Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
There is this friend of mine who applied wella straitner (A cream which straitens your hair) on his beard, he thought it would only straighten his curly beard, but the results were bad, it has started to burn his hair are damaged them by the roots, if he does not shave his beard he will lose all the hair .. Is there any dispensation for my friend? Would he be allowed to shave the beard and let it grow again?
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
If an upright, reliable, and qualified Muslim doctor confirms that if he doesn’t shave now, he is likely to experience considerable hair damage in the long run, then (and only then) would it be permitted to shave, as this would be a case of following the lesser of two harms in order to avoid the greater harm.
However, one should be wary of legal antics (such as convincing a doctor one knows to somehow say that the situation is as stated)–such antics may appear to circumvent the outward of the Sacred Law, but carry little weight in the court of the Divine.
The way of loving Allah and His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is to seek the means to fulfill the Divine guidance, as an expression of one’s love and thankfulness.
And Allah alone gives success.
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani