Growing beard not an issue.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
Your
essay on growing beards is not islamic...you say growing or no growing a beard
should not be an issue. it is an issue..it is wajib, almost faraz. How can it
be not made an issue? It is an issue. How to distinguish between a Hindo or
Christain or jew?
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in
confidentiality.)
Answer:
Growing beard not an
issue
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His
help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide,
and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear
witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His
Messengers.
Growing a beard was considered
normal and natural for a man at the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws), whether he was a believer or not. Even the enemies of Islam like Abu Jahl and
Abu Lahb had beards! And because every
man naturally grew a beard, it was not
necessary for the Prophet (saws) to give an explicit command exhorting the
believers to grow a beard.
The only specific saying of the
Prophet (saws) regarding the keeping of beards arose when he saw that the
pagans used to grow both their beards and their mustaches long; thus he (saws) said to the believers:
Ibn 'Umar related
that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Differ from the polytheists: let
your beards (grow), and trim your moustache."
Related by al-Bukhari
and Muslim.
It was only a couple of
centuries ago, when the western culture
and ideology became dominant over the world and muslim lands, that it became a fashion to be clean shaven. And as with any dominant culture, people are always ready to adopt its
actions, whether they are of virtue, or
of vice! But Islam has its own
culture, and growing a beard is part of
the Islamic culture.
The question is why should a
believer, who professes to believe in
Allah and the Last Day, and who professes
to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), want to grow a beard?
The answer is simple. Today, you
might have seen many youngsters copy the fashion of sport-stars,
Hollywood-stars or anybody else whom they love. If you notice today, many hot
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzab verse 21:
There is indeed the
best model for you in the Messenger of Allah, for every such person looks
forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remember Allah much.
In another narration, the
Prophet of Allah said in narrating a prophecy of times to come:
Sahih Al-Bukhari
Hadith 9.651 Narrated by Abu Said
Al Khudri
The Prophet (saws)
said: “There will emerge from the East some people who will recite the Quran,
but it will not exceed their throats, and who will go out of the deen of Islam
as an arrow passes through the game. They will never come back to it unless the
arrow comes back to the middle of the bow by itself (i.e. impossible!). The
companions asked, "What will their signs be?". The Prophet (saws)
said: "Their sign will be the habit of shaving off of their
beards".
Thus the keeping of beards is an
encouraged and preferred Sunnah of the Prophet (saws) and every muslim must
strive to keep a beard, if his model is indeed the Prophet of Allah (saws). He
will get his due reward from Allah, Insha Allah, if he keeps the beard to
follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).
But if a believer does not want
to sport a beard for whatever reason, the other believers should not make
an issue out of it. What is
important in Islam and in the Sight of Allah, is that one truly believes and
does good righteous deeds. And when
that happens, it is expected that the beard will follow soon after!
The beard is nothing more than a
sign that the believer truly wants to follow a Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah
(saws). There are many people who have
long beards, but do deeds against the
commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws).
And there are many people who are amongst the best believers, but do not have beards! Allah will not decide the recipient of His
Mercy and His Forgiveness from the appearance of the individual; but rather He will decide whether the person
believed and did righteous deeds, as he was commanded by Allah and His
Messenger (saws).
Your
Question: Your essay on growing beards is not islamic...you say growing or no
growing a beard should not be an issue. it is an issue..it is wajib, almost
faraz. How can it be not made an issue? It is an issue.
Respected brother in Islam, we sincerely seek your
forgiveness and above all the forgiveness of our Lord Most Majestic if
something we have said or written has given rise to any misunderstanding.
The adorning of a beard is indeed an extremely preferred
Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws); and it would only behove and befit a
believing male who claims to believe and follow the Messenger of Allah (saws)
that he adorn himself with a beard.
Allah forbid we state that the adorning of a beard for an
adult believing male is ‘not’ an issue….for Allah is our witness brother, it
indeed is an issue in Islam. All we wish
to emphasis was that if one amongst the brothers chooses not to follow the
Sunnah and adorn himself with a beard, or one chooses to trim their beard
short, etc. the other believers should not make a big issue out of it
and declare them sinners, or Allah forbid, disbelievers, etc.
As much as the adorning of a beard is an extremely
preferred Sunnah, and as much as it is an issue in Islam….all we were trying to
say was that one should not make it a bigger issue than it really is. The Lord Most Majestic, Most
High will not decide the recipient of His Mercy and His Forgiveness from the
appearance of the individual; but rather
He will decide whether the person believed and did righteous deeds, as he was
commanded by Allah and His Messenger (saws).
If one chooses to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and
adorn himself with a beard, he will have his due reward in the Presence of his
Lord; and if for any reason, one amongst the believers chooses not to adorn
himself with a beard, or chooses to trim his beard short….the absolute maximum
one can say is that the person missed a good opportunity to earn extra rewards
without declaring such a brother a grave sinner or Allah forbid, a disbeliever!
Your
Question: How to distinguish between a Hindo or Christain or jew?
Respected brother in Islam, it
is not the adorning of a beard which distinguishes a believer from a
disbeliever….but it is the elements of belief and doing of righteous good deeds
for the Pleasure of Allah Subhanah alone which distinguishes and differentiates
a believer from a disbeliever.
The guidance for adorning
oneself with a beard was never meant to distinguish a believer from a
disbeliever. Since time immemorial, it
was only natural and accepted as the norm for every adult man, regardless of
whether one was a believer or a disbeliever….every man used to sport a
beard! If one merely looks at the
pictures or demonstrations of old Hindu, Christian, Jewish, or any other pagan
kings and nobles….one would notice that almost all them sported beards.
Respected brother, in all
humility and sincerity, we again ask for your understanding and your
forgiveness if anything we have stated has given rise to any
misunderstanding….for Allah is our witness brother, at a time when even the
best of intentions are misunderstood or mis-interpreted in the Ummah, we do not
wish to be amongst those who cause differences in the Ummah and Brotherhood of
the believers.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is
the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister