al-Lihyah Limadha - Muhammad Ismaïl Al-Muqaddim - (5)

Growing the beard is an act of obedience.

Allah, the Exalted, says: “It is not for a believing man or a believing woman—once Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter—to claim any choice concerning it.” ⦗Al-Ahzab 33:36⦘

He also says: “Let those who oppose his command beware, lest a trial befall them or a painful punishment strike them.” ⦗An-Nur 24:63⦘

One of the matters that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ expressly commanded is the growing of the beard (1). Ibn ʿUmar narrated that the Prophet ﷺ “ordered the trimming of the moustaches and the growing of the beard.” ⦗Muslim⦘

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Cut back the moustaches and leave the beards; differ from the Magians.” ⦗Muslim⦘

When the Prophet ﷺ saw the two envoys of Chosroes who had shaved their beards and allowed their moustaches to grow long, he was repelled from even looking at them and said:

(1) This command comes in several verbal forms—'a'fu, awfu, arkhu, arju, and wafiru'—all referring to the beard and all meaning: leave it as it is.

إعفاء اللحية طاعة فقد قال تعالى: ﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ﴾ الآية. [الأحزاب:٣٦] وقال ﷿: ﴿فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَنْ تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾. [النور:٦٣] ومما أمر به رسول الله ﷺ إعفاءُ اللحى (١)، فقد روى ابْنِ عُمَرَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ: «أَمَرَ بِإِحْفَاءِ الشَّوَارِبِ، وَإِعْفَاءِ اللِّحْيَةِ» [رواه مسلم] وعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ: «جُزُّوا الشَّوَارِبَ، وَأَرْخُوا اللِّحَى خَالِفُوا الْمَجُوسَ» [رواه مسلم] ولما رأى النبي ﷺ رسولَىْ كسرى وقد حلقا لحاهما، وأعفيا شواربهما، كره أن ينظر إليهما، وقال:

(١) وقد ورد هذا الأمر بصيغ مختلفة هي: (أعفوا، أوفوا، أرخوا، أرجوا، وفروا) اللحى، ومعناها كلها: تركها على حالها.