Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear brother Dawood, Assalamo Alaikum,

I, like many others,have greatly benefitted from the sound advice that you give on religious issues. May Allah Taalah reward you for this and continue to shower His Blessings so that you continue with this great service, Ameen. Quite frankly, initially I was a bit skeptic as to how a Bohra could give advice which appeared to be in line with our thinking.
But I must admit that your esteem multiplied manifolds when I came to know that Allah (SWT) had shown you the right path and quite in line with the sunnah of the Holy Prophet(SAT) you have taken this path at the cost of anger of your dear and near ones. This in itself is a Jehad and a beacon of light for others. May Allah(SWT) give you perseverance and courage to continue on this path.

Brother, my question is about wearing of beard. No doubt it is a Sunnah of the Prophet(SAT), but still many Muslims do not observe it including some of the very religious ones. A number of questions arise in my mind e.g. Is it obligatory for all Muslim male adults to wear beard ?

If yes, then what should be its length ? Could it be trimmed and if so to what extent?
Can one wearing a beard shave it for some reasons (worldly or health for example) and wear it again when those reasonsn no longer exist.

I shall be grateful if you kindly advise me on these queries.

Yours in Islam

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Beard Specifications

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol,  no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this life and the hereafter, for your kind words of encouragement, and your supplications to Allah for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Deen of Truth.    May Allah Subhanah accept our humble efforts, have Mercy on us, forgive us our short-comings, and save you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire.  Ameen.

 

Your question: Is it obligatory for all Muslim male adults to wear beard ?

The keeping of a beard is not obligatory on the believing males, but is a Sunnah.    The keeping of a beard is not only the Sunnah of the Last Messenger of Allah (saws), but also a Sunnah of all the Prophets who came before him.

 

If one keeps a beard with the intention of following the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), he will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah. And if for any reason, one does not keep a beard, the most that can be said is the brother lost an opportunity to earn a huge reward, by following this simple Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

 

Your question:  If yes, then what should be its length ?

There is no exact length which Allah and His Messenger (saws) have determined for the beard.

 

The only specific saying of the Prophet (saws) regarding the length and keeping of beards arose when he saw that the pagans used to grow both their beards and their mustaches long; thus he (saws) said to the believers:

 

“Do the opposite of what the pagans do. Lengthen your beards and cut the mustaches short.”

 

The important thing is not the length, or size, or color of the beard! What is important is that a believer, who truly believes in Allah and the Last Day, strives to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger (saws).  

 

Your question:  Could it be trimmed and if so to what extent?

There is no harm, and it is encouraged in Islam that if one keeps a beard, he should trim it where necessary, and not let it grow in all directions so as to make it look disheveled and untidy! 

 

Al-Muwatta Hadith  51.7

Yahya related from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam that Ata ibn Yasar told him that the Messenger of Allah (saws), was in the mosque when a man came in with disheveled hair and beard.   The Messenger of Allah (saws), motioned with his hand that he should be sent out to groom his hair and beard.   The man did so and then returned.   The Messenger of Allah (saws), said, "Isn't this better than that one of you should come with his head disheveled, as if he were a Shaitaan?"

 

Your question:  Can one wearing a beard shave it for some reasons (worldly or health for example) and wear it again when those reasons no longer exist.

There is absolutely no harm and no sin if one shaves his beard for health reasons; provided the brother loves the Sunnah of keeping of beard, and reluctantly shaves it as there is a health problem with his skin, etc….. and intends to keep it back as soon as Allah has relieved him from the disease.

 

Other than health reasons, there are two types of people who do not wear a beard:

 

1.  These brothers love Allah and His Messenger (saws) and are true believers; but for some reason or weakness in their faith, they do not have the courage to declare their Islam on their faces…. And delay keeping the beard.   The most that can be said about such brothers, is that they are sincere believers, but they have a little weakness and lack the courage and determination to sport a beard in this day and age, where the beard has become a symbol of Islam.

 

2.   There are others, who call themselves muslims, but ardently oppose and hate this Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).    They feel ashamed at the thought of keeping a beard, and be recognized as muslims in public.  They feel that the brothers who keep beards are fanatics, extremists, and backward people; who are not in tune with the modern world!    Some of them, even though they themselves do not keep the beard; laugh, ridicule, and crack jokes at the brothers who do follow this Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws)!    These are the brothers who are in sin for belittling and scorning a clear Sunnah of the Prophet (saws).

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your Brother in Islam,

 

 

Burhan