1797 – Anas ibn Sīrīn related: “I was with Anas ibn Mālik, may Allah be pleased with him, in the company of some Magians. Falūdhaj was brought on a silver dish, but he would not eat from it. Someone said to him, ‘Transfer it.’ So it was moved to a dish made of khulanj wood and brought back, whereupon he ate it.” Reported by al-Bayhaqī with a sound chain of transmission.

The second topic concerns eating and drinking from gold- and silverware. Gold and silver are both minerals that Allah, exalted is He, created in the earth and placed at our disposal, as He says: “He is the One who created for you everything on earth altogether.” Hence we may benefit from gold and silver in whatever ways we choose, except where the Sacred Law has forbidden. The Prophet ﷺ prohibited eating and drinking from vessels of gold or silver, informing us that they belong to the unbelievers in this world and to us in the Hereafter, and that whoever eats or drinks from a silver vessel is merely causing the fire of Hell to gurgle inside his stomach—Allah’s protection is sought. The term gargarah denotes the sound produced when liquid flows down the throat. Thus that person, Allah forbid, will be made to drink from the Hellfire until the gurgling resounds in his belly just as it did in worldly life. This shows that eating and drinking from gold or silver vessels constitute major sins and that it is impermissible for a believer to do so.

As for using gold and silver utensils for purposes other than eating and drinking, the scholars have differed. The majority maintain that it is not lawful to use gold or silver vessels for any other