Ruling on Men Wearing Watches with Gold
- Visible gold for adornment
It is haram for men to wear real gold as adornment in any amount. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Gold and silk have been permitted for the females of my Ummah and forbidden for the males.”
— Sunan al-Tirmidhi (1720), Abu Dawud (4057), graded sahih This prohibition is general and covers all forms of jewelry and adornment, such as rings, chains, bracelets, and gold-plated watches. Imam Ibn Qudamah stated: “It is not permissible for men to wear anything of gold, whether a little or much, because the reports prohibiting it are general and unrestricted.”
— al-Mughni, 2/324 Similarly, Imam al-Nawawi said: “Consensus has been established that it is prohibited for men to wear gold, even if it is very small.”
— al-Majmu, 4/443 - Gold for functional use (not appearance)
Some scholars allowed exceptions where gold was used for necessity or functional purpose rather than beautification. They cite the report that the Prophet ﷺ had a sword with fittings or parts of gold (al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Nasai, 9291). Scholars explained that the gold was not meant for adornment but for strengthening the sword’s structure. Based on this, jurists differentiate between:- Gold as adornment → haram, even in small amounts.
- Gold as functionality/necessity → permitted if not used for beautification (e.g., medical use, repairs, or internal parts of an item).
- A watch with visible gold casing or trim is haram for men.
- A watch that uses a small internal ticker, wiring, or component made of gold for technical function (not seen, not adornment) is permissible.
- White and rose gold
- White gold: If it is truly another metal (platinum, palladium, etc.) with no real gold, it is halal. If it is gold alloyed and whitened, it remains gold in Shariah and is haram for men.
- Rose gold: This is real gold alloyed with copper, so it remains haram for men.