Rings are worn by numerous people as it holds various kinds of symbols. I have been wondering whether wearing wedding rings is acceptable in Islam. So, I conducted extensive research and found out the essential things you need to know about the significance and rules surrounding them.
So, are wedding rings allowed in Islam? In Islamic marriages, wedding rings play a major role by signifying love, commitment and loyalty. Rings are used to represent unbreakable bonds especially in marriage. It is common for many married Muslim couples to wear their rings on their hands. It is a symbol that shows that they are officially married.
Many believers insist that it is Sunnah to wear a wedding ring. For instance, the prophet companion’s did the same. It is permissible to exchange wedding rings for the walima or nikah. This means that it is allowed for both parties to buy rings as gifts and give each other.
However, it is not allowed to have customary exchange of rings in front of an audience. The exchange of wedding rings should be done in private or in front of close family members indoors.
In some hadiths, people have been postulating that it is haram in Islam to wear a ring that is made out of Gold, according to some of the hadiths like the one narrated by Abu Musa that the messenger of Allah said that silk and Gold have been permitted for the females of Ummah and forbidden for the males.
In another hadith by Abdullah Ibn Abbas, he points out that Allah’s messenger saw a believer wearing a gold signet ring in his and pulled it off and threw it away and said that the person wearing it was to take coal from the hell and put it on his hands. After leaving, a friend told the person to pick up the ring, but he chose not to because Allah’s messenger said it was haram.
According to the hadiths you can deduce that if a man wants to wear a ring, he can choose to wear one that is not made u of pure gold, according to other hadiths by Sahih Al-Bukari, the prophet wore a silver ring on his finger with a craving of his name engraved on it.
Typically it is ill advised for all Muslims whether men or women to wear a ring with Allah’s name engraved on it. The rationale behind this opinion is because it is considered disrespectful to wear the name of Allah into the bathroom. Theoretically, one could remove the ring before entering the toilet, but it may be better to simply avoid the situation all together.
Furthermore, it is very easy to unintentionally fall into the belief that wearing the name of Allah or a verse from the Quran will protect you from harm. This belief borders dangerously with shirk; that no jewelry, amulet, or clothing can protect you only Allah can protect you.
Another caveat is to avoid being boastful or being full of pride whilst wearing jewelry. There is nothing wrong with wearing marriage jewelry pieces including wedding rings because you like them, or you find it a symbol that shows unity and love within your marriage.
You must be careful to make sure that you steer your heart clear of the intention that you want to show it off to others. Wear the wedding ring because you love your partner not because you want others to envy it.
There is a one circulated theory that searing wedding rings is considered haram in Islam because it is a forbidden innovation of bidah. Being that it is something that is introduced to Islam without precedent in scripture.
Wearing a wedding ring would be considered bidah if individuals were claiming it to be a part of your wedding ceremony or if the ring is necessary to make your marriage binding.
It is important to note that partaking in the cultural practices is not considered bidah. It is normally encouraged. Provide that no one states that earring a wedding ring is required in Islam. There exists nothing to suggest bidah.
There are rules that exists on how wedding rings should be worn in Islam. The women wear the wedding ring on any finger they choose. But men are not allowed to do so. Men are forbidden to wear wedding rings on their middle or index finder.
As mentioned in the hadith that the Prophet once told Ali that he should refrain from wearing the ring on particular fingers. Subsequently Ali raised his middle and index fingers. A Muslim man is considered a makruh if he wears a wedding ring on those fingers.
Some scholars are in agreement that it is Sunnah for men to wear the wedding rings on their little fingers. They can’t cause any disruption in the activities that are being done.
Though it is not necessary, a husband chooses to wear a wedding ring to make his wife happy. The act of wearing a wedding ring shows that the husband has developed a special bond with his wife.
According to Maliki, Hanafi and Hambali it is better to wear your wedding ring on the left hand. But when one opts to wear the ring as an accessory it is better to be done on the right hand. According to Annas in Malik, the prophet wore his ring on his right hand.
These hadiths show that the prophet did to wish to maintain a single pattern when wearing his rings. This was part of his style, changing the patterns in order to show the permissibility and that there exists no particular preference.
The only thing that has been consistent is that the prophet always turned the stone inside. This is because the stone is the most attractive side of the ring and is often the part that attracts admiration.
The prophet always opted for what was ordinary and not the eye-catching ones. However, he did not point out that it was a requirement for people to wear rings with the stone turned inside.
Due to these findings, a compromise was made by Ibn Hajar and insisted that it is better to wear a wedding ring on the right hand if it acts as an accessory. But if it is used to give seals or stamps as it was common in the old days, then it should be worn on the left hand. This way the right hand can still move freely.
There are things that can render your wedding ring to be haram due to being shirk. Like carving names inside your wedding ring hoping that it will create a stronger bond between you and your spouse. This is haram because it does not fall under the teachings of Islam. There exists no relation between the act of forming a sacred bond and carving a name into the ring.
Believing that the wedding ring possesses power is forbidden. It can be a symbol to show the strong bond existing between you and your wife but can be a bad sign when taken off. It is important to believe more in the symbolism of the wedding ring in order to build a peaceful family. A harmonious family cannot be built based on the ring but through effort and open communication.
Wedding rings are considered haram if it causes problems to the married individuals. It is also haram if the marriage union is not proclaimed as official through religious means. Wedding rings always stirs up a debate among the Muslim community. It may at times insight fights between married couples. It is essential to note that a wedding ring should not be placed above the experience of being married itself.
Do Muslims Wear Wedding Rings?
In Islam, wedding rings are perceived to be gifts from the groom to the bride as opposed to other cultures where the rings act a symbol of one’s marital status. Most of the wedding rings exchanged as gifts at a wedding do not come in pairs as viewed in other cultures. The design for both the groom and bride rings in many cases do not match and for some the ring is only given to the bride by the groom and not vice versa.
This occurs because in the western cultures, the use of wedding rings is not just mere wedding gifts. They are used to symbolize one’s marital status. In Islam, it is more common as a gift rather than a sign of one’s marital status. A finger filled with a ring does not necessarily indicate that the person is married.
Sometimes the significance of wedding rings can be lost when believers decide to accessorize with rings. Especially when it comes to women who love accessories like bracelets and rings.
The design of wedding rings in most Muslim cultures is a current concern because the trend usually changes when the generation changes. This is closely attributed to the changing cultures. Wedding rings are an object of culture and therefore the changes in its design sets a new direction. The design that believers should opt for should be modest and should be affordable.
Wedding ring can be viewed as an object of communication. When the bride wears a wedding ring it helps communicate to other members of the society that she is taken. It helps ward off other interested men who did not attend the nikah or walima.
This way the ring on her finger will help advertise her marital status thus ensuring that the bride has her space to be happy in her marriage. Commonly in Muslim cultures, the usual ring used in wedding ceremonies involve pattern forged gold ring. Whilst for engagement, there is no exact law or trend for any ring designs.
It usually depends on how much the groom is willing to spend on it. The culture of the ring exchange is seen as a symbol of a promise by both the parties that they will live with one another for eternity.
In Muslim culture only the woman is gifted with a gold wedding ring. The man is expected to wear a ring that is designed with a simpler metal such as steel. In simple terms men are expected to be humble. They are expected to lavishly treat their wives with the rings that they can afford.
The groom can gift the bride with a ring after the bride has been handed to him. The exchanging of rings helps to signify that the bride is now the groom’s responsibility. Some opt to give bracelets or necklaces. But with the current trends, a matching set of rings is the best option for a Muslim couple.
Wedding rings have become a much established tradition in weddings in almost all the cultures. But the main origin of a wedding ring is not known. Wedding rings have been in application for thousands of years. Some Muslim ummah say that the pharaoh were the first to invent the wedding band. Some archaeological evidence indicates that the use of wedding bands dates up to 3,000 years ago.
These civilizations viewed the wedding band as a symbol of endless love between a man and a woman. Later some generations considered taking off the ring as a bad omen. Some. Civilizations believed that placing the ring on the left hand was lucky because they imagined that there was a special vein that is directly connected to the heart from which love flows.
Muslim wedding rings are meant for any couple that can afford contrary to some other cultures that treated it to be an accessory for the elite. Most rings at that time were made of iron. Many including Muslims who enjoy the tradition view the rings as a symbol of love and to show to the whole world that the wife now belongs to the husband.
The ring as a gift is allowed but the competition in terms of how big, how expensive and how showy the ring is not entertained in Islam. Muslims have adopted the tradition of handing each other rings in less than 100 years ago.
Rahman Hassan, an elderly woman who was married, narrated that when she got married, all the women in her generation. Did not receive wedding rings. This was not part of Muslim culture then. Just before the wedding the groom could send gifts to the bride like necklaces and bracelets. But when her elder daughter got married, the custom of offering wedding rings had become common. Today, the groom gifts her bride with the most expensive and trendy wedding rings.
Wedding rings have evolved from thin metal rings to ones adorned with diamonds. Sentiments from the west have crept into Islam tradition that has made wedding rings a part of every girls wedding celebration. Although extravagant displays and appearances are common in almost all Muslim communities. It would be sad to generalize materialism in all Islamic weddings.
Some young couples opt to purchase cheap and modest wedding rings. Most Muslim couples should understand that what matters most than the size of the rock is the message and sentimental values their rings possess.
It is essential for the bride and groom.to refrain from expensive wedding rings that are expensive for them. Occasionally others opt to borrow money for such gifts which drowns them in debt.
In Islam there is no serious emphasis on wedding rings. The groom is expected to pay mahr to the bride and must be paid to her and not her guardians. Wedding rings are viewed as a symbol of respect and honor and to show that he is entering into a marriage contract with a sense of obligation, responsibility and commitment.
During the time of Prophet Muhammad, the gifts in wedding ranged from wedding rings and other jewelry ranging from silver to gold. A penniless man asked the prophet to marry him to a woman who was aware of his destitute situation, yet he accepted him and her husband nonetheless. The prophet insisted on the poor man to give something to his wife as a gift even if it were a ring made of iron.
The man owned nothing except for the clothes he was wearing. The prophet asked him whether the man had read anything in the Quran that he knew. This was to ascertain whether the man knew his responsibility as a husband.
Over the years, Muslims have adopted the future of wedding rings. The use of wedding rings have is not unlawful in Islam, but it is a habit that has been adopted over the years.
Finally, the Prophet himself wore a ring in his right hand and at times in his left hand. This is a clear indication that wearing wedding rings is perfectly allowed. Provided that the groom gifts his bride with a wedding ring.
There is nothing in the prophet actions to indicate disapproval. Therefore it is permissible. Wedding rings often stirs debates amongst the Muslim community. It may lead to differences between couples. It is important not to put above the experience of being married itself.
