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The Beard - Taraweeh
Haroon T. A.
Jamia Masjid
Laudium
Pretoria
South Africa
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?
THE
ANSWER
In answer to your questions, I have to say that:
Answer 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).
Answer 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 Mukhtar" 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.
Answer 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."
Answer 4:
They are totally wrong. Therefore, they must refrain from this wrong tenet
and they must repent.
Mohammad Akhtar Raza
Khan Qadiri Azhari
Markazi Darul Ifta
82 Saudagran
Bareilly Shareef
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