Chapter 4: Rules
Regarding Crockery
Law: To eat and drink in gold or silver vessels
and to apply oil from little gold and silver cups, or to apply ittar
(fragrance) from pomanders made from them, or to inhale incense from fire pans made
from them, are all disallowed. This prohibition is applicable to both men and
women. Women are allowed to wear jewellery made from gold and silver. With the
exception of jewellery, the use of gold or silver for other purposes is not
permissible for both, men and women. [Durr-e-Mukhtar]
Law: To eat with gold or silver spoons, to apply
surmah (stibium) using a gold or silver Sala’i (applicator), to apply surmah
from a surmah holder made from gold and silver, to look in mirrors made from
them, to write with gold or silver pens and ink, to make wudu with a jug or
basin made from gold or silver or to sit on chairs made from them is not
allowed, for both men and women. [Durr-e-Mukhtar,
Raddul Muhtar]
Law: It is permissible for women to wear gold or
silver mirrored thumb rings, but even for a female to look at her face in a
mirrored thumb ring is not permissible.
Law: The uses of gold and silver effects are
prohibited in the condition when the actual purpose is to use it (i.e. that
particular effect). If the actual objective is not this (i.e. to use it), then
there is no prohibition in this regards. An example of this is food which is kept
in a gold or silver plate or small bowl. If it is left in this, then it is
regarded as a waste of wealth (lavishness). One should remove it from there and
place it in another vessel (plate etc.) and then eat it, or in the case where
one took some water in the hand from it and then drank it (i.e. one used the
hand as a drinking vessel), or in the case where oil was kept in a (gold or
silver) goblet and it was not used directly from it, but was poured into another
utensil or taken in the hand and then applied to the hair with the purpose that
directly using it from the (gold or silver) vessel is not permissible. Now if
one takes the oil out of it in this manner and then uses it, it is permissible.
(However) if the oil was taken in the hand for the purpose of using it (i.e.
applying it directly and not using the hand as a vessel to transfer the oil
from the gold or silver container), but rather to make use of it, like when one
takes oil from a small goblet (or bottle etc.) to directly apply it to the hair
or beard, then in doing so, it is not abstaining from impermissible use, as
this itself is to use it. [Durr-e-Mukhtar,
Raddul Muhtar]
Law: To use gold and silver vessels for tea is not
permissible. The same law applies to wearing a gold or silver watch on the
hand. Actually, even to see time in it is not permissible, as the actual use of
a watch is to see time in it. [Raddul
Muhtar]
Law: If gold or silver effects are placed in a
house exclusively for adornment and ornamentation; for example, (gold or
silver) dishes, pen and ink pots (etc.) are arranged so that the house may be decorated,
then there is no objection to this. Similarly, if one adorns the house with
gold or silver chairs, tables and benches etc. and the objective is not for
sitting on them, then there is no objection. [Durre-
Mukhtar, Raddul Muhtar]
Law: When instructing children during the
Bismillah Khwani[1], silver ink pots, pens and
small writing boards are brought (to the celebration). These items are not really
used, but are rather given away (i.e. gifted) to the person who has instructed
the child. There is no objection to this.
Law: With the exception of gold and silver, the
use of all other types of vessels (dishware) such as copper, brass, lead and
crystal etc. is permissible. The use of earthenware is the best. It is
mentioned in the Hadith that, ‘Whosoever made the utensils of his home from earth
(clay), the Angels shall descend to admire it. Copper and brassware should be
plated. To use crockery made from copper or brass without plating them is
Makruh. [Durr-e-Mukhtar, Raddul Muhtar]
Law: Utensils (vessels) which have gold or silver
etchings (i.e. carvings or designs) on them may be used, as long as the designs
are not on the actual area of used. For example, if there are silver decorations
on a glass or bowl, then when drinking water, the mouth should not touch that
portion on which there is gold or silver. Some are of the view that even the
hands should not touch the area which has gold or silver on it. The first view
is the accurate view. [Durr-e-Mukhtar, Raddul Muhtar]
Law: If the handle of a knife is made from gold or
silver, its use is not permissible, because the manner of use is that the hand
is placed on the handle, and in this case, the area of use thus has gold or
silver on it. However, if its ferrule is made from gold or silver and the grip (handle)
is not made from gold or silver, then there is no objection in using it, as
there is no gold or silver on the area on which the hand is being placed.
Similarly, if the nib of a pen (or pencil) is made from gold or silver, to
write with it is not permissible as this is the actual part that is being used.
If it (the gold or silver) is on the outer portion of the pen, then it is not impermissible.
Law: If there is gold or silver etching on a chair
or bench or there is etching on the ground, then to sit on it is permissible,
as long as you abstain from sitting on the actual area where the etching is. The
result of this is that, the use of such a thing which is made purely of gold or
silver is absolutely impermissible and if it has gold or silver in numerous
portions of it, then if the gold and silver is on the area of usage, then it is
impermissible, otherwise it is permissible. An example of this is that to
inhale incense from a silver fire pan is absolutely impermissible even though
whilst breathing in the smoke (incense), the hand is not even touching the fire
pan. Similarly, if the pedestal of the Huqqa (Mogul pipe) is made from silver,
then to smoke Huqqa from it is impermissible, even though the (smoking) person
may not be touching the pedestal of the Huqqa. Similarly, if the mouthpiece or
pipe of the Huqqa is made from gold or silver, to smoke from it is impermissible.
However, if gold or silver threads have been used on different parts of the
Huqqa tubes, then to smoke from that Huqqa is allowed, as long as there are no
such (gold or silver) threads on the area of use. On a chair, the area of use
is the seat on which one sits and the backrest on which a person rests the back
and the arm rests on which the arms are placed. On a bench, the area of use is
the seat and the same is for the saddle (on a horse etc.). To have a gold or
silver stirrup is also impermissible and if there is any such etching on it,
then this should not be on the area of use. The same ruling applies to the
reigns and the tail piece of the harness. [Hidaya,
Durr-e-Mukhtar, Raddul Muhtar]
Law: If there is gold or silver coating
(plating/gilding) on crockery (dishware), then there is no objection to using
this. [Hidaya]
Law: The same ruling applies regarding the frame
of a mirror which has a gold or silver etching on it, and is not held (touched)
when making using of it. [Hidaya,
Durr-e-Mukhtar]
Law: If there is gold or silver etching on the
handle of a sword or on the handle of a knife or dagger, then the ruling
regarding all of them is the same (as above). [Hidaya,
Durr-e-Mukhtar]
Law: The same ruling applies if gold or silver
alphabets have been imprinted on clothing. [Durr-e-Mukhtar].
The detailed explanation regarding this will
follow in the discussion attire.
Law: It is permissible to mend broken crockery with
gold or silver threads (wire). It is also permissible to make use of such
crockery, as long as it is not used from that particular area, just as it has
been mentioned in the Hadith that Huzoor-e-Aqdas صلَّی
اللہ تعالیٰ واٰلہ وسلَّم
had a wooden bowl which broke, so it was
mended with a silver wire, and this bowl was in the possession of Hazrat Anas رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہ.
[1] Bismillah Khwani is the traditional celebration held for the
commencement of Islamic Studies of a child, usually when the child is 4 years,
4 months and 4 days old.
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