Chapter on What is Permissible to Pray in, from Clothing and Place, and What is Not Permissible to Pray in, from That

Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yahya, from a man, from al-Hasan ibn Ali, from his father, from Ali ibn Uqbah, from Musa ibn Ukayl al-Numayri: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, said: "As for iron, it is the adornment of the people of Hell, and gold is the adornment of the people of Paradise. Allah سبحانه وتعالى has made gold in this world the adornment of women, so He عز وجل prohibited it for men to wear and to pray while wearing it. And Allah سبحانه وتعالى has made iron in this world the adornment of the jinn and the devils, so He عز وجل prohibited the Muslim man from wearing it during prayer, except if he is facing an enemy, in which case there is no harm in it." He (narrator) said: “I asked Him عليه السلام: ‘What about a man while traveling who has with him a knife in his boot, which he cannot do without, or it is tied in his trousers, or a key, fearing that if he sets it down, it will be lost, or he wears a belt with iron in it, what then?" Imam عليه السلام said: "There is no harm in the knife and the belt for the traveler or in times of necessity. Likewise, there is no harm in the key if he fears loss or forgetting it. And there is no harm in the sword and every kind of weapon during war. But outside of that, it is not permissible to pray in anything made of iron, for it is impure (najis) and accursed (mamsukh)."