Beard in the Hanafi Madhhab

[ImamGhazzaali]

Assalamu 'alaykum,

What do the Syrian Hanafis and other non-Deobandis Hanafis say about the beard?

I've heard they have a different ruling than the Sub-Continent Hanafis. I am interested in knowing what ruling do they give of it.

JazakAllahu Khayran,
Wassalam.

[mercyofAllah]

Beard Length: Is it a Hanafi or Deobandi Issue?

By Mufti Taqi Usmani
Posted: 10 Shawwal 1423, 15 December 2002

Q.) According to the Deobandi scholars the fist full of the beard is wajib. If not please clarify. However, there are famous scholars like Dr. Sheikh Ramadan Al-Bouti who trim their beards less then that. A good number of Shuyookh from Syria also trim their beards. Their opinion is that it is okay to trim less than a fist. The Deobandi scholars term men with less than a fist of beard as fasiqs. So what about these pious and knowledgable ulama? Are they considered fasiqs? Or do the Ulama of Deoband recognize their opinion. I follow the Deobandi opinion but I respect these ulama who trim less than a fist. I find it difficult to take lessons from them. What is your advice? [Sheikh Faisal]

A.) It is mentioned in the Hanafi books that the jurists are unanimous on the ruling that a Muslim is obligated to grow his beard to the extent of one fist. As for the practice of some scholars of Middle East you should approach them about its permissibility.

http://www.albalagh.net/qa/beard_hanafi_deobandi.shtml

[ImamGhazzaali]

I don't have access, at the moment, to those non-Deobandi Hanafi 'ulama, thus I assumed that the 'ulama and students of knowledge here, were aware of their position.

I am only looking for their position.

JazakAllahu Khayran.

[ukbaz]

I have read somewhere ( perhaps on this forum) that the hanafi scholars in the arab lands say that the beard starts from he hair that grows underneath the bottom lip, wheres as the scholars from the sub continent say it starts from the chin, so hence the person who follows the first opinion will have a bit of a shorter beard.

maybe someone can clarify this.

[abuhajira]

I don't have access, at the moment, to those non-Deobandi Hanafi 'ulama, thus I assumed that the 'ulama and students of knowledge here, were aware of their position.

I am only looking for their position.

JazakAllahu Khayran.

Please search on sunnipath (Qibla) and post their fatwa here. I am quite sure that there is an answer from Sh. Faraz on this.

@ukbaz : I am not aware of anything like that.

P.S This section is for QnA. This topic, again falls under more of a discussion. So it will be moved to Indepth section

[ImamGhazzaali]

Assalamu 'alaykum,

Yes, perhaps it would be better to move to the in-depth section.

I have not been able to find from Sunnipath, the other side of the view which I am wanting to know.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (hafithahullah) has not really stated their side.

JazakAllahu Khayran.

[abuhajira]

Assalamu 'alaykum,

Yes, perhaps it would be better to move to the in-depth section.

I have not been able to find from Sunnipath, the other side of the view which I am wanting to know.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (hafithahullah) has not really stated their side.

JazakAllahu Khayran.

Sheikh Faraz states :

Walaikum assalam,

I am not sure. What I have read and learned clearly indicates that for the beard to be a fistful is wajib. The texts that say it is a "sunna" also mention it being sinful to have it less than a fistful, and are explained in other texts to mean "established by the sunna," with the ruling being that it is wajib.

Unlike the Shafi`i school, the Hanafis do not define things precisely when no precise definition has come from the Lawgiver. In fact, this is an established principle that Abu Hanifa based countless rulings on. As such, you will be hard pressed to find a "precise definition" of what a fistful means.

Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani

and..

In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate Most Merciful,

In the Durr al-Mukhtar is says that the beard's "...sunnah length is a fistful... And as for shortening it when it is less than that, as some North Africans and effeminate men do, this is something no one [i.e. of the Hanafi scholars] has said is permitted..." Ibn Abidin concurred with this in his supercommentary Radd al-Muhtar.

The evidence, from the Prophet's practice, and repeated instructions to, "Lengthen your beards and trim your mustaches," [Muslim] would confirm this.

Shaykh Nuh translated some of these: [See his article On Keeping the Beard, at http://www.masud.co.uk]

Ibn 'Umar relates from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) that he said: "Do otherwise than those who ascribe partners to Allah (al-mushrikin): leave beards be, and trim mustaches." And ibn 'Umar, when he went on hajj or 'umra, grasped his beard with his hand, and removed what was in excess of it (Sahih al-Bukhari. 9 vols. Cairo 1313/1895. Reprint (9 vols. in 3). Beirut: Dar al-Jil, n.d., 7.206: 5892 and Sahih Muslim, 5 vols. Cairo 1376/1956. Reprint. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1403/1983, 1.222: 259).

Shaykh Nuh then said, "In his commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari, the great Hanafi hadith Imam Badr al-Din al-'Ayni says:

If one objects: "What does 'leave beards be' mean, when 'to leave be' (al-i'fa') literally means 'to make plenteous,' and there are people, who, if they were to leave their beard, following the outward sense of leave beards be, their beard would become outrageous in length and width, and look disgusting, so that the person would become a topic of conversation, or a proverb"--The reply is that it is established from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) that this hadith is conditioned by a specific context [i.e. the demand to do the contrary to what the Persians and non-Arabs did, established by the first words of the hadith], and that the amount and definition of the beard that is unlawful to leave uncut have been differed upon by the early Muslims . . . . The meaning, in my opinion, is "as long as it does not exceed what is customary among [religious] people." 'Ata' [ibn Abi Rabah, Mufti of Mecca, d. 114/732), has said, "There is no harm in trimming a little from the length and sides of his beard, if it grows large and long, in order to avoid notoriety, or if one risks being made fun of" ('Umda al-qari sharh Sahih al-Bukhari. 20 vols. Cairo: Mustafa Babi al-Halabi, 1392/1972, 18.76)

As one scholar used to say, "This is all I have, and that which others have may well be much better."

And Allah knows best.
Faraz Rabbani.

الدر: ( لَا ) يُكْرَهُ ( دَهْنُ شَارِبٍ وَ ) لَا ( كُحْلِ ) إذَا لَمْ يَقْصِدْ الزِّينَةَ أَوْ تَطْوِيلَ اللِّحْيَةِ إذَا كَانَتْ بِقَدْرِ الْمَسْنُونِ وَهُوَ الْقَبْضَةُ وَصَرَّحَ فِي النِّهَايَةِ بِوُجُوبِ قَطْعِ مَا زَادَ عَلَى الْقَبْضَةِ بِالضَّمِّ , وَمُقْتَضَاهُ الْإِثْمُ بِتَرْكِهِ لَا أَنْ يُحْمَلَ الْوُجُوبُ عَلَى الثُّبُوتِ , وَأَمَّا الْأَخْذُ مِنْهَا وَهِيَ دُونَ ذَلِكَ كَمَا يَفْعَلُهُ بَعْضُ الْمَغَارِبَةِ , وَمُخَنَّثَةُ الرِّجَالِ فَلَمْ يُبِحْهُ أَحَدٌ , وَأَخْذُ كُلِّهَا فِعْلُ يَهُودِ الْهِنْدِ وَمَجُوسِ الْأَعَاجِمِ فَتْحٌ . ردّ المحتار: ( قَوْلُهُ : إلَّا أَنْ يُحْمَلَ الْوُجُوبُ عَلَى الثُّبُوتِ ) يُؤَيِّدُهُ أَنَّ مَا اسْتَدَلَّ بِهِ صَاحِبُ النِّهَايَةِ لَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى الْوُجُوبِ لِمَا صَرَّحَ بِهِ فِي الْبَحْرِ وَغَيْرِهِ إنْ كَانَ بِفِعْلٍ لَا يَقْتَضِي التَّكْرَارَ وَالدَّوَامَ , وَلِذَا حَذَفَ الزَّيْلَعِيُّ لَفْظَ يَجِبُ وَقَالَ وَمَا زَادَ يُقَصُّ وَفِي شَرْحِ الشَّيْخِ إسْمَاعِيلَ لَا بَأْسَ بِأَنْ يَقْبِضَ عَلَى لِحْيَتِهِ , فَإِذَا زَادَ عَلَى قَبْضَتِهِ شَيْءٌ جَزَّهُ كَمَا فِي الْمُنْيَةِ , وَهُوَ سُنَّةٌ كَمَا فِي الْمُبْتَغَى وَفِي الْمُجْتَبَى وَالْيَنَابِيعِ وَغَيْرِهِمَا لَا بَأْسَ بِأَخْذِ أَطْرَافِ اللِّحْيَةِ إذَا طَالَتْ وَلَا بِنَتْفِ الشَّيْبِ إلَّا عَلَى وَجْهِ التَّزَيُّنِ وَلَا بِالْأَخْذِ مِنْ حَاجِبِهِ وَشَعْرِ وَجْهِهِ مَا لَمْ يُشْبِهْ فِعْلَ الْمُخَنَّثِينَ وَلَا يَلْحِقُ شَعْرُ حَلْقِهِ وَعَنْ أَبِي يُوسُفَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ . ا هـ . مَطْلَبٌ فِي الْأَخْذِ مِنْ اللِّحْيَةِ ( قَوْلُهُ : وَأَمَّا الْأَخْذُ مِنْهَا إلَخْ ) بِهَذَا وَفَّقَ فِي الْفَتْحِ بَيْنَ مَا مَرَّ وَبَيْنَ مَا فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ عَنْ ابْنِ عُمَرَ عَنْهُ صلى الله عليه وسلم { أَحْفُوا الشَّوَارِبَ وَاعْفُوا اللِّحْيَةَ } قَالَ : لِأَنَّهُ صَحَّ عَنْ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رَاوِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَأْخُذُ الْفَاضِلَ عَنْ الْقَبْضَةِ , فَإِنْ لَمْ يُحْمَلْ عَلَى النَّسْخِ كَمَا هُوَ أَصْلُنَا فِي عَمَلِ الرَّاوِي عَلَى خِلَافِ مَرْوِيِّهِ مَعَ أَنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْ غَيْرِ الرَّاوِي وَعَنْ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُحْمَلُ الْإِعْفَاءُ عَلَى إعْفَائِهَا عَنْ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ غَالِبَهَا أَوْ كُلَّهَا كَمَا هُوَ فِعْلُ مَجُوسِ الْأَعَاجِمِ مِنْ حَلْقِ لِحَاهُمْ , وَيُؤَيِّدُهُ مَا فِي مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْهُ صلى الله عليه وسلم { جُزُّوا الشَّوَارِبَ وَاعْفُوا اللِّحَى خَالِفُوا الْمَجُوسَ } فَهَذِهِ الْجُمْلَةُ وَاقِعَةٌ مَوْقِعَ التَّعْلِيلِ , وَأَمَّا الْأَخْذُ مِنْهَا وَهِيَ دُونَ ذَلِكَ كَمَا يَفْعَلُهُ بَعْضُ الْمَغَارِبَةِ , وَمُخَنَّثَةُ الرِّجَالِ فَلَمْ يُبِحْهُ أَحَدٌ ا هـ مُلَخَّصًا . .

Perhaps, this is Sheikh Faraz recognizing the hanafi stance on the issue. Why do we feel the need to look for a justification of the "other" side. Maybe that justification is not from hanafi madhab rather from shafi madhab. In which case, it would not really be a hanafi stance.

[ImamGhazzaali]

I am not looking for any justification of the Syrian Hanafis, I only want what they are saying regarding the beard and if they have any sources from the books of the madhhab.

I've looked at the fatawa you posted from SP, but those are not really telling me the other side.

P.S. - This has nothing to do with the recent beard thread of the Shafi'is that was on the forum and I am not trying to take a shot at anyone or any group, alhamdulillah.

[godilali]

Sheikh Faraz states :



and..



Perhaps, this is Sheikh Faraz recognizing the hanafi stance on the issue. Why do we feel the need to look for a justification of the "other" side. Maybe that justification is not from hanafi madhab rather from shafi madhab. In which case, it would not really be a hanafi stance.

Mufti Sahib,

The quotes in al-Durr al-Mukhtar and Radd al-Muhtar seem to be citing Fath al-Qadir. Are you aware of any Hanafi scholar prior to ibn al-Humam that said it is sinful to trim the beard below a fistful?

[zaidf]

I don't have access, at the moment, to those non-Deobandi Hanafi 'ulama, thus I assumed that the 'ulama and students of knowledge here, were aware of their position.

I am only looking for their position.

JazakAllahu Khayran.

What it seems is that they justify from either of two points below:

1) they take the shaafi view on the length of the beard (as Shaamis are more lenient when it comes to taking opinions from the other madhaib without 'haraj')
2) they classify that keeping a beard is Sunnah Aadiyah


WaAlaikum Assalam