The Ruling and Shar‘i Status of Keeping the Beard
In the Light of the Qur’an and Hadith
Source: Qur’an wa Hadith ki Roshni mein Ahkām o Masā’il, Vol. 1, p. 515
❖ Question ①
Is keeping the beard obligatory or not? If it is obligatory, then provide evidence from the Qur’an and Hadith.
❖ Question ②
Is a person who does not keep a beard guilty of committing a major sin? If so, then present evidence from the Qur’an and Hadith.
❖ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh, ammā ba‘d!
In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, there is a clear Prophetic command regarding the beard:
{اَعْفُوْا اللِّحٰی}
(Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Libās, Bāb I‘fā’ al-Liḥā)
Acting upon the command of Allah Almighty or His Messenger ﷺ is obligatory. As the Qur’an states:
{وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَّلاَ مُؤْمِنَةٍ…}
Therefore, keeping the beard is fard (obligatory).
There is no evidence in the Qur’an or Sunnah to indicate that the Prophetic command of keeping the beard can be interpreted as nadb (merely recommended).
Conclusion:- Keeping the beard is fard (obligatory) by the command of the Prophet ﷺ.
- Abandoning the beard without excuse falls under major sins, since it is a violation of a clear, established command of the Messenger ﷺ.
