Full beard - Sunnah of all Prophets (May peace be upon them)

 As per the Sunnah, a beard is one fistful or more than it.  If it is less than that, then growing a beard or not becomes one and the same.  That person is abandoning a Compulsory Sunnah (Sunnah Moukkada) and similarly this person is also abandoning the Sunnah by having a beard which is less than 1 fistful.  Nowadays, some people say:  A Sunnah beard is one which can be seen from some distance!  This is entirely wrong.  The Prophets (May peace be upon them) and the Saints never did anything like this.

 

        That Hadhrat Moosa (May peace be upon him) seized his brother by his beard is established by the Holy Quran.  This also clearly shows that a beard cannot be grasped until it is 1 fistful in length or more.  Growing a beard more than 1 fistful in length is the Sunnah of the Prophets (May peace be upon them) as well.  This has been the custom of the saints of all countries in all times.  They have also kept full beards.  Nowhere will you find an elder who has shaved off his beard.  It is well nigh impossible for a person who does not have a Shariah beard, which is at least 1 fistful in length, to be a saint.  Some slaves of Allah Most High sport stubbles.  Having such a beard or not having it at all, both are equal.  They are also reckoned among those who don’t grow beards.  Thus, fear Allah Most High and develop a resemblance to the saints and elders.

 

Salaat is not valid in the lead of a person who shaves off the beard or doesn’t have a full beard.  This is because they have abandoned such a deed which is nearly Compulsory (Wajib), as the beard is mentioned in the Holy Quran and Hadith and a Sunnah beard (1 fistful or more) is also established by the custom of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and His Companions.  Thus, following it is necessary for every Muslim.

 

There is a famous incident of a poet that an Iranian person read his poetry and on account of the Sufistic tone of it, became quite devoted to the poet.  Due to this devotion, he traveled from Iran to India only to meet the said poet.  When he met the poet, he was getting his beard shaved.  That Iranian person was astonished and said:  Alas!  I have wasted the time and money that I have spent in coming from Iran to India.  The result is zero.  It was my thought that I will benefit from meeting a saintly personage, but here the situation is really strange. 

 

At last, he couldn’t control himself any longer and told the poet:  Sir!  Why are you shaving the beard?  The poet replied:  I am getting my beard shaved, not shearing someone’s heart.  On this, the Iranian person replied:  Sir!  By this, you aren’t hurting any common person’s heart, but are agonizing the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is informed of every action/deed of His followers.  Is this good for a follower of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) that his (or her) deeds pain the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)?

 

The moment the Iranian said this, the poet cried out and fainted.  When he came to, he said:  May Allah bless you!  You have made me aware of a big mistake of mine.  Until now, I had never given the beard so much importance.

 

When Iblees (Satan) didn’t prostrate to Hadhrat Aadam (May peace be upon him) in spite of the divine decree and was cursed, he asked for time until the Day of Judgment.  After the acceptance of this request, whatever he said about misguiding the progeny of Hadhrat Aadam (May peace be upon him) is mentioned in the Holy Quran in Surah Nisa.

 

Iblees, the accursed, said that I will teach them to change the creation of Allah Most High, not as per the will of Almighty Allah, but as per my wishes.  Like beards and moustaches.  They are also created by Almighty Allah, but instead of the order and custom Allah Most High and His Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) respectively, which is to trim moustaches and grow beards, I will make them make changes as per my (i.e. Satan’s) wish that is they will grow or shave moustaches and shave beards.  Thus, shaving off the beard and the moustache or growing moustaches and shaving beards or sporting beards less than 1 fistful are all satanic acts.

 

Alas!  Those who make changes in their beards as per the Shariah, they haven’t understood that even though all sins can be done away with repentance at the time of death, but to wipe away this sin a whole year is required.  Only then will a beard grow to the length demanded by the Sunnah!  If someone dies before this and the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) sees him through the path which runs from the grave of every Muslim to the blessed grave of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and questions that person:  O follower of Mine!  Does your face resemble My face?  Then what answer can one give.  One should consider this.

 

Other nations and even some Muslims grow a beard for the fulfillment of a wish and when that wish is fulfilled, they shave off their beards.  There is something of note here.  Almighty Allah is the One who fulfills their wishes.  The wishes of those disobedient folk are fulfilled only because they develop a resemblance to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  The way the magicians of the Pharaoh were guided only because they had struck a resemblance with the friend of Almighty Allah, Hadhrat Moosa (May peace be upon him), although they had done so to mock him.  Then just think of those Muslims who keep a beard for their whole lives in obedience to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), how much deserving are they of reward and honor?

 

Growing a beard to the length of 1 fistful or even more than that is well established by the Hadith and by the practice of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and the Companions (May Allah be well pleased with them).  Thus, we should also avoid lapses in following this well-established Sunnah.

 

In light of this, that Iranian coming to India bearing huge expenses and difficulties wasn’t waste but the great reward of that poet repenting and growing a beard from then on will also be given to him.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  Grow your beards and trim your moustaches in contrariety with the polytheists.

 

There is another Hadith:  Trim well your moustaches and grow your beards.  (Universally accepted)

 

It is mentioned in another Hadith:  In trimming moustaches, nails and shaving armpits and pubic hair, the delay should not be more than 40 days.

 

Another Hadith says:  In the last days, there will be some people who will dye their beards and hair.  They will not get even the fragrance of paradise.  Only Henna (Mehndi) can be used as dye.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) also said:  Don’t remove white hair from your beard.  Because they are a sign of old age and old age leads to radiance.  That person whose even a single hair becomes white as a Muslim, Almighty Allah grants him the reward of 1 virtue and forgives 1 sin and raises the spiritual status of that person by 1 degree.

 

In growing beards, this should also be kept in mind that time and again, the beard should be trimmed and shaped.  Some people just let their beards grow and don’t trim their moustaches as well.  This is not correct.  For this reason, as per need, these things should be done on Thursday.

 

Growing a beard is not only a Sunnah but also an adornment for a man’s face.

 

Beards shouldn’t be grown in such a manner that the face looks ugly.  This is also against the Sunnah.  Once, Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) saw a Companion whose beard had grown too long.  He said:  Doesn’t he care about his own face?  And Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) took him to the barber.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would clean His beard by passing fingers through the beard.  He would oil his hair and His beard.  Never did His moustache grow to the point that they dipped in, while drinking water, which would make that water Undesirable (Makruh).