—each one of these four proofs is, on its own, sufficient to establish that growing the beard is obligatory and that shaving it is unlawful—so what, then, when they are taken together?! For that reason Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya declared, “Shaving the beard is forbidden” (al-Kawakib al-Durari, 1/101/2). Ibn ʿAsakir likewise transmits (13/101/2) from ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz that shaving the beard is an act of mutilation, adding: “The Messenger of Allah forbade mutilation.” I have treated this question in detail in an article published in al-Shihab magazine, issue 41 of its first year; some sincere lovers of the Sunnah, striving in its cause, later reprinted it as a brief booklet in Baghdad. In that booklet I cited the statements of the jurists who prohibit shaving, quoting the four imams; whoever wishes may consult it. So, dear brother, do not be taken in by the great number of people who fall into this violation—even though some of them are counted among the learned—for when it comes to the guidance and light brought by the Messenger of Allah, ignorance is better than a “knowledge” that is used to twist or reject clear texts in deference to whim and in step with the prevailing current. One of their claims is: “Letting the beard grow is not a religious matter but merely a worldly custom.”