What is the ruling on the engagement ring?

The questioner : The second question, my dear Shaykh, is that I bought this ring from silver in Madinah, and it was on my hand, and our brother Abu Ahmad, may Allah reward him with good, pointed it out to me and said thatThe Shaykh : he issues a ruling that it is not permissible...

The Shaykh : Not permissible, what?

The questioner : This ring.
Abu Layla : This is a band, not a ring.

The Shaykh : Why did he say that? Did you understand from him?

The questioner : I understood from him that he means this is from the practices of the polytheists.

The Shaykh : Ah, and not because it is a silver ring, not because it is a silver ring. A silver ring is permissible, but anything from the clothing of the disbelievers, and from their traditions and customs, is not permissible. If this is of that nature, then the prohibition comes from there. What is your knowledge of the subject?

The questioner : I had read the book *Adab al-Zafaf* (Etiquette of the Wedding)...

The Shaykh : No. My question is very specific. What is your knowledge regarding the engagement ring, and if it is of silver, is it permissible?

The questioner : It is not permissible.

The Shaykh : Yes, that is it. If this is the silver ring and the engagement ring, then it is not permissible. But if it is a silver ring and not an engagement ring, then it is permissible.

The questioner : It is not an engagement ring.

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : It is not an engagement ring, this one.

The Shaykh : So this is between you and him.
Abu Layla : Now, this is a band, not a ring...

The Shaykh : Okay, my brother, what does a band mean? An engagement ring.
Abu Layla : Yes, my Shaykh. This does not have a stone, this...

The Shaykh : No problem, I do not want to go into the details. If you disagree, you must agree. If we say that the word "band" is not Arabic, but we have "engagement ring," then this is an engagement ring. If it is so, it is not permissible. If it is not so, it is permissible. What is the disagreement...
Abu Layla : My Shaykh, what I understood from you is that this band resembles the disbelievers...

The Shaykh : We did not disagree, my brother...
Abu Layla : The matter is understood. But now, there is nothing wrong with this band...

The Shaykh : Is this an engagement ring among the Christians?
Abu Layla : Yes, in my knowledge, it is so.

The Shaykh : You agree with him on this.
Abu Layla : Okay, my Shaykh, can you clarify for us this simple matter?

The Shaykh : No, I do not have a detailed explanation. I have, I mean, a scientific idea, but what exactly the engagement ring is among the Christians, it does not come to my mind.

The questioner : I leave the matter to someone else.

The Shaykh : Okay, may Allah reward you with good.