‘The’ Beard in Islam

“But he doesn’t have a beard!” proclaimed a dear friend referring to a religious scholar I follow closely. His stance being that if he doesn’t have a beard, then there is little room left for him to be taken seriously as a man of faith. My initial reaction to the comment was shock and awe, accompanied by a counter “so what?” question. Then there was the usual argument, with both of us thrusting our opinions on to the other and hence the impetus for me to look in to the matter closely. What follows is my understanding on this matter – and others like it – in the context of our faith, Islam.

God has given us guidance primarily in two ways, first by embedding a set of instructions in our natural state, also known as the Fitra, and secondly, by way of His prophets and holy scriptures.

Our fitra includes, but is not limited to recognising that there is a Creator of the universe, considering lying as uncouth, covering our bodies, being courteous, etc. There has never been any need to have elaborate rulings or injunctions on these matters, just reminders. Similarly there are matters pertaining to one’s physical upkeep. These are mainly passed over from one generation to the next. How to dress, what to wear, what to eat and what to stay away from, what is presentable, what is not, etc.,  are questions for which the answers come to us quite naturally at this stage of our evolution.

Now regarding matters pertaining to men and women, facial hair for men is a natural phenomenon. It is also known that all prophets have known to have adorned beards, and so did their immediate followers. We can say that it was generally liked.

We could see from the prohpet’s (pbuh) life that he was a beacon of modesty. All his words and actions intrinsically stayed away from anything close to the display of arrogance. Both the Quran and Hadith direct to embrace modesty and push away arrogant behaviour. The Quran however does not make beard a subject at all. The hadith on the other hand, refers to it not in the context of a directive, but in the same context of modesty that the Quran talks about very strongly in 31:18-19.

“And do not become indifferent to people nor walk proudly on the earth: God does not like the arrogant and the one who expresses vanity and be modest in your gait and keep your voice low; indeed, the most hideous of voices is the braying of the ass.”

This syncs in clearly with the prohibitions the prophet (pbuh) applied to anything that propagates arrogant behaviour. For example, the use of silk and gold by men, et al.

The hadith that gets referred most for keeping the beard is in the same context. Here, he urged people having short beards and large moustaches to give up this arrogant appearance and said that one should satisfy one’s passion by increasing the length of the beard but moustaches should be trim in all circumstances. (Al-Bukhari, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, 1036, (no. 5892); Muslim, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, 125, (no. 602).) Just like so many other hadiths looked out of context, this one has also claimed that status of a directive, which it is clearly not.

He is also reported to have said: “He who wore a dress to show his status, the Almighty will clothe him with the dress of humiliation on the Day of Judgement, and then fire shall be ignited in it.” He is similarly reported to have said: “On the Day of Judgement, God will not wish to see a person who walked conceitedly by dragging his legware.” (Ibn Majah, Sunan, vol. 4, 186, (no. 3607). Al-Bukhari, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, 1020-1021, (no. 5783); Muslim, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, 933, (no. 5455)).

This clearly tells us that the intention is to keep an eye on one’s actions that stray into the category of being arrogant. By no means he (pbuh) was propagating or directing anyone to keep longer beards per se, as part of a religious injunction. In other words, if at all you intend to grow a beard, fashion it with humility, grace ,and civility.

So what is it exactly – if I can word the question correctly – that is part of our deen? Is it to grow a long beard and shave off the moustache? Or is it to ensure, at all times, that you are mindful of not indulging in any arrogant behaviour?

My primary intention to read and write on this particular subject was not just that, i.e., just write about it, but what we should ask ourselves before fixating our thoughts and actions on certain subjects pertaining to our faith. And the pertinent question we should ask ourselves everytime is: is what I am believing and following part of the deen given to me? The framework to answer this question is quite simple. What does the Quran and hadith say about the issue? If the Quran clearly supports the claim, then it is a pretty straightforward matter and no further investigation is required.

However, in areas where the Quran remains silent, or there is some doubt in the interpretation, then any hadith in that particular case would have to be examined and analysed in its entirety. The hadith’s context, its background, authenticity, chain, language, applicability, etc, would all have to be questioned. This is because if we are to believe and implement something as part of our deen, then any ambiguity in it cannot be ignored on the basis of the benefit of doubt or any other principle. It has to be crystal clear, otherwise we can easily be accused of introducing new elements in our faith.

Contemplation and analysis is a cornerstone of our faith. It stems from the principle of rationality, pushing us all to understand the real meaning of all facets of our deen.

“Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’an, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?” (Muhammad 47:24).