Keeping beard, religious obligation?
Question:
Assalamualaykum akhi kareem,
How do you infer that some is religious in nature. If the beard is not religious in nature why would the Prophet Mohammed (May peace and blessings be upon him) command his companions to grow the beard.
Answer:
Assalamu Alaykum,
We can infer that something is religious in nature if it is directed in the Qur’an or is established by the prophet (pbuh) as a religious act in the Sunnah.
None of the above applies to growing beard. This is why unlike the established Sunnah, there is no full agreement about obligation of having beard. While it is true that vast majority consider it to be obligation, there are also scholars who do not consider it as such, and there are scholars and very respected memorisers and reciters of the Qur’an who themselves do not keep beard.
In general we should appreciate that Shari’ah is not interested in our fashion and way of look or dressing, unless this is for a reason that relates to our tazkiyah. If you look at the totality of the hadiths about beard you will recognise that the reason was never meant to be a 'purely' religious one (i.e. for the sake of tazkiyah), rather, there was a political - religious reason. In the most complete versions of these hadiths the reason is also given: 'to be different from Jews, to be different from Polytheists'.
As it is clear from the above, this was a situational directive given by the prophet (pbuh) for his companions to not resemble polytheists and Jews in Mecca and Medina who were at the time, among the enemies of the prophet (pbuh) and had become kafir (infidel) by rejecting the message of the prophet (pbuh) out of arrogance rather than ignorance.
The situation now is totally different. To start with, polytheists (if they exist) and Jews today are typically not in the category of infidels (kuffar), they are simply non-Muslims. Also, we can no longer say that shortening or cutting the beard is a practice done by Jews and Polytheists. The reason for considering beard an obligation is therefore no longer applicable.
Also consider this:
You perhaps have heard the story that some people from Persia were sent by their king to the prophet (pbuh) and that the prophet (pbuh) felt disgusted when he found they had long mustache and no beard. The story says that the prophet (pbuh) asked them to grow their beard before seeing him.
Now the question for a keen student of Islam will be 'why' did the prophet (pbuh) instructed them to do so? The answer cannot be ‘because it was part of the Shari’ah’, simply because those messengers were not Muslims. In my understanding it was in fact the prophet’s (pbuh) sense and appreciation of what looks natural on man, that prompted him to give such order.
To conclude, we may say as a matter of opinion that it is closer to the nature of men to have beard, and of course many may disagree with this opinion. However we cannot say that having beard is a religious obligation.
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September 2015
Assalamualaykum akhi kareem,
How do you infer that some is religious in nature. If the beard is not religious in nature why would the Prophet Mohammed (May peace and blessings be upon him) command his companions to grow the beard.
Answer:
Assalamu Alaykum,
We can infer that something is religious in nature if it is directed in the Qur’an or is established by the prophet (pbuh) as a religious act in the Sunnah.
None of the above applies to growing beard. This is why unlike the established Sunnah, there is no full agreement about obligation of having beard. While it is true that vast majority consider it to be obligation, there are also scholars who do not consider it as such, and there are scholars and very respected memorisers and reciters of the Qur’an who themselves do not keep beard.
In general we should appreciate that Shari’ah is not interested in our fashion and way of look or dressing, unless this is for a reason that relates to our tazkiyah. If you look at the totality of the hadiths about beard you will recognise that the reason was never meant to be a 'purely' religious one (i.e. for the sake of tazkiyah), rather, there was a political - religious reason. In the most complete versions of these hadiths the reason is also given: 'to be different from Jews, to be different from Polytheists'.
As it is clear from the above, this was a situational directive given by the prophet (pbuh) for his companions to not resemble polytheists and Jews in Mecca and Medina who were at the time, among the enemies of the prophet (pbuh) and had become kafir (infidel) by rejecting the message of the prophet (pbuh) out of arrogance rather than ignorance.
The situation now is totally different. To start with, polytheists (if they exist) and Jews today are typically not in the category of infidels (kuffar), they are simply non-Muslims. Also, we can no longer say that shortening or cutting the beard is a practice done by Jews and Polytheists. The reason for considering beard an obligation is therefore no longer applicable.
Also consider this:
You perhaps have heard the story that some people from Persia were sent by their king to the prophet (pbuh) and that the prophet (pbuh) felt disgusted when he found they had long mustache and no beard. The story says that the prophet (pbuh) asked them to grow their beard before seeing him.
Now the question for a keen student of Islam will be 'why' did the prophet (pbuh) instructed them to do so? The answer cannot be ‘because it was part of the Shari’ah’, simply because those messengers were not Muslims. In my understanding it was in fact the prophet’s (pbuh) sense and appreciation of what looks natural on man, that prompted him to give such order.
To conclude, we may say as a matter of opinion that it is closer to the nature of men to have beard, and of course many may disagree with this opinion. However we cannot say that having beard is a religious obligation.
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September 2015
