the basic ruling concerning them is prohibition, because worship is a path leading to Allah. If we do not know that Allah has prescribed it as a path to Him, then it is unlawful for us to adopt it as such. The verses and hadiths indicate that acts of worship are restricted to what is legislated by the Sacred Law.
Allah, Exalted is He, says: “Or do they have partners who have ordained for them in religion that for which Allah has given no permission?” [al-Shura: 21] This indicates that whatever a servant practices as religion in devotion to his Lord must be something Allah has permitted.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Beware of newly introduced matters, for every innovation is misguidance.” (1)
There is no distinction, regarding the permissibility of vessels, between those that are small and those that are large; both small and large vessels are permissible. Allah says concerning His Prophet Solomon, peace be upon him: “They made for him whatever he wished: lofty chambers, statues, basins as large as reservoirs, and great fixed cauldrons.” [Saba: 13]
A jafnah is like a large serving dish. His saying, “and great fixed cauldrons,” refers to cauldrons which could not be moved because of their size. They remained fixed in their places due to the abundance of food cooked in them. However, when this reaches the point of extravagance, it becomes prohibited for an external reason—namely, extravagance.