The Ring of the Holy Prophet (sa)

The Holy Prophet (sa) had a ring which had the following words engraved on it: “Muhammad, Rasulullah [Muhammad (sa), the Messenger of Allah]” and the Holy Prophet (sa) used to wear this ring. In regard to this we find a narration:

Hazrat Anas bin Malik (ra) narrates that when the Holy Prophet (sa) intended to write a letter to the Byzantine king, he was informed that if the letter did not contain a seal, the letter would not be read. Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) made a silver ring and had the following words engraved on it: “Muhammad, Rasulullah.” The narrator states, “It is as if I can still see the brightness of that ring on his hand,” i.e. he recalls it that vividly.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Libas, Bab Ittikhadh al-Khatam…, Hadith 5878)

Hazrat Anas (ra) narrates that the Holy Prophet (sa) wore this ring and after him, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) wore it, after whom Hazrat Umar (ra) wore it. Then during the Khilafat of Hazrat Uthman (ra), one day Hazrat Uthman (ra) was sitting near a water well named Aris. The narrator states that Hazrat Uthman (ra) took out the ring and began playing with it, when it fell (i.e. he began turning it around on his finger). He states that they searched for the ring for three days alongside Hazrat Uthman (ra). All of the water from the well was also emptied, but the ring was not found. Hazrat Uthman (ra) was greatly perturbed by the loss of the ring and announced that the one who finds it would be given a large monetary reward. When all hope was lost in finding the ring, Hazrat Uthman (ra) instructed for the same silver ring to be made, thus an identical ring was made which had the engraving: “Muhammad, Rasulullah.” Hazrat Uthman (ra) wore the ring until his demise. At the time of Hazrat Uthman’s (ra) martyrdom, an unknown person took the ring.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Libas, Bab Hal Yuj‘alu Naqsh al-Khatam…, Hadith 5879) (Muhammad Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 5 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Fikr, 2002], pp. 111-112)