may Allah have mercy on him) comments on the above in his super commentary (hashiya) saying:
"It is Haram to wear other than a silver ring, because of what Imam Tahawi related with his chain of transmission to Sayyiduna Imran ibn Husain and Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with both of them) that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) forbade the wearing of gold rings. And it is narrated that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) wearing a ring made of brass. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "What is it that I smell the odour of idols from you, so he got rid of the ring. Then he came to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) wearing a ring made of iron. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "What is it that I find on you the adornment of the people of hellfire", so he got rid of it and said: "From what substance should I make my ring O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "Make it from silver that is less than one Mithqal." It becomes clear from the above narrations that to wear a ring that is made from gold, iron, metal and brass is Haram." (Radd al-Muhtar, 6/359, fasl fi al-libas)
The above statement of one the major Hanafi Imams is clear in determining the prohibition of wearing rings that are made from other than silver. However, it should be remembered here that consideration is taken of the ring itself and not the stone, as mentioned in Durr al-Mukhtar.
Is wearing a ring Sunnah?
According to the Hanafi understanding (ijtihad), wearing a (silver) ring is only considered a Sunnah for those who need to stamp with it, such as a judge (qadhi) or an author.
It is best for other than those who need to use a ring for stamping not to wear a ring. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is understood to have worn a ring for stamping, not adornment. As such, it is only a sunnah for those who have this need. However, as Imam Ibn Abidin mentions, it is permissible for men to wear a silver ring that is equivalent or less than 2.975 grams (mithqal).
And Allah knows best
[Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa
Leicester , UK
Women Wearing Rings Made from other than Gold & Silver
Mufti Muhammad Ibn Aadam
Question:
Is it permissible for women to wear rings made from other than gold and silver?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
Shariah has not only permitted women to adorn themselves, rather they are encouraged to do so to a certain degree. Islam has given this special permission only to women in order that they use the various means of adornment and be a means of pleasure and satisfaction for their husbands.
Among the various means of adorning oneself, is the usage of jewellery and rings. Men have only been permitted to wear silver rings, and the idea is not to adorn yourself, rather the reason for this permissibility is to use silver rings for stamping and other purposes. This is the reason why, according to the Hanafi Ijtihad, it is preferable not to wear a ring for those who don't need it for stamping. (Radd al-Muhtar, 6/361)
Women are without doubt allowed to wear rings made from gold and silver. However, to wear rings made from other substances such as metal, wood, etc...is impermissible, even for women.
The great Hanafi jurist, Allama Ibn Abidin (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
"It is unlawful (haram) to wear other than a silver ring (for men), because of what Imam Tahawi related with his chain of narrators to Sayyiduna Imran ibn Husain and Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with both of them) that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) forbade the wearing of gold rings. And it is narrated that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) wearing a ring made of brass. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "What is it that I smell the odour of idols from you, so he got rid of the ring. Then he came to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) wearing a ring made of iron. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "What is it that I find on you the adornment of the people of hellfire", so he got rid of it and said: "From what substance should my ring be, O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "Make it from silver that is less than one Mithqal". It becomes clear from the above narrations that to wear a ring that is made from gold, iron and brass is Haram..........And to wear rings made from iron, brass, copper and lead is Makruh for both men and women." (Radd al-Muhtar, 6/359, fasl fi al-libas).
It is stated in al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya:
"It is Makruh to wear a ring that is made from iron, copper, brass and lead for men and women. As far as using carnelian is concerned, there is a difference of opinion between the Hanafi scholars. Some said: it is impermissible to wear a ring made from it, whilst others permitted it." (al-Fatwa al-Hindiyya, 5/335)
In light of the Hadith mentioned by Ibn Abidin which has also been recorded by Imam Abu Dawud in his Sunan (4/470, no. 4220), the Fuqaha have stated that it is impermissible for women also to wear rings that are made from other substances such as copper, brass, metal, iron, etc...
Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (Allah have mercy on him) states in the explanation of the famous Hadith "Search for something, even if it is just a ring made from iron." (Sahih al-Bukhari):
"Some claim the permissibility of wearing a ring made of iron in view of this Hadith, but their claim is incorrect, because the permissibility of acquiring it does not necessitate the permissibility of wearing it. It is possible that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) intended for it to be acquired so that the woman may benefit from its price." (Fath al-Bari, 10/397, kitab al-libas).
However, it should be remarked here that consideration is taken of the ring itself and not the stone, as mentioned in Durr al-Mukhtar (6/360).
Also, if the various types of rings are plated with gold or silver, then there is nothing wrong in women wearing them.
It is stated in al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya:
"There is nothing wrong in wearing a ring made of iron, but is plated with silver in a way that the iron is not visible." (5/335)
And Allah Knows Best
[Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa
Leicester , UK
On Which Hand and Finger Should a Man Wear his Silver Ring?
Question:
On which hand and finger should a man wear his silver ring? Can you please clarify, since some people are saying it is wrong to wear the ring on the left hand?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
As for which finger, most of the scholars of Hadith and Fiqh are of the opinion that it is Sunna and recommended for a male, if he chooses to wear a silver ring, to wear it on his little finger of the hand.
Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) reports in the chapter pertaining to clothing and adornment (Kitab al-Libas wa'l Zina) in his Sahih from Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "The ring of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) was on this", and he pointed towards the little finger of his left hand. (Sahih Muslim, no: 2095)
Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) forbade me that I wear a ring on this or this finger of mine." The narrator says that he pointed to the middle finger and the one next to it [i.e. the index finger]." (Sahih Muslim, no: 2078)
Based on the above narrations, the renowned Shafi'i jurist and Hadith scholar, Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
"Muslim scholars have agreed that it is a Sunna [for men] to wear the ring on the little finger. As for women, they may wear rings on their various fingers." (Al-Minhaj sharh Sahih Muslim, P: 1584)
Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) then explains the reason for wearing the ring on the little finger. He says that the other fingers are more frequently used when utilizing the hand, whilst the little finger is not so frequently used due to it being at the corner of the hand. As such, he says, it is somewhat disliked (makruh tanzih) for a man to wear his silver ring on the middle and index fingers. (ibid)
In light of the above reasoning given by Imam Nawawi and others, we can add that the thumb would probably take the same ruling as that of the middle and index fingers, since the thumb is also frequently used. As for the "ring" finger, due to it being close to the little finger and also not being frequently used, one may wear his ring on it.
As for which hand, there are somewhat conflicting reports regarding the practice of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). Some narrations indicate that he wore his ring on his right hand, whilst others indicate that he wore it on his left hand.
Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that "the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) wore a silver ring on his right hand which had an Abyssinian stone in it, and he would keep its stone towards the palm." (Sahih Muslim, no: 2094)
Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "The ring of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) was on this", and he pointed towards the little finger of his left hand. (Sahih Muslim, no: 2095)
As such, Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
"As for the [legal] ruling in this issue according to the jurists (fuqaha), they have all agreed upon the permissibility of wearing the ring on the right hand, and upon the permissibility of wearing it on the left hand, and there is no dislike (karaha) in wearing the ring on either of the two hands. However, they disagreed in regards to what is preferred. Many early scholars (salaf) wore their rings on the right hand, whilst many others wore theirs on the left hand. Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) considered wearing the ring on the left hand to be recommended (mustahab) and disliked wearing it on the right hand. In our [Shafi'i] School, both positions are mentioned by our scholars. The correct (sahih) opinion is that it is better to wear the ring on the right hand, for wearing a ring is a form of adornment, and the right hand is more deserving of this adornment and beautification." (Al-Minhaj sharh Sahih Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, P: 1585)
Shaykh Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) explains in his commentary of Sahih Muslim that most of the narrations indicate that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) wore his ring on his right hand whilst some others indicate that he wore it on his left hand. Some scholars preferred the latter narrations whilst others preferred the former. Some scholars reconciled between the two types of narrations saying that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) initially wore his ring on the right hand and thereafter resorted to wearing it on his left hand. The great Master of Hadith (Hafidh), Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) reconciled by stating in his Fath al-Bari that if the objective is to adorn oneself, then one should wear the ring on the right hand. However, if one wears a ring for the purpose of stamping, then wearing it on the left hand would be better. (Takmila Fath al-Mulhim 4/82)
Shaykh Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) then gives his personal stance on the issue at hand. He says:
"It is possible to reconcile between the various narrations by assuming them to be describing different occasions. It seems that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) normally wore his ring on his right hand, as this is indicated by the majority of the narrations. However, he occasionally wore his ring on his left hand due to a need, or to show its permissibility. And Allah knows best." (Ibid)
Imam Badr al-Din Ayni (may Allah have mercy on him), the renowned scholar of Hadith and Hanafi jurist, is of the opinion that wearing the ring on the left hand is preferable. He explains in his commentary of Al-Hidaya that a man should wear his ring on the little finger of his left hand due to the fact that Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) both report that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) wore his ring on the left hand. Moreover, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Umar, Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyiduna Hasan and Sayyiduna Huseyn (may Allah be pleased with them) all wore their rings on their left hands. As such, he says, it is better and preferable to wear the ring on the little finger of the left hand, and not on any other finger. (See: Al-Binaya fi sharh al-Hidaya 9/235-236)
In light of the above, a man may wear his ring on either his right or left hand, since some scholars preferred the former whist others the latter. No one should be rebuked for wearing their ring on any one of the two hands, since both ways have been reported from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace).
In conclusion, it is Sunna and preferable for men to wear their silver rings on the little finger of either their right or left hands. To wear it on the middle and index fingers is somewhat disliked, but not forbidden. As for women, they may wear their rings on any finger of their right or left hands.
And Allah knows best
[Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa
Leicester , UK
