Salaaam, My husband has a beard that is not on his cheeks but instead covers his jawline. The beard he does have is not lengthy, it hugs his face. I ask him to trim his beard this way because when he keeps a fuller beard, it irritates my face to the point of rashes. Although I regret extremely saying this (because I fully realize the importance of having a beard in Islam and Sunnah), I also find him very unattractive when he does not maintain his beard (i.e, shave the hair on his cheeks, and trim the length). I need to know if it is permissible for me to ask him to keep his beard in a fashion that is both asthetically pleasing and physically not painful for me. (I always thought that since wives are required to stay beautiful for their husbands, that the same would be true for the husbands). Please advise. Jazak Allahkhair
Imaam Abu Yusuf stated that just as the husband wishes the wife to beautify
herself for him, so too does the wife wishes that the husband ‘beautifies’
himself for her.
However, in fulfilling one another’s wishes, the laws of Shari’ah must not
be violated. It is permissible for the husband to maintain his beard and to
remove the hair from his cheeks. However, he cannot trim his beard lesser
than the first of his palm.
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
FATWA DEPT.