Written by: Maulana Abu Al-Hasan Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani
It is true that shaving the beard is forbidden in Islam, as it is an opposition to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and invites severe punishment. However, the narrations presented regarding the deeds being shown (to the Prophet ﷺ or relatives) are not correct.
"He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and to Allah all matters are returned."
[Surah Al-Hajj: 22:76]
↰ This means that all matters in the universe, big or small, ultimately return to Allah. No one else has authority over them. Allah has conveyed this concept in multiple places in the Quran, such as in Surah Al-Baqarah [2:210], Surah Aal-e-Imran [3:109], and Surah Al-Hadid [57:5].
In Sahih Muslim, it is narrated:
❀ Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Deeds are presented every Monday and Thursday. Allah, the Almighty, forgives every person who does not associate anything with Him except for the one between whom and his brother there is enmity. It will be said, ‘Leave these two until they reconcile.’"
[Muslim, Kitab al-Birr wa al-Silah: 2565]
Another narration reports that Sayyiduna Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) said:"O Messenger of Allah, I have not seen you fast as much in any month as you do in the month of Sha’ban." The Prophet ﷺ replied:
"This is a month between Rajab and Ramadan that people neglect. It is a month in which the deeds are raised to the Lord of the Worlds, and I love for my deeds to be raised while I am fasting."
[Nasai, Kitab al-Siyam: 2359]
Similarly, another hadith mentions that the Prophet ﷺ used to fast on Mondays and Thursdays. The Prophet ﷺ said:
"These are the days when deeds are presented to Allah, and I prefer that my deeds are presented while I am fasting."
In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:
"The night’s deeds are raised to Allah before the day’s deeds, and the day’s deeds before the night’s."
[Muslim, Kitab al-Iman: 445]
[Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi: 2/55]
↰ From these hadiths, it becomes clear that all our deeds are raised and presented to Allah, who alone has the authority to judge and reward or punish them. There is no other entity before whom our deeds are presented.
"The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Your deeds are presented to your deceased relatives. If they are good, they rejoice; if they are not good, they say: O Allah, do not let them die until You guide them as You guided us.’"
[Musnad Ahmad: 3/165]
This narration is weak because there is an unknown narrator between Sufyan and Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him). The scholar who referenced Musnad Ahmad also cited Majma' al-Zawa'id. However, it is surprising that he did not mention the criticism made by Imam Al-Haythami after quoting this narration. Imam Al-Haythami said:
"It was narrated by Ahmad, and there is an unnamed man in its chain."
[Majma' al-Zawa'id: 2/331, 332]
After this, Imam Al-Haythami referred to another narration reported from Abu Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him), which he mentioned in the previous chapter. After quoting it, he said:
"This was narrated by Al-Tabarani in Al-Kabir and Al-Awsat, and in its chain is Maslama bin Ali, who is weak."
[Majma' al-Zawa'id: 1/194]
Maslama bin Ali has been declared munkar al-hadith (a narrator of rejected hadith) by Imam Bukhari, Imam Ibn Hibban, and Imam Abu Zur’ah. Imam Al-Dhahabi wrote:
"Imam Bukhari said: Whoever I label as munkar al-hadith, narrating from him is not permissible."
Thus, this narration is extremely weak.
"The deeds of my Ummah are presented to me every Friday, and Allah’s anger is severe upon those who commit adultery."
[Hilyat al-Awliya: 6/179, Kanz al-Ummal: 5/318]
This narration is also very weak, as it contains two unreliable narrators: Ahmad bin Isa al-Razi and ‘Abbad bin Kathir. Ahmad bin Isa was known for fabricating and strange narrations, and ‘Abbad bin Kathir is also criticized.
Two similar narrations attributed to Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) are also weak. One is reported by Imam Ibn ‘Adi, and the other by Abu Salma al-Ansari, both of whom are discredited narrators. Hence, these narrations are not reliable.
Question:
Are our deeds presented to the Prophet ﷺ and our relatives?Answer:
A scholar, while advising those who shave their beards, said:"O those who shave your beards, your deeds are presented daily by the angels to the Prophet ﷺ. Imagine how much pain the Prophet ﷺ must feel when he sees such actions." He referenced [Kanz al-Ummal: 5/318] and [Hilyat al-Awliya: 6/179] and further cited [Musnad Ahmad: 3/165] and [Majma' al-Zawa'id: 2/228] as evidence for deeds being presented before relatives.It is true that shaving the beard is forbidden in Islam, as it is an opposition to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and invites severe punishment. However, the narrations presented regarding the deeds being shown (to the Prophet ﷺ or relatives) are not correct.
Deeds Are Presented Only to Allah
✿ Allah Almighty says:"He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and to Allah all matters are returned."
[Surah Al-Hajj: 22:76]
↰ This means that all matters in the universe, big or small, ultimately return to Allah. No one else has authority over them. Allah has conveyed this concept in multiple places in the Quran, such as in Surah Al-Baqarah [2:210], Surah Aal-e-Imran [3:109], and Surah Al-Hadid [57:5].
In Sahih Muslim, it is narrated:
❀ Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Deeds are presented every Monday and Thursday. Allah, the Almighty, forgives every person who does not associate anything with Him except for the one between whom and his brother there is enmity. It will be said, ‘Leave these two until they reconcile.’"
[Muslim, Kitab al-Birr wa al-Silah: 2565]
Another narration reports that Sayyiduna Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) said:"O Messenger of Allah, I have not seen you fast as much in any month as you do in the month of Sha’ban." The Prophet ﷺ replied:
"This is a month between Rajab and Ramadan that people neglect. It is a month in which the deeds are raised to the Lord of the Worlds, and I love for my deeds to be raised while I am fasting."
[Nasai, Kitab al-Siyam: 2359]
Similarly, another hadith mentions that the Prophet ﷺ used to fast on Mondays and Thursdays. The Prophet ﷺ said:
"These are the days when deeds are presented to Allah, and I prefer that my deeds are presented while I am fasting."
In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:
"The night’s deeds are raised to Allah before the day’s deeds, and the day’s deeds before the night’s."
[Muslim, Kitab al-Iman: 445]
Reconciling These Narrations
↰ Reconciling these hadiths, the scholar Abdul Rahman Mubarakpuri writes:"This does not contradict the statement of the Prophet ﷺ that the night’s deeds are raised before the day’s, and the day’s deeds before the night’s, because there is a difference between raising (lifting) and presenting. The deeds are gathered throughout the week and are presented on these two days (Monday and Thursday). In the hadith of Sahih Muslim, it is mentioned that deeds are presented to Allah twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, and Allah forgives every believer except those between whom there is enmity. It is said regarding them, ‘Leave these two until they reconcile.’ Imam Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) also said that this does not contradict the raising of deeds in the month of Sha’ban, as mentioned in another hadith: ‘Deeds are raised in Sha’ban, and I prefer for my deeds to be raised while I am fasting.’ This is because it is permissible that the weekly deeds are raised in detail, and the yearly deeds are raised in summary in the month of Sha’ban."[Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi: 2/55]
↰ From these hadiths, it becomes clear that all our deeds are raised and presented to Allah, who alone has the authority to judge and reward or punish them. There is no other entity before whom our deeds are presented.
The Weakness of the Narration in Musnad Ahmad
The narration mentioned from Musnad Ahmad:"The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Your deeds are presented to your deceased relatives. If they are good, they rejoice; if they are not good, they say: O Allah, do not let them die until You guide them as You guided us.’"
[Musnad Ahmad: 3/165]
This narration is weak because there is an unknown narrator between Sufyan and Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him). The scholar who referenced Musnad Ahmad also cited Majma' al-Zawa'id. However, it is surprising that he did not mention the criticism made by Imam Al-Haythami after quoting this narration. Imam Al-Haythami said:
"It was narrated by Ahmad, and there is an unnamed man in its chain."
[Majma' al-Zawa'id: 2/331, 332]
After this, Imam Al-Haythami referred to another narration reported from Abu Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him), which he mentioned in the previous chapter. After quoting it, he said:
"This was narrated by Al-Tabarani in Al-Kabir and Al-Awsat, and in its chain is Maslama bin Ali, who is weak."
[Majma' al-Zawa'id: 1/194]
Maslama bin Ali has been declared munkar al-hadith (a narrator of rejected hadith) by Imam Bukhari, Imam Ibn Hibban, and Imam Abu Zur’ah. Imam Al-Dhahabi wrote:
"Imam Bukhari said: Whoever I label as munkar al-hadith, narrating from him is not permissible."
Thus, this narration is extremely weak.
The Weak Narrations from Hilyat al-Awliya and Kanz al-Ummal
In Hilyat al-Awliya and Kanz al-Ummal, there is another narration:"The deeds of my Ummah are presented to me every Friday, and Allah’s anger is severe upon those who commit adultery."
[Hilyat al-Awliya: 6/179, Kanz al-Ummal: 5/318]
This narration is also very weak, as it contains two unreliable narrators: Ahmad bin Isa al-Razi and ‘Abbad bin Kathir. Ahmad bin Isa was known for fabricating and strange narrations, and ‘Abbad bin Kathir is also criticized.
Two similar narrations attributed to Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) are also weak. One is reported by Imam Ibn ‘Adi, and the other by Abu Salma al-Ansari, both of whom are discredited narrators. Hence, these narrations are not reliable.