In the Islamic world, especially in parts of the Middle East and South Asia, it is customary for women to wear their engagement rings on their left ring finger, and for men to wear a wedding ring on their right ring finger.
"Today, wedding rings are most commonly worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. But some countries including India, Germany, Spain, Norway, and Russia traditionally wear their wedding rings on their right hand." Overall, it seems cultural traditions and norms set the standard for this custom.
Engagement rings are worn in several Islamic countries in South Asia and West Asia, and men usually wear them on the right and women on the left hand. Wedding ring are not used in traditional Muslim wedding ceremonies, but if one is worn, it can go either on the left or the right ring finger.
For Roman Catholics, the tradition calls for wearing the engagement ring on the right hand, then they wear the wedding ring on the left hand. Protestants have similar traditions. It's the Greek Orthodox brides, however, who typically switch it from one hand to the other.
In a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, the wedding ring is placed on the bride's right-hand index finger, but other traditions place it on the middle finger or the thumb, most commonly in recent times.
As everyone knows, Islam preaches marriage without dating. So, Islam marriage doesn't undergo the whole process of an engagement or even exchanging wedding rings. That's because Islam sees dating as an act of sin. The tradition of wearing wedding rings is derived from the West which goes against the Islamic teachings.
Over the years, Muslims adopted the idea of wearing wedding rings, without any basis in Islamic history. Wearing wedding rings is not considered unlawful in Islam, but it is a habit introduced into Muslim culture rather than stemming from it.
As mentioned above, in Arab cultures and traditions, the engagement ring is worn on the right hand, while the wedding ring is worn on the left hand. The reason for this is that the right hand is the one that we swear and pledge with, and, therefore, during the engagement, we pledge to marry for life.
Rings worn on the right hand
Couples in Belgium, Russia, Poland and a few other eastern European countries prefer to wear their engagement and wedding rings on their right hands. Their tradition began years ago when the Romans ruled the world and believed that the left hand represented all that was untrustworthy.
Muslims adopted the idea of wearing the engagement ring without any obvious reason, and some consider removing it as a bad omen. This has no basis in Islam. Wearing an engagement or wedding ring is not considered unlawful in the Islamic perspective, as there is no religious text that determines this.
This is not a religious requirement but cultural. ( Actually in Islam there is no exchange of rings.) The outfit of the bride-to-be is traditionally provided by the groom's family.
Mangni (Engagement Party)
While at one time rings may not have been part of the Pakistani tradition, they are now commonly exchanged between the couple. During the magni (or engagement party) the groom's family will approach the bride and ask for her hand in marriage, providing a ring from the groom.
Traditions dictate to us that during the wedding day, especially when the bride walks down the aisle, the time of saying vow, as well as when the bride and groom must exchange the wedding rings, you should not wear the engagement ring on the fourth finger in the left hand, but you can wear it on the right hand.
Countries That Wear The Wedding Ring On The Right Hand
Several countries follow the right-hand wedding rule, including: Latvia, Hungary, Greece, Serbia, Russia, Belgium, Portugal, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Austria, Poland, Spain, Denmark, Cuba, Norway, Peru, Colombia, Jordan, and Venezuela.
No, its not a bad thing. Wear what you want on any finger you like. Understand, if you wear a ring on your left ring finger it will be assumed by everyone who notices you are married. Not at all.
The middle finger ring represents balance and structure. When a woman wears another ring on her middle finger, it generally doesn't have a meaning. People may choose to place a ring on any finger, but a middle finger ring is prominent and easily visible, so it can mean balance and stability.
Place the engagement ring on her finger – the PERFECT one you chose out of ALL the other engagement rings – and tell her that she is the most special person in the world to you. It all depends on what's special to you and your partner.
In many cultures, the right ring finger symbolizes love and trust. In countries including Germany, Russia and India, wedding and engagement rings are worn on the right ring finger. This finger can also convey self-love and is often used for rings that celebrate a milestone or accomplishment.
Definition and Law of Engagement (Khithbah) Engagement is the preliminary step toward a marriage. Often in the process of engagement is followed by the giving of dowry, whole or half of the amount of the dowry.
The ceremony
The actual Muslim wedding is known as a nikah. It is a simple ceremony, at which the bride does not have to be present so long as she sends two witnesses to the drawn-up agreement. Normally, the ceremony consists of reading from the Qur'an, and the exchange of vows in front of witnesses for both partners.
Engagement or also known as 'khetbah' in Arab countries is a ceremony in which bride and groom exchange rings. Putting the ring on each other right hand is a very common tradition in Arab countries. Bride and Groom usually wear a matching colour dress. In Egypt, the engagement is called 'khtubah'.
In different Muslim localities, white is a major theme color choice, especially for nikkah ceremonies. Brides in America often prefer wearing white with a heavy red dupatta on their big day, and this choice makes them look great.
Gold contains rays which pass through body skin and influence blood cells. This is quite true for men (2). But it does not apply to the women because there is a layer of fat between the skin and flesh in women, which does not exist in men.
So it is not permissible for the Muslim male to wear a gold ring. But with regard to rings of silver or any other kind of metal, it is permissible for men to wear them even if they are precious metals.