Ring
Ring, also known as khatam in Arabic, is a gem-set metal loop that is worn as an ornament. According to hadiths, Prophet Muhammad (s) used to wear rings, and wearing rings has become a sunna (tradition) of the Prophet (s). There are certain rules in Islamic jurisprudence regarding rings. According to a hadith attributed to Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a), wearing a ring on the right hand is one of the five signs of a beliver. In Shi'a traditions, there are recommendations about the material, the gemstone of the ring, and the engraving on it.
It has been reported that the rings of Imams of the Shi'a bore inscriptions like "المُلْکُ لله" (Sovereignty belongs to Allah) and "حَسبی الله" (Allah is Sufficient for me). Shi'a also engrave phrases such as "لااله الا الله" (There is no god but Allah), "محمد نبی الله" (Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah), and "علی وَلیُ الله" ('Ali is the Vicegerent of Allah) on their rings.
Rings have also been used to seal letters. Both the Prophet (s) and Shi'a scholars practiced this method.
| “ |
Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a):
|
” |
| — Ṭūsī, Tahdhīb al-aḥkām, vol. 6, p. 52. | ||
Status and Significance
The ring is a circular ornament designed for the finger and it is typically made of metal and comes in gem-set or non-gem-set varieties.[1] In some hadiths, wearing a ring is recognized as the sunna of the Prophet Muhammad (s),[2] a sign of Shi'a,[3] and a sign of a mu'min.[4]
It is said that wearing a ring on the right hand is a distinctive sign by which Shi'a individuals are recognized.[5] In various chapters of jurisprudence, such as salat,[6] hajj,[7] and jihad,[8] the use of a ring is mentioned.
Rings Worn by Imams
According to hadiths narrated in both Shi'a[9] and Sunni[10] sources, Imam 'Ali (a) bestowed his ring upon a poor person during the ruku'.[11] Additionally, as recorded in the book Luhuf by Ibn Tawus (d. 664/1266), Imam al-Husayn (a) had a ring on his hand at the time of his martyrdom. Bajdal b. Sulaym al-Kalbi, from the army of 'Umar b. Sa'd, cut Imam’s (a) finger in order to obtain that ring.[12]
In a hadith Imam al-Kazim (a) was asked about the reason Imam 'Ali (a) wore the ring on his right hand, he responded, "Because Imam 'Ali (a) was the leader of Ashab al-Yamin (the People of the Right Hand) after the Prophet (s)." The People of the Right Hand are those who, in the hereafter, receive the record of their deeds with their right hands and will enter the Paradise.[13]
Sealing Letters with a Ring
Sealing letters with a ring is considered an Islamic tradition.[14] It is said that in the late sixth year after Hijra, the Prophet (s) ordered the making of a ring by which he could seal the letters to great kings at that time.[15] The practice of sealing letters with a ring has also been mentioned by Shi'a scholars.[16] Hence the letters were ended by the seal made by a ring, the ring was called khatam (finisher) in Arabic.[17]
Material and Inscription
In Shi'a sources, there are hadiths about the material, type of gemstone, and the inscription of the ring.[18]
- Material: According to some hadiths, the Prophet's (s) had a silver ring.[19] There are recommendations in hadiths to use certain precious gemstones like carnelian,[20] turquoise,[21] ruby,[22] and emerald[23] in rings. Additionally, there are hadiths in Shi'a sources that mention the roundness and dark color of the gemstone in the Prophet's (s) ring.[24]
- Inscription: There are hadiths concerning the inscription engraved on the gemstone of rings.[25] According to a hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a), the Prophet's (s) ring bore the inscription "محمّد رسول الله" (Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah), Imam 'Ali's (a) ring bore the inscription "الملک لله" (Sovereignty belongs to Allah), and Imam al-Baqir's (a) ring bore the inscription "العزّة لله" (Honor belongs to Allah).[26] Imam al-Kazim's (a) ring is reported to have the inscriptions "حسبی الله حافظی" (Allah is sufficient for me as my Guardian)[27] and "الملک لله وحده" (Sovereignty is Allah's alone).[28] Phrases like "محمّد نبیّ الله" (Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah) and "علی ولیّ الله" ('Ali is the Vicegerent of Allah) have also been recommended to be engraved on rings.[29] Nowadays, rings with these engravings are found among Shi'a Muslims.
Legal Rulings
Various legal rulings regarding rings have been outlined in different sections of Shi’a jurisprudence. Some of these rulings include:
- Purity: According to some jurists, it is disliked to have a ring, that bears the name of Allah or a verse from the Qur’an, while performing istinja (cleansing after using the restroom).[30] Muhammad Hasan al-Najafi, the author of the book Jawahir al-kalam, wrote that the same ruling is applied to the names of the Imams (a) and the Lady Fatimat al-Zahra (a).[31]
- Ablution: During wudu, water should reach the skin beneath the ring. Therefore, it is recommended to move the ring to allow water to reach the skin beneath it. If water does not reach beneath it, the ring must be removed.[32]
- Prayer: According to jurists, wearing a carnelian ring is recommended during prayer.[33] However, it is haram for a man to wear a gold ring during prayer, and his prayer is considered invalid and void.[34] Additionally, using iron rings for both women and men during prayers and in general is disliked.[35] According to some jurists, prayer while wearing a usurped ring is also invalid.[36]
- Hajj: Discussing the preliminary step of hajj, some jurists have mentioned wearing a yellow carnelian ring as one of the recommended acts during this journey.[37] According to Ayatullah Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, the late famous Marja' al-Taqlid, if wearing a ring is solely for adornment, it is considered haram during the state of ihram for hajj; otherwise, it is permissible.[38] Additionally, Imam Khomeini deems performing hajj while wearing a najis ring as invalid, based on obligatory precaution.[39]
- Marriage: According to al-Muhaddith al-Bahrani, engaging in a sexual intercourse while wearing a ring that bears the name of Allah or a verse from the Qur'an is disliked.[40]
- Inheritance: Rings of a deceased father are included in habwa, which is given to the eldest son before the distribution of the inheritance.[41]
Ring of Solomon
In hadiths, there is mention of a ring associated with Prophet Solomon (a), which symbolized his power.[43] This ring has been passed down through the Imams (a),[44] and it is said that Imam al-Mahdi (a) will be wearing that at the time of his reappearance.[45]
Notes
- ↑ Shāhrūdī, Farhang-i fiqh, vol. 1, p. 746.
- ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 6, p. 468.
- ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Hidāyat al-umma, vol. 2, p. 137.
- ↑ Mufīd, Kitāb al-Mazār, p. 53.
- ↑ Zāriʿī, Angushtarī dar Islām, p. 15.
- ↑ ʿĀmilī, Miftāḥ al-karāma, vol. 5, p. 444.
- ↑ Khoeī, Mawsūʿat al-Imām al-Khūʾī, vol. 28, p. 452.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Mabsūṭ, vol. 2, p. 67.
- ↑ Mufīd, Masār al-Shīʿa, p. 41.
- ↑ Ḥaskānī, Shawāhid al-tanzīl, vol. 1, p. 209-239.
- ↑ Ḥaskānī, Shawāhid al-tanzīl, vol. 1, p. 212.
- ↑ Ibn Ṭāwūs, al-Luhūf, p. 130.
- ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Hidāyat al-umma, vol. 2, p. 137.
- ↑ Zāriʿī, Angushtarī dar Islām, p. 15.
- ↑ Zāriʿī, Angushtarī dar Islām, p. 15.
- ↑ Zāriʿī, Angushtarī dar Islām, p. 15.
- ↑ See: Dihkhudā, Lughatnāma, the word Angushtar.
- ↑ See: Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 5, p. 79, 93, 94 and vol. 1, p. 331.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Makārim al-akhlāq, p. 85.
- ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 5, p. 88.
- ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 5, p. 94.
- ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 5, p. 91.
- ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 5, p. 93.
- ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 5, p. 79.
- ↑ See: Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 1, p. 331, vol. 5, p. 78, 79, 91, 94, 97-103.
- ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 5, p. 99.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Makārim al-akhlāq, p. 91.
- ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 48, p. 11.
- ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 5, p. 92.
- ↑ Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, vol. 2, p. 12; Baḥrānī, al-Ḥadāʾiq al-nāḍira, vil. 2, p. 12.
- ↑ Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, vol. 2, p. 72.
- ↑ Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, vol. 2, p. 287.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī Yazdī, al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, vol. 2, p. 361.
- ↑ ʿĀmilī, Miftāḥ al-karāma, vol. 5, p. 444.
- ↑ Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, vol. 8, p. 264.
- ↑ Ḥillī, Taḥrīr al-aḥkām, vol. 1, p. 196.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī Yazdī, al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, vol. 4, p. 331.
- ↑ Khoeī, Mawsūʿat al-Imām al-Khūʾī, vol. 28, p. 452.
- ↑ Khomeini, Taḥrīr al-wasīla, vol. 1, p. 429-430.
- ↑ Baḥrānī, al-Ḥadāʾiq al-nāḍira, vol. 23, p. 138.
- ↑ Sayyid Murtaḍā, al-Intiṣār, p. 582
- ↑ See: Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, vol. 41, p. 54.
- ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 14, p. 99.
- ↑ See: Ṣaffār, Baṣāʾir al-darajāt, p. 198, 208.
- ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 26, p. 222.
References
- ʿĀmilī, Sayyid Jawād. Miftāḥ al-karāma fī sharḥ qawāʿid al-ʿallāma. Edited by Muḥammad Bāqir Khāliṣī. Qom: Daftar-i Intishārāt-i Islāmī, 1419 AH.
- Baḥrānī, Yūsuf al-. Al-Ḥadāʾiq al-nāḍira fī aḥkām al-ʿitrat al-ṭāhira. Edited by Muḥammad Taqī Irawānī and Sayyid ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Muqarram. Qom: Intishārāt-i Islāmī, 1405 AH.
- Ḥaskānī, ʿUbayd Allāh b. ʿAbd Allāh al-. Shawāhid al-tanzīl li-qawāʿid al-tafḍīl. Edited by Muḥammad Bāqir Maḥmūdī. Tehran: Majmaʿ Iḥyāʾ al-Thiqāfat al-Islāmī, 1411 AH.
- Ḥillī, al-Ḥasan b. Yūsuf al-. Taḥrīr al-aḥkām al-sharʿiyya ʿalā madhhab al-imāmiyya. Edited by Ibrāhīm Bahādurī. Qom: Muʾassisat Imām al-Ṣādiq, 1420 AH.
- Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-. Hidāyat al-umma ʾilā ahkām al-ʾaʾimma. Mashhad: Majmaʾ al-Buhūth al-Islāmiyya, 1412 AH.
- Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-. Tafṣīl wasāʾil al-Shīʿa ilā taḥṣīl masā'il al-sharī'a. 1st Edition. Qom: Muʾassisat Āl al-Bayt, 1409 AH.
- Ibn Ṭāwūs, ʿAlī b. Mūsā. Al-Luhūf ʿalā qatlay al-ṭufūf. Tehran: Nashr-i Jahān, 1348 Sh.
- Khoeī, Sayyid Abū l-Qāsim al-. Mawsūʿat al-Imām al-Khūʾī. First edition. Qom: Muʾassisa Ihyāʾ Āthar al-Imām al-Khūʾī, 1418 AH.
- Khomeini, Sayyid Rūḥ Allāh. Taḥrīr al-wasīla. Qom: Dār al-ʿIlm, [n.d].
- Kulaynī, Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb al-. Al-Kāfī. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmīyya, 1407 AH.
- Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir al-. Biḥār al-anwār. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Wafāʾ, 1403 AH.
- Mufīd, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad al-. Kitāb al-Mazār. Edited by Muḥammad Bāqir Abṭaḥī. Qom: 1413 AH.
- Mufīd, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad al-. Masār al-Shīʿa fī tawārīkh al-sharīʿa. Edited by Mahdī Najaf. Qom: al-Muʾtamar al-ʿĀlamī li-Alfīyat al-Shaykh al-Mufīd, 1413 AH.
- Najafī, Muḥammad al-Ḥasan al-. Jawāhir al-kalām fī sharḥ sharāʾiʿ al-Islām. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1404 AH.
- Ṣaffār, Muḥammad b. Ḥasan. Baṣāʾir al-darajāt fī faḍāʾil-i Āl-i Muḥammad. Edited by Muḥsin Kūchabāghī. Qom: Kitābkhāna-yi Āyat Allāh al-Marʿashī, 1404 AH.
- Shāhrūdī, Sayyid Maḥmūd. Farhang-i fiqh muṭābiq bā madhhab-i Ahl al-Bayt. Qom: Muʾassisat Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif al-Fiqh al-Islāmī, 1385 Sh.
- Sayyid Murtaḍā, 'Alī b. Ḥusayn. Al-Intiṣār fī infirādāt al-imāmīyya. 1st edition. Qom: Intishārāt-i Islāmī, 1415 AH.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī Yazdī, Muḥammad Kāẓim al-. Al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā fīmā taʿummu bih al-balwā. . Qom: Jāmiʿat al-Mudarrisīn, 1419 AH.
- Ṭabrisī, Ḥasan b. al-Faḍl al-. Makārim al-akhlāq. Qom: al-Sharif al-Raḍī, 1412 AH.
- Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-. Al-Mabsūṭ fī fiqh al-imāmīyya. Tehran: al-Maktaba al-Murtaḍawīyya li Iḥyāʾ al-Āthār al-Jaʿfarīyya, 1387 AH.
- Zāriʿī, Muḥammad. Angushtarī dar Islām. Majalla-yi farhang-i kawthar, 32 (1387 SH).