A certain caller has confused the youth by claiming that the Muslim has a choice in the length of the beard mentioned in the texts, as long as it does not reach the point of shaving.

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: A certain caller has confused many of the common people, especially the youth, by claiming that the Muslim has a choice in the length of the beard mentioned in the texts, to whatever degree he wishes, as long as it does not reach the point of shaving. His fatwa has caused a great fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), and many young people have been affected by it. His fatwa, in his voice, is still being circulated by many people.

Answer:
He asks: What is the response to this fatwa? This is a defective fatwa, and it is issued from desire, may Allah protect us from that. The authentic and explicit hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) all encourage letting the beard grow. "Let the beards grow," "Honor the beards," "Let the beards grow long," and "Trim the beards." All these hadiths are authentic, in al-Bukhari or Muslim, or in one of them. As for the hadith about taking from the beard in length and width, it is not established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the scholars have spoken about it. It is not established and cannot be used as evidence against the authentic hadiths. Therefore, it is clear that he should repent to Allah, clarify the truth, and not mislead people with this fatwa. Yes.