Is It Allowed for Men to Wear Sherwanis That Are Made out of Silk?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

Is it allowed for men to wear sherwanis that are made out of silk or partly out of silk?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

Men are permitted to wear synthetic silk, yet not natural silk, namely, that which is derived from silkworms. Nevertheless, synthetic silk is usually best avoided due to its resembling the impermissible.

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Wearing silk and gold has been forbidden for the men of my community, but is lawful for its women.” [Tirmidhi]

If the whole item is admixed with silk, then it would be permissible to wear it as long as the majority of the item is non-silk. However, if the entire arms, for instance, are made of silk, yet the body is not, it would not be permissible to wear the item.

[Nahlawi, al-Durar al-Mubaha fi al-Hazr wa al-Ibaha (41)]

Please also see: The Wearing of Silk and Jewelry and: Can Men Wear White Gold or Silk Ties? and: Is It Permitted To Pray On a Silk Prayer Mat?

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.

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