Continuing to wear ring one used to wear as amulet

9-9-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum. Suppose that a man used to wear a silver ring as a amulet and then came to know the truth about amulets and repented. If he changes his intention and wears the same ring (but only as a ornament), is it allowed?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger. 

The basic principle is that it is allowed for men to wear silver rings. An-Nawawi wrote, “The scholars of our school (the Shaafi‘is) unanimously held that it is permissible for the man to wear a silver ring.” [Al-Majmoo’]

We do not see any impediment to continuing to wear a ring that a man used to wear for a prohibited belief as long as he has given up this prohibited belief and the ring is just like any other ornamental ring and was not made as an amulet particularly.

Shaykh Saalih Aal Ash-Shaykh wrote:

“Hanging amulets with the intention of warding off evil and harm while believing that they have any effect in themselves is an act of minor Shirk (polytheism). Hanging them for decoration is prohibited because it is an imitation of those who commit minor Shirk. Hence, it is forbidden to hang amulets in all cases regardless of whether the person believes in their effect or not because in the former case he is committing minor Shirk, and in the latter one he is imitating those who commit Shirk. The Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, ‘Whoever imitates a people is one of them.’” [At-Tamheed li Sharh Kitaab At-Tawheed]

Allah knows best.