and the ruggedness expected of men. For that reason, the ḥadith states: “The Prophet ﷺ took some silk in his right hand and some gold in his left, and said, ‘These two are forbidden to the males of my community and lawful for its females.’” Reported by Ibn Mājah (3597).

5. Certain items are exempted because there is a genuine need for them. Among these are: mending a cracked vessel with a silver brace, making a nose out of gold or silver, and fitting teeth from either metal when necessary. It is also permitted for men to wear a silver ring, to inlay weapons and other instruments of war, and to wear silk in battle or on account of severe itching or a skin allergy. These concessions are allowed both by virtue of the explicit texts concerning them and because they do not involve the considerations for which gold, silver, and silk were prohibited in the first place.

6. Shaykh al-Islām said: Whatever is prohibited because its very essence is impure is more strictly forbidden than what is prohibited on account of luxury or arrogance, for the latter becomes permissible when there is a need—just as jewelry and silk are permitted for women, and a small amount of silk, such as a border or similar ornament, is permitted for men.