Does wearing adornments made of agate (Aqiq) or jet (Sabaj) fulfill an oath to wear jewelry?

General Chapter

Al-Mughni

Book of Expiations

Book 60 · Issue 2 · Bab 1

Open in Qurani

Primary text

Wearing adornments made of agate or jet does not fulfill the oath to wear jewelry. The justification is that these materials do not constitute jewelry in themselves, similar to shells (Wada') or glass beads. The argument suggesting fulfillment based on local custom (as held by Al-Shafi'i in regions where these are considered jewelry) is rejected because the counterexample of shells invalidates the principle based on local custom.

Supporting text

Al-Shafi'i posits that if the custom in the region (specifically the people of Al-Sawaad) considers them jewelry, the oath is fulfilled; otherwise, there are two differing views among his followers.