Appearance of a beard on the face

The Fourth Source: The Intellect (Al-‘Aql) 

 There are several logically derived views that point to the fact that shaving the beard is unlawful, However, we are only going to present a few of them herein. 

 ·   When Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted, first created the human being, He granted him and his male offspring the beard as a result of his supplication to Him. The reason for this was that through the appearance of a beard on the face, there would be a clear distinction between the male and the female offspring of Adam (as) till the day of reckoning. 

This is verified by our sixth Imam, Imam al-Sadiq (as) in one of his narration’s in which he states: 

“From amongst the laws of the Lord of the Universe was that He granted the male gender from amongst the humans a beard so that there may be a difference (in appearance) between them”.  

And in another of his narration’s Imam al-Sadiq (as) states: “If the hair (on the mans face) were not to grow within a specific given period, would the male not remain in a state like that of the young immature boy and a female?, And as a result of this, the male would not command any respect nor esteem”. 

 ·   Ibn Sina in his book al-Qanun states: “Indeed the benefits of the beard being specifically associated to the male and not the female points to the fact that, respect, male beauty and esteem are required by the male more than the female”[4]. 

The above statement confirms the discussion mentioned earlier concerning Adam (as) and the supplication he made to Allah, the Exalted, His Lord and Master.  

·   Intellect dictates that every potential harm should beaverted instantly. The result being that the aversion of harm would be considered an act which would come under the category of the obligatory rulings in the rulings of Islamic law. This ruling would fundamentally be based on the intellect. This, then would be considered a source by which an answer to our question could be derived. 

We see that when the leader of the Prophets, doctors and wise men, Muhammad (p.b.u.h) forbade the Muslims (or rather the hypocrites who claimed that they were Muslims) from performing certain acts which Allah considered unlawful within the fold of Islam, many sarcastic questions were raised as to why a particular action was unlawful, and even after satisfactory explanations were given the individuals still disobeyed the commands of Allah, the Exalted.  

However, if one were to read the Qur’an, one would see that Allah, the Exalted, clarifies the state regarding the utterances of prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h): 

“And whatever the Messenger gives you, accept it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep back, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, indeed Allah is severe in retributing (evil)”Chapter 59 (The Banishment/al-Hashr) :Verse 7 

 And in another verse Allah, the Exalted, states: 

“He does not speak from his own desire but it is revealed upon him” Chapter 53 (The Star/al-Najm) Verse 3

Most learned scholars of the West agree to the fact that the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (p.b.u.h) was the great man of his era and in character, a perfect example of a compassionate individual for all times to come. 

It is proven that all heavenly rulings are not issued forth without having inherent infinite wisdom within them, thus, one should understand that it is only after Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted, knows about the inherent infinite wisdom, intellect and goodness which may be inherent within a ruling, that He finally conveys it to His humble servants through His Prophets and Messengers (May Allah bless them all). 

Notes:

[4]Or rather (in Islam’s opinion), both men and women are deserving of respect and esteem but a man’s physical beauty and his commanding respect from others is added to by wearing a beard. – DILP Content Approval Committee.