Discussion on the criterion for actions that strip a person of their honor.

Mashhur: The actions that strip a person of their honor mentioned

The Shaykh: The actions that strip a person of their honor, yes.
Mashhur: The actions mentioned in the books of Islamic jurisprudence that invalidate a person's testimony—does this mean they are based on custom? And is custom taken into account regarding certain actions and habits? Or does this mean that custom is not looked at and is ignored, and not considered?

The Shaykh: There is no doubt that honor is not defined by the Shari'ah, but rather it is subject to custom, and custom evolves and changes. But which custom evolves and changes? That which stems from custom itself. For example, walking with a bare head used to be a cause for stripping a person of their honor, and shaving the beard used to be a cause for stripping a person of their honor. But it is not permissible to equate the two matters now. So I say, for example, walking with a bare head is not among the Islamic etiquettes, but it is not a cause for stripping a person of their honor, because time has evolved and custom has changed, and so on. But shaving the beard, as long as it remains a contradiction of the explicit texts of the Shari'ah, I say that it is a cause for stripping a person of their honor. It is not permissible to change the previous ruling, which is that shaving the beard strips a person of their honor; it is not permissible to change it now because people have become accustomed to shaving the beard. Except in one case: if we assume people living in a non-Islamic or non-scholarly environment, then these people are excused for even more than that. As you know from our view, we do not, for example, declare disbelievers those who call for aid other than to Allah who live in a state of profound ignorance, even though they find supporters and helpers from among the scholars who claim, saying, "This is seeking nearness to Allah through a means, there is nothing wrong with it," and so on, at a time when we believe that calling for aid other than to Allah is disbelief and associating partners with Allah. But we do not hasten to declare disbelievers those who have fallen into it, because they have an excuse. Likewise, what is less than that is even more so. But a man who lives in an Islamic society, and as long as he has heard that the Messenger of Allah commanded and said as you know, meaning this detail, in that case, we do not be lenient with him regarding this ruling. Because the principle is that stripping a person of their honor is based on a text of the Shari'ah, and this text is still preserved. As for the issue of stripping a person of their honor by having a bare head, this is not based on a text of the Shari'ah, but on custom. If the custom evolves, the ruling evolves. This is what appears to me regarding honor.