I would like to know if wearing the"Topi" and "Beard" is a must as per the Holy Quraan?
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 Burhan,
I went through your site and have been subscibed to the daily hadiths by email.
I belong to the "Bohra" community but more so am a Muslim. I would
like to know if wearing the"Topi" and "Beard" is a must as
per the Holy Quraan?
(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:
Cap head cover topi
and beard
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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Ref: ‘topi’ or head cover
Wearing a covering on the head while offering his prayers or while reciting the Quran, or while doing anything else whatsoever, etc. is not amongst the obligatory acts for a believing male in Shariah. If one covers his head, or leaves it uncovered; both ways his prayers and his worship will be considered valid.
The dressing norm at the time of
the Messenger of Allah (saws) was such that the Arabs used to wear a turban
over their heads; and thus the Messenger of Allah (saws) normally always prayed
with his head covered. Thus, if the
normal dress code of the person is such that he covers his head (like the Arab
‘gatra’ or head-cover); then it is fine to pray with the head cover. But if there the normal dress code of the
person is such that in normal circumstances he does not cover his head, there is no need to specially cover his head
while praying or reciting the Quran. But
if he does cover his head, there is absolutely no harm.
Ibn 'Asakir related that the Prophet (saws) would sometimes
remove his head cover (turban) and place it in front of him as a ‘sutrah’ for
prayer.
In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the
above quoted hadith, it is evident that the wearing of a head-cover during their
prayers (or reciting the Quran, etc.) is not obligatory upon the believing
males in Shariah.
Ref: Beard in Islam
Growing a beard was considered
normal and natural for a man at the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws), whether he was a believer or not. Even the enemies of Islam like Abu Jahl and
Abu Lahb had beards! And because every
man naturally grew a beard, it was not
necessary for the Prophet (saws) to give an explicit command exhorting the
believers to grow a beard.
The only specific saying of the
Prophet (saws) regarding the 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:
Ibn 'Umar related
that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Differ from the polytheists: let
your beards (grow), and trim your moustache."
Related by
al-Bukhari and Muslim.
It was only a couple of
centuries ago, when the western culture
and ideology became dominant over the world and muslim lands, that it became a fashion to be clean
shaven. And as with any dominant
culture, people are always ready to
adopt its actions, whether they are of
virtue, or of vice! But Islam has its
own culture, and growing a beard is part
of the Islamic culture.
The question is why should a
believer, who professes to believe in
Allah and the Last Day, and who
professes to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), want to grow a beard?
The answer is simple. Today, you
might have seen many youngsters copy the fashion of sport-stars,
Hollywood-stars or anybody else whom they love. If you notice today, many hot
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzab verse 21:
There is indeed the
best example for you in the Messenger of Allah, for every such person that
looks forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remember Allah much.
In another narration, the
Prophet of Allah said in narrating a prophecy of times to come:
Sahih Al-Bukhari
Hadith 9.651 Narrated by Abu Said
Al Khudri
The Prophet (saws)
said: “There will emerge from the East some people who will recite the Quran,
but it will not exceed their throats, and who will go out of the deen of Islam
as an arrow passes through the game. They will never come back to it unless the
arrow comes back to the middle of the bow by itself (i.e. impossible!). The
companions asked, "What will their signs be?". The Prophet (saws)
said: "Their sign will be the habit of shaving off of their
beards".
Thus the keeping of beards is an
absolutely encouraged and preferred Sunnah of the Prophet (saws) and every
muslim male must strive to keep a beard, if his model and example is indeed the
Prophet of Allah (saws). He will get his due reward from Allah, Insha Allah, if
he keeps the beard to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).
But if a believer does not want
to sport a beard for whatever reason, the other believers should not make an
issue out of it. What is important in
Islam and in the Sight of Allah, is that one truly believes and does good
righteous deeds according to the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah. And when that happens, it is expected that
the beard will follow soon after!
The beard is nothing more than a
sign that the believer truly wants to follow a Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah
(saws). There are many people who have
long beards, but do deeds against the
commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws).
And there are many people who are amongst the best believers, but do not have beards! Allah will not decide the recipient of His
Mercy and His Forgiveness from the appearance of the individual; but rather He will decide whether the person
believed and did righteous good deeds as commanded by Allah and His Messenger
(saws).
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is
the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and well
wisher in Islam,
Burhan
