1 . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ حَبِيبٍ الطَّبَرِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنِ اللِّحْيَةِ، فَقَالَ: هِيَ مِنْ سُنَنِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ، أَمَا سَمِعْتَ قَوْلَ هَارُونَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لِأَخِيهِ: ﴿يَا ابْنَ أُمَّ لَا تَأْخُذْ بِلِحْيَتِي وَلَا بِرَأْسِي﴾[1]؟! فَكَانَ لَهُ لِحْيَةٌ، وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ: ﴿أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ ۖ فَبِهُدَاهُمُ اقْتَدِهْ﴾[2]، وَقَالَ: ﴿لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِيهِمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ﴾[3]، فَأُحِبُّ لِلرَّجُلِ الْمُسْلِمِ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ لِحْيَةٌ.

Translation of the saying:

Abdullah ibn Habib al-Tabari informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the beard. So he said: “It is one of the traditions of the Messengers. Have you not heard the saying of Harun, peace be upon him, to his brother: ‘O son of my mother! Do not seize me by my beard or my head’?! So he had a beard, and Allah has said: ‘They were the ones whom Allah guided, so follow their guidance,’ and said: ‘Indeed, you have in them an excellent model for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day.’ So I like for a Muslim man to have a beard.”

2 . أَخْبَرَنَا ذَاكِرُ بْنُ مَعْرُوفٍ الْخُرَاسَانِيُّ، قَالَ: رَأَى الْمَنْصُورُ رَجُلًا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ قَدْ حَلَقَ لِحْيَتَهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تَتْرُكَ مِنْ لِحْيَتِكَ شَيْئًا تَتَزَيَّنَ بِهِ وَتَتَشَبَّهَ بِالصَّالِحِينَ؟ قَالَ الرَّجُلُ وَهُوَ مُغْضَبٌ: لَا أَجِدُ آيَةً فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ تَأْمُرُ بِذَلِكَ، وَلَا أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا أُمِرَ بِهِ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ! فَقَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ: أَنْتَ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ قُرْآنِيُّونَ؟ قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: نَعَمْ، فَقَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ: كَذَبُوا وَكَذَبْتَ! أَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ: ﴿يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ﴾[4]؟! إِنَّهُ قَدْ زَيَّنَ الرِّجَالَ بِاللِّحَى وَالنِّسَاءَ بِالذَّوَائِبِ، فَلَا يَنْبَغِي لِلرِّجَالِ أَنْ يَحْلِقُوا وُجُوهَهُمْ، وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لِلنِّسَاءِ أَنْ يَحْلِقْنَ رُؤُوسَهُنَّ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: كَمْ مِنْ جَاهِلٍ مُتَكَبِّرٍ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ قُرْآنِيٌّ وَهُوَ أَبْعَدُ النَّاسِ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ!

Translation of the saying:

Zakir ibn Ma‘roof al-Khorasani informed us, he said: Mansoor saw a man in the mosque who had shaved his beard. So he said to him: “What prevented you from leaving some of your beard so that you could adorn yourself with it and be like the righteous?” The man, who had become angry, said: “I do not find a verse in the Book of Allah that has commanded this, and I follow nothing but what has been commanded in the Book of Allah!” Then Mansoor said: “Are you one of those who claim to be Quranists?”The man said: “Yes.” So Mansoor said: “They lied, and you lied too! Has Allah not said: ‘O children of Adam! Take your adornment at every mosque’?! He has indeed adorned men with beards and women with braids. So men should not shave their faces, and women should not shave their heads!” Then he said: “Many are ignorant and arrogant people who claim to be Quranists, while they are the furthest of people from the Quran!”

3 . أَخْبَرَنَا وَلِيدُ بْنُ مَحْمُودٍ السِّجِسْتَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: لَا تَكْرَهُوا خَلْقَ اللَّهِ وَلَا تُغَيِّرُوهُ، فَإِنَّكُمْ لَا تَخْلُقُونَ شَيْئًا أَحْسَنَ مِمَّا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ، قُلْتُ: أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يَحْلِقُ لِحْيَتَهُ، أَهُوَ مِمَّنْ يُغَيِّرُ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، إِذَا دَاوَمَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فَلَمْ يَتْرُكْهَا تَنْبُتُ كَأَنَّهُ امْرَأَةٌ.

Translation of the saying:

Walid ibn Mahmud al-Sajistani informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “Do not dislike the creation of Allah, and do not change it; because you do not create anything better than what Allah has created.” I said: “In your view, is one who shaves his beard from those who change the creation of Allah?” He said: “Yes if he practices it constantly, then does not let it grow, as if he were a woman.”

4 . أَخْبَرَنَا جُبَيْرُ بْنُ عَطَاءٍ الْخُجَنْدِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ حَلْقِ اللِّحْيَةِ، أَهُوَ فِسْقٌ؟ قَالَ: لَا، وَلَكِنَّهُ سُنَّةُ الْفَاسِقِينَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَا تَجِدُ حَالِقَ اللِّحْيَةِ إِلَّا كَافِرًا، أَوْ فَاسِقًا، أَوْ سَفِيهًا رَقِيقَ الدِّينِ، أَوْ خَائِفًا عَلَى نَفْسِهِ.

Translation of the saying:

Jubayr ibn Ata’ al-Khujandi informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about shaving the beard, “Is it a sin?” He said: ‘No, but it is the tradition of sinners.” Then he said: “You will not find a shaver of the beard except for a disbeliever, a sinner, a foolish person of weak faith, or one who fears for his life.”

5 . أَخْبَرَنَا يُونُسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْخَتْلَانِيُّ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِلْمَنْصُورِ: فِي بَلَدِنَا سُلْطَانٌ يَحْلِقُ لِحْيَةَ الرِّجَالِ وَيَكْشِفُ قِنَاعَ النِّسَاءِ! قَالَ: أَقِيلُوهُ، قُلْتُ: لَا سَبِيلَ لَنَا إِلَى إِقَالَتِهِ! فَقَالَ: تُسَلِّطُونَ جَبَّارًا عَلَيْكُمْ، حَتَّى إِذَا طَغَى وَاسْتَأْسَدَ، فَحَلَقَ لِحْيَةَ رِجَالِكُمْ وَكَشَفَ قِنَاعَ نِسَائِكُمْ تَأْتُونَنِي فَتَقُولُونَ: لَا سَبِيلَ لَنَا إِلَى إِقَالَتِهِ؟! لَا وَاللَّهِ لَا يَنْبَغِي لِبَلَدِكُمْ أَنْ يُسْكَنَ!

Translation of the saying:

Yunus ibn Abdullah al-Khatlani informed us, he said: I said to Mansoor: In our land (Tajikistan), there is a ruler who shaves the beards of men and removes the veils of women!” He said: “Depose him!” I said: “We have no way to depose him!” So he said: “You give a tyrant power over yourselves until he became aggressive and began bullying. So he shaved the beards of your men and removed the veils of your women. Then you come to me and say, ‘We have no way to depose him!’ No, by Allah, one should not live in your land!”

6 . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَلْخِيُّ، قَالَ: رَأَى الْمَنْصُورُ فِي لِحْيَتِي شُعُوثَةً، فَقَالَ: مِنَ الْمُرُوءَةِ اعْتِدَالُ اللِّحْيَةِ، قُلْتُ: هَلْ لِلرَّجُلِ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مِنْ لِحْيَتِهِ؟ قَالَ: لَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ مَا لَمْ يَحْلِقْ فَيَتَشَبَّهْ بِالْفَاسِقِينَ، قُلْتُ: إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ لَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْهَا شَيْءٌ وَإِنْ بَلَغَتِ الرُّكْبَةَ! قَالَ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ! هَذَا قَوْلُ الْكُهَّانِ وَالْجُوكِيَّةِ، بَلْ يَأْخُذُ مِنْهَا وَيَتَجَمَّلُ.

Translation of the saying:

Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Balkhi informed us, he said: Mansoor saw dishevelment in my beard. So he said: “From manhood, it is to keep the beard moderate.” I said: “Is a man allowed to trim his beard?” He said: “There is no sin on him as long as he does not shave it to copy sinners.” I said: “They say that he should not trim anything from it, even if it reaches the knee!” He said: “Glory be to Allah! This is the saying of priests and the Jogi[5]. Rather, he should trim it and make himself well-groomed.”

Explanation of the saying:

To read an explanation of these pure words, refer to Q&A 62 and its appendices.