Signet-Rings (Kitab Al-Khatam)

Abd al-Rahim ibn Mutarrif al-Ruasi narrated to us: Isa narrated to us, from Said, from Qatadah, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ wanted to write to some non-Arab rulers. He was told that they would not read a letter unless it bore a seal. So he made a silver ring and engraved on it: “Muhammad, Messenger of Allah.”

Wahb ibn Baqiyyah narrated to us, from Khalid, from Said, from Qatadah, from Anas, with a report like the one from Isa ibn Yunus. This version adds: The ring remained in his hand until he died, then in the hand of Abu Bakr until he died, then in the hand of Umar until he died, and then in the hand of Uthman. While he was beside a well, it fell into it. He ordered the well to be drained, but it could not be found.

Qutaybah ibn Said and Ahmad ibn Salih narrated to us; they said: Ibn Wahb narrated to us: Yunus ibn Yazid informed me, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Anas narrated to me: The Prophet ﷺ ring was silver, and its bezel was Abyssinian.

Ahmad ibn Yunus narrated to us: Zuhayr narrated to us: Humayd al-Tawil narrated to us, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Prophet ﷺ ring was entirely silver, including its bezel.

Nusayr ibn al-Faraj narrated to us: Abu Usamah narrated to us, from Ubayd Allah, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ acquired a gold ring and placed its bezel toward the palm of his hand. He engraved on it, “Muhammad, Messenger of Allah.” The people then acquired gold rings. When he saw them doing so, he threw his ring away and said, “I will never wear it.” Then he acquired a silver ring engraved, “Muhammad, Messenger of Allah.” Abu Bakr wore it after him, then Umar after Abu Bakr, then Uthman after Umar, until it fell into the well of Aris. Abu Dawud said: People did not disagree about Uthman until the ring fell from his hand.

Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah narrated to us, from Ayyub ibn Musa, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, in this report from the Prophet ﷺ: He engraved on it, “Muhammad, Messenger of Allah,” and said, “No one should engrave an inscription like the inscription on this signet of mine.” Then he related the rest of the report.

Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Faris narrated to us: Abu Asim narrated to us, from al-Mughirah ibn Ziyad, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, in this report from the Prophet ﷺ: They searched for it but did not find it. Uthman then made a ring and engraved on it, “Muhammad, Messenger of Allah.” He used to seal with it—or wear it as a ring.

Muhammad ibn Sulayman, Luwayn, narrated to us, from Ibrahim ibn Sad, from Ibn Shihab, from Anas ibn Malik: He saw a silver ring on the Prophet ﷺ hand for one day. The people made rings and wore them, then the Prophet ﷺ threw his away, and the people threw theirs away too. Abu Dawud said: Ziyad ibn Sad, Shuaib, and Ibn Musafir all narrated it from al-Zuhri with the wording “of silver.”

Musaddad narrated to us: al-Mutamir narrated to us, saying: I heard al-Rukayn ibn al-Rabi relate from al-Qasim ibn Hassan, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Harmalah: Ibn Masud used to say that the Prophet of God ﷺ disliked ten practices: yellow perfume, meaning khaluq; dyeing grey hair; letting the lower garment trail; wearing a gold ring; displaying adornment where it is inappropriate; playing dice; incantations, except the protective recitations; tying amulets; withdrawing before ejaculation in a context described in variant wording; and “corrupting the boy,” with an unclear qualification in the source. Abu Dawud said: The transmitters of Basra alone narrated this report; God knows best.

Al-Hasan ibn Ali and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Abi Rizmah narrated to us—meaning, their wordings agree—that Zayd ibn Hubab related to them, from Abd Allah ibn Muslim al-Sulami al-Marwazi, Abu Taybah, from Abd Allah ibn Buraydah, from his father: A man came to the Prophet ﷺ wearing a ring of brass. He said to him, “Why do I smell the scent of idols from you?” The man threw it away, then came wearing an iron ring. He said, “Why do I see you wearing the adornment of the people of the Fire?” He threw that away and asked, “Messenger of Allah, what should I make it from?” He said, “Make it from silver, but do not make it weigh a mithqal.” Muhammad did not include the name Abd Allah ibn Muslim; al-Hasan did not include al-Sulami al-Marwazi.

Ibn al-Muthanna, Ziyad ibn Yahya, and al-Hasan ibn Ali narrated to us; they said: Sahl ibn Hammad, Abu Attab, narrated to us: Abu Makin, Nuh ibn Rabi ah, narrated to us: Iyas ibn al-Harith ibn al-Muayqib narrated to me, from his maternal grandfather Abu Dhubab, from his grandfather, who said: The Prophet ﷺ ring was made of iron with silver wound around it. He said: Sometimes it was in his possession. Al-Muayqib was in charge of the Prophet ﷺ ring.

Musaddad narrated to us: Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal narrated to us: Asim ibn Kulayb narrated to us, from Abu Burdah, from Ali, may God be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, “Say: O God, guide me and direct me rightly.” When remembering guidance, think of being shown the road; when remembering right direction, think of aiming an arrow straight. Asim was uncertain whether he forbade me to wear a ring on this finger or this one—the index finger and the middle finger. He also forbade me al-qassiyyah and al-mitharah. Abu Burdah said: We asked Ali what al-qassiyyah was. He said, “Clothes that come to us from Syria or Egypt, striped and patterned like citrons.” He said that al-mitharah was something women made for their husbands.

Ahmad ibn Salih narrated to us: Ibn Wahb narrated to us: Sulayman ibn Bilal informed me, from Sharik ibn Abi Namir, from Ibrahim ibn Abd Allah ibn Hunayn, from his father, from Ali, may God be pleased with him, from the Prophet ﷺ. Sharik said: Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Rahman also informed me that the Prophet ﷺ used to wear his ring on his right hand.

Nasr ibn Ali narrated to us: My father narrated to me: Abd al-Aziz ibn Abi Rawwad narrated to us, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar: The Prophet ﷺ used to wear his ring on his left hand, with its bezel toward the palm. Abu Dawud said: Ibn Ishaq and Usamah, meaning Ibn Zayd, narrated it from Nafi with the same chain, saying that he wore it on his right hand.

Hannad narrated to us, from Abdah, from Ubayd Allah, from Nafi: Ibn Umar used to wear his ring on his left hand.

Abd Allah ibn Said narrated to us: Yunus ibn Bukayr narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, who said: I saw al-Salt ibn Abd Allah ibn Nawfal ibn Abd al-Muttalib wearing a ring on the little finger of his right hand. I asked, “What is this?” He replied, “I saw Ibn Abbas wear his ring this way,” and he placed its bezel on the back of the hand. Ibn Abbas must have mentioned that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to wear his ring in the same way.

Ali ibn Sahl and Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan narrated to us; they said: Hajjaj narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj: Umar ibn Hafs informed me that Amir ibn Abd Allah—Ali ibn Sahl said, “ibn al-Zubayr”—related to him that a female client of theirs took al-Zubayr daughter to Umar ibn al-Khattab with bells on her feet. Umar cut them off and said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: With every bell there is a devil.”

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahim narrated to us: Ruh narrated to us: Ibn Jurayj narrated to us, from Bunanah, client of Abd al-Rahman ibn Hassan al-Ansari, from Aisha, who said: While she was with her, a girl wearing tinkling bells was brought in. She said, “Do not bring her in to me unless you remove her bells.” She said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Angels do not enter a house containing a bell.”

Musa ibn Ismail and Muhammad ibn Abd Allah al-Khuza i narrated to us—meaning, their wording was the same; they said: Abu al-Ashhab narrated to us, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Tarafah: His grandfather Arfajah ibn Asad had his nose cut off on the day of al-Kulab. He made himself a nose of silver, but it developed an odor, so the Prophet ﷺ ordered him to make a nose of gold.