As Salamu Alikum Respected Mufti Saheb.
Where does the beard start and end? Is it permissible to remove excessive hair on the cheek bones? Also the hair above the chin and below the lower lip?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The beard comprises of the hair on the entire mandible (jawbone) on which the teeth grow[1] starting from the slightly protruding bone visible in front of the ear[2]. Any hair growing on or below the protruding bone is part of the beard[3]. It is permissible to remove the hair of cheeks[4]. However, it is impermissible to shave or clip the hair above the chin and below the lower lip[5].
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Hanif Yusuf Patel
Student Darul Iftaa
UK
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
References
[1] [Fatawa Mahmudiyyah, 19: 421, Dar al-Iftaa Jamiah Faruqiyyah Karachi]
[2] [Imdad al-Fatawa, 4: 221, Maktabah Dar al-Uloom Karachi]
[3] [Fatawa Mahmudiyyah, 19: 421, Dar al-Iftaa Jamiah Faruqiyyah Karachi; Imdad al-Fatawa, 4: 221, Maktabah Dar al-Uloom Karachi]
اللحى العظام الذي عليه الأسنان
[Al-Maghrib,p. 244, Idarah Dawat al-Islam Karachi]
واللحى منبت اللحية من الإنسان وغيره … واللجيان حائطا الفم وهما العظمان اللذان فيهما الأسنان من داخل الفم من كل ذي لحى
[Lisan al-arab, 15: 243, Dar Sadir Beirut]
[Fatawa Mahmudiyyah, 19: 396, Dar al-Iftaa Jamiah Faruqiyyah Karachi]
[4] رخسار کے بال کا مونڈنا یعنی خط بنوانا شرعا درست ہے
[Fatawa Mahmudiyyah, 19: 396/421, Dar al-Iftaa Jamiah Faruqiyyah Karachi]
واللحيية ما على اللحيين، وكذلك في الهندية … أم الأشعار التي على الخدين فليست من اللحية لغة؛ وإن كره الفقهاء أخذها لأنه إن كان بالحديد فذلك يوجب الخشونة في الخدين وإن كان بالنتف فإنه يضعف البصر
[Faydh al-Bari, 7: 322, Dar ihyaa at-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut]
Masa`il of Hair, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi. Available from: http://darululoom-deoband.com/english/books/masailofhair.htm#misc
نتف الفنبكين بدعة وهما جانبا العنفقة وهي شعر الشفة السفلى كذا في الغرائب
[Radd al-Muhtar ala ad-durr al-Mukhtar, 6: 407, H. M. Saeed Company; al-Fatawa al-Hindiyyah, 5: 358, Maktabah Rashidiyyah]
[Fatawa Mahmudiyyah, 19: 396; 425, Dar al-Iftaa Jamiah Faruqiyyah Karachi]
Masa`il of Hair, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi. Available from: http://darululoom-deoband.com/english/books/masailofhair.htm#misc
For further discussion on beard, see: [Dark al-Ma`aarib fi Ahkam al-Luhaa wa ash-Shawaarib; Hidayat an-Nur fi Ahkam al-Azfaar wa ash-Shu`oor; Nur al-Luhaa wa ma yata`allaqu bi al-Luhaa; Dhaari ka falsafah; Dhaari ki qadr wa qeemat]