Are Jewellery Made of Other than Gold or Silver Permissible for Females? [Shafi’i School]

Answered by Ustadh Shuaib Ally
Question: I have heard wearing finger rings made from other materials besides gold and silver is impermissable for women. I’ve also heard that it is permissible. What is the opinion according to the Shafi’i madhab?

Answer: Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,
Permissibility:
It is permissible for women to wear rings made of gold, silver, or any other precious stones, jewels, gems or materials, in any form of jewellery. There is no disagreement regarding its permissibility.
Legal Basis:
The Qur’an lists it in the context of Allah’s blessings: He is the one who made the sea of benefit to you: you eat fresh fish from it and extract jewellery to wear…” (16:14); similarly, (35:12). Furthermore, there does not appear to be any source text in the law prohibiting it.
Discussion of Permissibility in Shafi’i Texts:
Texts in the Shafi’i school tend not to explicitly permit wearing precious jewels, possibly because their permissibility is not a point of contention (in contrast to gold and silver). Permissibility is, however, usually understood through the treatment of related matters. For example:
– Chapters dealing with the zakat on gold and silver: there is no zakat on precious jewels other than gold and silver; one of the reasons for this is that their usage is permissible.
– Sections dealing with utensils: using and having utensils made of precious materials (other than gold or silver) are permissible. If their usage and acquisition is permissible, it is understood that wearing them as jewellery is also permissible. Were its use impermissible, its acquisition in the madhhab would also be prohibited. A similar case applies to chapters dealing with financial transactions, in which examples of jewels are often given.
Sources: Mughni al-Muhtaj, al-Majmu’
wassalam,
Shuaib Ally