Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear questioner! Thanks a lot for your confidence in us and your eagerness to understand the true teachings of Islam and find guidance. May Allah help us fulfill His Commands!
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.”
You can also read:
Men Wearing Necklaces
Wearing Bracelet Engraved with Ayat-ul-Kursi
