What is the ruling on men wearing natural silk?
Short answer
Natural silk is forbidden for men in principle and permitted for women; and artificial materials called silk differ if they are not the well-known natural silk.
Evidence and explanation
The Shaykh cited the hadiths indicating the prohibition of gold and silk for the males of the nation, and made clear the difference between natural silk and what is called artificial silk.
Scholar referenced
This editorial summary is based on the original source linked below and is not presented as a verbatim quotation from the scholar.
From the text of the answer (Arabic, with an English translation)
Original answer — Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz
حكم لبس الرجال للشراب من الحرير — فتوى ١٨٤٣٢- Question
«من القصيم الرس الفوارة، هذه رسالة بعث بها أحد الإخوة المستمعين يقول (س. م. ي. خ) من مدرسة عبد الله بن رواحة، أخونا يسأل ويقول: انتشرت في الآونة الأخيرة نوع من شراريب الحرير، هل يجوز لبسها أو لا؟»
English translation (unreviewed): From al-Qasim, al-Rass, al-Fawwarah, this is a letter sent by one of the listeners, (S. M. Y. Kh.) from the 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah school. Our brother asks: A kind of silk tassels has spread recently; is it permissible to wear them or not?
- From the text of the answer
«إذا علم أن الشراب من الحرير حرم على الرجل، يقول النبي ﷺ: لا تلبسوا الحرير فإنه من يلبسه في الدنيا لا يلبسه في الآخرة ، نسأل الله السلامة، ويقول ﷺ في الحديث الصحيح: أحل الذهب والحرير لإناث أمتي، وحرم على ذكورهم ، وهو حديث جيد له شواهد، وهكذا في الحديث الآخر من حديث علي أن النبي ﷺ أخذ حريرًا في يد وذهبًا في اليد الأخرى وقال: هذان حلٍ لإناث أمتي، حرام على ذكورهم .»
English translation (unreviewed): If it is known that the tassel is silk, it is forbidden for the man. The Prophet ﷺ says: “Do not wear silk, for whoever wears it in this world will not wear it in the next” — we ask Allah for safety — and he ﷺ says in the authentic hadith: “Gold and silk are made lawful for the females of my nation and forbidden for its males”, a good hadith with corroborating reports. And likewise in the other hadith from 'Ali, that the Prophet ﷺ took silk in one hand and gold in the other and said: “These two are lawful for the females of my nation and forbidden for its males.”
The Arabic excerpts matched the original page word for word by an automated check and have not had human scholarly review. The English translations are unreviewed translations made for this site; they are not an approved Shari‘ah translation. Rely on the Arabic original.
Source
Ruling on men wearing silk tassels
Title of the original page (Arabic): حكم لبس الرجال للشراب من الحرير
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him