I recently made a blog post in Project Conversion regarding wearing a beard in Islam. Seems to be a touchy issue so I'd appreciate your taking a look at the post and letting me know what you think. You can read it right here on BeliefNet.
I recently made a blog post in Project Conversion regarding wearing a beard in Islam. Seems to be a touchy issue so I'd appreciate your taking a look at the post and letting me know what you think. You can read it right here on BeliefNet.
You'd make a great beardless mullah! While not a Muslim myself (whilst I would like to consider myself an avid student of Islam), I enjoyed your article. Your commitment to the primary sources (the Qur'án) and your aptitude at rigorous logical reasoning would indeed make you a fierce Muslim divine to argue with. ;) I have no doubt that your background as a former "fire and brimstone" Christian gives you just the right CV for the job.
I personally am convinced that Muhammad, peace be upon him, never preached about a God who gauges man's righteousness by the length of his beard and the magnificence of his turban. Isn't it the Prophet himself who revealed the following lines in the Qur'án regarding the utter vanity of this world (57:20):
"Know ye that this world is but play, pastime and pomp; one to another ye boast and compete in riches and children. Like the rain and the growth it brings delight the farmers but soon withers, dries up and crumbles away. In the hereafter a severe chastisement awaits, but also forgiveness and the good pleasure of God. What is this world but goods and chattels of deception?"
LilWabbit
"The whole universe is but a handful of clay in His grasp."
The scholarly texts regarding the beard are quite fascinating, I find. Scholars have not only debated whether it's obligatory to keep a beard or not but what a "beard" means, how long it should be kept, etc, etc.
As to what beard means, the controversy lies on whether the sides of the jaw are considered beard or not and thus you have people that have the "goatee" while others have the full beard.
Regarding the length, some say fist length, some say you should never trim, some say as long as a bit is showing then you're complying with the obligation... oh so many options!
If I were a man, I think I would do a short beard... a long beard in our culture looks too scruffy. One of the first things I told my husband when I met him was... "hey that beard is pretty unkempt, isn't it?" He laughs until today at my bluntness! My household would not be the same without the trusty clipper which makes his beard nice a sexy :)
Beard is cultural; even the prophet's enemies had beards.
Peace
Ibn
Salam Ibn,
I think that maybe for you and me and others it's cultural, but for others it's a religious thing, even a religious obligation. Certain people following certain schools of jurisprudence believe that the beard is obligatory and that it has to have a certain length. God knows best.
Beard is cultural; even the prophet's enemies had beards.
Peace
Ibn
Salam Ibn,
I think that maybe for you and me and others it's cultural, but for others it's a religious thing, even a religious obligation. Certain people following certain schools of jurisprudence believe that the beard is obligatory and that it has to have a certain length. God knows best.
All the best,
Ceren
Salaam sister,
I have nothing against anyone choosing to have beard but the only obligations that we need to adhere to are in the Qur'an. My understanding is that if Allah (SWT) hasn't Commanded us to have beard then not having one cannot be regarded as sin. I do understand how the question of length arose but that is simply due to distinction (when everyone around also has a beard) rather than due to obligation (fardh).
I believe most of those who regard it as an obligation or Sunnah do not realize that it is not Fardh and, therefore, not a sin to have no beard.
Talking about having beard because the Prophet (saws) had one, the Prophet also never lied. Why adhere to "Sunnah" that is not also Fardh but not adhere to Sunnah that is also Fardh (telling the truth)?
Talking about having beard because the Prophet (saws) had one, the Prophet also never lied. Why adhere to "Sunnah" that is not also Fardh but not adhere to Sunnah that is also Fardh (telling the truth)?
Salaam
Ibn
Salam,
For some people beard is not "sunnah", it's fard, the same way that telling the truth is fard.
Now... what does one thing have to do with another? You can have a beard (if you think that's fard) and you can tell the truth as well... one does not annul the other, right?
Talking about having beard because the Prophet (saws) had one, the Prophet also never lied. Why adhere to "Sunnah" that is not also Fardh but not adhere to Sunnah that is also Fardh (telling the truth)?
Salaam
Ibn
Salam,
For some people beard is not "sunnah", it's fard, the same way that telling the truth is fard.
Now... what does one thing have to do with another? You can have a beard (if you think that's fard) and you can tell the truth as well... one does not annul the other, right?
Salaam,
Of course it does not, if both are fard. But is having beard really fard the same way that telling the truth is fard? Why would any Muslim "think" that having beard is fard? Where is the Command from Allah (SWT) for us to have beard?
The point I was making is that many Muslims with beards insist on having beard (whether sunnah or fard) but do not insist as much in telling the truth (which is definitely fard).
it seems like you have come across the so called 'Quran only' sites when looking into islam, so let me just tell you a bit about them; they unfortunately are not Muslim at all; they're a bit like louis farakhans 'Nation of Islam' who say they are Muslims and represent islam, but have a different religion alltogether
the Quran only organisation was started of by a man who claimed to be a Messenger of Allah [swt] and they reject many fundementals of islam, which keeps them out of the folds
but not to worry my friend for i will now explain what Islam says regarding the beard and the hadiths
the beard, as you know is based on the hadiths, and the Quran too, for as well as there being many verses like the one in your article saying follow the messenger [saw], there is one thats meaning is general, thus this verse orders unequivically to follow the Prophet [saw] in WHATEVER he says and does, thus this includes any of his sayings and actions related to the religion:
And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, leave it. And fear Allah: truly Allah is severe in punishment. [Qur'an 59:7]
there are other profound evidences too that overwhelmingly establish that Islam consists of not only the Quranic verses but also an external explanation of the Quran too which without, the Quran cannot be understood or implemented fully
Also the evidences show that this external explanation was revealed by Allah himself to the prophet [saw], but this explanation was put into the prophet's [saw] own words thus it is not regarded as literally the speech of Allah:
In the early days of his Prophethood, when the Holy Prophet (saw) received the verses of the Holy Qur’ân revealed to him, he used to recite the same simultaneously, lest he should forget them. It was a strenuous exercise for him, because he felt it was much too difficult to listen to the revelation, to understand it correctly, and to learn it by heart, all at the same time. Allâh Almighty relieved him from this burden when He revealed the following verses of the Holy Qur’ân:
Move not your tongue with it in order to hasten it. It is on Us to gather it (in your heart) and to recite it. So, when We read it, follow its reading. Then it is on Us to explain it. (75:16-19)
In the last sentence, Allâh Almighty has promised the Holy Prophet ( ) to explain the verses of the Holy Qur’ân to him. It is evident that this explanation is something separate from the Holy Qur’ân itself. It is not the Holy Qur’ân. It is its explanation or its exegesis. Therefore, it should necessarily be in some other form, distinct from the words of the Holy Book.
..........
We have revealed to you the Zikr (Qur’ân) so that you may explain to the people what has been sent down for them. [al-Qur'ân 16:44]
The word “Zikr” has been used here for the Holy Qur’ân as has been used in the verse 15:9 and it has been made clear that the people can only benefit from its guidance when they are led by the explanations of the Holy Prophet (saw).
since there is that decicive evidence ordering that the 'Sunnah' [actions and sayings of the prophet [saw]; hadiths are a written or memorised documentation of it] has to be followed, this is why no muslim has ever denied it and it has allways been part of Islam; only secondary to the Quran itself
now for the big question; how can we be certain that the hadiths are authentic?
well the science of hadith can be verifiably seen to be a precise and meticulous science, and also Allah [swt] has promised in the Quran that He will protect the Quran; this promise extends by neccessity, to the meaning of the Quran too for we have seen above that the Quran wont be able to be fully acted upon or understood without it's meaning [which includes that 'external explanation']
every single Quranic verses are mass transmitted, i.e, they have been transmitted by such a large number of people in every generation that it would be virtually impossible for them to have colluded to tell a lie, and this forms the highest level of proof regarding authenticity of transmissions, hence we can be certain that the verse promising to protect the Quran is authentic
thus this gives us reassurance that the hadiths will be reliably preserved untill the last day; yes there are one's that have been classified as forged and one's classified as 'weak', but there have been enough preserved for the comprehensive meaning of the Quran to allways remain with the muslims
hope your 'experience' of practicing islam has been a positive one
