In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

All praise is due to Allah alone, and may peace and blessings be upon His servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muḥammad, and upon his family and Companions.

To proceed:

A question has reached me about the ruling on shaving or trimming the beard: Does someone who does so deliberately, believing it to be lawful, thereby fall into disbelief? And does the ḥadith of Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) make letting the beard grow obligatory and shaving it unlawful, or does it merely indicate that letting it grow is recommended?

Answer: It is authentically established from the Prophet ﷺ, in the ḥadith of Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that he said: “Trim the mustaches and let the beards grow; differ from the polytheists.” This wording is agreed upon as sound. Al-Bukhārī records it in his Ṣaḥīḥ with the wording: “Trim the mustaches and leave the beards full; differ from the polytheists.” Muslim, in his Ṣaḥīḥ, transmits from Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Clip the mustaches and let the beards grow; differ from the Magians (Zoroastrians).” This wording is found in