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Wearing a Watch or Using a Pen that is Gold-Plated

Question:

I bought a 17 karat gold-plated watch for 750 Riyals. When I told the shopkeeper that men are not allowed to wear gold, he informed me that it could not be considered a real gold watch, because if it were really a gold watch, it would have been much more expensive. Another consideration is that most watches are plated with gold to protect them from rusting. Thus am I allowed to wear a watch like this or not? In the case that I am not allowed to, what should I do with the watch? Also, what is the ruling for using a fountain pen, the point of which, is plated with gold?
Answer:

You cannot wear this watch because a gold watch is unlawful, the same in the case of it gold-plating and gold rings. All of this is unlawful for males. So what you can do is give the watch to your wife or one of your female relatives. You may also sell it, because the Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said,
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"Gold and silk are permitted for the women of my nation, prohibited for its men." (An-Nasa'i no. 5151 and Al-Tirmithi no. no. 1720)

The Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) also prohibited gold rings, and the gold watch is worse than a ring.

As for pens with gold-plated points, it is safer for the male believer to stay away from it, because there are points of similarity between it and the ring, And Allaah is the facilitation to do what is right.

Shaykh `Abdul-`Azeez Bin Baz
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 7, Pages 395-396, DARUSSALAM

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