The Ruling on Shaving the Beard

The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

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The fourth question of Fatwa number (667)

Q 4: Whatis the ruling on shaving the beard or taking some of it?
A 4: Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, his family, and his Companions... And after: Shaving the beard is forbidden; due to the authentic and explicit hadiths and reports that have come regarding this, and due to the generality of the texts prohibiting imitating the disbelievers. Among these is the hadith of Ibn 'Umar, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Do the opposite of what the pagans do. Keep the beards and cut the moustaches short.

خالفوا المشركين، وفروا اللحى، وأحفوا الشوارب

Sahih al-Bukhari 5892

, and in another narration:

Trim the mustache and let the beard grow.

أحفوا الشوارب، وأعفوا اللحى

Sunan an-Nasa'i 15Sahih (Darussalam)

, and there are other hadiths with this meaning. Leaving the beard to grow is leaving it in its natural state, and providing for it is keeping it full without shaving it, plucking it, or cutting anything from it. Ibn Hazm reported the consensus that cutting the moustache and letting the beard grow is obligatory, and he cited a number of hadiths as evidence
Among them is the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned earlier, and the hadith of Zayd ibn Arqam, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Whoever does not take from his mustache, then he is not from us.

من لم يأخذ من شاربه فليس منا

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2761Sahih (Darussalam)

Al-Tirmidhi graded it as authentic. It is said in (Al-Furu'): "This formulation, according to our scholars—meaning the Hanbalis—entails prohibition." The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus indicate the command to differ from the disbelievers and the prohibition of imitating them in general; because imitating them in appearance is a cause for imitating them in morals and blameworthy actions, and even in their beliefs themselves. Thus, it begets love and allegiance in the heart. Likewise, love in the heart begets imitation in appearance." And Al-Tirmidhi narrated: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

He is not one of us who resembles other than us, no who resembles the Jews nor the Christians

ليس منا من تشبه بغيرنا، لا تشبهوا باليهود ولا بالنصارى

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2695Da'if (Darussalam)

This hadith, and in another wording:

He who copies any people is one of them.

من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم

Sunan Abi Dawud 4031Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani)

It was narrated by the Imam Ahmad, and 'Umar ibn al-Khattab rejected the testimony of one who plucks his beard. And the Imam Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said in (Al-Tamhid): "Shaving the beard is forbidden, and only effeminate men do it," meaning those who imitate women.

Aflah, the freed slave of Abu Ayyub Ansiri, reported: Allah's Messnger (ﷺ) had alighted in his house (viz. of Abu Ayyub Ansari at the time of his emigration to Medina) and he occupied the lower storey, whereas Abu Ayyub Ansari lived in the upper storey. One night, Abu Ayyub Ansari got up and said (to himself): (How unfortunate it is) that we walk above the head of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), so they went aside and spent the night in a nook and then told Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) about it whereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: The lower storey is more comfortable (for me). but he (Abu Ayyub Ansari) said: We (would not live) over the roof under which you live. So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) shifted to the upper storey, whereas Abu Ayyub Ansari shifted to the lower storey; and he (Abu Ayyub Ansari) used to prepare food for Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) ; and when it was brought (back) to him he asked (to locate) the part, where his fingers had touched (the food), and he followed his fingers on that part where his fingers (those of the Holy Prophet) had touched it. (One day) he prepared food which contained garlic, and when it was returned to him he asked (to locate) the part which the fingers of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) had touched. It was said to him that he had not eaten (the food). He (Abd Ayyub Ansari) was distressed and went up to him (to the Holy Prophet) and said: Is it forbidden? But Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: No, (it is not forbidden), but I do not like it. and he (Abu Ayyub Ansari) said: I also do not like what you do not like or which you did not like. He (Abu Ayyub Ansari) said: (The Prophet did not eat garlic) as Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) was visited (by angels) and brought him the message of Allah.

وكان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كثير شعر اللحية

Sahih Muslim 2053c

It was narrated by Muslim from Jabir , and in another narration:

A thick beard

كثيف اللحية

, and in another:

A full beard

كث اللحية

, and the meaning is the same. It is not permissible to take any of it;
due to the generality of the evidence prohibiting it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.

Source www.alifta.gov.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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