Keeping the beard is Sunnah without any disagreement. Rather, it has been narrated that it is from the fitrah, meaning the natural disposition of the human being[1]. It has always been a symbol of Muslims, and only those of them who are careless about their religion abandon it. Therefore, shaving the beard is not permissible; because it is an act of copying disbelievers and sinners, while Allah Almighty has forbidden copying them, where He has said: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا﴾[2]; “O you who believed! Do not be like those who disbelieved,” and said: ﴿وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ نَسُوا اللَّهَ فَأَنْسَاهُمْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ ۚ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ﴾[3]; “And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. They are the sinners,” and said: ﴿إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِثْلُهُمْ﴾[4]; “Surely then you will be like them,” and said: ﴿يُضَاهِئُونَ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ ۚ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ ۚ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ﴾[5]; “Their words are similar to the words of those who disbelieved before them. May Allah destroy them! How can they be deluded?!” Also, it has been narrated from the Prophet that he said: «خَالِفُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ، وَفِّرُوا اللِّحَى، وَأَحْفُوا الشَّوَارِبَ»[6]; “Do the opposite of what polytheists do. Keep the beard, and trim the mustache,” and said: «أَعْفُوا لِحَاكُمْ وَلَا تَشَبَّهُوا بِالْيَهُودِ»[7]; “Let your beards grow, and do not copy the Jews,” and said: «إِنَّ الْمَجُوسَ تُعْفِي شَوَارِبَهَا، وَتُحْفِي لِحَاهَا، فَخَالِفُوهُمْ، خُذُوا شَوَارِبَكُمْ، وَاعْفُوا لِحَاكُمْ»[8]; “Indeed, the Magians let their mustaches grow and trim their beards, so do the opposite of what they do. Trim your mustaches, and let your beards grow.” It has also been stated in a narration that shaving the beard was one of the characteristics of the people of Lut, and they were destroyed because of them[9].

Yes, there is nothing wrong with trimming the beard and making it neat so long as it does not lead to copying disbelievers and sinners. Rather, it is obligatory to do so in order to distinguish oneself from the Jewish rabbis and the Hindu ascetics; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَأْخُذُ مِنْ لِحْيَتِهِ فَقَالَ: 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»; “I asked Mansoor about a man who trims his beard. So he said: ‘There is no sin on him as long as he does not shave it so that he would 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. Rather, he should trim it and make himself well-groomed.’”

This is indicated by what Amr ibn Shu‘ayb has narrated from his father, from his grandfather who said: «أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَأْخُذُ مِنْ لِحْيَتِهِ مِنْ عَرْضِهَا وَطُولِهَا»[10]; “The Prophet trimmed his beard, from its thickness and length,” and what Marwan ibn Mu‘awiyah has narrated from Sa‘id ibn Abi Rashid al-Makki, from Abu Ja‘far Muhammad ibn Ali who said: «كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ يَأْخُذُ اللِّحْيَةَ فَمَا طَلَعَ عَلَى الْكَفِّ جَزَّهُ»[11]; “The Messenger of Allah trimmed his beard. He cut whatever exceeded the palm,” and what Jabir ibn Abdullah has narrated and said: «رَأَى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَجُلًا مُجْفِلَ الرَّأْسِ وَاللِّحْيَةِ، فَقَالَ: عَلَامَ يُشَوِّهُ أَحَدُكُمْ نَفْسَهُ؟ قَالَ: وَأَشَارَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى لِحْيَتِهِ وَرَأْسِهِ يَقُولُ: خُذْ مِنْ لِحْيَتِكَ وَرَأْسِكَ»[12]; “The Prophet saw a man with unkempt hair and beard. So he said: ‘Why does one of you disfigure himself?’ Then the Prophet pointed at his own beard and hair and said: ‘Trim your beard and (the hair of) your head,’” and what has been narrated that «أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَرَّ بِهِ رَجُلٌ طَوِيلُ اللِّحْيَةِ فَقَالَ: مَا كَانَ عَلَى هَذَا لَوْ هَيَّأَ مِنْ لِحْيَتِهِ؟ فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلَ فَهَيَّأَ لِحْيَتَهُ بَيْنَ اللِّحْيَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ دَخَلَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ قَالَ: هَكَذَا فَافْعَلُوا»[13]; “a man with a long beard passed by the Prophet . So he said: ‘What would have happened if this man had trimmed his beard?!’ This reached the man. So he trimmed his beard and kept it moderate in length. Then he went to the Prophet and when he saw him, he said: ‘All of you should do the same.’” Al-Tibi has said: “This does not contradict the words of the Prophet where he said: «أَعْفُوا اللِّحَى»; ‘Let the beard grow’; because what is prohibited is shaving it, as non-Arabs do, or shaping it like a pigeon’s tail. The intended meaning of ‘growing’ is to keep it, as stated in the other narration, and trimming a little of the sides is in no way considered cutting.”[14] It has been narrated from Umar that he saw a man who had let his beard grow until it become long. He took the edge of it and said: “Bring me clippers.” Then he ordered a man to cut what was below his hand. Then he said: “Go and trim your hair or shave it. One of you leaves himself until he becomes like a lion!”[15] This is a well-known statement from ibn Umar and what has been narrated from the Ahl al-Bayt; as Ja‘far ibn Muhammad has narrated from his father, from his grandfather Ali ibn al-Husain, from his father, from Ali ibn Abi Talib that he said: «خُذُوا مِنْ شَعْرِ الصُّدْغَيْنِ وَمِنْ عَارِضَيِ اللِّحْيَةِ، وَمَا جَاوَزَ الْقُبْضَةَ مِنْ مُقَدَّمِ اللِّحْيَةِ فَجُزُّوهُ»[16]; “Trim the hair of the temples and the sides of the beard. Whatever exceeds the length of a handful from the front of the beard, cut it off,” and Hasan al-Zayyat has narrated and said: «رَأَيْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَدْ خَفَّفَ لِحْيَتَهُ»[17]; “I saw Abu Ja‘far making his beard lighter,” and Muhammad ibn Muslim has narrated and said: «رَأَيْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَالْحَجَّامُ يَأْخُذُ مِنْ لِحْيَتِهِ، فَقَالَ: دَوِّرْهَا»[18]; “I saw Abu Ja‘far while the barber was trimming his beard. Then he said: ‘Make it round,’” and Zurarah has narrated and said: «قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: الرَّجُلُ يَقْلِمُ أَظْفَارَهُ وَيَجُزُّ شَارِبَهُ وَيَأْخُذُ مِنْ شَعْرِ لِحْيَتِهِ وَرَأْسِهِ، هَلْ يَنْقُضُ ذَلِكَ وُضُوئَهُ؟ فَقَالَ: يَا زُرَارَةُ، كُلُّ هَذَا سُنَّةٌ، وَالْوُضُوءُ فَرِيضَةٌ، وَلَيْسَ شَيْءٌ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ يَنْقُضُ الْفَرِيضَةَ، وَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَيَزِيدُهُ تَطْهِيرًا»[19]; “I said to Abu Ja‘far : ‘A man trims his nails, cuts his mustache, and trims the hair of his beard and head. Does that invalidate his wudu?’ So he said: ‘O Zurarah! All of these are Sunnah, and wudu is obligatory. Nothing of the Sunnah invalidates the obligatory, and indeed, it increases him in purification,’” and it has been narrated from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad that he said: «تَقْبِضُ بِيَدِكَ عَلَى اللِّحْيَةِ وَتَجُزُّ مَا فَضَلَ»[20]; “Grasp the beard with your hand and cut off what is longer,” and he said in another narration: «مَا زَادَ مِنَ اللِّحْيَةِ عَنِ الْقُبْضَةِ فَهُوَ فِي النَّارِ»[21]; “What exceeds the length of a handful from the beard is in the fire.” This is also the view of Tawus, Ibrahim, Qatadah, and ibn Sirin. Hasan al-Basri has said: “They allowed for what exceeded the length of a handful from the beard to be trimmed,”[22] and it appears that he meant the Sahabah. He has also said: “Its thickness and length should be trimmed as long as it does not become excessive.”[23] A similar report has also been reported from Ata’. Qasim has said: “I heard Malik say: ‘There is nothing with trimming the beard if it becomes long and unruly.’ It was said to Malik: ‘What if it grows very long? Because some beards grow long.’ He said: ‘I see that it should be trimmed and shortened.’”[24] Ibn Rushd has said: “What Malik considered good, which is trimming the beard if it becomes very long, does not contain anything that would contradict the command of the Prophet to let it grow. Rather, it contains something that indicates that in meaning; because the Prophet commanded letting the beard grow because shaving or cutting it is disfigurement and mutilation. Similarly, letting it grow excessively is a form of ugliness and notoriety. If some people left trimming their beards, they would reach their chests or even lower, and this is something repulsive.”[25] Ishaq has said: “I asked Ahmad about a man who trims the sides of his beard. He said: ‘He should trim from his beard what is longer than the length of a handful.’ I said: ‘Then what about the Hadith of the Prophet : «أَحِفُّوا الشَّوَارِبَ وَأَعْفُوا اللِّحَى»; “Trim the mustache and let the beard grow”?’ He said: ‘He should trim from its thickness and from under his chin.’”[26] He said in another narration: “He should trim from its sides but not from the thickness.”[27] This is one of the two narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt; as Samak ibn Yazid has narrated and said: «كَانَ عَلِيٌّ يَأْخُذُ مِنْ لِحْيَتِهِ مِمَّا يَلِي وَجْهَهُ»[28]; “Ali trimmed his beard, from what was close to his face,” and Sadir al-Sayrafi has narrated and said: «رَأَيْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ يَأْخُذُ عَارِضَيْهِ وَيُبَطِّنُ لِحْيَتَهُ»[29]; “I saw Abu Ja‘far trimming from the sides (of his face) and filling his beard with the hair under the chin,” and Ali ibn Ja‘far has narrated from his brother Musa and said: «سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ أَيَصْلُحُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مِنْ لِحْيَتِهِ؟ قَالَ: أَمَّا مِنْ عَارِضَيْهِ فَلَا بَأْسَ، وَأَمَّا مِنْ مُقَدَّمِهَا فَلَا»[30]; “I asked him about a man, ‘Is it right for him to trim his beard?’ He said: ‘As for the sides of his face, there is nothing wrong with it, and as for the front of it, no.’” Ibrahim has said: “They trimmed the sides of the beard.”[31] Abu Abdullah al-Attar has attributed a report to the Prophet narrated from Aisha «أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: خُذُوا مِنْ عَرْضِ لِحَاكُمْ وَاعْفُوا طُولَهَا»[32]; “that the Prophet said: ‘Trim from the thickness of your beard and leave its length.” This report is weak, but it is strengthened by what has been narrated from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his grandfather Ali ibn al-Husain, from his father, from Ali ibn Abi Talib that he said: «قَالَ لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لِيَأْخُذْ أَحَدُكُمْ مِنْ شَعْرِ صُدْغَيْهِ وَمِنْ عَارِضَيْ لِحْيَتِهِ. قَالَ: وَأَمَرَ أَنْ يُرَجَّلَ اللِّحْيَةُ»[33]; “The Messenger of Allah said to us: ‘One of you should trim the hair of his temples and the sides of his beard,’ and he ordered the beard to be combed out.’” What can be relied upon is the first narration, and if the second one is authentic, then they must be reconciled, and its conclusion is that it is detestable to trim from the length of the beard unless it exceeds the length of a handful. Al-Awza‘i has said: “If it exceeds the length of a handful, there is nothing wrong with trimming it.”[34] It has been said in al-Nihayah Sharh al-Hidayah: “The length of the beard with us is the extent of a handful, and what is beyond that must be cut.”[35] Judge Iyad has said: “As for trimming from the length and thickness of the beard, it is good, and it is detestable to grow it so large that it attracts undue attention.”[36] Ibn al-Malak has said: “Evening out the hairs of the beard is Sunnah, and it means to cut any hair that is longer than the others so that they are all equal.”[37] Al-Ghazali has said: “They have differed about what is considered too long for a beard. It has been said: ‘If a man grasps his beard and then trims what is below the length of his fist, there is nothing wrong with it.’ This is what ibn Umar and a group of the followers of the Sahabah did. Al-Sha‘bi and ibn Sirin has approved of it. Hasan, Qatadah, and those who follow them have detested it and said: ‘Leaving the beard untrimmed is more desirable; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: «أَعْفُوا اللِّحَى»; “Let the beard grow.”’ However, what appears to be the case is the first statement; because excessive length disfigures the appearance and loosens the tongues of slanderers against him. Therefore, there is no harm in avoiding it with this intention.’ Al-Nakha‘i has said: ‘I am astonished by a wise man with a long beard. Why does he not trim it and render it between two beards, meaning long and short?! Moderation is best in all things. This is why it has been said that the middle way is the best one. Therefore, it has been said: The longer the beard, the less the intellect.’”[38]