After having been in this trade for almost 6 years now, I have met countless number of couples who are about to get engaged or married and there are always confusions regarding the use of Gold in men’s rings.

As Muslims, we are all aware that men are prohibited to use a wedding or engagement ring that contains Gold. However, with the advancement in technology these days, rings comes in a variety of forms and metals such as 18K White Gold, 14K White Gold and Swasa (9K White Gold) which has been common among couples, which only makes this subject even more confusing.

Types of Gold

Before I continue, let’s start off with understanding the different types of gold in greater detail.

999 Gold – Pure Gold, also known as 999 Gold and has a trademark 999.9%
916 Gold – Gold that is 91.6% pure and the balance is other metal alloys used to make the Gold stronger so that it can be formed in jewellery to hold diamonds and gems; Trademark 916.
18k Gold – Gold that is 75.0% pure and the balance is other alloys that are used to make the gold even stronger than 916 Gold. More common in jewellery as the possibility of the Gold bending, or the diamonds falling is very unlikelyl Trademark 750.
14k Gold – Gold that is 58.5% pure and the balance is again other alloys. Trademark 585
9k Gold or better known to the Muslims as Swasa – Gold that is 37.5% pure and the balance is other alloys; Trademark 375.

With this, we can see that the different types of gold do contain pure gold, regardless of what it’s called. The only variation is the percentage of pure gold in each of the gold type. Do note that there is no such thing as Pure White Gold. The base colour of all gold jewellery is always yellow. A plating is done in either White, Rose or Black to give more colour and choices to consumers. White Gold, rose gold and black gold will eventually fade to its original gold colour which is yellow. Rings will fade and turn yellow especially at the bottom part after years of use.

The Quest for the Answer

Having been in this business/ industry for so long now, I have to admit that even I had my doubts on the gold issue. I have checked with several Ustadz (Islamic teacher) and while 50% of them said the ring can be used as long as it contains a very low percentage of gold, the other Ustadz said that gold is haraam (forbidden) and therefore we should leave it completely. When asked about modern technology and how gold now comes in various types, the Ustadz unfortunately could not provide me with a clear answer. And I was again, lost and confused.

That’s when I met an amazing Ustadz in Saudi. So in my search to obtain an answer, I decided to ask him about his views on this matter. And Alhamdulillah, the answer I received was crystal clear. As I feel that the answer I received from the Ustadz was definite, I have decided to share it with all of you in hopes of shedding light on this matter. Here’s the conversation I had with the Ustadz.

GBG: Ustadz, can Muslim men use gold?
Ustadz: No, it’s haraam.
GBG: How about 9k gold/ Swasa?
After a 1 minute pause… The Ustadz asked me back
Ustadz: Can Muslims drink alcohol?
GBG: No
Ustadz: If I pour a glass of water and add a drop of alcohol, can Muslims then drink it?
GBG: No
Ustadz: That’s your answer. Islam is simple, so keep it simple. Swasa still contains gold and therefore we should refrain from using it. Even if the ring has 1% of gold in it, it still contains gold and cannot be used.

Through my experiences in this field, I have encountered quite a number of couples, who have unfortunately been misguided by retailers/ sales staffs who claim that Swasa can be used, or who claim that the ring contains no gold but it is actually 9k Gold upon checking the trademark (375) on the inner rim of the ring.

Upon receiving our answer to this issue, we at Gem By Gems have stopped manufacturing rings in 9k Gold (Swasa) and have substituted it with Palladium instead, which is totally gold free and can even be used during prayers.

I hope this article will help couples getting married/ engaged clear the grey area on this matter and have a greater understanding.

Warmest Regards,
Tanweer Hussain
Gem By Gems

Disclaimer: This article is written by me and the views expressed here are my own./em>