The answer is that silver develops a foul odor. Arfajah ibn Asʿad, may Allah be pleased with him, had his nose cut off, so he made himself a nose of silver, but it developed a foul odor. He then made himself a nose of gold by the order of the Prophet ﷺ (1).

Is it a condition that there be a necessity for it to be made of gold—in the sense that, if it were possible to fit something other than gold, gold would be prohibited for him?

The answer is that the author’s words, “whatever necessity requires,” indicate that there must specifically be a necessity for gold itself, not merely for fitting a nose. Accordingly, in our time, something else may serve in its place: they can take something from certain parts of the body and place it on the nose, so that it is like a natural nose made of flesh. This is better than having one made of gold. Thus, if it is possible to make it from another material besides gold, then it is not permissible to use gold, because it is a case of necessity, and necessity is restricted to its proper extent. If a person has a gold nose fitted while an alternative is available, but would be harmed by removing it, then he is not required to do so.

His statement, “and the like,” means such things as a tooth and an ear.

For example, if a man breaks a tooth and needs a gold binding or a gold tooth, there is no harm in that.

However, if it is possible for him to have a tooth made from something other than gold, such as the commonly known artificial teeth of today, then it appears that a gold tooth is not permissible, because there is no necessity for it. Moreover, the manufactured material other than gold is closer to a natural tooth than a gold tooth. The same applies if the tooth becomes blackened but does not break.