Al-Nasa’i also records in his Sunan, with a sound chain of transmission, that Zayd ibn Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) reported the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: “Whoever does not take from his mustache is not one of us.”

The eminent scholar and celebrated ḥadith master Abū Muḥammad Ibn Ḥazm stated: “The scholars are unanimously agreed that trimming the mustache and letting the beard grow are obligatory.”

The traditions on this issue, and the words of the scholars concerning closely trimming the mustache and allowing the beard to grow, honouring it and leaving it uncut, are so numerous that a full survey of them is beyond the scope of this brief treatise.

From the foregoing reports, together with Ibn Ḥazm’s citation of consensus, the answers to the three questions become evident. In short, cultivating the beard, letting it grow, and leaving it uncut are mandatory and may not be neglected, for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it, and his command is binding. Allah the Exalted says: “So take whatever the Messenger gives you and abstain from whatever he forbids you, and fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in punishment” (al-Hashr 7).

Likewise, trimming the mustache is obligatory, and shaving it closely is even better. As for