I was surprised to read that growing a beard is obligatory. My father is growing a fist-length beard and I told him about your view. He told me it’s Sunna. And Sunna is not obligatory, it’s just that it is better and that you will be rewarded for it, but it is not obligatory.A lot of Muftis in the world, even in the Arab world, in which I live in, do not grow beards.
There are two types of Sunnats: Sunan-e-Hudaa and Sunan-e-Zawaaid.
Sunan Huda, for example, to perform the necessary Sunnats before and after
Sunnah Salaats. The beard falls in the same category as the prophet
reprimanded people not keeping beards. Had it been just an extra Sunnat
(Sunan-Zawaaid), he would not have reprimanded upon not keeping a beard.
Reprimanding is regarded as an expression of compulsion. The laws of Islam
should be scaled by the book (principles) and not practices of any
individual even though he may claim to be an authority in Shari’ah.
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai