Sharh Riyad as-Saliheen by Ibn Uthaymeen — Volume 3 (شرح رياض الصالحين) — Page 808

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

شَرْحُ رِيَاضِ الصَّالِحِينَ مِنْ كَلَامِ سَيِّدِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

An explanation of Riyadh as-Salihin based on the words of the Master of the Messengers, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

يَعْنِي: إِرْخَاءَهَا وَإِطْلَاقَهَا وَتَرْكَهَا عَلَى مَا هِيَ عَلَيْهِ هَذَا مِنَ الْفِطْرَةِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا، وَعَلَى اسْتِحْسَانِهَا، وَعَلَى أَنَّهَا مِنْ عَلَامَةِ الرُّجُولَةِ، بَلْ وَمِنْ جَمَالِ الرُّجُولَةِ، وَعَلَى هَذَا فَلَا يَجُوزُ لِلْإِنْسَانِ أَنْ يَحْلِقَ لِحْيَتَهُ، فَإِنْ فَعَلَ فَقَدْ خَالَفَ طَرِيقَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَعَصَى أَمْرَهُ، وَوَقَعَ فِي مُشَابَهَةِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَالْمَجُوسِ، لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ: «خَالِفُوا الْمَجُوسَ أَوِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ، وَفِّرُوا اللِّحَى وَحُفُّوا الشَّوَارِبَ».

This means letting the beard grow, leaving it full and untouched. It is part of the natural disposition (fitrah) that Allah instilled in mankind, recognized as a virtue and a hallmark of masculinity—indeed, an ornament of a man. Consequently, no one should shave his beard. Doing so opposes the path of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), defies his command, and mimics the polytheists and the Magians. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) explicitly stated: "Differ from the Magians and the polytheists; let your beards grow and trim your mustaches."

وَلَمْ يَكُنِ النَّاسُ يَعْرِفُونَ هَذَا، أَيْ: لَمْ يَكُنِ الْمُسْلِمُونَ يَعْرِفُونَ حَلْقَ اللِّحْيَةِ، بَلْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الْغُلَاةِ الظَّلَمَةِ إِذَا أَرَادُوا أَنْ يُعَزِّرُوا شَخْصًا حَلَقُوا لِحْيَتَهُ، وَهَذَا حَرَامٌ عَلَيْهِمْ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَجُوزُ التَّعْزِيرُ بِمُحَرَّمٍ، لَكِنْ قَصْدِي بِهِ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَعُدُّونَ حَلْقَ اللِّحْيَةِ مُثْلَةً وَتَعْزِيرًا وَعَذَابًا، أَمَّا بَعْدَ أَنِ اسْتَعْمَرَ الْكُفَّارُ دِيَارَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي مِصْرَ وَالشَّامِ وَالْعِرَاقِ وَغَيْرِهَا وَأَدْخَلُوا عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ هَذِهِ الْعَادَةَ السَّيِّئَةَ، وَهِيَ حَلْقُ اللِّحْيَةِ، صَارَ النَّاسُ لَا يُبَالُونَ بِحَلْقِهَا، بَلْ كَانَ الَّذِي يُعْفِي اللِّحْيَةَ مُسْتَنْكَرًا فِي بَعْضِ الْبِلَادِ الْإِسْلَامِيَّةِ، وَهَذِهِ لَا شَكَّ أَنَّهَا مَعْصِيَةٌ لِلرَّسُولِ وَمَنْ يَعْصِ الرَّسُولَ ﷺ فَقَدْ عَصَى اللَّهَ، وَمَنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ ﷺ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ، وَإِذَا ابْتُلِيَ الْإِنْسَانُ بِأَحَدٍ مِنْ أَقَارِبِهِ يَحْلِقُ لِحْيَتَهُ، فَالْوَاجِبُ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَنْصَحَهُ، وَيُبَيِّنَ لَهُ الْحَقَّ، أَمَّا هَجْرُهُ فَهَذَا حَسَبَ الْمَصْلَحَةِ، إِذَا كَانَ هَجْرُهُ يُفِيدُ فِي تَرْكِ الْمَعْصِيَةِ، فَلْيَهْجُرْهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ لَا يُفِيدُ أَوْ لَا يَزِيدُ الْأَمْرَ إِلَّا شِدَّةً، فَلَا يَهْجُرْهُ، لِأَنَّ الْهَجْرَ دَوَاءٌ يُسْتَعْمَلُ حَيْثُ يَنْفَعُ، وَإِذَا لَمْ يَنْفَعْ، فَإِنَّ الْأَصْلَ تَحْرِيمُ هَجْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ، لِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ: لَا يَحِلُّ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ أَنْ يَهْجُرَ أَخَاهُ فَوْقَ ثَلَاثٍ، يَلْتَقِيَانِ فَيُعْرِضُ هَذَا، وَيُعْرِضُ هَذَا، وَخَيْرُهُمَا الَّذِي يَبْدَأُ بِالسَّلَامِ". (١)

Muslims were once entirely unfamiliar with shaving the beard. In fact, certain oppressive extremists used to shave a man's beard as a form of punishment, which was itself forbidden, as one cannot use a sinful act to discipline someone. My point is that they viewed shaving as a form of mutilation and humiliation. Once the disbelievers colonized Muslim lands in Egypt, the Levant, Iraq, and elsewhere, they introduced this poor habit, and people eventually grew indifferent to it. In some Islamic countries, the one who kept his beard even became an object of mockery. There is no doubt that this is disobedience to the Messenger; whoever defies the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) defies Allah, just as obeying the Messenger is obeying Allah. If you have a relative who shaves his beard, your duty is to advise him and explain the truth. Whether or not you shun him depends on the outcome. If shunning him effectively leads him to abandon the sin, then do so. If it serves no purpose or only makes the situation worse, do not shun him, for shunning is a medicine to be used only when it works. When it fails, the default rule is the prohibition of shunning a believer, based on the Prophet's words: "It is not lawful for a believer to shun his brother for more than three days, where they meet and both turn away, while the better of the two is the one who initiates the greeting."

…2 more translated lines, 28 more verbs and 51 more nouns on this page — subscribe to study every page.

Vocabulary · المفردات (31 verbs · 54 nouns)

• عَنَى — to mean
• فَطَرَ — to create
• حَلَقَ — to shave
• إِرْخَاء — loosening
• إِطْلَاق — releasing
• تَرْك — leaving