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The Prophet insisted that people come to general gatherings, such as the Friday and the ‘Eid prayers, nicely
dressed and well-groomed. He said, If you can afford it, it is befitting that you wear garments other than your
working clothes to Friday prayer. (Reported by Abû Daoud.)
Gold and Pure Silk are Haram for Men
Beautification and elegance are not merely permitted but are required by Islâm, and in general it repudiates
any attempts to prohibit them. Say: Who has forbidden the adornment of Allâh which He has brought forth
for His servants, and the good things of His providing? (7:32)
Islâm has, however, prohibited two kinds of adornment for men, while permitting them to women. These are,
first, gold ornaments and, second, clothing made of pure silk. ‘All reported that the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) took
some silk in his right hand and some gold in his left, declaring, “These two are haram for the males among
my followers.” (Reported by Ahmad, Abû Daoud, al-Nisai, Ibn Hayyan, and lbn Mâjah, who reports the
additional phrase, “but halal for the females.”) ‘Umar reported that he heard the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) say, “Do
not wear silk, for those who wear it in this life shall not wear it in the Hereafter.” (Compiled by al-Bukhâri
and Muslim. A Similar hadith is reported by them on the authority of Anas.) On another occasion, referring to
a silken garment, he said, “This is the dress of a man who has no character.’‘ (Compiled by al-Bukhâri and
Muslim.)
The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) once saw a gold ring on a man’s hand. He immediately took it from him and threw it
down saying, ‘Does a person pick up a piece of burning coal and hold it in his hand?‘ After the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) had left the place, someone asked the man, ‘Why do you not pick it up and benefit from it?‘ He
replied, ‘No, by Allâh! I shall not pick it up after Allâh’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.) has thrown it away.’ (Compiled
by Muslim.)
The same prohibition which applies to the gold ring likewise applies to what we observe among conspicuous
spenders, i.e., the gold pen, gold watch, gold cigarette case and lighter, gold teeth, etc.
The Prophet (s.a.w.s.), however, permitted men to wear silver rings. On the authority of Ibn‘Umar, al-Bukhâri
reported the former saying, “Allâh’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.) wore a silver ring. After him, Abû Bakr and then
‘Umar and ‘Uthman wore it, until it fell off his finger into the well of Arees.” (Compiled by al-Bukhâri in the
chapter on “Clothing” (Al-Libas).) As for other metals such as iron, there are no sound texts prohibiting
them. On the contrary, in the Sahih of al-Bukhâri we find that Allâh’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.) advised a man
who wanted to marry a woman to, “Present her with a gift, even if it be ring made of iron.” On the basis of
this hadith al-Bukhâri inferred the permissibility of iron rings.
The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) made concessions in the wearing of silken garments for medical reasons, as he gave
‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Auf and al-Zubayr bin al-‘Awwam, both of whom suffered from scabies, permission to
wear silk. (Compiled by al-Bukhâri.)
The Wisdom of These Two Prohibitions Concerning Men
By means of these two prohibitions which concern men, Islâm’s aim is to achieve certain noble educational
and moral objectives.
Since it is the relof jihad (striving) and strength, Islâm must safeguard the manly qualities of men from any
show of weakness, passivity, and lethargy. Allâh has made the physique of the man different from that of the
woman, and it does not befit a man to wear clothes made of fine material or to adorn his body with costly
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ornaments.
There is, however, a social aim underlying these prohibitions. The prohibition of gold and silk to males is part
of a broader Islâmic program of combating luxuriousness in living. From the Qur‘ânic point of view, luxurious
living leads to weakness among nations and to their eventual downfall; the existence of luxury is also an
expression of social injustice, as only a few can afford luxurious items at the expense of the deprived
masses of people.
In addition to this, luxurious living is an enemy of every call towards truth, justice, and social reform. The
Qur‘ân says: And when We intend that We should destroy a township, we permit its luxury-loving people to
commit wickedness therein. Then the word is proved true against it, and We then destroy it utterly. (17:16)
and again, And We did not send a warner to any township without its luxury-loving people saying, ‘Assuredly
we are disbelievers in that with which you have been sent.’ (34:34)
In keeping with the spirit of the Qur‘ân, the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) forbade Muslims any indulgence in
conspicuous consumption. He not only forbade the use of gold and silk to men but also forbade men and
women alike the use of gold and silver utensils.
Finally, economic considerations also carry some weight here. Since gold is a universal medium of
exchange, using it to make household utensils or ornaments for men does not make sense in economic
tenn6.
Why Gold and Silk are permitted to Women
Woman has been exempted from this prohibition out of consideration for her feminine nature, as the love of
jewelry and ornaments is quite natural and becoming for a woman. However, she is not to use her
adornments to attract men and arouse their sexual desires. According to a hadith, When a woman puts on
perfume and goes among people so that its scent reaches them, she is an adulteress, and any eye which is
attracted to her is that of an adulterer. (Reported by al-Nisai, and also by Ibn Khazimah and Ibn Hayyan in
their
respective
Sahih‘s.)
And Allâh Ta‘ala warns women...that they should not stamp their feet in order to make apparent what is
hidden of their adornment.... (24:31)
The Dress of the Muslim Woman
Islâm makes it haram for women to wear clothes which fail to cover the body and which are transparent,
revealing what is underneath. It is likewise haram to wear tightly fitting clothes which delineate the parts of
the body, especially those parts which are sexually attractive. Abû Hurairah (r.a.) narrated that the
Messenger, of Allâh (s.a.w.s.) said, I will not be a witness for two types of people who are destined for the
Fire: people with whips, like the tails of cows, who beat the people (i.e., tyrannical rulers who are the
enemies of their own people), and women who, although clothed, are yet naked, seducing and being
seduced, their hair styled like the tilted humps of camels. These will not enter the Garden nor will its
fragrance even reach them, although its fragrance reaches a very great distance. (Compiled by Muslim.)
The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) described such women as being clothed, yet naked, since their clothing, being
transparent and fine, does not do the job of conceling the body but is rather intended to reveal it; such is the
dress of the women of our time. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) likened their hair-style to the hump of a special breed
of camel (bakht) which has very large humps, because they put up their hair in a beehive shape from the
middle of their heads. It is as if the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) were looking beyond the centuries to the present age,
when dressing the hair of women and styling it in variety of shapes has become a profession dominated by
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