the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, had left: “Take your ring and benefit from it.” He replied, “No, by Allah! I shall never take it after the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, has thrown it away.” (1)

His words, “or that which is plated with gold before it has undergone transformation,” mean that an item plated with gold is also forbidden for a man, due to the general wording of the hadith—unless the gold has undergone transformation and its colour has changed. Thus, if it were exposed to fire and nothing could be obtained from it, there is no harm in it, because its colour has disappeared. For example, if over a long period it has worn away and lost its colour, so that its colour is no longer that of gold, and if it were exposed to fire and melted, nothing could be obtained from it, then we say that it is permissible, because the colour of gold has disappeared from it; all that remains is the fact that it had once been plated with it.

“Silk garments, and whatever is predominantly visible upon males …”

His words, “Silk garments,” mean that pure silk garments are forbidden.

What is meant here by silk is natural silk, not synthetic silk. Natural silk is produced by a worm known as the silkworm. It is expensive and soft, which is why it has been forbidden to men: in some respects, it resembles gold, since it is a form of adornment. Although it is worn as clothing, there is no doubt that it arouses desire in women. It is therefore unbecoming for a man to wear such a garment, for this reason and because of the preceding hadith. (2)

His words, “and whatever is predominantly visible upon males”: the word “whatever” here is an indefinite noun described by what follows; that is, a garment is forbidden. “It” refers to silk, and “the greater part of it” means: