Prohibition of Silk for Men and Its Sharʿi Exceptions
✍ Written by: Imran Ayoob Lahori
Men are prohibited from wearing pure silk, though certain exceptions exist in the Sharīʿah.
① Hadith of ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لا تلبسوا الـحـريـر فإنه من لبسه فى الدنيا لم يلبسه فى الآخرة
“Do not wear silk, for whoever wears it in this world will not wear it in the Hereafter.”
[Bukhārī: 5734; Muslim: 2069; Ahmad: 1/20; Nasāʾī: 8/200]
② Hadith of ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) with a Silk Garment
He brought a silk garment to the Prophet ﷺ and suggested that he wear it for Eid and when receiving delegations. The Prophet ﷺ replied:
إنمـا هـذه لباس من لا خلاق له فى الآخرة
“This is the clothing of one who has no share in the Hereafter.”
[Bukhārī: 5835; Muslim: 2068]
③ Hadith of ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه)
He said:
إن نبي الله أخذ حريرا فجعله فى يمينه وأخذ ذهبا فجعله فى شـمـالـه ثـم قـال: إن هذين حرام على ذكور أمتي
“The Prophet ﷺ took silk in his right hand and gold in his left, then said: These two are forbidden for the males of my Ummah.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 3422; Abū Dāwūd: 4057; Nasāʾī: 5145; Ibn Mājah: 3595; Ibn Ḥibbān: 1465]
Additional Clarifications
- Ibn Zubayr (رضي الله عنه): Held silk prohibited for women too, based on the general wording of the hadith “Do not wear silk.” But the answer is that he may not have been aware of the hadith specifying its permissibility for women.
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 1/557] - Children: Since they are not mukallaf, if they wear silk, they are not sinful, but those who clothe them in it will be sinful. Imām al-Shawkānī (رحمه الله) permitted it absolutely for children.
[Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī: 5/382; Nayl al-Awṭār: 1/559] - Mixed Silk: If silk is mixed with another material, the ruling depends on the amount. The stronger opinion is prohibition if the silk portion exceeds four fingers’ width.
[Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī: 5/384; Nayl al-Awṭār: 1/563; al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 2/456]
Imām al-Nawawī (رحمه الله) also preferred this view.
[Sharḥ Muslim: 7/299]
Exceptions:
① Limited Decoration
ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
نهى عن لبس الحرير إلا هكذا وصف لنا النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم إصبعيه ورفع زهير الوسطى والسبابة
“The Prophet ﷺ forbade wearing silk except for so much, and he indicated with his two fingers (index and middle).”
[Bukhārī: 5829; Muslim: 2069; Abū Dāwūd: 4042; Tirmidhī: 1721; Nasāʾī: 8/202; Ibn Mājah: 3593]
In another narration:
نهي عن لبس الحرير إلا موضع إصبعين أو ثلاثة أو أربعة
“He forbade wearing silk except as much as two, three, or four fingers’ width.”
[Muslim: 2069]
② Medical Necessity
Anas (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
رخص النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم للزبير و عبد الرحمن فى لبس الحرير لمحكة بهما
“The Prophet ﷺ permitted al-Zubayr and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān (رضي الله عنهما) to wear silk due to a skin irritation (itch).”
[Bukhārī: 5839; Muslim: 2076; Abū Dāwūd: 4056; Tirmidhī: 1722; Ibn Mājah: 3592]
Scholarly Views on Exceptions
- Imām al-Shāfiʿī, Abū Yūsuf, and al-Qurṭubī: Allowed silk in cases of necessity.
- Abū Ḥanīfah and Mālik: Disallowed silk in all cases, even necessity.
- Rājiḥ (stronger view): As in the case of al-Zubayr and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān (رضي الله عنهما), wearing silk due to valid medical or physical need is permissible. This is the view of the majority.
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 1/565]
Conclusion:- Wearing pure silk is haram for men, while women are permitted.
- Exceptions:
- Small amounts (two–four fingers’ width).
- Medical necessity (e.g., irritation, sickness).
- Majority of scholars uphold this ruling as the correct view.
