Wearing fake silk

Question:-

Is it permissible for men to wear fake silk?

Answer:-

Rayon is referred to as “fake silk.”. Rayon is a natural-based material that is made from cellulose obtained from wood pulp or cotton. It’s a low cost and convenient fiber to work with, and lends itself to diverse uses. There are several grades of rayon that can imitate the look and texture of other natural fibers such as, cotton, linen and silk. Another description of rayon is as follows; Rayon is a semi-synthetic cellulosic fiber used widely in everything from clothing construction to bedsheets to tire cord. While rayon is made from natural materials (like beech trees or bamboo), it undergoes intense chemical processing, making it a manufactured fibre. Based on the above explanation, there is no issue with using rayon.

However, if rayon and pure silk are jointly used in the manufacture of imitation silk, then the ruling would change. If the weft (threads that cross the warp) is made of a fabric other than silk, whilst the warp (threads that run lengthwise on a cloth) is made of silk, then it will be permissible for men to use such material. However, if the weft is made of silken threads and the warp is of some other fabric, then the cloth may not be worn by men. Material is categorised as a silken cloth or a cotton fabric depending on how the cloth has been woven. In conclusion, if the weft is made of silk, then the material is considered as a silken cloth, otherwise not. In the case of uncertainty, men should avoid using such material due to silk being prohibited for men.

وَإِنْ كَانَ سَدَاهُ حَرِيرًا وَلُحْمَتُهُ غَيْرُ حَرِيرٍ لَا يُكْرَهُ فِي حَالِ الْحَرْبِ وَغَيْرِهَا وَهَهُنَا نُكْتَتَانِ إحْدَاهُمَا أَنَّ الثَّوْبَ يَصِيرُ ثَوْبًا لِلَّحْمَةِ لِأَنَّهُ إنَّمَا يَصِيرُ ثَوْبًا بِالنَّسْجِ. وَالنَّسْجُ تَرْكِيبُ اللُّحْمَةِ بِالسَّدَى فَكَانَتْ اللُّحْمَةُ كَالْوَصْفِ الْأَخِيرِ فَيُضَافُ الْحُكْمُ إلَيْهِ وَهَذِهِ النُّكْتَةُ تَقْتَضِي إبَاحَةَ لُبْسِ الثِّيَابِ الْعَتَّابِيِّ … وَالصَّحِيحُ هُوَ النُّكْتَةُ الْأُولَى لِأَنَّ رِوَايَةَ الْإِبَاحَةِ فِي لُبْسِ مُطْلَقِ ثَوْبٍ سَدَاهُ حَرِيرٌ وَلُحْمَتُهُ غَيْرُ حَرِيرٍ مَنْصُوصَةٌ فَتَجْرِي عَلَى إطْلَاقِهَا فَلَا تُنَاسِبُهَا إلَّا النُّكْتَةُ الْأُولَى

… وَلَوْ جَعَلَ حَشْوَ الْقَبَاءِ حَرِيرًا أَوْ قَزًّا لَا يُكْرَهُ لِأَنَّهُ مَسْتُورٌ بِالظِّهَارَةِ فَلَمْ يَحْصُلْ مَعْنَى التَّزَيُّنِ وَالتَّنَعُّمِ أَلَا يَرَى أَنَّ لَابِسَ هَذَا الثَّوْبِ لَا يُسَمَّى لَابِسَ الْحَرِيرِ وَالْقَزِّ وَلَوْ جَعَلَ الْحَرِيرَ بِطَانَةً يُكْرَهُ لِأَنَّهُ لَابِسُ الْحَرِيرِ حَقِيقَةً وَكَذَا مَعْنَى التَّنَعُّمِ حَاصِلٌ لِلتَّزَيُّنِ بِالْحَرِيرِ وَلُطْفِهِ

بدائع الصنائع ج٦ ص ٤٥٨

ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!

ANSWERED BY:

Maulana Ebrahim Ahmed

Date: 18 Ramadaan 1444 / 10 April 2023

CHECKED AND APPROVED BY:

Mufti Mohammed Desai