Job Discussion Forums

[Afra]

http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Police_and_The_Courts/10333560.html

[freesoul]

"First of all, we'd like to state that the Prophet (peace and blessings be on him) declared that a woman should not wear a man's clothing or vice versa. He cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men. (Reported by Al-Bukhari and others.) Aspects of such imitation include the manner of speaking, walking, dressing, moving, and so on. Therefore, it is not permissible for men to wear chains even if they are silver chains.

In this regard, Sheikh M. S. Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi Muslim lecturer and author, states:

"With regard to wearing chains, this is not permissible for men, because this is an imitation of women, and there is no report that says that it is permissible for men to wear chains made of silver.

Wearing adornments on the wrist and neck, and on the ears, is an imitation of women, as this is something that is only for women. So it is not permissible for men to wear bracelets, earrings, anklets, or chains."

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, adds:

"Generally speaking, it is considered either forbidden or undesirable for men to wear silver chains or bracelets, the reason being that it is considered as copying women in their specific form of attire or adornments. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has warned us against copying women in their attire or style of dress or adornments.

Furthermore, we are advised to follow as closely as possible the life-style of As-Salaf As-Salih (the pious predecessors); there is no mention in the sources that they ever wore such adornments. They only wore rings or artificial teeth and the like that do not fall in the category of adornments or jewelry."

Moreover, the eminent Muslim scholar Dr. `Abdel-Fattah Idrees, Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University states:

"Dearest brother, you should know that wearing a chain around the neck is a characteristic of women, who do so to beautify themselves for their husbands.

Men wearing these forms of adornments or chains imitate women, which is unlawful in Islam. In this context, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is reported to have said, "May Allah curse men who imitate women, and vice versa."

Accordingly, it is unlawful for men to wear such chains irrespective of whether they are made of gold or not.�

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503548602

"There is no harm for a woman to beautify herself with silver ornaments such as rings, necklaces and eardrops, since the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "Make use of silver and make of it whatever ornaments you like" . [ Ahmad , Abu Dawood and its chain of authorities is correct].
Some scholars deduced from the above Hadith that it is permissible for men to use silver. They added that impermissibility as using silver by men is not proved in the Sunnah.
Thus, we state that both women and men can make use of silver. But, women can use it as a beautification ornaments while men can use it as rings, and we have no evidence that prevents men from using more than one ring.
Moreover, the above-mentioned Hadith supports our point of view.
http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/Fatwa/ShowFatwa.php?Option=FatwaId&lang=E&Id=83926

[freesoul]

It�s worth pointing out here that Islamic rules are surely binding for Muslims, but I couldn�t find a Fatwa touching upon the applicability of the above-discussed rules on non-Muslims.

[Sheikh N Bake]

I don't care. Under Islam I wouldn't be allowed to date, either. If they wanted to exile me to Dubai or kick me out of their country for having a life, so be it.

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

freesoul: Altho the cartoon is appealing, you'll probably be asked by a mod to remove it/reduce its' size/use a smaller avatar...

NCTBA

P.s.- How's my apostrophe usage?

[freesoul]

[veiledsentiments]

You have created a new usage NCTBA... its'

But as to the article, that is a directive/advice column that shows up regularly all over the Gulf. It has nothing to do with non-Muslims. We expats are pretty much beyond the pale anyway.

I find it odd because it has been quite a number of years since wearing "chain" necklaces for men has been a fashion. That goes along with the discussion of "Mama Mia" on the Oman board... the 70s.

Is it a new fad again sweeping the Men's colleges?

VS

[Afra]

Unfortunately, these rulings do affect non- Muslims, as they did the last time there was a clamp down.

[anaxiforminges]

I guess I won't be wearing my double-strand silver chain necklace with the Mercedes-Benz-hood-ornament pendant...

[ItsJustMe]

[veiledsentiments]

[Afra]

Two of the people mentioned in the article probably aren't Muslim, Mr Varghese and the Mexican teenager. But aside from that, the jewellery problem, which might not affect too many teachers, is part of the larger issue of 'appropriate behaviour' which affects everyone. The decency laws cover all sorts of other areas of dress and behaviour.

[johnslat]

Dear Afra,
Kind of like the "Ramadan experience."

Regards,
John

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

[johnslat]

Dear NCTBA,
Hate to rain on your parade, but LOTS of my Saudi students beat you to it.
Still, its' wonderful and strange.
Regards,
John