Answered by: Maulana Muhammad Asadullah Anwar Adam
Question:
I have been told by my local ‘ulamaa that it is waajib for the length of the beard to be a fist length all the way around. However, when trying to explain this to others, they tell me that there is no authentic hadith that specifies such a length. They say the hadith only mentions for a Muslim male to lengthen his beard and trim his moustache and that it doesn’t say anything about the desired length being a fist length… is there any tafsir to this hadith or any other hadith which specifies that it is waajib for a Muslim male to grow a fist length beard all the way around?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Ibn Umar(RA) said The Prophet (SAW) said, ‘Do the opposite of what the Mushrikeen do. lengthen the beards and cut the moustaches short.’ Whenever Ibn `Umar performed the Hajj or Umrah, he used to hold his beard with his hand and cut whatever remained outside his hold.[1]
From this hadith and the similar practice from Abu Huraira, we see that it is permissible to cut the beard, once it has grown longer than a fist’s length.[1]
From this, we can conclude that it is permissible for you to trim the beard when it is more than a fist length. However, if it is less than a fist, it will be best to refrain from trimming it in order to not go against what the Prophet(SAW) has mentioned of lengthening the beard
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Muhammad Asadullah Anwar Adam
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1] Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 5892 and its commentary
{“ خَالِفُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ، وَفِّرُوا اللِّحَى، وَأَحْفُوا الشَّوَارِبَ ”}
{ وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ إِذَا حَجَّ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ قَبَضَ عَلَى لِحْيَتِهِ، فَمَا فَضَلَ أَخَذَهُ}
{و يجوز كسرها اي علي القبضة اخذ بالقص و نحوه وروي مثل ذلك عن ابي هريرة}