Question:
In the lecture series “Clothing in the Islamic Perspective – Part 22,” after mentioning the house of Anas (RA), you said that doors should not be made of gold. Is there any hadith regarding this?
Answer:
As far as gold is concerned, everyone should know that men are prohibited from wearing gold jewelry. Women are allowed to wear gold jewelry, but men are not. So, when it comes to jewelry, there is a difference between men and women.
But if you take utensils — is it permissible to use gold and silver utensils for eating and drinking? The answer is: it is not permissible for men, and it is not permissible for women. This ruling is general. The distinction between men and women applies only to jewelry. When it comes to utensils made of gold or silver, the prohibition applies to everyone.
Drinking tea in a gold tumbler, eating food from a gold plate — these are prohibited. And this prohibition applies to all, without distinction.
Now, based on this prohibition, let us come to your question. When I was speaking under the topic of clothing, while mentioning that gold and silver utensils should not be used, I also casually said that gold doors and similar items should not be used. Since you asked about it, we examined whether there is any hadith that specifically prohibits making doors out of gold.
When we searched, we found that the prohibition specifically concerns utensils made of gold and silver. The hadith states: “Do not drink from vessels of gold and silver, and do not eat from their plates.” This is reported in Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith no. 5426). The prohibition clearly relates to eating and drinking using gold and silver utensils.
As for the reason, the Prophetﷺ (peace be upon him) himself mentioned it. He said that such vessels belong to the disbelievers in this world, but they will be for you in the Hereafter. In Paradise, Allahﷻ will give us food and drink in vessels of gold and silver. Since that blessing is reserved for the Hereafter, we are instructed to refrain from it here. So, the prohibition is not because of extravagance, pride, or show. The hadith gives a spiritual reason — to encourage us to look forward to the rewards of the Hereafter.
Therefore, this ruling cannot automatically be extended to doors. If the Prophetﷺ had prohibited it without mentioning a reason, someone might argue it was due to extravagance. But since the reason given is that gold and silver vessels are reserved for the believers in the Hereafter, the prohibition specifically concerns eating and drinking from such utensils.
Now consider this: there are minerals more valuable than gold. Suppose someone makes a plate out of a metal that is far more expensive than gold — can he eat from it? Yes, scholars say he can. At one time, platinum was more expensive than gold. Eating from a platinum plate is considered permissible. If extravagance were the reason for prohibition, then, anything more expensive than gold should also be prohibited — but no scholar says that.
Similarly, imagine an ordinary aluminum plate decorated with diamonds and precious stones, making it worth more than ten gold plates. Can someone eat from it? Scholars would say yes, because the prohibition is specifically about gold and silver utensils, not about price or luxury.
Likewise, suppose someone has a lot of money and wants to preserve his wealth in the form of gold. Instead of buying gold biscuits or coins, he buys four gold tumblers and keeps them as assets — not to drink from them, but as stored wealth. Is that permissible? There is no clear evidence prohibiting merely possessing gold utensils. The prohibition in the hadith is about eating and drinking from them, not about owning them.
The hadith says: “Do not drink from gold and silver vessels and do not eat from their plates.” The prohibition concerns consumption. There is no text saying, “Do not keep gold or silver vessels in your house.”
So, if someone keeps gold items as stored wealth, that is not necessarily waste. Gold does not become waste simply because it is shaped into an object. It can always be melted, sold, or converted back into money. Even if a small piece is cut off, its value remains. It is a form of savings. Whether one keeps gold as coins, bars, plates, tables, or other objects — it remains stored wealth, not waste.
Some people say it is extravagance or waste, but how is it waste? Waste means destroying something so it loses value. Gold does not lose value by being shaped into an object. It can be sold at any time.
If the prohibition had been due to extravagance or pride, then one might argue that gold doors should also be prohibited. But the religion did not mention extravagance as the reason. The stated reason is that such vessels are reserved for believers in the Hereafter, so we are asked to abstain in this world.
Therefore, based on the available evidence, we cannot say that making a door out of gold is prohibited. There is no clear proof to forbid it. Hence, a gold door cannot be declared impermissible on that basis.
