The Prophetic Ring
The Ring of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
In The Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate.
1. What purpose did it serve?
The ring of the Prophet ﷺ served primarily as a seal used for official correspondence. When the Prophet ﷺ intended to send letters to kings and rulers inviting them to Islam.
“When the Prophet ﷺ intended to write to the Byzantines (Romans), it was said to him: ‘They will not read any letter unless it is stamped with a seal.’ So he had a silver ring made, and its inscription was: Muhammad Rasul Allah.” — Sahih al-Bukhari 65
The inscription on the Prophet ﷺ’s ring was arranged with “Muhammad” on top, followed by “Rasul”, then “Allah” at the bottom, written in three lines, however other's argue that the name of Allah was put on top out of respect.
2. What did it look like?
The original ring was made of gold, however it was thrown away.
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ wore a gold ring, then he discarded it and said: ‘I will never wear it again.’ So the people threw away their gold rings." — Sahih al-Bukhari 5867
The Prophet ﷺ then made a fully silver ring.
“The ring of the Prophet ﷺ was of silver, and its stone was of silver too.” — Sahih al-Bukhari 5870
The Prophet ﷺ also had a second ring with an Aqeeq stone.
“The ring of the Prophet ﷺ was of silver and its stone was from Abyssinia.” — Sahih Muslim 2094
3. How was it worn?
The Prophet ﷺ wore his ring on either hand, but most narrations indicate he primarily wore it on his right hand.
“The Prophet ﷺ used to wear the signet ring on his right hand.”
— Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith 4226
The Prophet ﷺ mainly wore the ring on his small finger.
“The Prophet ﷺ used to wear the ring on the little finger of his hand.” — Sahih Muslim 2095 a
And the Prophet ﷺ wore his ring with the stone facing his palm.
“The Prophet ﷺ used to wear his ring with the stone nearest to his palm.”
— Sunan Ibn Majah 3645
The Prophet ﷺ aslo removed the ring when going into unclean places
"When the Prophet (ﷺ) entered the toilet, he would take off his ring." — Sunan Ibn Majah 303 (Dai'if)
4. What happened to the Ring?
After the Prophet ﷺ passed away, the ring was worn by Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, then Umar رضي الله عنه and finally Uthman رضي الله عنه. Then it was lost, a sign for the martyrdom of Uthman رضي الله عنه and the end of the Khilafah al-Rashidah al-Khasah.
Uthman رضي الله عنه then made a second ring with the same engraving.
“They searched for it (the Prophet’s ring) but did not find it. So Uthman made a signet-ring and engraved on it ‘Muhammad Rasul Allah’. He used to stamp with it or wear it.” — Sunan Abi Dawood 4220
5. Can we wear the Prophetic Ring?
Some quote the following hadith:
"I have made a ring for myself and engraved such-and-such on it so that none of you make a ring with this engraving." — Sahih al-Bukhari 5867
to say it’s not allowed to copy the Prophet ﷺ’s ring.
However, this prohibition was only for the time of the Prophet ﷺ to protect the authenticity of the Prophet’s letters and messages. After the death of the Prophet ﷺ this rule no longer applied as Uthman رضي الله عنه recreated the ring, and there is no fear of anyone forging letters from the Prophet ﷺ.
6. Cant I wear metal rings?
Muslim scholars held different opinions regarding the ruling on wearing metal rings.
Some like the Hanafis hold the view that only silver rings can be worn by men based on a weak narration.
"A man came to the Prophet ﷺ wearing a ring of iron, and the Prophet ﷺ said: "Why do I see you wearing the adornment of the people of Hell?"
So the man threw it away." — Sunan Abi Dawood 4223 (Dai'if)
Others believe that since the hadith is da'if, it is permissible to wear metal rings, but wearing a ring of silver is better, because the ring of the Prophet ﷺ was made of silver.
If what I have said is correct, it is from Allah. If I am mistaken, it is from myself and Satan. Allah and His Messenger are innocent of it.