Is It Permissible to Shave, Trim, or Shorten the Beard in Islam?
Question
What is the rule for shaving, trimming, or shortening the beard? I know that in the Shafii school it is different from the other three madhhabs. Please mention the opinions and their daleel.
Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain.
- The Shar‘i Context
The beard is part of the fitrah and one of the outward signs of following the guidance of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He said:
“Trim the moustaches and let the beards grow; differ from the polytheists.” (Bukhari, Muslim)
All scholars agree that the beard is from the Sunnah of the Prophet, and that maintaining it is praiseworthy. The disagreement concerns the legal classification of the command: whether it is wajib or sunnah muakkadah, and therefore whether shaving is haram or makruh.
- The Majority Position: Hanafi, Maliki, and Hanbali
These three madhhabs share the same essential ruling:
Leaving the beard to grow is wajib.
Shaving the beard completely is haram.
Trimming what exceeds a natural or excessive length is permissible, based on reports from Ibn Umar and other Companions who would take from what exceeded a fist-length.
Daleel:
The explicit command of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam:
“Let the beards grow.”
They hold that this command remains on its original meaning of obligation, because there is no strong textual evidence reducing it.
The continuous practice of the Sahabah and early Muslims, among whom shaving the beard was not known except as humiliation or deviation.
Principles of appearance and identity: commands linked to visible symbols of the ummah remain obligatory unless a clear indicator shifts them.
- The Shafii Position
The Shafii madhhab differs in the classification of the command, not in acknowledging the beard as Sunnah.
In the predominant Shafii view:
Keeping the beard is sunnah muakkadah.
Shaving the beard is makruh, not haram, according to many classical Shafii jurists.
Trimming and shortening—as long as the asl al-liha (the main beard) remains—is permissible.
Some Shafii scholars still held that shaving is haram, aligning with the majority, but this is not the formal relied-upon ruling in the madhhab.
Daleel:
The Shafiis apply an usul principle that differentiates their view from the majority:
Many commands from the Prophet related to outward identity are commands of recommendation, not obligation, because of accompanying contextual indicators (qarain).
Examples:
The command for suhur:
“Take suhur, for in it there is blessing.”
The command for witr:
“Witr is the right of every Muslim.”
The commands to differ from Jews and Christians in certain practices, which the Shafiis classify as mustahabb, not wajib.
Thus, the Shafiis say the beard command falls into this category.
- Relevant Usul Principle
يصرف الامر من الوجوب إلى الاستحباب إذا أتت له قرينة تصرفه
A command is shifted from obligation to recommendation when there is an indicator that reduces it.
The Shafiis see such indicators in the beard-related commands, and therefore classify the ruling as sunnah, not wajib.
The other three madhhabs do not consider these indicators strong enough to reduce the obligation, so they retain the original ruling of wujub.
Final Ruling:
It is permissible to trim and shorten the beard as long as the main beard remains visible, while shaving it entirely with a razor is makruh without a valid excuse. However, according to the Hanafi, Maliki, and Hanbali madhhabs, keeping the beard is wajib and shaving it is haram, with trimming limited to removing excessive length.
And Allah knows best.