—and he alone transmitted this report to the exclusion of all other narrators, while it flatly contradicts the sound traditions. Hence it is unquestionably spurious, unfit to be relied upon, and may not be used as evidence against the authentic Sunnah. Allah’s help is sought.

There is no doubt that shaving the beard is the graver sin, for it eradicates the beard completely, represents an extreme act of wrongdoing, and is an imitation of women. Trimming and thinning it are likewise reprehensible and contrary to the authentic narrations, yet they are a lesser offense than shaving.

As for the ruling on the person who commits either act, he is sinful but not an unbeliever—even if he imagines it to be lawful because of a mistaken understanding or because he has followed certain scholars. Such a person must be advised and warned against this wrongdoing, for the juristic discussion about the beard in general revolves around whether it must be left to grow or whether cutting it is permissible. Shaving it, however, is something I know of no scholar who has ever allowed. Still, this does not make someone who thinks shaving permissible—due to ignorance or blind imitation—a disbeliever, unlike those prohibitions that are universally recognized as part of the religion.