When is it permissible for a Muslim to agree with the people of disbelief in their form and appearance?

The questioner : May Allah reward you with the best reward.

The Shaykh : And you as well.

The questioner : Another question. When is it permissible for a Muslim to agree with the people of disbelief in their apparent guidance?

The Shaykh : In their apparent guidance.

The questioner : In their apparent guidance. Yes.

The Shaykh : If he fears harm and destruction to himself, as mentioned in the previous verse and as mentioned in the hadith cited in the book of Tawhid, the hadith of the fly, which is not authentic . This hadith is not authentic; first, its attribution to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is not valid, it is only mawquf (stopping at a Companion) with Salman. Second, it conflicts with the principles and rules of the Shari'ah, because a coerced person is not held accountable for what he was coerced into. So if the other man who presented the fly entered the Fire, why would he enter the Fire? And 'Amir ibn Yasir said about his Prophet (peace be upon him): "He is a sorcerer, he is a poet, he is a liar." This is kufr (disbelief), but it is verbal kufr, not the kufr of the heart. So in this case, a Muslim may, if he is compelled, without being aggressive or transgressing, agree with the disbeliever in his form and his guidance, and it is permissible. But as they say in fiqh: "Necessities permit the prohibited." But not in this absolute sense, because they qualified it by saying: "And necessity is measured by its extent." Now, almost every day we receive fatwas or questions from Algeria, where the Algerian ruler is now showing his fangs and his hostility toward the Muslims. He has started to oppress the Islamists, as they say in our Syria, "like Abu Janb." So whenever they see a young man with a beard, they take him to prison and shave his beard, or if he does not shave it himself, they do it. The questions from these young men have increased: Is it permissible for them to shave? My answer was: It is not permissible for you to shave your beard yourself; let them shave it, because in this case you will not be sinful. But if you shave it yourself and appear before them as a European or foreigner to escape what? From prison? Well, our master Yusuf (peace be upon him) said: . But they took him, bound him, shackled him, and shaved his beard; this is coercion, and there is no way to object to it at all. So perhaps I have answered you.

The questioner : Yes.