What is the definition of "below the fist"?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : By "below the fist," we mean we need to understand what its specific limit is.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is a question that is asked frequently, without a doubt. The specific limit that cannot be avoided and to which one must submit is what can be grasped. What is the beard linguistically? It is the hair that grows on the two cheeks on the two bones extending to the jaw. So we cannot grasp the beard, for example, from its root. We cannot grasp the beard from here. So everyone with us can do this experiment: keep going down like this, like this, like this, like this, until one is able to grasp it. At that point, the disagreement remains: is it from the root of the beard or slightly above it? The apparent view is slightly above it, which is what can be grasped, along with a bit of what is linguistically called the chin. Calling the beard the chin is an error, because linguistically there is no difference between the man and the woman regarding the chin. The woman has a chin, whereas the man has a beard and a chin. Now, the beard... regarding the woman, the chin is these two jaws on which the beard grows. So this lower chin can be grasped, as you see. Therefore, the fist is from the root of the beard to slightly above it. So whatever extends below the fist, it is permissible to take it. This is what we understand from the specific limit that is authentic from 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar ibn al-Khattab. Do not let it grow long, O Shaykh Ahmad, and then you will establish a bad custom.
The questioner: Yes, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : You will establish a bad custom... regarding the question.
The questioner : ... they say... between two fingers... then...
The Shaykh : Two fingers.
The questioner : Yes, this...
The Shaykh : The fist, my brother, is the grasp of the palm, and the two fingers were not mentioned in the hadith, and praise be to Allah.
Other than that?
The Shaykh : Yes, this is a question that is asked frequently, without a doubt. The specific limit that cannot be avoided and to which one must submit is what can be grasped. What is the beard linguistically? It is the hair that grows on the two cheeks on the two bones extending to the jaw. So we cannot grasp the beard, for example, from its root. We cannot grasp the beard from here. So everyone with us can do this experiment: keep going down like this, like this, like this, like this, until one is able to grasp it. At that point, the disagreement remains: is it from the root of the beard or slightly above it? The apparent view is slightly above it, which is what can be grasped, along with a bit of what is linguistically called the chin. Calling the beard the chin is an error, because linguistically there is no difference between the man and the woman regarding the chin. The woman has a chin, whereas the man has a beard and a chin. Now, the beard... regarding the woman, the chin is these two jaws on which the beard grows. So this lower chin can be grasped, as you see. Therefore, the fist is from the root of the beard to slightly above it. So whatever extends below the fist, it is permissible to take it. This is what we understand from the specific limit that is authentic from 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar ibn al-Khattab. Do not let it grow long, O Shaykh Ahmad, and then you will establish a bad custom.
The questioner: Yes, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : You will establish a bad custom... regarding the question.
The questioner : ... they say... between two fingers... then...
The Shaykh : Two fingers.
The questioner : Yes, this...
The Shaykh : The fist, my brother, is the grasp of the palm, and the two fingers were not mentioned in the hadith, and praise be to Allah.
Other than that?
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.