Is it permissible to shave the beard in order to enter military service or the councils of the nation, or the like, for the purpose of changing the corruption present in them?

The questioner : One last question.

The Shaykh : Please go ahead.

The questioner : This is what is circulating in Kuwait, the question and discussion revolving around it, especially among us here. It is the fatwa of some shaykhs that it is permissible, meaning to resort to unestablished public interests and the like, especially in these days, which is the entry of some young men into the councils of the nation and the like, in conscription or the army and the police, in order to change the corruption that is present in these places. They also permit them to shave the beard and the like.

The Shaykh : They call these unestablished public interests?

The questioner : No, they are not unestablished public interests, but rather public interests. I wanted to use another word, but I did not...

The Shaykh : Well, praise be to Allah, meaning they did not call them unestablished public interests?

The questioner : But the response to them, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : The response to them is that what is with Allah is not attained through what is forbidden. Do you know this hadith?

The questioner : We know it now.

The Shaykh, and this is derived from the saying of Allah the Exalted, quoted from the saying of Allah the Exalted: . I am amazed at some of our good brothers who issue such fatwas, which contradict the texts of the Book and the Sunnah. Our Lord says . So will the victory of Allah be through disobedience to Allah, by contradicting what I say is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? Because this Sunnah has a technical meaning, meaning the Sunnah about which the Bedouin said: "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I will not add to them or subtract from them," meaning he did not want to pray any of the recommended practices. Will the victory of Allah for the servants of Allah be attained by contradicting the commands of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? By Allah, I am most amazed at such fatwas that we hear. I wish these fatwas were from people who are not with us on the path of the Book and the Sunnah, so we would say these are people of opinion who say what they please. But our experience with some of these people, about whom such fatwas reach us, is that they are with us on the path of the Book and the Sunnah. So if the victory of Allah is by upholding the rulings of Allah, how can we hope to attain the victory of Allah by disobeying the rulings of Allah, Mighty and Majestic? From the very beginning, from the first step you take, you contradict the commands of Allah on the pretext of what? Attaining the victory of Allah in the near or distant future.
"Sa'd brought it, and Sa'd was wrapped in his cloak *** This is not, O Sa'd, how camels are brought in." So what is attained by these brothers through the path of contradicting the Shari'ah, contradicting the Shari'ah at least in the commands. But I want to add to that that even contradicting the recommended practices is not permissible to be adopted as a method, that it is not for us, and this is not its time and not its season. And some others besides these say these are husks, so let us leave the husks and take the kernel, and the matter is ended.

The questioner : This is what we used to denounce in the other groups.

The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah, and glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. I testify that there is no god but You. I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You.The Shaykh : May Allah reward you all with good.