Surah Taa-Haa (20) — Ayah 94

(Ayah 94) ➊ { قَالَ يَبْنَؤُمَّ لَا تَاْخُذْ … : ’’ يَبْنَؤُمَّ ‘‘} In origin, it was {’’يَا ابْنَ أُمِّيْ‘‘}, after changing the ya to an alif, it was omitted. Harun (peace be upon him) addressed Musa (peace be upon him) as "son of my mother" to soften his heart, because the kinship from the mother's side demands more compassion, gentleness, and love than the kinship from the father's side. (Shanqiti)

➋ { اِنِّيْ خَشِيْتُ …:} Harun (peace be upon him) presented the excuse for not continuing the journey that these people, having made the calf on the way, insisted on staying there. If I had brought the people who remained firm on monotheism to you, the nation would have split into two groups, and if I had fought those who worshipped the calf, even then two factions would have formed, whose mutual killing would have resulted in an unending severe enmity. The dominant faction was that of the calf-worshippers, and they were so powerful that they considered me completely weak and were close to killing me, so I waited for your arrival, lest you say that you caused division among the Children of Israel and did not wait for my word, because your awe and honor were present in their hearts due to your favors and the miracles granted by Allah Almighty. I hoped that you would come and handle them.

➌ {فَرَّقْتَ بَيْنَ بَنِيْۤ اِسْرَآءِيْلَ :} Some all-peace political figures, who, for the sake of votes, avoid refuting shirk in front of innovators and polytheists, and even cover graves with cloths, say that from this it is understood that if one has to tolerate shirk to keep people with oneself, then that should be done, but one should avoid causing division and losing the seat. These people did not consider that Harun (peace be upon him) did not show any leniency or compromise in the face of shirk, rather he clearly refuted shirk, preached monotheism, and emphasized following and obeying him. See verse (90). If he had not refuted shirk, why would the people have sought to kill him? Yes, seeing the circumstances, he considered it necessary to wait for Musa (peace be upon him) to arrive instead of separating or fighting, and there is nothing wrong in this.

➍ { لَا تَاْخُذْ بِلِحْيَتِيْ :} From this, it is understood that Harun (peace be upon him) had a beard, because if he had been clean-shaven, what fear would he have had of his beard being grabbed? By combining another verse of the Qur'an, it is proven that keeping a beard is obligatory on every member of the Muslim Ummah. Allah Almighty said: «{ وَ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِهٖ دَاوٗدَ وَ سُلَيْمٰنَ وَ اَيُّوْبَ وَ يُوْسُفَ وَ مُوْسٰى وَ هٰرُوْنَ }» [ الأنعام : ۸۴ ] "And from his (Ibrahim's) descendants, Dawud and Sulaiman and Ayyub and Yusuf and Musa and Harun (We guided)." At this place, Allah Almighty, after mentioning many other prophets and the guided ones from among their fathers, descendants, and brothers, said: «{ اُولٰٓىِٕكَ الَّذِيْنَ هَدَى اللّٰهُ فَبِهُدٰىهُمُ اقْتَدِهْ }» [ الأنعام : ۹۰ ] "These are the ones whom Allah has guided, so follow their guidance." The command to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to follow Harun (peace be upon him) and other prophets is also a command for his Ummah to follow. See Surah Sad (24). Growing the beard is fitrah (natural disposition); it is not proven from any prophet that he shaved or trimmed his beard. The Jews and Christians shave their beards, so they are not only opposing our Messenger but also their own prophet. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ عَشْرٌ مِّنَ الْفِطْرَةِ : قَصُّ الشَّارِبِ وَإِعْفَاٰءُ اللِّحْيَةِ وَالسِّوَاكُ وَاسْتِنْشَاقُ الْمَاءِ وَ قَصُّ الْأَظْفَارِ وَ غَسْلُ الْبَرَاجِمِ وَ نَتْفُ الإِْبِطِ وَ حَلْقُ الْعَانَةِ وَانْتِقَاصُ الْمَاءِ، قَالَ زَكَرِيَّاءُ قَالَ مُصْعَبٌ وَ نَسِيْتُ الْعَاشِرَةَ إِلاَّ أَنْ تَكُوْنَ الْمَضْمَضَةَ ] [ مسلم، الطھارۃ، باب خصال الفطرۃ : ۲۶۱ ] "Ten things are from the fitrah: (1) Trimming the mustache. (2) Growing the beard. (3) Using the miswak. (4) Putting water in the nose. (5) Cutting the nails. (6) Washing the finger joints. (7) Plucking the armpit hair. (8) Shaving the pubic hair. (9) Cleaning oneself with water." Zakariya said that the narrator of the hadith, Mus'ab, said: I forgot the tenth thing, perhaps it was rinsing the mouth." The biggest apparent sign of difference between a man and a woman is the beard. If a man's testicles are removed, his beard will also disappear. This is included in the creation of Allah, about which Satan swore that he would command the children of Adam to change the form created by Allah. The hadiths commanding the growing of the beard are well-known: {’’ أَعْفُوا اللُّحٰي، أَرْخُوا اللُّحٰي، وَفِّرُوا اللُّحٰي، أَوْفُوا اللُّحٰي‘‘} and {’’ لَا تُشَبِّهُوْا بِالْمَجُوْسِ‘‘} There are many books written about this. Our Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) had a thick beard. [ مسند أحمد : 89/1، ح : ۶۸۷، عن علی بن أبي طالب و حسنہ شعیب الأرنؤوط ] which was part of his unparalleled beauty. It is not proven from him that he ever cut even a single hair of it in his entire life. Among the Companions and the Followers, who conquered the treasures of Caesar and Chosroes and made the east and west of the earth subservient, there was not a single clean-shaven person. It is regrettable for those Muslims whose nature has been so distorted that, following Satan, they have not only been deprived of the appearance of the prophets, companions, and followers, and of this great honor of manliness, but being men, they have adopted the appearance of women and effeminate people and have started to take pride in it, and on top of that, they mock the beard, just as noseless people start calling those with noses "nosy." May Allah Almighty grant Muslims the ability to return to the obedience of their Prophet and to regain their lost greatness and manliness.

94.1 Seeing his people in the misguidance of shirk, Musa (peace be upon him) became extremely angry and thought that perhaps his brother Harun (peace be upon him), whom he had appointed as his deputy, might have been indulgent. Therefore, in intense anger, he grabbed Harun’s (peace be upon him) beard and head and began to shake him and question him, upon which Harun (peace be upon him) stopped him from adopting such a harsh attitude.

Aaron replied, "O son of my mother! Do not seize my beard or my head. I was truly afraid that you would say, 'You have caused division [65] among the Children of Israel and did not respect my word.'"

[65]
The Dialogue Between Sayyiduna Musa (علیہ السلام) and Sayyiduna Harun (علیہ السلام):

Although Sayyiduna Harun (علیہ السلام) was older in age, he was lower in rank. Moreover, Sayyiduna Musa (علیہ السلام) possessed a majestic temperament and was overtaken by intense anger. Thus, being overcome by this anger, he grabbed Sayyiduna Musa's beard and the hair of his head. Sayyiduna Harun (علیہ السلام) said with great patience, "First listen to me, and do not seize my beard, giving the enemies a chance to laugh at me." The matter was that when these people became involved in shirk, I had stopped them with full severity. But since the majority had fallen into this shirk, they overpowered me and even sought to kill me, and most of them became his enemies. Now, if I had adopted even more strictness in this matter, the result would have been civil war among them, and then no way of reform would have remained. Therefore, I too was waiting for you, to see what treatment should now be given to these people.