Section: The Baseless Assertion that the Prophet ﷺ Did Not Allow His Beard to Grow After the Advent of Islam

The proponent of this false claim says, “The Prophet ﷺ did have a beard, but he did not let it grow after the coming of Islam.”

The answer is that the Prophet ﷺ in fact let his beard grow fully. It was thick, large, and impressive, as is affirmed in many reports. Among them is what Imam Ahmad transmits from ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib — may Allah be pleased with him — who said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had a thick beard.”

Ibn Manẓūr explains in Lisān al-ʿArab that a kathth beard is one whose roots and hairs are abundant, neither sparse nor unusually long, but dense. Ibn Durayd likewise says: “A kathth beard is one with plentiful growth.”

Imam Ahmad and al-Ḥākim also narrate from ʿAlī — may Allah be pleased with him — that he said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was large of head and beard.” Al-Ḥākim declared the chain sound, though al-Bukhārī and Muslim did not record it, and al-Dhahabī concurred in his summary. Al-Jawharī and Ibn Manẓūr state in Lisān al-ʿArab that ḍakham means “big and thick” in whatever it describes; the author of al-Qāmūs says the same.

What is meant by the “largeness” of his beard is its considerable size, as related by ʿAbd Allah the son of Imam Ahmad in the Zawāʾid of the Musnad with reliable chains from ʿAlī — may Allah be pleased with him — who said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had a great beard.”

Imam Ahmad and Muslim also report from Jābir ibn Samurah — may Allah be pleased with him — that he said: