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The Beard - Taraweeh
Honourable Mufti Saheb! Kindly answer the following questions. May Allah reward you.
Question 1: What is the importance of the beard in the light of Islamic Shari'ah?
Question 2: How is the Imaamat of a person who shaves his beard?
Question 3: How is the Imaamat of those Huffaaz who grow their beards only in Ramadaan to lead the Taraweeh prayers and then shave such beards after Ramadaan, when present in the congregation are people who are abiding in Shari'ah and would come within the ambit of piety?
Question 4: Some people are of the opinion that Taraweeh is a Sunnat Salaah and any one who regularly shaves his beard (except in Ramadaan) can lead this Salaah. How correct is this thought or Fatwa (Ruling) in the light of Islamic Shari'ah bearing in mind the availability of Shari'ah abiding Huffaaz to lead such Prayers?
Note: Such Huffaaz were made aware the previous year about the beard being an important Sunnat of our beloved Rasool (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) and should, therefore, be an observer of this act of Sunnat at all times for the purpose of Imaamat. Despite having created the awareness, many such Huffaaz did not take heed or did not pay any importance to the Sunnat act of growing the beard. How then is the Imaamat by such Huffaaz?
Haroon T. A.
Jamia Masjid
Laudium
Pretoria
South Africa
THE ANSWER
In answer to your questions, I have to say that:
1: The beard has a very great importance in the view of Islam as it is the symbol of Islam and it is a practice (Sunnah) of all the Messengers of Allah Ta'ala and is also the Sunnah of our Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).
2: It is totally prohibited and Makrooh Tahrimi (for a person who shaves his beard to be an Imaam). It is stated in "Durre Mukhtaar" as under:
"It is prohibited for a person to cut his beard and make it less
than one fist (in length)."
Also in "Durre Mukhtaar" it is stated as:
"It is Sunnah to keep the beard one fist (in length)."
Therefore, he who shaves his beard, is justly declared sinful (Fasiq-e Moalin) and it is totally prohibited to offer the Imaamat to such a person.
3: As above (same as answer 2). Therefore, they have no legitimacy to lead the congregation in Taraweeh Prayer and their repentance is not acceptable in the sight of a Qaadi.
It has been stated in "Alamgiri":
"If a sinful person makes Tauba, his repentance is not acceptable until the sign of repentance has appeared and the correct verdict is that the time (of repentance) is not specified, it is referred to the opinion of the Qaadi."
4: They are totally wrong. Therefore, they must refrain from this wrong tenet and they must repent.
[Mufti] Mohammad Akhtar Raza Khan Qadiri Azhari
Markazi Darul Ifta
82 Saudagran
Bareilly Shareef
Footnotes:
The sign of repentance in this case refers to the immediate keeping of the
beard after making Tauba and not removing the beard again or waiting to keep
the beard after some time.