Can Muslim men wear gold?

A gold chain from a grandmother, a wedding band chosen with a spouse, a watch received as a gift: many Muslim men want to know whether they may wear gold. The classical majority of scholars, Sunni and Shia, hold that gold jewelry is haram for men. The same texts explain the reason, luxury and pride, and a minority of early authorities held it only disliked. Silver, platinum, titanium, and other metals are halal for everyone, and gold is fully halal for women.

What does the hadith say about gold for men?

ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ took silk in his right hand and gold in his left, and said:

«إِنَّ هَذَيْنِ حَرَامٌ عَلَى ذُكُورِ أُمَّتِي»

“These two are forbidden to the men of my community.”

Sunan Abi Dawud 4057

The Prophet ﷺ himself once wore a gold ring. He then threw it away, saying, “I will never wear it,” and the people threw away theirs (Sahih al-Bukhari 5867). He had a silver ring made instead, engraved “Muhammad, Messenger of Allah,” which Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān wore after him (Sahih al-Bukhari 5866). When he saw a gold ring on a man’s hand, he pulled it off and likened it to an ember of fire (Sahih Muslim 2090).

Why is gold forbidden for men?

The Sunnah ties gold and silk to the luxury of the great empires of that age. When the Companion Ḥudhayfa was in al-Madāʾin, the old Persian capital, a local landlord brought him water in a silver cup. Ḥudhayfa threw it down and recalled the Prophet’s ﷺ words: “Gold, silver, silk, and brocade are theirs in this world, and yours in the Hereafter” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5831). The rule set the believers apart from the extravagance of the Persian and Byzantine courts, in line with the Quran’s command:

وَكُلُواْ وَٱشۡرَبُواْ وَلَا تُسۡرِفُوٓاْۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُسۡرِفِينَ

“Eat and drink, but do not be extravagant. He does not love the extravagant.”

Quran 7:31

Gold itself is pure; the Quran promises it to the people of Paradise. And the Prophet ﷺ relaxed these rules for need. He allowed ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf and al-Zubayr to wear silk because of a skin condition that made them itch (Sahih al-Bukhari 2919), and he told ʿArfaja ibn Asʿad, who had lost his nose in battle, to replace his silver nose with a gold one (Sunan Abi Dawud 4232, graded hasan). The concern was display and arrogance, which is why the Quran also warns those who hoard gold and silver instead of spending in the way of Allah (9:34); see What does Islam say about poverty?

Did any early Muslims allow men to wear gold?

Yes, a minority. Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī (d. 1449) lists in Fatḥ al-Bārī Companions who wore gold rings, among them Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, Ṭalḥa, and Ṣuhayb. Al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib wore one even though he himself narrated the prohibition, and Ibn Ḥajar proposed that his practice be read either as showing the ruling to be a dislike or as a permission given to him alone.

The jurists recorded the same difference. Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd (d. 1302) noted that some scholars held gold rings for men to be only mildly disliked (makrūh tanzīhan), like silk, and al-Nawawī (d. 1277) reports that some said it is disliked and not forbidden. The Medinan judge Abū Bakr ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm is reported to have permitted it. The majority answered that these Companions had not heard the prohibition, or that agreement settled later on the stricter view. On how such reports are weighed, see Are all hadith authentic?

What about a gold wedding band?

The majority view is the more cautious course, and many Muslim men choose silver, platinum, or titanium bands out of love for the Sunnah. That choice is beautiful and needs no defense.

The minority view also has its evidence. If the prohibition rests on luxury and pride, a plain wedding band worn as a sign of marriage carries neither. A man who follows the early authorities who held gold only disliked has a basis in the tradition, and this is a matter of ijtihād on which no one should be condemned. Heavy chains and showy jewelry, which the reason of the ruling clearly reaches, are best left aside on every view.

What can Muslim men wear instead of gold?

• Silver. A silver ring follows the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ directly.
• Platinum, titanium, palladium, tungsten, and steel. These are permitted by all, since the texts name gold only.
• White and rose gold. Both are alloys of gold and take its ruling.
• Gemstones. Rings set with stones such as carnelian (ʿaqīq) are permitted and long loved in Muslim lands.

Men’s adornment in general is discussed in Is makeup haram? and Is it haram to shave your beard?

What is the Shia view of gold for men?

Jaʿfari jurists hold the same prohibition, and draw a further consequence. Ayatollah Sistani rules that men may not wear gold of any color, that gold plating is also not allowed, and that a prayer performed while wearing gold is invalid. A watch that is only gold-colored, with no gold in it, is permitted. On the two traditions more broadly, see What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam?

A closing word

The gold a believer sets aside in this world is promised back in the next:

يُحَلَّوۡنَ فِيهَا مِنۡ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٖ وَلُؤۡلُؤٗاۖ وَلِبَاسُهُمۡ فِيهَا حَرِيرٞ

“There they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments there will be silk.”

Quran 35:33

Wear what you choose with humility, give generously from what Allah has given you, and look forward to the adornment that does not fade.