Is It Permissible for Men to Wear Rings in Shafi‘i School?

Answered by Shaykh Bassem Itani

Question

Is it permissible for men to wear rings?

Answer

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Blessings and peace be upon the Master of the Messengers, his Family, and all his Companions.

It is permissible for a man to wear a ring made of silver, and it is even recommended according to the Shafi‘i School due to the noble hadiths to that effect. According to consensus among jurists, wearing a gold ring is prohibited. As for rings made of other metals, there is no objection to it, according to the Shafi‘i School, and some jurists dislike rings made of iron. It is permissible to wear a ring on the little finger or the ring finger of the right or left hand, and the right hand is preferable. However, wearing it on the index finger or middle finger is prohibited, as mentioned in the hadiths. Regarding the weight of the ring, it should conform to custom: what agrees with it is permissible, and anything excessive is considered extravagance, as mentioned by the Shafi‘i scholars, and Allah knows best.

Detailed Answer

Before stating the ruling, we will mention some noble hadiths related to the subject, and then we will detail the issue. Anas Ibn Malik (Allah be pleased with him) reported:

“The Prophet of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) wanted to write to some groups or people among the non-Arabs, and he was told that they would not accept a letter unless it had a seal. So, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) took a silver ring, the inscription on it: ‘Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah,’ and it was as if I saw the glimmer of the ring on the Prophet’s finger or palm.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

Ibn ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) took a ring made of gold or silver, and placed its bezel towards his palm and engraved on it: ‘Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.’ When people made similar rings, he threw his away and said: ‘I will never wear it.’ Then, he took a ring made of silver, and the people took silver rings. Ibn ‘Umar said: After the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), Abu Bakr wore the ring, then ‘Umar, then ‘Uthman, until it fell from Uthman into the well of Aris.” [Ibid.]

A ring (khatim or khatam—both are correct) is an ornament or decoration for the finger and may be used for sealing as the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) did, as we have mentioned in the hadith.

Related Rulings

There are details and issues regarding the ruling on wearing them for men, which we will briefly mention as follows:

1. Wearing Gold Rings:

The jurists have agreed that it is prohibited for men, and as for the hadith that mentions the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) “took a ring of gold,” this was in the early stages, then the ruling was abrogated by what came in the authentic and explicit hadiths regarding this, including:

From Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace): “He forbade the wearing of gold rings.” [Ibid.]

Bara’ Ibn Azib (Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) commanded us with seven things and forbade us from seven and in them: he forbade us from silver vessels and gold rings.” [Ibid.]

And from Abdullah ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with them), “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) saw a gold ring on a man’s hand, took it off, and threw it away, saying: ‘One of you goes to a coal from the fire and puts it in his hand.’ It was said to the man after the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) had left, ‘Take your ring, benefit from it.’ He said: ‘No, by Allah, I will never take it after the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) has thrown it away!’” (5)

And from our master ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Allah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) took silk in his right hand and gold in his left, then said: ‘Indeed, these two are prohibited for the males of my Umma.’” [Muslim]

2. Wearing Silver Rings:

The jurists have concluded that it is permissible for a man to wear a silver ring, whether he holds a position of authority or not, based on the hadiths that have been narrated, including those by our master Anas Ibn Malik and our master ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with them), as we have mentioned. Indeed, the Shafi‘i School has even stated that it is recommended. [Nawawi, al-Majmu‘ Sharh al-Muhadhab]

3. Wearing Rings Made of Materials Other Than Gold and Silver:

As Imam Nawawi mentioned in “al-Majmu‘” and others have stated, jurists, including the Shafi’is, have differing opinions regarding the rulings on wearing rings made of materials other than gold and silver. [Nawawi, al-Majmu‘ Sharh al-Muhadhab; Qalyubi, Hashiyat al-Qalyubi; among others]

Those who view it as disliked do so because of the hadiths that mention the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) only taking a ring of silver. Those who permit it refer to the hadith of the woman who offered herself to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), as reported by Sahl Ibn Sa‘d (Allah be pleased with him):

“A woman offered herself to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and a man said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, marry her to me.’ He said, ‘What do you have?’ The man said, ‘I have nothing.’ He said, ‘Go and find even an iron ring.’” [Bukhari; Muslim]

4. The Position of Wearing the Ring:

The Shafi‘i scholars say that it is permissible for a man to wear a silver ring on the little finger of his right hand and, if he wishes, on his left little finger. Both are correct actions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), but the correct and famous opinion is that the right hand is preferable because it is an adornment, and the right hand is more noble. However, wearing a ring on the middle finger and the index finger is prohibited. [Nawawi, al-Majmu‘ Sharh al-Muhadhab; Qalyubi, Hashiyat al-Qalyubi]

‘Ali (Allah be pleased with him) said, “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) forbade me from wearing a ring on this finger or this one,” gesturing to the middle finger and the one next to it. [Muslim]

5. The Weight of a Man’s Ring:

The Shafi‘i scholars have not specified a weight for the permissible ring, but they have left the matter to custom. What conforms to custom is permissible, and anything beyond that is considered an extravagance, as Shirbini mentions in his book Mughni al-Muhtaj.

6- The Bezel (Setting) of the Ring:

Among them is the hadith from Ibn ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with them), who said: “The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) took a ring of gold, then discarded it, then took a ring of silver and engraved on it ‘Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah,’ and said: ‘No one should engrave their ring with this inscription.’ When he wore it, he placed its bezel towards the palm of his hand.” [Muslim]

And from Anas (Allah be pleased with him): “The ring of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was made of silver, and its bezel was from it.” [Bukhari]

These are the most important rulings related to wearing a ring for men, and Allah knows best.

Conclusion

Based on the above, You (men) are permitted to take a ring made of silver or other metals like platinum and iron, etc., except for gold, which is haram (prohibited) for men and not for women. You may wear it on your right or left hand, on the little finger or the ring finger, and avoid the index and middle fingers due to the prohibition against it and what it entails of resembling women or non-Muslims. And do not forget to harbor the intention of following the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) to gain reward for that, and Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Bassem Itani.

Shaykh Dr. Bassem Hussayn Itani was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1965. He earned his Ph.D. in Islamic Studies in 2005. Among his mentors were Shaykh Muhammad Taha Sukkar, Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, Shaykh Mulla Abdul ‘Alim al-Zinki, Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri, Shaykh Abdul Razzaq al-Halabi, Shaykh Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bugha, Shaykh Dr. Wahba al-Zuhayli, Dr. Muhammad al-Zuhayli, and others, may Allah have mercy on them all. 

Shaykh Itani has a rich background in both academic and administrative fields. He has held significant positions in many governmental and non-governmental institutions in Lebanon and abroad. This includes his role as a member of the Academic Committee at SeekersGuidance and a senior teacher with the free online global seminary.

From 2020 to 2021, he served as the Dean of the College of Da‘wa – University for Islamic Studies (Lebanon) – Postgraduate Studies. He was the Director of Dar Iqra for Islamic Sciences from 1998 to 2018. Shaykh Itani is a well-versed teacher in several academic subjects, including Fiqh, Usul, Aqida, and Tafsir. He has supervised and examined numerous Master’s and Doctoral theses at various universities and colleges in Lebanon.

His contributions to Islamic sciences are also evident in his writings and research. His notable works include “The Relied-upon Statements of Imam Zufar in the Hanafi School,” “Collective Ijtihad: The Sublimity of Thought in the 21st Century,” and “Custom and its Impact in Islamic Jurisprudence.” Shaykh Itani has actively participated in numerous scientific conferences and seminars, both in Lebanon and internationally. He is linguistically adept, excelling in Arabic, proficient in French, and comfortably conversant in English.