Muslims
are overcome with western influence in our lives and it's easy to forget, neglect
the Sunnah and command of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). Little do we
Muslims realize the magnitude of our actions in imitating Kufaar (see Hadith
section). This is a truly shocking! Hopefully the information presented herein
will enlighten all of us. And then there are others who claim that the matters
concerning beards is a "little" issue not worthy of mention nor practice.
We think we are handsome without beard, but who cares? What matters is how
Allah (S.W.T.) sees us. And when we do grow a beard, we should not mock the
Sunnah or Fard, we should grow it correctly, i.e. FIST LENGTH. That is the prescribed
length and no shorter.
What Hadith says about Beard.
(1)
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said "I have no connection with
one who shaves, shouts and tears his clothing eg. in grief or affication."
- Reported by Abu Darda (R.A.) in Muslim, Hadith no. 501
(2) The
teachings of Hadhrat Ammar Bin Yaasir, Abdullah Ibn Umar, Sayyidina Umar, Abu
Hurairah and Jaabir (R.A.), indicate that ALL used to keep beards that were one
fist length or more. Hadhrat Jaabir (R.A.) had said: "We used to grow long
beards and only during Hajj and Umrah did we trim them to the required length
(i.e. fist length)."
(3)
Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (R.A.) relates that: "He who imitates the kuffar
(non-believers) and dies in that state, he will be raised up with them on the
Day of Qiyamat (Judgement)."
(4)
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) says: "Trim closely the moustache,
and let the beard flow (Grow)."
- Narrated Ibn Umar (R.A.) in Muslim, Hadith no. 498
(5)
"Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) ordered us to trim the moustache
closely and spare the beard" says Ibn Umar.
- Muslim, Hadith no. 449
(6)
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)said: "Act against contrary to the
polythesists, trim closely the moustache and grow the beard."
- Reported by Ibn Umar (R.A.) in Muslim, Hadith no. 500
(7)
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said "Trim closely the moustache
and grow the beard."
- Reported by Abu Hurairah (R.A.) in Muslim, Hadith no. 501
(8)
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "Anyone who shaves has no
claim to the mercy of Allah"
- Reported by Ibn Abbas (R.A.) in Tibrabi
(9)
Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (R.A.) used to cut that portion (which exceeds the
grip of the hand) of the beard.
- Tirmidhi
Please
also watch this video which explains that Beard is Fard in Islam.
The Beard
according to the Great Imams of Jurisprudence
Hanafi
Imam
Muhammed (R.A.) writes in his book "Kitabul Aathaar" where he relates
from Imam Abu Hanifa (R.A.) who relates from Hadhrat Haytham (R.A.) who relates
from Ibn Umar (R.A.) that he (Ibn Umar) used to hold his beard in his hand and
cut off which was longer. Imam Muhammed (R.A.) says that this is what we follow
and this was the decision of Imam Abu Hanifa. Therefore, according to Hanafies,
to shorten the beard less than a FIST LENGTH is HARAAM and on this is IJMA
(concensus of opinion).
Shafi'i
Imam
Shafi (R.A.) in his Kitabul Umm states, "To shave the beard is
HARAAM." (Shari Minhaj dar Shara Fasl Aqueeqa).
Maaliki
Shekh
Ahmad Nafarawi Maliki in the commentary of Imam Abu Zayed's booklet states,
"to shave the beard is without doubt haraam according to all Imams."
It is also mention in "Tamheed" which is a commentary of
"Muatta" (Sunnan Imam Malik (R.A.)) that to shave the beard is HARAAM
and among males the only ones to resort to this practice (of shaving) are the
HERMAPHRODITES (persons who possess both male and female features and characteristics).
Hanbali
The
Hanbalies in the famous Al-Khanie'a Hanbali Fatawa Kitab state that "to
grow the beard is essential and to shave it is HARAAM." Also in the
Hanbali Mathab books "Sharahul Muntahaa" and "Sharr Manzoomatul
Aadaab", it is stated "The most accepted view is that it is HARAAM
(prohibited to shave the beard)."
Also
note, according to scholars of Islam: "To shave off the beard is unlawful
(haraam) and one who shaves his beard is legally speaking an unrighteous fellow
(FASIQ); hence, it is NOT PERMISSIBLE to appoint such a man as an Imam. To say
Taraweeh behind such an Imam is MAKRUH-E-TAHRIMI (near prohibition)"
(Shami Vol.1, p.523)
The
Durre-Mukhtar states: "No one has called it permissible to trim it (the
beard) less than FIST-LENGTH as is being done by some westernized Muslims and
hermaphrodites." (Vol. 2, p. 155). Also, "It is forbidden (haraam)
for a man to cut off another's beard." (Vol. 5, p. 359).
HIJAB
Why does Islam degrade women by keeping them behind the veil?
The status
of women in Islam is often the target of attacks in the secular media. The
‘hijab’ or the Islamic dress is cited by many as an example of the
‘subjugation’ of women under Islamic law. Before we analyze the reasoning
behind the religiously mandated ‘hijab’, let us first study the status of women
in societies before the advent of Islam:
In the
past women were degraded and used as objects of lust.
The
following examples from history amply illustrate the fact that the status of
women in earlier civilizations was very low to the extent that they were denied
basic human dignity:
Babylonian
Civilization:
The women
were degraded and were denied all rights under the Babylonian law. If a man
murdered a woman, instead of him being punished, his wife was put to death.
Greek
Civilization:
Greek
Civilization is considered the most glorious of all ancient civilizations.
Under this very ‘glorious’ system, women were deprived of all rights and were
looked down upon. In Greek mythology, an ‘imaginary woman’ called ‘Pandora’ is
the root cause of misfortune of human beings. The Greeks considered women to be
subhuman and inferior to men. Though chastity of women was precious, and women
were held in high esteem, the Greeks were later overwhelmed by ego and sexual
perversions. Prostitution became a regular practice amongst all classes of
Greek society.
Roman
Civilization:
When Roman Civilization was at the zenith of its ‘glory’, a man
even had the right to take the life of his wife. Prostitution and nudity were
common amongst the Romans.
Egyptian
Civilization:
The Egyptian considered women evil and as a sign of a devil.
Pre-Islamic
Arabia:
Before Islam spread in Arabia, the Arabs looked down upon women and
very often when a female child was born, she was buried alive.
Islam
uplifted women and gave them equality and expects them to maintain their
status. Islam uplifted the status of women and granted them their just rights
1400 years ago. Islam expects women to maintain their status.
Hijab for
men:
People usually only discuss ‘hijab’ in the context of women. However, in
the Glorious Qur’an, Allah (swt) first mentions ‘hijab’ for men before ‘hijab’
for women. The Qur’an mentions in Surah Noor:
“Say to
the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty:
that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well acquainted with
all that they do.”
[Al-Qur’an
24:30]
The
moment a man looks at a woman and if any brazen or unashamed thought comes to
his mind, he should lower his gaze.
Hijab for
women
The next
verse of Surah Noor, says:
“And say
to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their
modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what
(must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw veils over their bosoms
and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their
husbands’ fathers, their sons...”
[Al-Qur’an 24:31]
Six
criteria for Hijab
According
to Qur’an and Sunnah there are basically six criteria for observing hijab:
Extent:
The first
criterion is the extent of the body that should be covered. This is different
for men and women. The extent of covering obligatory on the male is to cover the
body at least from the navel to the knees.
For
women, the extent of covering obligatory is to cover the complete body except
the face and the hands up to the wrist.
If they
wish to, they can cover even these parts of the body. Some scholars of Islam insist
that the face and the hands are part of the obligatory extent of ‘hijab’.
All the
remaining five criteria are the same for men and women.
1. The
clothes worn should be loose and should not reveal the figure.
2. The
clothes worn should not be transparent such that one can see through them.
3. The
clothes worn should not be so glamorous as to attract the opposite sex.
4. The
clothes worn should not resemble that of the opposite sex.
5. The
clothes worn should not resemble that of the unbelievers i.e. they should not
wear clothes that are specifically identities or symbols of the unbelievers’
religions.
Hijab
includes conduct and behavior among other things
Complete
‘hijab’, besides the six criteria of clothing, also includes the moral conduct,
behavior, attitude and intention of the individual. A person only fulfilling
the criteria of ‘hijab’ of the clothes is observing ‘hijab’ in a limited sense.
‘Hijab’ of the clothes should be accompanied by ‘hijab’ of the eyes, ‘hijab’ of
the heart, ‘hijab’ of thought and ‘hijab’ of intention. It also includes the
way a person walks, the way a person talks, the way he/she behaves, etc.
Hijab
prevents molestation
The
reason why Hijab is prescribed for women is mentioned in the Qur’an in the
following verses of Surah Al-Ahzab:
“O
Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women that they should
cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad); that is most
convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
[Al-Qur’an 33:59]
The
Qur’an says that Hijab has been prescribed for the women so that they are
recognized as modest women and this will also prevent them from being molested.
Example
of twin sisters
Suppose
two sisters who are twins, and who are equally beautiful, walk down the street.
One of them is attired in the Islamic hijab i.e. the complete body is covered,
except for the face and the hands up to the wrists. The other sister is wearing
western clothes, a mini skirt or shorts. Just around the corner there is a
hooligan or ruffian who is waiting for a catch, to tease a girl. Whom will he
tease? The girl wearing the Islamic Hijab or the girl wearing the skirt or the
mini? Naturally he will tease the girl wearing the skirt or the mini. Such
dresses are an indirect invitation to the opposite sex for teasing and
molestation. The Qur’an rightly says that hijab prevents women from being
molested.
Capital
punishment for the rapists
Under the
Islamic shari’ah(laws and rules), a man convicted of having raped a woman, is
given capital punishment. Many are astonished at this ‘harsh’ sentence. Some
even say that Islam is a ruthless, barbaric religion! I have asked a simple
question to hundreds of non-Muslim men. Suppose,-God forbid-, someone rapes
your wife, your mother or your sister. You are made the judge and the rapist is
brought in front of you. What punishment would you give him? All of them said
they would put him to death. Some went to the extent of saying they would
torture him to death. To them I ask, if someone rapes your wife or your mother
you want to put him to death. But if the same crime is committed on somebody
else’s wife or daughter you say capital punishment is barbaric. Why should
there be double standards?
Western
society falsely claims to have uplifted women
Western
talk of women’s liberalization is nothing but a disguised form of exploitation
of her body, degradation of her soul, and deprivation of her honor. Western
society claims to have ‘uplifted’ women. On the contrary it has actually
degraded them to the status of concubines, mistresses and society butterflies
who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketeers, hidden
behind the colourful screen of ‘art’ and ‘culture’.
U.S.A has
one of the highest rates of rape
United
States of America is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries of the
world. It also has one of the highest rates of rape in any country in the
world. According to a FBI report, in the year 1990, every day on an average
1756 cases of rape were committed in U.S.A alone. Later another report said
that on an average everyday 1900 cases of rapes are committed in USA. The year
was not mentioned. May be it was 1992 or 1993. May be the Americans got
‘bolder’ in the following years. Consider a scenario where the Islamic hijab is
followed in America. Whenever a man looks at a woman and any brazen or
unashamed thought comes to his mind, he lowers his gaze. Every woman wears the
Islamic hijab, that the complete body is covered except the face and the hands
up to the wrist. After this if any man commits rape he is given capital
punishment. I ask you, in such a scenario, will the rate of rape in America
increase, will it remain the same, or will it decrease?
Implementation
of Islamic Shari’ah will reduce the rate of rapes
Naturally
as soon as Islamic Shari’ah is implemented positive results will be inevitable.
If Islamic Shari’ah is implemented in any part of the world, whether it is
America or Europe, society will breathe easier. Hijab does not degrade a woman
but uplifts a woman and protects her modesty and chastity.
THE CONDITIONS FOR MASAH
THE CONDITIONS FOR MASAH
