Growing a Beard in Islam is a deeply rooted practice that intersects with personal identity, faith, and physical appearance. Medical professionals and individuals in various fields often inquire about the permissibility of shaving and the required length of facial hair. Islam calls upon all Muslims to maintain a handsome and beautiful appearance, ensuring that a person is pure in clothes, body, morals, and manners. Commanding this purity and cleanliness, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stated:
“Verily, Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty” (Sahih Muslim).
The Aesthetics and Acceptable Length
Growing facial hair is a great Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is important for a Muslim to maintain their physical appearance. A beard should not be allowed to grow in a way that makes a person look unkempt to others. Instead, a Muslim should make sure that it adds to their good looks and smartness.
Furthermore, maintaining facial hair is seen as aligning with the natural disposition of man and avoiding the imitation of women, serving as a sign of maturity and manhood. However, growing it does not mean letting it stretch to an unreasonable width or length. Trimming it a bit or shaping it from the edges to add to one’s handsomeness was the established practice of the righteous ancestors (Salaf).
Distinction and Islamic Identity
Prominent scholars cite the prophetic command regarding this practice:
“Be distinguished from disbelievers, grow your beards, and shave your mustaches” (al-Sunan al-Kubra).
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) related this command to the necessity of distinguishing Muslims from non-Muslims—specifically, the Persian fire worshippers of that time who used to shave their facial hair. The goal was to teach Muslims how to be distinct in both appearance and behaviour.
Scholars note that imitating non-believers in appearance can lead to companionship, loyalty, and internal love, which subsequently leads to external love. Warning against such imitation, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Whoever imitates a people, he is one of them” (Abu Dawud).
Three Scholarly Views on Shaving
Based on Islamic jurisprudence, scholars have outlined three distinct views regarding the act of shaving:
- Prohibited (Haram): Many early scholars made it prohibited to shave, basing this on the Prophet’s reasoning of distinction. To them, it is mandatory to maintain facial hair. It was never narrated that the righteous Companions ignored this matter.
- Reprehensible (Makruh): A prominent scholarly conclusion is that shaving is Makruh. Since the stated reason for growing the beard is to be different from non-believers, scholars compare it to the prophetic recommendation of dyeing grey hair to be distinct from Jewish and Christian communities. Because some Companions did not dye their grey hair, it signifies that the act was commendable rather than strictly obligatory. Similarly, growing facial hair is regarded as highly commendable, making the act of shaving it Makruh rather than Haram.
- Lawful: Some contemporary scholars have made it lawful to shave under the pressure of current conditions, stating that the Prophet’s practice was a normal cultural action rather than a strict ritualistic one.
Ultimately, while it is true that none of the Companions were known to have shaved, perhaps there was no need to do so, and it was simply the established custom among them.
