Shari‘ah Ruling on the Beard and Clarification Regarding Nifaq (Hypocrisy)
Answered by: Shaykh Saeed Mujtaba Saeedi حفظه الله & Shaykh Hafiz Khizr Hayat حفظه الله
No, there is no such authentic Hadith that states a person without a beard is a hypocrite.
As clarified by the scholars, this statement is not supported by any text from the books of Hadith.
The hypocrites during the time of the Prophet ﷺ were known to display themselves as righteous Muslims outwardly to deceive others.
Had it been a sign of hypocrisy to be beardless, they would definitely have kept beards to blend more easily with sincere believers.
So, it is possible for a hypocrite to maintain a beard just to appear religious, but not having a beard is not itself a sign of hypocrisy.
Growing the beard is obligatory (فریضہ و واجب), as established by multiple authentic narrations of the Prophet ﷺ.
"خَالِفُوا المُشْرِكِينَ؛ وَفِّرُوا اللِّحَى، وَأَحْفُوا الشَّوَارِبَ"
“Oppose the polytheists: let your beards grow and trim your moustaches.”
Sahih Bukhari: 5892, Sahih Muslim: 259
"جُزُّوا الشَّوَارِبَ وَأَرْخُوا اللِّحَى، خَالِفُوا الْمَجُوسَ"
“Cut your moustaches and grow your beards; oppose the Magians.”
Sahih Muslim: 260
"مَنْ تَشَبَّهَ بِقَوْمٍ فَهُوَ مِنْهُمْ"
“Whoever imitates a people, he is one of them.”
Sunan Abu Dawood: 4031
Shaving the beard resembles women, and men imitating women is explicitly cursed in the Shari‘ah.
"لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ المُتَشَبِّهِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ بِالنِّسَاءِ، وَالمُتَشَبِّهَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ بِالرِّجَالِ"
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ cursed those men who imitate women and those women who imitate men.”
Sahih Bukhari: 5885
❖ **Keeping a beard is obligatory and a religious duty.
❖ Shaving the beard is haram due to imitating polytheists, People of the Book, Magians, and women.
❖ No Hadith states that a beardless person is a hypocrite. Such a claim is baseless.
Answered by: Shaykh Saeed Mujtaba Saeedi حفظه الله & Shaykh Hafiz Khizr Hayat حفظه الله❖ Is There Any Hadith That Declares a Beardless Person a Hypocrite?
No, there is no such authentic Hadith that states a person without a beard is a hypocrite.
As clarified by the scholars, this statement is not supported by any text from the books of Hadith.
❖ Did the Hypocrites Keep Beards or Not?
The hypocrites during the time of the Prophet ﷺ were known to display themselves as righteous Muslims outwardly to deceive others.
Had it been a sign of hypocrisy to be beardless, they would definitely have kept beards to blend more easily with sincere believers.
So, it is possible for a hypocrite to maintain a beard just to appear religious, but not having a beard is not itself a sign of hypocrisy.
❖ The Shari‘ah Status of the Beard
Growing the beard is obligatory (فریضہ و واجب), as established by multiple authentic narrations of the Prophet ﷺ.
✿ Evidence from the Sunnah
① Command to Oppose the Polytheists
"خَالِفُوا المُشْرِكِينَ؛ وَفِّرُوا اللِّحَى، وَأَحْفُوا الشَّوَارِبَ"
“Oppose the polytheists: let your beards grow and trim your moustaches.”
Sahih Bukhari: 5892, Sahih Muslim: 259② Command to Oppose the Magians
"جُزُّوا الشَّوَارِبَ وَأَرْخُوا اللِّحَى، خَالِفُوا الْمَجُوسَ"
“Cut your moustaches and grow your beards; oppose the Magians.”
Sahih Muslim: 260❖ Shaving the Beard: A Forbidden Imitation
① Imitating Polytheists & People of the Book
"مَنْ تَشَبَّهَ بِقَوْمٍ فَهُوَ مِنْهُمْ"
“Whoever imitates a people, he is one of them.”
Sunan Abu Dawood: 4031② Imitating Women
Shaving the beard resembles women, and men imitating women is explicitly cursed in the Shari‘ah.
"لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ المُتَشَبِّهِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ بِالنِّسَاءِ، وَالمُتَشَبِّهَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ بِالرِّجَالِ"
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ cursed those men who imitate women and those women who imitate men.”
Sahih Bukhari: 5885
Conclusion
❖ **Keeping a beard is obligatory and a religious duty.
❖ Shaving the beard is haram due to imitating polytheists, People of the Book, Magians, and women.
❖ No Hadith states that a beardless person is a hypocrite. Such a claim is baseless.
