The ruling on shortening the beard and citing the verse: “until they are shorn”

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, what is the ruling on shortening the beard? Some people cite the words of the Exalted in Surat al-A’raf, “until they are shorn,” and say that the meaning is “until they grow thick,” so the obligatory thing is to grow the beard thick, and there is no objection to cutting some of it if the majority is left, and they attribute this to Imam al-Bukhari. Is this statement correct?

Answer:
This statement is not correct. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded letting the beard grow, and letting it grow means leaving it and not taking anything from it. Its thickness means that it is left until it grows thick, long, and extended; this is the meaning of letting it grow. And the beard, praise be to Allah, is not heavy enough that one needs to shorten it. No one falls because of his beard, nor does he walk with difficulty because of his beard. It never needs to be shortened; it is light, praise be to Allah. Yes.