The Ruling on Shaving the Beard



حكم حلق اللحية لمن له ظروف سياسية تجبره على ذلك

The Ruling on Shaving the Beard Due to Political Circumstances

Translated by: Reza Ervani bin Asmanu

This article on the Ruling on Shaving the Beard Due to Political Pressure is part of the Islamic Question Answer Category

السؤال

Question:

ما حكم حلق اللحية لأسباب سياسية؟ جزاكم الله خيرًا.

What is the ruling on shaving the beard for political reasons? May Allah reward you with goodness.

الإجابــة

Answer:

الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله، وعلى آله، وصحبه، أما بعد:

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and companions. To proceed:

فإعفاء اللحية من الأوامر الشرعية الأكيدة التي يجب على المسلم امتثالها، ففي الصحيحين، وغيرهما عن ابن عمر أن النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم- قال:

Growing the beard is among the confirmed religious commandments that a Muslim must adhere to. In Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and others, it is narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet peace be upon him said:

خالفوا المشركين، وفروا اللحى، وأحفوا الشوارب.

“Be different from the polytheists: grow the beards and trim the mustaches.”

وقد تكرر هذا الأمر منه -صلى الله عليه وسلم- في عدة أحاديث في الصحيحين، وغيرهما، والأمر يقتضي الوجوب على الراجح عند الأصوليين.

This command was repeated by the Prophet peace be upon him in several hadiths in the Sahihain and others. According to the majority of scholars of usul (legal theory), such a command indicates obligation.

وقد اجتمع في ذلك قول النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم- وفعله، وهو هدي النبيين كافة، كما أنه فعل الصحابة، والتابعين لهم بإحسان، لا يعرف منهم مخالف.

This is further confirmed by the Prophet’s statement and action, the practice of all prophets, and the actions of the companions and the righteous successors—without known disagreement among them.

لكن أوامر العزيز الحكيم الرحيم مبنية على رفع الحرج، ودفع الضرر، قال تعالى:

However, the commands of the Almighty, the Wise, and the Merciful are based on removing hardship and preventing harm. Allah the Exalted says:

لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا {البقرة: ٢٨٦}

“Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.” (Surah Al-Baqarah: 286)

وقال تعالى:

And He also says:

فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ {البقرة: ١٧٣}

“But if one is compelled by necessity, neither desiring it nor transgressing, then there is no sin upon him.” (Surah Al-Baqarah: 173)

وقال النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم-:

The Prophet peace be upon him also said:

ما نهيتكم عنه فاجتنبوه، وما أمرتكم به، فأتوا منه ما استطعتم. أخرجه مسلم.

“Whatever I forbid you, avoid it; and whatever I command you, do of it as much as you are able.” (Narrated by Muslim)

وعلى هذا؛ فإذا كان إعفاء اللحية يسبب للمرء ضرراً مجحفا محققا، كالقتل، أو التشريد، أو الحبس، أو التعذيب، ولم يستطع دفع ذلك الضرر، إلا بالتخفيف من لحيته، أو حلقها، فإنه يجوز له اللجوء إلى الأخف، وهو التخفيف، ولا يصير إلى الحلق، إلا إذا ثبت أن ما دونه لا يدفع عنه الأذى؛ لأنه فعل ذلك ضرورة، والضرورة تقدر بقدرها، وضابطها ماجاء في قوله -سبحانه-: 

Based on this, if growing the beard causes a person confirmed and severe harm—such as execution, exile, imprisonment, or torture—and he is unable to repel that harm except by trimming or shaving his beard, then it is permissible for him to resort to the lesser harm, which is trimming. He should not resort to shaving unless it is established that nothing short of that will protect him from harm. This is because such an action is taken out of necessity, and necessity is to be measured according to its extent. The guideline for this is found in the words of Allah, the Exalted:

Allah the Exalted says:

مَنْ كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَانِهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَكِنْ مَنْ شَرَحَ بِالْكُفْرِ صَدْرًا فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ {النحل: ١٠٦}، 

Whoever disbelieves in Allah after having believed—except for one who is compelled while his heart is firm in faith—then there is no sin upon him. But whoever willingly opens his chest to disbelief, upon them is the wrath of Allah, and for them is a great punishment. (Surah An-Nahl: 106)

وقوله -سبحانه-:

And His statement:

فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ {البقرة: ١٧٣} فمن ظلم، أو تعدى فهو آثم.

“But if one is compelled by necessity, neither desiring it nor transgressing, then there is no sin upon him.” (Surah Al-Baqarah: 173). And whoever transgresses or exceeds the limits is sinful.

وتأسيسا على ذلك نقول: قد ثبت بالتتبع، والسؤال، وباستقراء أحوال أناس كثيرين أن دعوى الإكراه على حلق اللحية لا يكون، إلا في نطاق ضيق، وأن أكثر الناس يتخوفون من دون سبب حقيقي، ثم يبنون على هذا التخوف أحكاما، ويدعون ضرورات، وليس الأمر كذلك، وكثير منهم لا يريد أن يلحقه أي أذى، أو مضايقة بسبب تدينه والتزامه بالمظهر الإسلامي، والأخذ بالسنة، وهذا مخالف لسنة الله في عباده المؤمنين، قال -تعالى-:

Based on that, we say: It has been proven through observation, inquiry, and the study of many individuals’ circumstances that the claim of coercion to shave the beard is only valid in very limited cases. Most people are afraid without a real cause, and they form rulings and claim necessity based on mere fear. In reality, many of them simply do not want to face any harm or inconvenience due to their religious appearance and adherence to the Sunnah. This contradicts the way (Sunnah) of Allah with His believing servants. Allah the Exalted says:

أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ * وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ {العنكبوت:٢، ٣}

“Do people think that they will be left to say: ‘We believe,’ while they will not be tested? And We certainly tested those before them, so Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars.” (Surah Al-‘Ankabut: 2–3)

فالأذى والمضايقة بسبب التدين الصحيح من الأمورالمتوقعة، والسلامة منها على خلاف الأصل.

Harm and harassment due to true religious commitment are expected matters; safety from them is against the usual norm.

والمقصود أن ما يقع من الأذى هو أمر عادي يجب أن نتقبله ونحتسب عند الله ما نلقى؛ فهذه ضريبة الإيمان، وثمن الجنة، ولو أنا كلما أحسسنا بالأذى تراجعنا في التزامنا لم نلبث أن ننسلخ من شعائر ديننا الظاهرة، وهذا بالضبط ما يريد أعداؤنا أن نصل إليه لتخفى معالم الحق على الناس، وتندرس رسومه، وهذا من أخطر العواقب، فليتنبه لذلك؛ فإنه من مزالق الشيطان.

What is meant is that the harm that occurs is a normal matter that we must accept and seek its reward from Allah. This is the price of faith and the cost of Paradise. If every time we face harm we retreat from our religious commitment, it won’t be long before we abandon the visible signs of our religion. This is exactly what our enemies want: that the signs of truth become hidden from people and erased. This is one of the gravest consequences—so let one be cautious, for it is among the traps of Satan.

وعليه؛ فمن تحقق وقوعه في ضرر يشق احتماله ـ بعد ملاحظة ما قدمنا ـ رجونا أن لا إثم عليه بالترخص -على ما قدمنا تفصيله-، وعليه مع ذلك أن لا يطمئن لما أقدم عليه، ولا تركن إليه نفسه، بل عليه أن يبقى متلهفاً، متعلق القلب، تواقاً إلى أن يفرج الله عنه تلك الضرورة، فيمتثل أمر الله، وأمر رسوله -صلى الله عليه وسلم-، ويعفي لحيته، ويقص شاربه.

Therefore, whoever truly finds himself in harm too severe to bear—as we have outlined—then we hope there is no sin upon him for taking the concession, as we have detailed. Still, he must not be content with what he has done, nor let his soul settle into it. Rather, he should remain eager, with his heart attached and longing for Allah to lift that necessity, so that he may fulfill the command of Allah and His Messenger peace be upon him, to grow his beard and trim his mustache.

نسأل الله -تعالى- أن يرد المسلمين إلى دينهم رداً جميلاً، وأن يمكن لهم في الأرض، ويهيئ لهم من أمرهم رشداً .

We ask Allah, the Most High, to bring the Muslims back to their religion in a beautiful way, to establish them upon the earth, and to guide them rightly in their affairs.

والله أعلم.

And Allah knows best.

Source: IslamWeb



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