The Obligation of Letting the Beard Grow and the Prohibition of Shaving or Trimming It
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Praise be to Allah alone, and may prayers and peace be upon His servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions. After that:
A question has reached me regarding the ruling on shaving or trimming the beard, and whether one who shaves it while believing it to be permissible is a disbeliever? And does the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) necessitate the obligation of letting the beard grow and the prohibition of shaving it, or does it only necessitate the recommendation of letting it grow?
Answer: It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) that he said: "Trim the moustaches and let the beards grow; be unlike the polytheists." It is agreed upon that it is authentic, and al-Bukhari narrated it in his Sahih with the wording: And in Sahih Muslim, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Sahih Muslim 260.
This wording in the aforementioned hadiths necessitates the obligation of letting the beards grow and hanging them down, and the prohibition of shaving and trimming them; because the default ruling for commands is obligation, and the default ruling for prohibitions is prohibition, unless there is evidence indicating otherwise. This is the relied-upon position among the scholars. And Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Hashr: 7] And He the Mighty and Majestic said: [An-Nur: 63]. Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "(The fitnah is shirk), lest if he rejects some of his words—meaning the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)—something of deviation enters his heart and he perishes. And there is nothing in the Book or the Sunnah indicating that the command in these hadiths and similar ones is for recommendation.
As for the hadith narrated by al-Tirmidhi, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he used to take from his beard in length and width, it is a false hadith according to the scholars; because in its chain there is a man named 'Umar ibn Harun al-Balkhi who is accused of lying, and he narrated this hadith uniquely without any other narrator of reports, despite its contradiction with the authentic hadiths.
Thus, it is known that it is false, and it is not permissible to rely on it or to cite it as evidence in contradicting the authentic Sunnah. And Allah is the One to be sought for help.
There is no doubt that shaving is more severe in sin; because it is the complete removal of the beard, and an exaggeration in doing what is wrong, and imitating women. As for trimming and lightening, there is no doubt that that is wrong and contrary to the authentic hadiths, but it is less than shaving.
As for the ruling on one who does that, he is a sinner and not a disbeliever, even if he believes it is permissible based on a wrong understanding or following some scholars.
It is obligatory that he be advised and warned against this wrong; because there is disagreement among the scholars regarding the general ruling on the beard: whether it is obligatory to let it grow or whether it is permissible to trim it?
As for shaving, I do not know that any of the scholars said it is permissible, but that does not necessitate that one who thinks it is permissible is a disbeliever; due to ignorance or following, unlike the forbidden matters known from the religion by necessity due to the clarity of their evidence. If one permits them, it is major shirk if the one who permits them is someone who lived among Muslims. If he is someone who lived among disbelievers or in a remote desert far from the scholars, then the evidence should be clarified to him, and if he persists in permitting it, he is a disbeliever.
Examples of that are: zina, intoxicants, and pork, and similar things. These matters and their like are known to be forbidden from the religion by necessity, and their evidence is clear in the Book and the Sunnah, so no attention is paid to the claim of ignorance of them if the one who permits them is like the one mentioned above who does not ignore that.
And I ask Allah to make us and you successful in beneficial knowledge and righteous action, and to grant us understanding in His religion and steadfastness upon it, and to protect us all from the misguiding trials. Indeed, He is Hearing and Near.
And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
A question has reached me regarding the ruling on shaving or trimming the beard, and whether one who shaves it while believing it to be permissible is a disbeliever? And does the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) necessitate the obligation of letting the beard grow and the prohibition of shaving it, or does it only necessitate the recommendation of letting it grow?
Answer: It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) that he said: "Trim the moustaches and let the beards grow; be unlike the polytheists." It is agreed upon that it is authentic, and al-Bukhari narrated it in his Sahih with the wording:
Trim the mustaches and let the beards grow; differ from the polytheists
قصوا الشوارب، ووفروا اللحى؛ خالفوا المشركينTrim closely the moustache, and grow beard, and thus act against the fire-worshippers.
جزوا الشوارب، وأرخوا اللحى؛ خالفوا المجوسThis wording in the aforementioned hadiths necessitates the obligation of letting the beards grow and hanging them down, and the prohibition of shaving and trimming them; because the default ruling for commands is obligation, and the default ruling for prohibitions is prohibition, unless there is evidence indicating otherwise. This is the relied-upon position among the scholars. And Allah the Exalted said:
And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.
وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِSo let those beware who dissent from the Prophet's order, lest fitnah strike them or a painful punishment.
فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَنْ تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌAs for the hadith narrated by al-Tirmidhi, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he used to take from his beard in length and width, it is a false hadith according to the scholars; because in its chain there is a man named 'Umar ibn Harun al-Balkhi who is accused of lying, and he narrated this hadith uniquely without any other narrator of reports, despite its contradiction with the authentic hadiths.
Thus, it is known that it is false, and it is not permissible to rely on it or to cite it as evidence in contradicting the authentic Sunnah. And Allah is the One to be sought for help.
There is no doubt that shaving is more severe in sin; because it is the complete removal of the beard, and an exaggeration in doing what is wrong, and imitating women. As for trimming and lightening, there is no doubt that that is wrong and contrary to the authentic hadiths, but it is less than shaving.
As for the ruling on one who does that, he is a sinner and not a disbeliever, even if he believes it is permissible based on a wrong understanding or following some scholars.
It is obligatory that he be advised and warned against this wrong; because there is disagreement among the scholars regarding the general ruling on the beard: whether it is obligatory to let it grow or whether it is permissible to trim it?
As for shaving, I do not know that any of the scholars said it is permissible, but that does not necessitate that one who thinks it is permissible is a disbeliever; due to ignorance or following, unlike the forbidden matters known from the religion by necessity due to the clarity of their evidence. If one permits them, it is major shirk if the one who permits them is someone who lived among Muslims. If he is someone who lived among disbelievers or in a remote desert far from the scholars, then the evidence should be clarified to him, and if he persists in permitting it, he is a disbeliever.
Examples of that are: zina, intoxicants, and pork, and similar things. These matters and their like are known to be forbidden from the religion by necessity, and their evidence is clear in the Book and the Sunnah, so no attention is paid to the claim of ignorance of them if the one who permits them is like the one mentioned above who does not ignore that.
And I ask Allah to make us and you successful in beneficial knowledge and righteous action, and to grant us understanding in His religion and steadfastness upon it, and to protect us all from the misguiding trials. Indeed, He is Hearing and Near.
And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.