Using Golden and Gold-Plated Items

14-11-2000 | IslamWeb

Question:

What is the opinion on using gold plates and spoons, etc, including gold plated things?

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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 is His slave and Messenger.

It is narrated in the following sound Hadeeth that it is forbidden to eat or drink in golden or gold-plated utensils (spoons, forks, plates, knives, and glasses…). The Prophet said: “Do not drink in gold or silver utensils, and do not wear clothes of silk or Dibaaj, for these things are for them (non-Muslims) in this world and for you in the Hereafter.”

Umm Salamah narrated that the Prophet said: “He who drinks in gold and silver utensils is only filling his abdomen with Hellfire.” [Muslim]

So, if this is the case, doing such a thing becomes a major sin. While the majority of the scholars are agreed that it is prohibited to use such utensils for any other purpose, other scholars limited this prohibition to include eating and drinking only, because the Prophet specified these two only (eating and drinking), so other uses may be permitted.

Umm Salamah also narrated that She kept some hair of the Prophet in a small utensil of silver, and the people sought cure through the use of that hair and they were cured by the will of Allah. [Al-Bukhaari]

So, we believe that this last opinion is the soundest one.

Allah knows best.