The Ruling on Trimming the Beard

The questioner : How do we respond to those who permit trimming the beard, who have cited two pieces of evidence? The first piece of evidence is linguistic: that the beard is what grows on the temples. The second piece of evidence is from Ibn 'Umar: that Ibn 'Umar used to take from the short part?

The Shaykh : Do you mean beautifying the beard?

The questioner : Trimming it, trimming the beard.

The Shaykh : Trimming the beard, trimming the beard, and they cited that the beard is what grows on its sides. What is the basis for this evidence? The hadith of Ibn 'Umar will come later. If the beard is what grows on... on the temples, where did the beautification come from? This has no relation and contains no proof. As for citing the hadith of Ibn 'Umar; this has a basis, and we do not contradict it, but the first argument has no basis whatsoever. Ibn 'Umar used to take what was below a handful. Do those you quote... stop at what Ibn 'Umar did? Or do they add to...? We understand beautification as making the bearded man's beard follow the common practice among us in Syria, which might be a sign, a sign meaning like the shaving that some scholars mention regarding the mustache; so that what appears? The skin. So some people, for the sake of beautifying the beard, take from it until the skin almost appears. This was never established by the hadith of Ibn 'Umar. The hadith of Ibn 'Umar was that he would grasp [the beard] and cut what was below this handful. So whoever did what Ibn 'Umar did; we do not blame him at all; especially since he was not unique in this, but that was also reported from Abu Hurayrah and Mujahid and others of the Salaf; without us knowing of any one who contradicted them. And this is my answer regarding...