Short answer
No, in the Hanafi school. Gold and silk are forbidden for males, and dressing a boy in them is makruh tahrimi (close to haram), with the sin on the adult who dresses him. Girls may wear both from birth. The Shafi'i school allows a guardian to dress a boy in silk.
It is makruh tahrimi to put gold jewellery or pure silk clothing on a boy before puberty. The child is not sinful; the sin is on the parent or whoever dresses him, since the guardian must keep a child from what is forbidden to his sex.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The relied-upon view allows a guardian to dress a boy in silk before puberty.
- Hanbali
- It is haram for the guardian to dress a boy in gold or silk, as in the Hanafi school.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ held up silk and gold and said that these two are forbidden to the males of his nation. Another narration adds that they are allowed to its females. The Hanafi scholars apply this to boys of any age, because the rule is about males, and a guardian's job is to keep the child away from what is forbidden. When the young al-Hasan put a date of charity in his mouth, he was made to spit it out, though a child is not himself accountable.
Common situations:
- Gold bracelets, chains or rings given to a newborn boy: keep them as savings or for later gifts, but do not put them on him.
- Gold-plated items and gold-coloured metal: see gold-plated jewellery.
- Silk sherwanis or kurtas for weddings and Eid: avoid pure silk for boys. Mixed fabrics where silk is not the main part, cotton or synthetic "silky" fabrics are fine.
- A thin silk border up to four fingers wide is allowed for men and boys, as in the adult ruling.
- Silver: a boy, like a man, may wear a silver ring.
Girls: gold earrings, bangles and silk clothes are permissible for girls of any age. See ear piercing for girls.
For the adult rulings see is gold haram for men and is silk haram for men.
The evidence
Sunan Abi Dawud 4057
Graded sahih... إن هذين حرام على ذكور أمتي ...
"These two are forbidden to the males of my nation."
Gold and silk are forbidden for males.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1720
Grading to be checked... حرم لباس الحرير والذهب على ذكور أمتي وأحل لإناثهم ...
"Wearing silk and gold is forbidden to the males of my nation and allowed to its females."
Girls may wear them; boys may not.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1491
Sahih... كخ كخ ليطرحها ...
"Kikh, kikh, so that he would throw it out."
A guardian keeps a child from what is not allowed, even before puberty.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Hazr wal-Ibaha, section on clothing. It is disliked to dress a boy in gold or silk, and the sin is on the one who dresses him.
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Karahiyya, chapter on clothing. Rules on silk and gold for boys.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Chapter on what may be worn. The Shafi'i view that a guardian may dress a boy in silk.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.