Why silk and gold haraam for men?
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's
Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:
islam has forbidden males to wear gold. my
uncle told me that this is because gold weakens male hormones in the blood
thats why it is haram. i am not satisfied with this explanation, can u please
tell me why it is haraam. i also want to know why silk is haraam...wasalaam
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Answer:
Why silk and gold haraam for men?
In the
name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness.
Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray,
none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no
person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai, nobody!) worthy of
worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His
slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
For a
believer who believes sincerely in Allah and His Messenger (saws), and truly fears the Last Day, one reason is enough for why gents can’t wear
gold ornaments; and that reason is
because the Messenger of Allah (saws) commanded so.
It is
obligatory for every true believer, once
he has accepted Allah as his Creator,
Mohamed (saws) as Allah’s Messenger (saws), and their commands and teachings as The
Guidance, to obey and follow every
command of Allah and His Messenger (saws) unconditionally.
But, a
believer is absolutely allowed to be curious,
and try to search for the wisdom behind each command if he wants to… as
that will make his faith even stronger,
and allow him to follow the guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws)
with conviction and satisfaction. Each
and every command of Islam is based on the Perfect Knowledge and Wisdom of
Allah Subhanah; and it is absolutely
permissible and encouraged in Islam, to
search for this wisdom. If one
recognizes the wisdom, that is
good. But if one does not recognize the
wisdom behind ‘a’ command, he must still
obey and follow it sincerely, if he
indeed believes in Allah and the Last Day;
and must be satisfied with the knowledge that no command of Allah and
His Messenger (saws) is without wisdom.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzaab verse 36: It
does not behove a believing man and a believing woman that when Allah and His
Messenger have given their decision in a matter, they should exercise an option in that matter
of theirs. For whoever disobeys Allah
and His Messenger, has indeed strayed
into manifest error.
Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4046 Narrated
by Ali ibn AbuTalib
The Prophet of Allah (saws) took silk and held it in his right
hand, and took gold and held it in his
left hand, and said: “both of these are
prohibited to the males of my community.”
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.253A Narrated
by Al Bara bin Azib
The Messenger of Allah (saws)
ordered us to do seven (things):
to visit the sick, to follow the funeral processions, to say Tashmit to a sneezer, to help the weak, to help the oppressed ones, to propagate As-Salam (greeting), and to help others to fulfill their oaths (if
it is not sinful). He forbade us to
drink from silver utensils, to wear gold
rings, to ride on silken saddles, to wear silk clothes, Dibaj (thick silk cloth), Qassiy and Istabraq (two kinds of silk).
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.722 Narrated
by Ibn Abi Laila
While Hudhaifa was at Al-Madain, he asked for water whereupon the
chief of the village brought him water in a silver cup. Hudhaifa threw it at him and said, "I
have thrown it only because I have forbidden him to use it, but he does not stop using it. Allah's Apostle (saws) said, 'Gold, silver, silk and Dibaj (a kind
of silk) are for them (unbelievers) in this world, and for you (Muslims) in the hereafter.' -
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.537 Narrated
by Hudhaifa
The Prophet said, "Do not drink in gold or silver utensils,
and do not wear clothes of silk or Dibaj, for these things are for them
(unbelievers) in this world, and for you
in the Hereafter."
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 808 Narrated
by Abu Musa Ash'ari
The Prophet (saws) said: Wearing silk and gold has been made
unlawful for the males of my Ummah and lawful for their females.
The
Prophet (saws) did not specifically mention the reasons why gold and silk are
prohibited for the males of the Islamic community, but many eminent scholars in Islam have given
several opinions in their search for the wisdom and ‘hikmah’ behind this
prohibition.
Some are
of the opinion that the wearing of gold and silk produces arrogance in the
wearer, and Allah Subhanah does not love
the arrogant people. But some have
argued saying, why then allow it for the
females, for even they may get arrogant.
Some are
of the opinion that wearing gold and silk are feminine in nature; and Islam does not allow men to look like or
emulate women, or women to look like or
emulate men.
Some have
also given their opinion that since Allah has promised the fortunate residents
of
Some are
also of the opinion that maybe gold and silk when touched to the male skin may produce
some sort of reaction or hormonal change in temprement, etc. This has not yet been proven, or disproven,
by science… thus until it is proven or disproven, it cannot be accepted as a scientific fact.
The
Messenger of Allah (saws) himself did not give a reason why it is
forbidden, nor are the scholars in
consensus in their opinions as to the reason why. In our humble opinion, options 1, 2 and 3 are
probably the most acceptable and logical reasons.
If one
trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of
Allah and His Messenger (saws), he can
be assured of never ever being misled;
but if one believes, obeys and
follows any other guidance, other than
that of Allah and His Messenger (saws),
he can be assured of being led astray.
Whatever
written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance,
and whatever of error is of me. Allah
Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in Islam,
Burhan
Wister