Shaving the beard is haraam because of the saheeh ahaadeeth that clearly state this, and because of the general application of texts that forbid resembling the kuffaar. One of these reports is the hadeeth of
Hadith of Abdullah Ibn Umar
1. Narrated Nafi’: Ibn Umar said, The Prophet said, ‘Do the opposite of what the pagans do. Keep the beards and cut the moustaches short.’ Whenever Ibn ‘Umar performed the Hajj or ‘Umra, he used to hold his beard with his hand and cut whatever moustaches. Ibn Umar used to cut his moustache so short that the whiteness of his skin (above the upper lip) was visible, and he used to cut (the hair) between his moustaches and his beard. (Bukhari Book 72 Hadith 780)
2. According to another report: ‘Be different from the mushrikeen: cut the moustache and let the beard grow.” Narrated by Muslim, 602.
3. And Muslim (383) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Trim the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the Magians (Zoroastrians).”
4. On one occasion, when the Prophet s.a.w received two of Kissra’s11 emissaries, he
disliked to look at them when he saw that they were shaven and with grown
mustaches. He ρ said:
“ويلَكُما من أمرَآُما بهذا؟” “Woe to you! Who ordered you to do this? They said: “Our Lord (meaning their
Kissra)”. The Messenger of Allaah ρ then said: “But my Rabb (Allaah) ordered
me to let my beard grow and to trim my mustache.”
The imperative wording in the Prophet’s statement indicates that it is obligatory
to comply with the command, and as such, the one who complies will be
rewarded and the one who does not is subject to punishment (i.e. as Allaah
(SW) wishes).
5. Mother of the Believers, ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها , said that the Prophet s.a.w said:
عشرة من الفطرة : قص الشارب، وإعفاء اللحية، والسِّواك، ” :ρ قال رسول الله
واستنشاق الماء، وقص الأظافر، وغسل البراجم، ونتف الإبط، وحلق العانة،
وانتقاص الماء .”قال أحد الرواة :(ونسيت العاشرة إلا أن تكون المضمضة )
(رواه مسلم)
“Ten are the acts of Fitrah: clipping the mustache, letting the beard grow, using as-Siwaak, snuffing up water in the nose, cutting the nails, washing the finger joints, plucking the hair under the armpits, shaving the pubes, and cleaning one’s private parts with water. The narrator said, ‘I have forgotten the tenth, but it may have been rinsing the mouth.'” { Muslim in his Saheeh, V.1, hadeeth # 502. }
The Fitrah is the state upon which the creation of Allaah’s bondsmen has been initiated. He implanted within their nature, its execution, an inclination towards it, and a tendency to like it; He brought them to dislike what contradicts it. In fact, if a man abandons the qualities of Fitrah, his feature will no longer be like that of human being,-then how should one from amongst the common people of Islam, the Deen of Fitrah, be?!
The person on a straight Fitrah which is not spoiled by the influence of the surrounding environment, keeps inclined by his nature to dislike anything of his body that is not part of its natural beauty. He is also inclined to like the created characteristics of Fitrah, even in the absence of any revealed legislation
concerning them. So, how about when they came within the Laws revealed to all of the Prophets from Allaah?
As-Suyuti, may Allah’s Mercy be upon him, said: “The best that has been said about the explanation of Fitrah is that it is the old Sunnah (way) chosen by the Prophets which is in agreement with (all) the revealed Laws, thus, indicating that it is a matter upon which they have been created.”
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The Qur’aan, Sunnah and ijmaa’ (scholarly consensus) all indicate that we must differ from the kuffaar in all aspects and not imitate them, because imitating them on the outside will make us imitate them in their bad deeds and habits, and even in beliefs, which will result in befriending them in our hearts, just as loving them in our hearts will lead to imitating them on the outside.
Al-Tirmidhi reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “He is not one of us who imitates people other than us. Do not imitate the Jews and Christians.” According to another version: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad) ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab rejected the testimony of the person who plucked his beard.
Imaam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed: “It is forbidden to shave the beard, and no one does this except men who are effeminate” i.e., those who imitate women. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had a thick beard (reported by Muslim from Jaabir).
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