Can Muslim men wear necklaces, bracelets, and earrings?

A silver ring from a father, a chain with a pendant, a leather bracelet, a string of prayer beads worn at the wrist, an earring: many Muslim men want to know what they may wear. Muslim men may wear jewelry. Rings, necklaces, and bracelets of silver, steel, titanium, leather, wood, beads, and stone are permitted, and earrings follow the custom of each society. The one metal the majority set apart for men is gold, discussed in Can Muslim men wear gold?

Can Muslim men wear jewelry in Islam?

The Quran counts adornment among Allah’s gifts to all His servants, men and women alike, and it describes the sea yielding “ornaments to wear” (16:14). The Prophet ﷺ himself wore jewelry. After setting aside a gold ring, he had one made of silver:

«ثُمَّ اتَّخَذَ خَاتَمًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ، فَاتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ خَوَاتِيمَ الْفِضَّةِ»

“Then he had a ring made of silver, and the people had silver rings made.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 5866

The ring was engraved “Muhammad, Messenger of Allah,” and Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān wore it after him. Its stone was Abyssinian (Sahih Muslim 2094a), and he wore it on his little finger (Sahih Muslim 2095).

Can Muslim men wear silver necklaces and bracelets?

In a hadith that names rings, necklaces, and bracelets one after another, the Prophet ﷺ steered his listeners away from gold and then said:

«وَلَكِنْ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْفِضَّةِ فَالْعَبُوا بِهَا»

“But use silver, and enjoy it as you please.”

Sunan Abi Dawud 4236

Al-Albani graded this hadith hasan. The Arabic fa-lʿabū bihā means to use something freely, even playfully. Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328) drew the conclusion: silver is permitted to men, and only what a specific text forbids, such as eating and drinking from silver vessels, is excluded. Several jurists of the Hanafi and Shafiʿi schools limited men’s silver to a ring and a few items such as sword fittings; that is a recognized opinion, and the texts above give the wider view its strength.

The Quran also pictures the righteous of Paradise, men among them, adorned with bracelets:

وَحُلُّوٓاْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن فِضَّةٖ

“And they will be adorned with bracelets of silver.”

Quran 76:21

When the Prophet ﷺ came back from a market of Medina and called for his grandson al-Ḥasan, the boy came walking with a necklace (sikhāb) around his neck, and the Prophet ﷺ embraced him and prayed, “O Allah, I love him, so love him” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5884). Al-Bukhari placed the report in a chapter on necklaces for boys.

Does wearing jewelry make a man resemble women?

Ibn ʿAbbās reported that the Prophet ﷺ cursed men who make themselves resemble women and women who make themselves resemble men (Sahih al-Bukhari 5885). The commentators explained this as taking on the dress and adornment that a society reserves for the other sex. What a society reserves is a matter of custom (ʿurf), and custom changes. A heavy silver chain, a steel cuff, or a leather band is worn by men across the world as men’s jewelry, and wearing one makes no man look like a woman.

Earrings follow the same reasoning. The classical jurists disliked or forbade them for men because in their societies earrings belonged to women. Where men today commonly wear a stud or a ring in the ear as men’s adornment, the reason for the old ruling falls away, and the stronger view permits it. Piercing itself is discussed in Are piercings haram?

What should Muslim men keep in mind when wearing jewelry?

• Gold. The majority of scholars, Sunni and Shia, forbid gold jewelry for men, including white and rose gold; see Can Muslim men wear gold?
• Other metals. Silver, platinum, titanium, palladium, tungsten, and steel are permitted.
• Stones. Carnelian (ʿaqīq), turquoise, and other gemstones set in rings have been loved in Muslim lands for centuries.
• Humility. Jewelry worn to show off wealth or to look down on others loses its beauty. The Quran warns those who hoard gold and silver instead of spending them for good (9:34); see What does Islam say about poverty?
• Prayer. Ṣalāh is valid with rings, chains, and bracelets, and a tight ring is moved slightly in wudu so the water reaches beneath it.

Men’s grooming more broadly is discussed in Is it haram to shave your beard? and Can Muslim men have long hair or braids?

A closing word

The silver a man wears in this world is a small sign of the adornment Allah promises in the next. The Quran describes the people of Paradise, adorned with bracelets and pearls, giving thanks:

ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَذۡهَبَ عَنَّا ٱلۡحَزَنَ

“All praise belongs to Allah, who has taken all sorrow away from us.”

Quran 35:34

Wear your jewelry with gratitude, keep your heart free of pride, and look forward to that day.