A man who works as an officer and is the imam and khatib of a mosque, but shaves his beard because of his job: is it permissible for him to deliver the sermon and lead the people in prayer, or should someone else be put forward for the prayer?

The questioner : The third question: One of our brothers in Allah works in the army as an officer. He has been granted a religious standing, and he performs the duties of delivering sermons and lessons, and so on. But as you know, the army regulation is that he must be clean-shaven. We know that letting the beard grow is obligatory, and this brother also speaks about it, telling the people in his lessons and sermons and so on. But many of the young men do not pray behind him; in fact, they have withdrawn from the mosque where he serves as imam because he prays clean-shaven. Is this permissible or not?

The Shaykh : You mean praying behind him?

The questioner : No, regarding the prayer, it is valid, if Allah wills. But they say he is not, meaning, equal to them in religious competence. They say he should withdraw from delivering sermons and lessons, because this is a mosque based on the Sunnah, and one must appear with the appropriate appearance, which includes the beard and so on. So these young men wish that this brother withdraw from delivering sermons and lessons, or that he only delivers the sermon and does not lead them as imam. That is, when he comes down from the pulpit, one of the brothers leads the prayer as imam, and he does not lead them. Perhaps this causes something in the brother's heart, and so on.

The Shaykh : Okay, does this mosque not have a regular imam?

The questioner : No. We built mosques, and Allah has blessed us with building mosques that do not have an imam.

The Shaykh : They do not have an imam.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Okay, if we recall his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): to the end of the hadith. Does this right of precedence specified in this hadith apply to this man?

The questioner : No, there is someone more knowledgeable than him, someone more memorized than him.

The Shaykh : More reciting?

The questioner : Yes, but he has no standing in delivering sermons or lessons.

The Shaykh : Okay, then the question must be branched out; we must make a distinction. Was the question about his leading the prayer and people praying behind him? Or about his delivering the sermon and giving his lessons? Or about this entire group?

The questioner : About this entire group.

The Shaykh : Okay, then let us answer each issue separately. If there is someone there who is better at reciting the Book of Allah, it is not permissible for him to lead the people, because this better reciter has the stronger right by the text of the previous hadith, especially since you hinted that those who pray in that mosque dislike his leading them.

The questioner : For the reason of shaving the beard.

The Shaykh : I know, and this is a legitimate religious reason, not a reason of hatred or envy or malice or anything similar. So this person, in fact, must not lead, because there is someone better at reciting, and because the people dislike his leading them with a legitimate religious dislike. So he must relinquish this imamate to that better reciter. As for the sermon and the lesson, is there someone more suitable for the sermon than him? If so, the answer is the same as the previous answer. If there is someone more suitable for delivering sermons than him, he should also relinquish it to the one who has a stronger right to it than him. The same answer applies to his teaching and instruction. If there is someone more knowledgeable than him in fiqh, hadith, and the Sunnah, he should also leave that to the more knowledgeable one. This is among the meanings of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): So it is not permissible for anyone to take on a task while knowing that someone else has a stronger right to it than he does, otherwise he would be contradicting this hadith. And this is the answer to what you asked.

The questioner : He is more knowledgeable about the Sunnah than these people. In fact, he is the first one to establish and call to following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in this country.

The Shaykh : What Allah willed.

The questioner : But he was afflicted with this job, and if Allah wills, soon he may resign. The people themselves are much happier with his sermon and his lessons than with anyone else's. But these are some of the brothers whom we consider, if Allah wills, to be committed, who said this about him.

The Shaykh : No, regarding the prayer, as long as the better reciter is present, he has no right to this. As for his lessons and sermons, as long as they benefit from him, and as long as you have now revealed and said that he has the merit of spreading the da'wah, they should not be stubborn about the issue of his neglecting his beard. But I do not know; did you address the point I am about to ask about? Did you understand and hear, or did you address it? Is he serving in compulsory military service, or as they call it, even if not by its true name, voluntary service, and it is not voluntary?

The questioner : Voluntary.

The Shaykh : I did not hear here, as they say, that the sin is on his side. There is nothing of his burden on the people who benefit from his knowledge.

The questioner : I mean, if he delivers the sermon, does he come down and pray with the people, or does he let a second brother pray with them?

The Shaykh : No. He lets the second brother pray with the people.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with all good.

The Shaykh : And you, please.