❀ Prohibition of Knotting or Gathering the Beard and Its Shar‘i Evidences ❀
Taken from: “Ahkam wa Masail – In Light of Qur’an and Hadith”, Volume 01, Page 522
Is it permissible to gather or tie the beard downward? Please clarify with evidence.
Alḥamdulillāh, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Your question is regarding the ruling on gathering the beard downward.
This matter has been addressed through various expressions in the authentic words of the Prophet ﷺ, such as:
أَعْفُوا
وَفِّرُوا
أَوْفُوا
أَرْخُوا
أَرْجُوا
These all indicate a single point:
Let the beard grow naturally without interference or manipulation — such as tying it, trimming it unnaturally, or styling it.
Imām al-Shawkānī (رحمه الله) writes in Nayl al-Awṭār, Vol. 1, Pg. 116:
قَوْلُهُ : وَفِّرُوا اللِّحٰى ...
All five wordings—
أَعْفُوا، أَوْفُوا، أَرْخُوا، أَرْجُوا، وَفِّرُوا
—all carry the same meaning:
❝Leave the beard as it is in its natural state.❞
In Sunan al-Nasā’ī, in Kitāb al-Zīnah, under Bāb: Tying the Beard, the following narration from Rufaī‘ ibn Thābit (رضي الله عنه) is recorded:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“O Rufaī‘! It is possible that you will live a long life after me. So inform the people that:
whoever ties his beard,
or wears a string necklace,
or cleans himself with animal dung or bones —
then indeed, Muḥammad ﷺ is free from such a person.”
From this Hadith, it becomes clear that:
Tying, knotting, or gathering the beard in any manner (whether downward or upward) is not permissible.
In fact, such an action is a sin and something the Prophet ﷺ disassociated himself from.
هَذَا مَا عِنْدِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
This is what I have, and Allah knows best what is correct.
Taken from: “Ahkam wa Masail – In Light of Qur’an and Hadith”, Volume 01, Page 522
❖ Question
Is it permissible to gather or tie the beard downward? Please clarify with evidence.
❖ Answer
Alḥamdulillāh, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Your question is regarding the ruling on gathering the beard downward.
This matter has been addressed through various expressions in the authentic words of the Prophet ﷺ, such as:
أَعْفُوا
وَفِّرُوا
أَوْفُوا
أَرْخُوا
أَرْجُوا
These all indicate a single point:
Let the beard grow naturally without interference or manipulation — such as tying it, trimming it unnaturally, or styling it.
❖ Statement of Imām al-Shawkānī (رحمه الله)
Imām al-Shawkānī (رحمه الله) writes in Nayl al-Awṭār, Vol. 1, Pg. 116:
قَوْلُهُ : وَفِّرُوا اللِّحٰى ...
All five wordings—
أَعْفُوا، أَوْفُوا، أَرْخُوا، أَرْجُوا، وَفِّرُوا
—all carry the same meaning:
❝Leave the beard as it is in its natural state.❞
❖ Hadith from Sunan al-Nasā’ī – Prohibition of Knotting the Beard
In Sunan al-Nasā’ī, in Kitāb al-Zīnah, under Bāb: Tying the Beard, the following narration from Rufaī‘ ibn Thābit (رضي الله عنه) is recorded:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“O Rufaī‘! It is possible that you will live a long life after me. So inform the people that:
whoever ties his beard,
or wears a string necklace,
or cleans himself with animal dung or bones —
then indeed, Muḥammad ﷺ is free from such a person.”
❖ Ruling
From this Hadith, it becomes clear that:
Tying, knotting, or gathering the beard in any manner (whether downward or upward) is not permissible.
In fact, such an action is a sin and something the Prophet ﷺ disassociated himself from.
هَذَا مَا عِنْدِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
This is what I have, and Allah knows best what is correct.
