Beard and Hair

Beard and Hair

Question:

Assalaamu ‘alaikum

It’s been more than two weeks since i submitted my question, so i am submitting it again.

I have two questions:

1) I saw some or I think one of the posts about the boundaries and definition of the beard in Shariah, and what is allowed to be trimmed or cut, and I understand that the beard shouldn’t be trimmed when it isn’t fist length or trim it to make it less than a fist, but I still don’t understand what area is allowed to be trimmed or shaved. I dont understand when it is said that the cheek is allowed to be shaved, and anything on the jawbone is the beard. I see some Ulama that have full hair on their cheeks but just shave that area near the eyes and nose bridge. Is that what is meant by the cheek? Is the cheek considered the squishy area on the sides? If so, then does that mean I can shave that area? And what about the jawbone, what area is considered the jawbone, the hair running along the jawbone, what does that even mean specifically? Please answer my question in detail, because i cant seem to understand this.

2)Is it true that Rasoolullah (SA) would have his hair pulled back? If that is true, then i would do that before for i think one or two weeks. When i would do that, then my hair would look kind of like a modern haristyle of this time and age, and it would be going up and looking kind of fat and big, kind of like the hairstyle. I dont know if this would be imitating another nation or having strange hair. One thing is that at the time my hair wasn’t that long. It was long but not so long that the hair would go till the shoulders or somewhere near the neck. So should I do this pulling of the hair back when it’s long enough, or is it fine if I do it now? Would Rasoolullah (SA) have it pulled back when it was long, or when it was short, or both? What about when he would part it in the middle?

JazakAllah, Please make duaa for me.

Answer:

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Brother in Islam,

1) In principle, the beard is the hair that grows along the jawbone. An easy method to determine whatconstitutes the beard is to open the mouth. The area that is hard is the jawbone. It is not permissible to trim that area. The area that is soft is the cheek. It is permissible to trim the hair of this area.

2) It was the noble habit of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) to keep long hair and it has also been proven that he shaved the hair of his blessed head.When Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi kept his hair long, it was generally one of three categories:

1) Wafrah– hair in line of the earlobes.

2) Limmah– hair between the earlobes and the shoulders.

3) Jummah – hair in line of the shoulders.

A person who keeps long hair so that he may practice on the Sunnah of Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) will be rewarded. However, if he keeps long hair to emulate the appearance of a certain group of people or the disbelievers, then that is impermissible. You may wait for your hair to grow long enough to pull back until it reaches the earlobes. [i][ii]

A Muslim should try his best to act upon the Sunnah of Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). One should make an effort to act on the Sunnah of wearing a Topi (hat) and Imamah (turban) on top of it. If one truly wishes to act upon the Sunnah, he should ensure that his head is always covered with an Imamah (turban) or atleast a Topi (hat).

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Hammad Ibn Ismail Jogiat

Student - Darul Iftaa

Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

Checked and Approved by,

Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

 مرقاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح (7/ 2817)[i]

4425 – وعن ابن عباس – رضي الله عنهما – قال: «كان النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – يحب موافقة أهل الكتاب فيما لم يؤمر فيه، وكان أهل الكتاب يسدلون أشعارهم، وكان المشركون يفرقون رءوسهم، فسدل النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – ناصيته، ثم فرق بعد. » متفق عليه.

(وعن ابن عباس قال: كان النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – يحب موافقة أهل الكتاب فيما): أي في أمر (لم يؤمر فيه): أي بشيء من مخالفته، قال ابن الملك: أي فيما لم ينزل عليه حكم بالمخالفة (وكان أهل الكتاب): أي اليهود والنصارى (يسدلون): بضم الدال ويكسر، ففي المغرب: سدل من باب (طلب) ، و (أسدل) خطأ. وفي القاموس: سدله يسدله وأسدله أرخاه وأرسله. (أشعارهم) : والمراد به هنا إرسال الشعر حول الرأس من غير أن يقسم نصفين، نصف من جانب يمينه ونحو صدره، ونصف من جانب يساره كذلك، وقيل: سدل الشعر إذا أرسله ولم يضم جوانبه.

وفي شرح مسلم للنووي، قال العلماء: المراد إرساله على الجبين واتخاذه كالقصة والفرق فرق الشعر بعضه من بعض، وقيل: السدل أن يرسل الشخص شعره من ورائه، ولا يجعله فرقتين، والفرق أن يجعله فرقتين، كل فرقة ذؤابة. وهو المناسب لقوله: (وكان المشركون يفرقون) : بكسر الراء وبضم وروي من التفريق (رءوسهم) : أي شعر رءوسهم بعضها من بعض ويكشفوا عن جبينهم.

قال العسقلاني: الفرق قسمة الشعر، والمفرق: وسط الرأس، وأصله من الفرق بين الشيئين (فسدل النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – ناصيته) : أي حين قدم المدينة (ثم فرق) : بالتخفيف وقد يشدد وزاد في الشمائل رأسه أي شعره (بعد) : بضم الدال أي بعد ذلك من الزمان. قال ابن الملك: لأن جبريل عليه – الصلاة والسلام – أتاه وأمره بالفرق ففرق المسلمون رءوسهم.

الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (6/ 407)[ii]

قوله وأما حلق رأسه إلخ) وفي الروضة للزندويستي أن السنة في شعر الرأس إما الفرق أو الحلق

الفتاوى الهندية (5/ 357)

وفي روضه الزندويستي أن السنة في شعر الرأس إما الفرق وإما الحلق

بذل المجهود في حل سنن أبي داود (12/ 214)

ثُم فَرَقَ) شعره أي فرقتين على مقدم رأسه (بعد) والفرق سنَّة في الشعر؛ لأنه الذي رجع إليه النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم -، والظاهر أنه بوحي منه تعالى