Islamic marriage advice and family advice

Is it necessary to have a beard in Islam

sunnah beard

Assalamoalaikum

I am a muslim, is it necessary to be beard? I find myself incomplete without following the actions of my prophet MOHAMMAD PEACE BE UPON HIM.

Is it a sin not keeping yourself beard?

Can anyone help me, encourage me, advise me to keep it. If its not an option, ive always been a very gothic and a bad deed guy, but now am very sensitive about everything.

My surroundings dont encourage me to keep a beard since no one among my family and relatives has  it .

- sadiq


Tagged as: , , , ,

10 Responses »

  1. Sadiq, As-salamu alaykum,

    Yes, it is required for Muslim men to have a beard. If you do not do it, it does not mean that you are a disbeliever. But it means that you are violating an important Sunnah and command of the Prophet Muhammad (sws).

    Here's what islamonline.net have to say about this:

    *****

    Elaborating on this we’d like to cite for you the following Fatwa on the ruling of growing beard issued by Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who states:

    "Growing a beard is considered a great Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is also one of the great legacies inherited from all of the previous prophets and messengers of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us: “Grow your beards and trim or clip the moustaches.” In light of such precedents, most of the past scholars and Imams go as far as declaring that growing a beard is obligatory on males.

    What we stated above makes it clear that no Muslim should take the issue of the beard lightly. At the same time, we must also state categorically that one should not conclude from what has been said earlier that growing a beard in Islam has the same religious significance as that of the other prescribed rituals. This is definitely not the case. Thus it is important for us to recognize that we are not allowed to ostracize men who do not have beards nor are we to question their basic faith.

    *****

    Regarding the length, some scholars have said it should be what you can hold in one fist, some have said four fingers length (the width of four fingers), and some have said that any length or shape is acceptable, but that longer is recommended. And Allah knows best.

    Wael
    IslamicAnswers.com Editor

    • Salam brother Wael,

      you may not know the exact answer for this, and forgive me, I do not mean to be rude or in any way question our dear Prophet (pbuh). However, I wonder why, i.e. what is the reason behind the prophet's (pbuh) order to grow the beard and trim the moustaches? What's the purpose of the beard and moustache?

      - May

      • I was just talking to a brother yesterday, he's African-American and he wears a kufi and a beard, and he said that other African American men often come up to him and say, "Are you Muslim?" And then they ask him questions about Islam, or talk about some Muslim friend or relative that they have.

        The reason that the Prophet (sws) gave was to distinguish ourselves from the disbelievers. And it's true, when a Muslim has a beard and wears some form of Islamic dress, he is instantly recognizable as a Muslim. Other Muslims greet him with salam on the street, and non-Muslims start up conversations about Islam. I'm sure sisters who wear hijab have the same experience with other sisters.

        Sometimes the da'wah is silent. Because I also have a beard and wear a kufi, my non-Muslim colleagues know I am Muslim. They find me to be a likeable person, so this forms a good impression in their minds of what a Muslim is like. I have one martial arts teacher who has a lot of bigoted ideas and is very conservative. He was relatively cold toward me for almost two years. Then suddenly he warmed up and began praising my progress. I think it took him that entire two years to decide that even though I'm Muslim and Arab, I'm not a bad guy. I can only hope that it may moderate his attitude toward Muslims in general, and open his mind a little bit.

        Wael
        IslamicAnswers.com Editor

      • Assalam O Alaikum brother May:)
        Although, brother Wael has given a beautiful reply but I think I may be able to add a bit more to that. Brother I read somewhere (sorry can't provide correct reference at the moment) that Holy Prophet (PBUH) advised Muslim men to keep the beards and trim the moustaches to counter what non-believers do (however, I have seen some non-Muslim who keep the beard and trim the moustaches short).
        Second reason is that, some scientific studies show that hair that we grow as our moustache excrete some sort of fluids ( I am not sure what kind of fluid that is) which pollutes the food or drink (especially) that we eat. That's why Muslim men are asked to either clean the moustaches or keep it trimmed short otherwise by coming in contact with the drink or food that we eat, it will make it Mukruh. Allah knows best.

        Wasalam,
        Your brother in Islam,
        Muhammad1982:)

        Editors, IslamicAnswers.com

  2. Salaam,

    Mashallah what is very encouraging is to see how you WANT to imitate the prophet and follow the Sunnah. May Allah reward you for ur intentions and help you act upon them, Ameen.

    Yes as it has been beautifully answered by brother Wael, it is compulsory for a Muslim man to keep the beard. Unlike many cultures which have propogated it as only a 'sunnah'..it has been clearly regarded as something more than just 'sunnah'..it is compulsory due to the fact that not only did the prophet keep one, but that he commanded the men to keep it. And when it comes to fiqh, when the prophet commands something in the deen, it becomes necessary to follow that advice, not optional.

    Trust me bro, you would look a lot more radiant and full of noor with a nicely kept beard than the gothic look! 🙂

    Was salaamu alaikum

  3. Abu Hurayrah " reported that the ruler of Yemen, appointed by the Persian emperor Kisra, sent two envoys to the Messenger !. When they came into his presence, he noticed that they had shaved their beards and let their moustaches grow big. Hating their ugly appearance, he turned his face away and said, “Woe be to you, who told you to do so?” They replied: “Our lord (Kisra) did!” The Messenger ! responded: “But my Lord, exalted and glorified be He, has commanded me to spare my beard and trim my moustaches.” [Recorded by Ibn Jarir at-Tabari, Ibn Sa’d, and Ibn Bishran. Verified to be hasan (good) by al-Albani (Fiqh us-Sirah by al-Ghazali p. 359)]

  4. assalaam u alaikum wa rehmathullah brother...i hav time and time heard da problems of people regarding beard.1st of all in various places in quraan e majid,,allah said "oh you who believe,obey allah,obey your prophet"(ya ayyuhallazina amanu ,,ati allah wa ati-ur rasool),,,and dat means watever our prophet said shud be in every way considered as farz,,,our prophet said do opposite to wat the jews do,, trem your moustaches and grow your beard wich is not just sunnah,,but also farz....

  5. ASSALAMU ALAIKUM DEAR BROTHERS

    i hearrd that a persons salah n gud deeds r not acceptable in front of allah if that person have no beard .... is that true ? please clarify

  6. asalamualaikum brother n sister

    hope ur all well inshallal

    i want to know what are the true benefits of keeping a beard? i want to be guided towards islam as i keep going the sinful way, please help me....

    jazakhullah

Leave a Response

Cancel Reply