What is the ruling on letting the beard grow? (A discussion on the matter)
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The Shaykh : We are returning now. You asked me about the beard, and you were correct in stating that we hold it to be obligatory. What do the doctors at the university say? You have turned me toward their actions and their words, because the issue now is my statement, not that I have a beard and you do not. [Al-Muddaththir 74:38] What do the doctors say today?
The questioner : My dear brother, yes, I have heard, but I want to say that I tried to analyze the evidence. The truth you mentioned regarding the beard is in a booklet you have, and there is a booklet by Shaykh Muhammad al-Hamid (may Allah have mercy on him), whom you know.
The Shaykh : May Allah have mercy on him.
The questioner : Yes, the evidence you mentioned, meaning from the science of usul al-fiqh (the principles of jurisprudence), I tried to delve into it a little. Most of the evidence is rational, and rational evidence, as the scholars of usul al-fiqh say, is speculative in its indication. So the error or disagreement between you and me is that I am not at your level, meaning that every fiqh issue put forward for discussion, the evidence, as the scholars of usul al-fiqh say, is that rational evidence is not strong enough to establish obligation. First, do we agree on this usuli principle or not?
The Shaykh : Look, Professor Abu... what do they say to you.
The questioner : Abu Mu'adh.
The Shaykh : Abu Mu'adh, may Allah protect us and you from following one's desires.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : First, I want to draw your attention, and I am ready to proceed with you and answer your question, but I also ask you to be aware that you have deviated from what you asked in another direction. Did you notice this or not?
The questioner : We have the imam of the mosque with us, may Allah will it, if he is in the mosque or if he is here.
The Shaykh : And if you are determined, then rely upon Allah.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : But be aware, my question is not to you; my question is what the doctors say about the beard? So you have not answered me.
The questioner : We place no value on their words. Excuse me, Shaykh, I have not answered you at all. If we hear the opposite from you and are convinced by it, then their words have no value, because they may be on several contradictory ijtihads (independent legal reasoning).
The Shaykh : But I want to understand, Professor. We need to hear what they say?
The questioner : At the University of Damascus, no one... raised it to the level of obligation except Dr. Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti, who raised it to the level of a subsidiary sunnah (recommended practice). As for the level of obligation, no one among the doctors of the University of Damascus has raised it to that level.
The Shaykh : You have also deviated.
The questioner : If... regarding the question.
The Shaykh : If you do not have an opinion, you are free to answer. I am telling you.
The questioner : You asked what they say?
The Shaykh : Whereas you are saying so-and-so said.
The questioner : You are asking me about the doctors of the University of Damascus. Dr. Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti raised it to the level of a subsidiary sunnah (recommended practice).
The Shaykh : And the other doctors?
The questioner : And the restThe Shaykh : Mustafa al-Zarqa, I believe, raised it to the level of a subsidiary sunnah (recommended practice), but the rest to the level of a regular sunnah (recommended practice).
The Shaykh : What do you mean by a subsidiary sunnah (recommended practice)?
The questioner : It is a sunnah (recommended practice) lower than a confirmed sunnah (recommended practice), according to their teachings or according to their understanding.
The Shaykh : Okay, do you have an opinion from among these opinions, or do you have an opinion other than these opinions?
The questioner : I, from the evidence I listed in your booklet, along with what Muhammad al-Hamid listed,The Shaykh : did not find it strong enough to reach the level of obligation, as is my very humble opinion.
The Shaykh : No problem, may Allah reward you. You have not given me your opinion. What is your opinion of these opinions? Do you agree with any of them, or do you have an opinion that goes beyond all of them?
The questioner : I do not have an opinion, but I want to know the correctness of the opinion. The correctness of the opinion is that we take the Shari'ah ruling from the evidence.
The Shaykh : There is no doubt in that.
The questioner : The evidence that was mentioned, I tell you, and I may be wrong, is that it is not strong enough to reach the level of obligation, because most of it is rational, saying it is a change to the creation of man or to the nature of the creation that Allah created man with.
The Shaykh : We completely disagree with you in calling these pieces of evidence rational evidence. Therefore, I ask you to promise me that if you go with the imam to pray with the congregation.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : that you return so that we can complete this important research. What is your opinion?
The questioner : May Allah will it. And by Allah, my brother, we ask in order to understand, and by Allah, in order to follow.
The Shaykh : And what do we want other than that?
The questioner : ... I did not read your book until I was a student at the University of Damascus twenty-five years ago.
The Shaykh : We are all that man. May Allah reward you, Abu Mu'adh. We all strive to understand, but the blessing of knowledge is its freshness, its being moved by study. Therefore, I hope that you will return to us.
The questioner : May Allah will it. Even the question, my dear brother, the Sunni one, may be that your followers, and I say this truthfully, may not understand the reality of what you mean by the word "sunnah" (recommended practice).
The Shaykh : By Allah, you just turned the circle on us. You were between you and me, and you dragged us in with the doctors. You were between you and me, and you dragged us in with our brothers. So let us, now, and you, understand each other, may Allah will it.
The questioner : May Allah will it, may Allah will it. I mean, the word "sunnah" (recommended practice) is like this, a little bit. I mean, there are groups who restrict it to certain limits, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : I am saying that the brothers you referred to, and I do not know their identities or individuals, know the sunnah (recommended practice), and they are common people who are much better than the doctors, and it is upon us to clarify.
Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained
كل نفس بما كسبت رهينةThe questioner : My dear brother, yes, I have heard, but I want to say that I tried to analyze the evidence. The truth you mentioned regarding the beard is in a booklet you have, and there is a booklet by Shaykh Muhammad al-Hamid (may Allah have mercy on him), whom you know.
The Shaykh : May Allah have mercy on him.
The questioner : Yes, the evidence you mentioned, meaning from the science of usul al-fiqh (the principles of jurisprudence), I tried to delve into it a little. Most of the evidence is rational, and rational evidence, as the scholars of usul al-fiqh say, is speculative in its indication. So the error or disagreement between you and me is that I am not at your level, meaning that every fiqh issue put forward for discussion, the evidence, as the scholars of usul al-fiqh say, is that rational evidence is not strong enough to establish obligation. First, do we agree on this usuli principle or not?
The Shaykh : Look, Professor Abu... what do they say to you.
The questioner : Abu Mu'adh.
The Shaykh : Abu Mu'adh, may Allah protect us and you from following one's desires.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : First, I want to draw your attention, and I am ready to proceed with you and answer your question, but I also ask you to be aware that you have deviated from what you asked in another direction. Did you notice this or not?
The questioner : We have the imam of the mosque with us, may Allah will it, if he is in the mosque or if he is here.
The Shaykh : And if you are determined, then rely upon Allah.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : But be aware, my question is not to you; my question is what the doctors say about the beard? So you have not answered me.
The questioner : We place no value on their words. Excuse me, Shaykh, I have not answered you at all. If we hear the opposite from you and are convinced by it, then their words have no value, because they may be on several contradictory ijtihads (independent legal reasoning).
The Shaykh : But I want to understand, Professor. We need to hear what they say?
The questioner : At the University of Damascus, no one... raised it to the level of obligation except Dr. Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti, who raised it to the level of a subsidiary sunnah (recommended practice). As for the level of obligation, no one among the doctors of the University of Damascus has raised it to that level.
The Shaykh : You have also deviated.
The questioner : If... regarding the question.
The Shaykh : If you do not have an opinion, you are free to answer. I am telling you.
The questioner : You asked what they say?
The Shaykh : Whereas you are saying so-and-so said.
The questioner : You are asking me about the doctors of the University of Damascus. Dr. Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti raised it to the level of a subsidiary sunnah (recommended practice).
The Shaykh : And the other doctors?
The questioner : And the restThe Shaykh : Mustafa al-Zarqa, I believe, raised it to the level of a subsidiary sunnah (recommended practice), but the rest to the level of a regular sunnah (recommended practice).
The Shaykh : What do you mean by a subsidiary sunnah (recommended practice)?
The questioner : It is a sunnah (recommended practice) lower than a confirmed sunnah (recommended practice), according to their teachings or according to their understanding.
The Shaykh : Okay, do you have an opinion from among these opinions, or do you have an opinion other than these opinions?
The questioner : I, from the evidence I listed in your booklet, along with what Muhammad al-Hamid listed,The Shaykh : did not find it strong enough to reach the level of obligation, as is my very humble opinion.
The Shaykh : No problem, may Allah reward you. You have not given me your opinion. What is your opinion of these opinions? Do you agree with any of them, or do you have an opinion that goes beyond all of them?
The questioner : I do not have an opinion, but I want to know the correctness of the opinion. The correctness of the opinion is that we take the Shari'ah ruling from the evidence.
The Shaykh : There is no doubt in that.
The questioner : The evidence that was mentioned, I tell you, and I may be wrong, is that it is not strong enough to reach the level of obligation, because most of it is rational, saying it is a change to the creation of man or to the nature of the creation that Allah created man with.
The Shaykh : We completely disagree with you in calling these pieces of evidence rational evidence. Therefore, I ask you to promise me that if you go with the imam to pray with the congregation.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : that you return so that we can complete this important research. What is your opinion?
The questioner : May Allah will it. And by Allah, my brother, we ask in order to understand, and by Allah, in order to follow.
The Shaykh : And what do we want other than that?
The questioner : ... I did not read your book until I was a student at the University of Damascus twenty-five years ago.
The Shaykh : We are all that man. May Allah reward you, Abu Mu'adh. We all strive to understand, but the blessing of knowledge is its freshness, its being moved by study. Therefore, I hope that you will return to us.
The questioner : May Allah will it. Even the question, my dear brother, the Sunni one, may be that your followers, and I say this truthfully, may not understand the reality of what you mean by the word "sunnah" (recommended practice).
The Shaykh : By Allah, you just turned the circle on us. You were between you and me, and you dragged us in with the doctors. You were between you and me, and you dragged us in with our brothers. So let us, now, and you, understand each other, may Allah will it.
The questioner : May Allah will it, may Allah will it. I mean, the word "sunnah" (recommended practice) is like this, a little bit. I mean, there are groups who restrict it to certain limits, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : I am saying that the brothers you referred to, and I do not know their identities or individuals, know the sunnah (recommended practice), and they are common people who are much better than the doctors, and it is upon us to clarify.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.