Does the report of Ibn 'Umar indicate the permissibility of trimming the beard if one is performing Hajj or 'Umrah, as it was reported with that specific condition in the report?

The questioner : The second question, and a question follows it that I have already answered.

The Shaykh : What Allah willed.

The questioner : Of course, we know that numerous hadiths have been transmitted regarding letting the beard grow, and their apparent meaning is a command and obligation. And we know that the hadith of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar is that when he performed Hajj or 'Umrah...

The Shaykh : Listen, listen, but there is an error in your question.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Pay attention to how you pay attention to warning others; pay attention to your own manner.

The questioner : Grammatically?

The Shaykh : No, legally.

The questioner : Legally.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.

The questioner : There are hadiths; we know that there are hadiths transmitted regarding letting the beard grow with a command.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : Then we found, or the scholars found, instead of...

The Shaykh : What is this...

The questioner : Okay, the report of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) is that when he performed Hajj or 'Umrah, does this serve as evidence for the permissibility of taking from the beard, whether it is what exceeds a handful or from the sides?

The Shaykh : Yes, the issue has no relation to the topic of whether it is obligatory to let the beard grow or not, but rather whether it is permissible to take from it or not permissible, correct?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : If your reliance on the report of Ibn 'Umar is specifically regarding the condition of Hajj or 'Umrah, it has an answer. And if it is not specifically regarding that, it has another answer. So which of the two specific cases do you mean?

The questioner : Specifically regarding the condition

The Shaykh : Okay, if this condition of Hajj or 'Umrah is removed, does the issue change for you?

The questioner : Unless another piece of evidence is established, yes, the issue changes for me.

The Shaykh : Meaning, if it is established from Ibn 'Umar that he used to take from it even when not performing Hajj or 'Umrah?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Meaning, does the problem end? I do not think so.

The questioner : As far as I am concerned, the problem does not end.

The Shaykh : And therefore, this specific condition has no place in the parsing; this is what I feel, because you have been going on and on about it, right?

The questioner: Yes, Shaykh

The Shaykh : So, for the sake of benefit, I say: the condition and the general statement are both established from him. That is, he used to take from it during Hajj and 'Umrah, and he used to take from his beard without the condition of Hajj and 'Umrah. What I understand from you is that you want to say: Is it permissible to specify the generality of the Messenger's command to let the beard grow by the general action of Ibn 'Umar, meaning without the condition of Hajj and 'Umrah, but generally?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : And I think this is your question, is it not?

The questioner : Yes, this is my question, but initially I was only restricting it to the condition.

The Shaykh : Yes, so take it as a benefit: the condition came, and the general statement also came. Ibn 'Umar used to do it in Hajj and 'Umrah, and also in other than Hajj and 'Umrah. And take it as another benefit: taking from the beard was reported from others besides Ibn 'Umar as well. Yes, and this is in fact one of the matters that is absent from the minds of many scholars of virtue, and therefore they instruct the committed people to take from their beards because they want to stop at the generality of the text . And this is the principle: that the Muslim stops at the general or absolute text and does not go beyond it with specification or condition except with evidence. Now, I see that the evidence for us in the specification is the action of Ibn 'Umar, and not the specific action in Hajj and 'Umrah, although this benefits half the way, because those who say to implement the command in its generality or absoluteness do not permit that, not in Hajj nor in 'Umrah. Clear? So I say that the action of Ibn 'Umar here is a proof, and that is as will be explained.

Another questioner : Peace be upon you

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, welcome.
Abu Layla : Our Shaykh, Doctor, our neighbor is a veterinary doctor.

The Shaykh : Welcome.

The questioner : Welcome.
Abu Layla : He, may Allah reward him with good, did a topic.

The Shaykh : Yes, by Allah, may Allah reward him with good, welcome. Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), in order to understand the specification by his action, we must keep in mind a fact related to the previously mentioned hadith . That Ibn 'Umar is one of its narrators. Here comes a jurisprudential rule that scholars often point out during their discussions with each other in some disputed issues, and they say, "The narrator is more aware of what he narrates than others." And this is sound speech derived from some hadith texts, such as his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) . And this hadith has another narration . The reason for this hadith is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recounted the story of Musa (peace be upon him) with his brother Harun from one side and his people from the other side. That when he went to converse with his Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, and left his brother with the Jews, with the Children of Israel, they took after him a calf with a lowing sound. So when Musa returned and informed him of the news, religious jealousy did not take him except for what he had witnessed. So when he witnessed it, he said (peace and blessings be upon him) . And this is a fact, meaning a self-evident innate truth known to people by practice and experience. Since the matter is so, Ibn 'Umar, as we all know, lived with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) for years and heard this hadith from him. In my belief, if Ibn 'Umar knew by witnessing from him (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) that he does not take from it absolutely, it is impossible for Ibn 'Umar to take a single hair from it, given what is known about him that he was the most eager of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to follow him, even in some matters that might be criticized in him by others. And I think this is known to you?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : So if this noble Companion, part of whose biography we mentioned earlier, was the most eager of the Companions to follow the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), then if he did not see it or at least hear something from him...