Obligatory to keep a beard?

Question:
What is the order about the beard? How long should it be? Is shaving with the intention of growing it nicely allowed? My confusion is due to the fact that many people with beards look really odd and shabby. Doesn't Islam encourage neatness?

Response:
The question of beard is a controversial one. One aspect of the controversy is on the question as to whether it is binding or not. The other one has to do with the size and design of it.

The general tendency amongst the scholars seems to be that to keep a beard is obligatory for men and to shave it off is a sin. This opinion is based on a few ahadith which do support this point of view. Those who believe otherwise claim that the ahadith mentioned to support this claim are weak and there are other, stronger ahadith which emphasise the significance of some other features of men's physical appearance, but they don't mention keeping a beard in that category. Those ahadith discourage men, for instance, from keeping drooping moustaches that cover some part of the upper lip; clipping nails on a regular basis is also emphasised, as is circumcision of children. Scholars who belong to this category believe that keeping a beard can only be considered as recommended but not binding.

I am personally unsure of which of the two points of view is more convincing. Therefore, I recommend a beard to all those Muslims about whom I feel confident that they are strong enough to successfully face the likely opposition from others if they go for it. In case of others, I try to concentrate on emphasising the significance of other, more important aspects of Islamic Shari'ah.

As for the question of length and shape of beard, there is again a difference of opinion. Those who believe that keeping untrimmed beard is the requirement of Islam, quote the example of the companions of the prophet, Allah's mercy be on him, in this regard. They also quote a Qur'anic verse for the purpose which informs us that when Musa came back from spiritual retreat and found his nation involved in polytheism, he got hold of his brother Harun's, alaihimussalaam, beard. They contend that this description shows that Harun must have had a beard long enough to enable Musa to get hold of it.

However, the fact of the matter is that Islam has specified no length for beard. It is a general principle of Islamic teachings that such matters are not specified. It is left to the individual to decide what kind of appearance he would like for himself given the moral constraints imposed by the Shari'ah. However, if an individual keeps a beard for religious purposes, he should keep something that looks like, and can be described as, a beard. Moreover, Islam wants its followers to remain clean and to create an impression on the minds of others that helps in attracting them towards Islam rather than drawing them away from it. Whoever keeps a beard should, therefore, keep these requirements in mind.

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