Section: The article’s author alleges that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never said anything indicating that the beard is part of Islam, claiming instead that he merely rebuked those who disfigured their appearance by letting their beards grow unchecked.

The author of this spurious piece writes: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never said anything to suggest that the beard has anything to do with Islam. All he did was deliver a hadith scolding people who had marred their looks with thick beards—beards they would pluck with their own hands—while gnawing at their moustaches with their teeth and thereby spoiling their naturally handsome human appearance. In effect he said, ‘My people, tidy up your beards and trim your moustaches with scissors, not with your teeth.’ The ignorant imagined that this lone hadith is the sole marker of a man’s Islam.

“Once you grow a beard, it becomes your right to insult people, declare them unbelievers, sow division among them, and deem their lives and their women lawful prey.”

The reply is this: the author of that false article has fabricated a claim against the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he asserted that the Prophet never uttered anything implying that the beard belongs to Islam. This mendacious claim is demolished by the Prophet’s explicit command to grow and maintain the beard. Several authentic hadiths to this effect have already been cited—let the reader consult them—and we have also previously mentioned the hadith of ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that—