The Ruling on Shaving the Beard and the One Who Considers It Permissible

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, is the one who considers shaving the beard permissible, or the one who considers it a recommended practice, considered an apostate for that?

Answer:
No, he is not considered an apostate. He is considered one who commits a sin, one who commits a forbidden act. Not everyone who commits a forbidden act is an apostate. Forbidden acts differ. The one who shaves the beard has committed a forbidden act, there is no doubt in that. The one who commits it is considered among the sinners and is not considered an apostate. But if he mocks the beard, there is a difference between the two. If he mocks the beard and says, "The religion is not in the hair," is that equal? I mean, if he mocks the Sunnah, does he become a disbeliever? If he mocks it, he becomes a disbeliever. But if he shaves it, or does not mock it or its people, then he is considered a sinner and is not considered an apostate. Yes.