Does Not Growing a Beard takes a Person outside the fold of Islam ?

[anonymous]

If a person clean shaves himself despite knowing that he has to grow beard and trim moustache as per islamic teaching . will this make him a kaafir and take him outside the fold of islam ?

[Ali_008]

No, it doesn't. The beard is a highly recommended sunnat of the Prophet :saws:, but it has been given a lot more importance than it should be. The beard has been exaggerated so much that some people even confuse it with being fard which it isn't. Although it is a very respectable practice, and is a means of getting closer to Allah, one should also be aware that there are more important deeds that need to be taken care of than growing your beard. I've actually seen people ridiculing successful daais just because they don't have a long beard, or choose to have it a particular way. They forget to notice that even without a particular style of beard that particular man is doing a lot more for his deen than you are just by sitting somewhere and doing commentary.

Even when male reverts are entering into the fold of Islam, the first thing they are asked to do right after proclaiming shahadah is to grow a beard and have the trousers shortened up to the ankles. Salaah, zakaat, ramadaan, hajj, dawah, jihad, fiqh, rights, prohibitions, permissions, all those essential parts of Islam become secondary.

It is a good practice, and beloved by Rasoolullah :saws:, but not having it does not make you a kaafir.

[Insaanah]

:salam:

While it is correct that not keeping a beard does not take a person outside the fold of Islam, the beard has been trivialised, and that too by lay people. It is a command of the Prophet :saws:, it is mentioned in a hadeeth as being part of the fitrah for a man, and the four imams and other righteous salaf agree on the beards being waajib at the very least, with some saying it is fard, and shaving it or deliberately not keeping it, is haraam (makrooh in shaafi'ee school). There is nothing unimportant or trivial about it.

The reason given for trivialising it, is usually that there are bigger/more important issues as Muslims that we need to concentrate on. What people don't realise, is that they take the time to shave a beard, they make an active effort to do so, buy a razor, buy shaving cream, actually shave, i.e. spend time and money, but when it comes to letting it grow, which takes no active effort from a man and is in accordance with the sunnah, somehow, that can't be done, even though it is clearly the easier of the two options. Even some non-Muslims keep beards, so it not as though one is sticking out like a sore thumb. Yet somehow, we make active efforts to say that in the grand scheme of things it is not important, and to negate it's importance, we actively make an effort, using time and money, by shaving.

It is not the case that one should concentrate on bigger things before keeping the beard, or if one decides to do the "important things" and keep the beard, then that's wrong. There is no reason for us to make hierarchies in the deen of what we personally deem important and we personally don't deem important. It is not correct to pitch one different fard act against another and then to reach the conclusion that act a is not as important as compared to act b. Both are important, in their own ways. The five pillars have their own position, but there are acts other than the five pillars which are compulsory in Islam, the keeping of the beard being one of them.

So I would encourage all brothers to stop shaving, regardless of level of deen. And work on your deen at the same time. The beard is a part of the deen. You will not lose anything by doing so, and if your motive is to please Allah, you will only gain reward :ia:.

May our brothers love their beards, love the keeping of them, and love emulating and obeying the one who commanded them to be kept, :saws:.

And Allah knows best.

[Salahudeen]

It is a sin to clean shave it according to the opinion of many great scholars however it does not take you out the fold of Islam. The scholars of the religion are of the opinion that it is haraam to clean shave it based upon the authentic hadiths. They differed on the length that one has to grow it though. Granted there are bigger issues at hand but the fact we have bigger and more important issues to deal with does not change the ruling of something or it's importance.

Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.

When you create an account, you can participate in the discussions and share your thoughts. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and make new friends.
Sign Up

[anonymous]

Thank you very much for the replies . I would also like to know if a man wears a a synthetic wig or hair extensions with the sole intention to remove the ugliness of his head and look young to his wife despite knowing that wig is haraam . will this make a kaafir and take him outside the fold of islam ?

[Salahudeen]

Thank you very much for the replies . I would also like to know if a man wears a a synthetic wig or hair extensions with the sole intention to remove the ugliness of his head and look young to his wife despite knowing that wig is haraam . will this make a kaafir and take him outside the fold of islam ?

QUESTION: If a wig is made out of synthetic fibres, is it still forbidden? If we were participating in a play or some such activity, where we might want to wear a wig for a very short period of time is it still forbidden? i.e. a young woman playing an old woman in a play. Is there any sort of ruling on those hair extensions that are available in malls?

ANSWER:

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

Wearing the hair of another human, man or a woman, or joining human hair to one’s hair has been clearly forbidden by the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace), as it involves deception and using a part of the human body, both of which are unlawful.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Allah has cursed the woman who joins (her or someone else’s) hair (with the hair of another man or a woman) and the woman who asks for her hair to be joined (with the hair of another person) and the one who tattoos (herself or someone else) and the one asks to get tattooed.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 5589) The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) forbade this to such an extent that he did not even permit it for a woman whose natural hair had fallen off.



Sayyida A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) narrates that an Ansari girl was married and became sick hence all her hair fell out. They (her family and friends) intended to join her hair with false hair, so they asked the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) who said: “Allah has cursed the woman who joins her or someone else’s hair (with the hair of another man or woman) and the woman who asks for her hair to be joined with the hair of another.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no 5590)

Therefore, using human hair in any shape or form would be unlawful. It is prohibited to join one’s hair with the hair of another human or to wear a wig made out of human hair, regardless of whether the hair is completely joined and fitted into the hair or whether it is merely a wig which can be removed and re-worn whenever one desires. The ruling would be same even if one had a valid excuse in that one’s hair fell out, as the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) did not permit it even in such situations.

Similarly, it will not be permitted to use the hair of a pig due to it being filthy and impure (najis). The jurists (fuqaha) state that it is unlawful to use any part of a human (Muslim or non-Muslim) due to its sanctity, and a pig because all parts of a pig are considered impure (najis). (See: al-Lubab fi sharh al-Kitab, 1/47)

As far as using a wig, made from animal hair (other than a pig) or synthetic fibres, is concerned, the Fuqaha state that this is permitted, regardless of whether the hair is completely fitted into one’s hair or it is a removable wig.

It is stated in al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya:

“To join one’s hair with the hair of another human is unlawful (haram), whether it is one’s own (removed) hair or someone else’s hair, as mentioned in al-Ikhtiyar sharh al-Mukhtar. However, there is nothing wrong (la ba’s) for a woman to put the fur (hair) of a camel or a goat (m: or other animals except a pig) in her hair strands, as mentioned in Qadikhan.” (al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, 5/358)

The permissibility of using synthetic hair is related from Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Abbas, Sayyida Umm Salama, Sayyida A’isha (who narrates the Hadith prohibiting using human hair) and other Companions (Allah be pleased with them all). (See: Ayni, Umdat al-Qari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, 22/64)

Some scholars disliked the joining of even synthetic and animal hair if it was completely attached and fitted to one’s own hair in a way that it is difficult to differentiate between the two, as it is a form of deception. However, many scholars permit it even if the wig or synthetic hair was completely fitted into one’s own hair.

It is also worth noting here that if the wig is fitted to the hair or body in a way that it is not detachable, then it will be permitted to wipe over the wig when performing ablution (wudu), and taking a ritual obligatory bath (ghusl) will be valid with keeping the wig on. However, if it is a removable wig, then one will have to remove it when performing Wudu or Ghusl. (See: Takmila Fath al-Mulhim, 4/191)

And Allah knows best
Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari

Darul Iftaa, Leicester, UK


http://www.islamicboard.com/advice-s...-wear-wig.html

[Ali_008]

I do not disagree with what sister Insaanah said, rather it is just another side of the argument which I presented. I said that it is given more importance in the believing folk, and she says the laymen have trivialized it to greatest lows. There are two sides of the same point. As I mentioned in my post, people are becoming judgmental when it comes to the beard. I remember when I myself used to judge people based on whether someone has a beard or not. Beard is a highly recommended sunnah, and according to some schools, it is even fard, but what I'm saying is not related to its level of application. I'm talking about how it has become a requisite of being a Muslim.

If you want to be a Muslim, you have to have a beard. The knowledge of the other deeds will follow later. By following this method, we are creating empty shells of Muslims, and sending them out to the world. I'm sure that there are millions of Muslims around the world who have a beard, but does the number reflect equally when it comes to Muslims behaving like a devout follower of Islam? There are Muslims whose behavior will put the unbelievers to shame, and they do it all while sporting a beard, and when you ask them how can you do such and such whilst being a Muslim, he will easily say I have a beard, I'm more of a Muslim than you. Alhamdulillah, I have a beard, and I love it (although it itches once in a while ;D). I'm not trying to start an anti-beard campaign, but just venting my thoughts that other deeds should given equal - if not more - importance as growing a beard.

The beard should be like an indicator of a helpline. When you see a guy with a beard (and a skullcap), you should get the feeling that you can ask him anything about Islam, and get a convincing answer. That is what is missing today, there is the beard, but not the knowledge. I completely agree that the beard has been trivialized incredibly by the laymen. I had my own share of opposition when I started growing it. I was 17, and was getting advice from all nooks and corners about how I can be a good Muslim even without a beard. I was even offended at times when that was happening, but in the end, I resorted to keeping it. Now after all that time and whatever happened in between, I realized that just because something is coming from not-so-friendly territory, it doesn't mean it is wrong. I know all the arguments presented to me were only done so with the intention of preventing me from keeping a beard, but their wisdom still stands true. A very close relative of mine had said "first focus on being kind to people, learn to forgive, grow patient, work for the welfare of the people, foster generosity, become an example for the people around you to follow, and then grow a beard."

Now, read that statement again, and notice how the last part of the statement is like a sting that poisons the entire thing; and among all the deeds mentioned in there, which is the most prevalent one in today's world? I'm just saying that the need of the hour is not your facial hair, but protecting the honor of not just Muslims around the world, but even Rasoolullah :saws:. Plus, when you busy yourself with the other deeds, you don’t find any time for shaving anyway, and the beard grows on its own.

Additionally, prioritizing deeds is not my invention. It is a part of Islam. There is a hierarchy of deeds. Like how you’re supposed to offer fard salaah (obligatory) even on the battlefield whereas if you’re offering “nawafeel salaah” (voluntary) and your mother calls for you, you are expected to give up your salaah, and answer her. Similarly, in a country with a declining population of men due to war or any other reason, it is encouraged for the remainder men of such countries to take more than one wife. All the other times, polygamy is a choice whilst in such crises, it becomes an encouraged deed.

Btw, isn't this Shawn Michaels?