Minimum Length of the Beard in Islam: One Fist is Obligatory
Source: Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Volume 1, Page 858
❖ Question:
What is the prescribed length of the beard according to Islamic law?
❖ Answer:
Alḥamdulillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Ammā baʿd:
It is absolutely clear that growing the beard is a Prophetic tradition passed down by all the Prophets, and this is explicitly mentioned in both the Noble Qur’an and the authentic sayings of the Prophet ﷺ.
◈ Evidence from the Qur'an
Allah ﷻ mentions the words of Prophet Hārūn (ʿalayhis-salām) when addressing his brother Mūsā (ʿalayhis-salām):
﴿قَالَ يَا ابْنَ أُمَّ لَا تَأْخُذْ بِلِحْيَتِي وَلَا بِرَأْسِي﴾
"He [Hārūn] said: O son of my mother! Do not seize me by my beard nor by my head."
[Sūrah Ṭāhā 20:94]
This verse clearly shows that the Prophets kept beards, affirming it as a Prophetic practice.
◈ Evidence from the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ
Narrated by ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
عَشْرٌ مِنَ الْفِطْرَةِ:
قَصُّ الشَّارِبِ، وَقَصُّ الْأَظْفَارِ، وَغَسْلُ الْبَرَاجِمِ، وَإِعْفَاءُ اللِّحْيَةِ، وَالسِّوَاكُ، وَالِاسْتِنْشَاقُ، وَنَتْفُ الْإِبْطِ، وَحَلْقُ الْعَانَةِ، وَانْتِقَاصُ الْمَاءِ
Musʿab said: I forgot the tenth, unless it was rinsing the mouth (المضمضة).
[Sunan al-Nasā’ī, vol. 2, p. 269]
The Prophet ﷺ listed ten acts of Fitrah (natural disposition and Prophetic practice):
➊ Trimming the moustache
➋ Clipping the nails
➌ Washing the joints of the fingers
➍ Growing the beard
➎ Using the miswāk
➏ Sniffing water into the nose
➐ Plucking the armpit hair
➑ Shaving the pubic hair
➒ Cleaning oneself after relieving
➓ Rinsing the mouth
This ḥadīth confirms that growing the beard is from the Prophetic Fitrah and human nature.
◈ Clear Command to Grow the Beard
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما, the Prophet ﷺ said:
انْهَكُوا الشَّوَارِبَ، وَأَعْفُوا اللِّحَى
"Trim the moustaches closely and grow the beards."
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, vol. 2, p. 875; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, vol. 1, p. 129]
Another narration in Muslim uses the wording:
«أوفوا اللحى» — "Let the beard grow completely."
◈ Various Wordings Regarding the Beard
Imām Nawawī رحمه الله wrote:
“There are five wordings in the aḥādīth regarding the beard: ‘Aʿfū’, ‘Awfū’, ‘Arkū’, ‘Irjū’, and ‘Waffirū’. All of them mean: Leave the beard as it is.”
[Sharḥ Muslim, vol. 1, p. 129]
Thus, all commands point toward allowing the beard to grow fully and naturally.
◈ Prohibition of Shaving or Trimming the Beard
All these authentic aḥādīth indicate that shaving or trimming the beard is not permissible.
Shaving the beard is considered an imitation of the Magians (Zoroastrians).
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"خَالِفُوا الْمَجُوسَ"
"Oppose the Magians."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim]
Muslims are therefore instructed not to imitate their practices.
◈ Clarification on a Weak Narration
It is reported in Sunan al-Tirmidhī:
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ يَأْخُذُ مِنْ لِحْيَتِهِ مِنْ عَرْضِهَا وَطُولِهَا
"The Prophet ﷺ used to take from the sides and the length of his beard."
[Tirmidhī with Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī, vol. 4, p. 11]
However, this narration is weak.
Imām al-Tirmidhī himself remarked:
هذا حديث غريب، وسمعت محمد بن إسمعيل يقول: عمر بن هارون مقارب الحديث، لا أعرف له حديثا ليس له أصل، أو قال: ينفرد به إلا هذا الحديث.
ʿAllāmah ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Mubārakpūrī رحمه الله also clarified that ʿUmar ibn Hārūn is a rejected narrator, so the narration is not acceptable for establishing a ruling.
◈ Guidance from the Practice of the Companions (Ṣaḥābah)
❖ In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, it is mentioned that ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما would trim the portion of his beard that exceeded a fist length.
❖ Imām Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله wrote that ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه once trimmed a man’s beard beyond one fist.
❖ Abū Hurairah رضي الله عنه also used to trim the beard beyond a fist length.
◈ Juristic Ruling (Fiqhī Ḥukm)
Scholars have written:
✔ Keeping a beard at least one fist in length is obligatory.
✔ Keeping less than this or shaving is prohibited.
✔ Those who trim beyond the fist-length are not to be rebuked, although leaving it untrimmed is better and more cautious.
Conclusion
❖ Keeping a beard of at least one fist is legally obligatory in Islam.
❖ Anything less is akin to shaving the beard, which is impermissible.
❖ The safest and most virtuous practice is to leave the beard in its natural state.
هٰذا ما عندي، واللّٰه أعلم بالصواب
