This article is a reflection on the possible wisdom behind the Islamic practice of keeping a beard. It is an attempt at exploring some of the beautiful “side effects” of following one of the commands of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
THE BEARD
I live in the West where bearded people who appear to be Muslim are sometimes viewed as being extremists, terrorists, fundamentalists, and/or violent. Given these common negative associations, what benefit is there in keeping a beard?
- By having a beard, I started feeling I have to “live up to the beard.” If you live among Muslims, and you begin keeping a beard, you may hear some of the following responses “Oh mashAllah brother you decided to keep a beard!… That beard looks really good on you brother!… “My brother! Welcome to Islam!” Ok, that last one is a little extreme – but you get the picture. By growing a beard, you are complying with one of the commands of the Prophet Muhammad (as elaborately explained by Shaykh Bilal Philips in the video lecture here). Indeed, beginning to grow your beard is a big step and in some cases, an outright declaration to the world that I am a Muslim and not afraid to let it be known. At the same time, if you grow your beard and “declare that you are a Muslim” and are concurrently committing sins, it makes one feel like a hypocrite. On one hand you are outwardly practicing the sunnah, showing people that you are a follower of the Prophet Muhammad, yet on the other hand you are committing sin. This in effect adds more pressure on one NOT to sin.
- Keeping a beard makes your life easier! People exert effort on a daily basis to try and remove their beard, which isn’t an easy thing to do. In fact, if you want to remain clean-shaven you have to shave regularly. Letting your beard grow, is the EASY thing to do: you don’t have to shave every single day, you don’t have to buy shaving cream and razors and shaving lotion and bandages when you cut yourself. So it saves money and blood!
- Although it’s possible that non-Muslims may find the beard unattractive (depending on many factors, like how long your beard is as well as other physical qualities), most people of faith find it to be on the contrary; they see it as something beautiful. Think of it this way; for a brother who has faith and follows his deen, a sister who covers her hair can be one of the most beautiful things to behold (please see Facebook group ” I LO♥ HIJABIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!“, hundreds of members mashaAllah). For a sister of faith, it is a similar matter – a brother with a beard is a sign of faith and can be very attractive. Of course, one of the key factors to whether it is attractive or not is the faith aspect. Now the question is why is it a good thing that the faithful find the beard attractive? I can think of two reasons:1) Islam teaches us of the benefits of having good companions (please refer to the hadith mentioned in Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 34, Number 314 as recorded here). If people of faith are attracted to you, this is more likely to happen.2) When you are looking for a prospective spouse, if the significant other is repulsed by your beard, then maybe their attachment to the sunnah is not as strong as you may like and that may help you sift through prospective spouses very quickly. Anyone who truly loves the Prophet, will likely love his sunnah and thereby find it easy to love those who practice the sunnah.
- Going back to living in the West, keeping a beard may be a trial for you. It is not easy to grow your beard and go to airports where some people are wondering at what time you’ll explode. It’s not easy going to work and finding that some people are nervous around you even though you mean them no harm. It’s not easy being judged and harassed (which unfortunately is possible). Why is this a benefit you ask? By being patient and persevering, Allah may grant us forgiveness for our sins and shortcomings. If we have pure intentions Allah will reward us for our effort and hardships that we face in his path. One of the best reasons for keeping a beard is to please our Lord by following the Prophet. And does it really matter what people think? What is more important to us; the sunnah and our deen or the creation?
- Going back to the earlier comment regarding “some people being nervous around you” – I have found that after the initial phase when a few people seemed nervous around me, people have become more comfortable. This is yet another benefit. There may have been some people who did not trust or even like me at first, but by trying to exhibit good character and trying to show kindness (which is in accordance to Islam), people can learn to accept and like our brothers and sisters in the ummah, inshaAllah.
- The beard can identify you as a Muslim. There is benefit in this because if people see that there are practicing moderate Muslims around them, then they will realize that Islam isn’t something to be feared. It is human nature to fear what you don’t know or understand. Therefore, we need to be known and understood!
- Another practical benefit of growing your beard is that it can cover your pimples and some facial imperfections.
I don’t mean to paint a dark picture. When I started in a new job there were people who were kind to me from the start! There are people who have already known Muslims in the past and actually sympathize with what Muslims are going through nowadays. Let’s not forget that we are not the only people to go through a tough period in the West. Our African American brothers came to this country as slaves. We must also remember how innocent Japanese people were held in detention centers in this country in World War II during this past century (one might even draw connections to the detention centers around the globe today that are being filled with Muslims). The bottom line is that with Allah subhana wa tala, we should expect the unexpected. We may expect poor treatment, discrimination, hatred, etc., yet we may find love, compassion, and sympathy. Allah provides help for His servants in ways that may not even be perceptible and in manners inconceivable. May God help me, my brothers and my sisters to put our faith in God.
[Note: What is the true intended wisdom by Allah to keep a beard? Allahu alim, Allah and His Messenger know best. This list is a compilation of the benefits as seen by a practicing Muslim.]
I want to end with a request – please make dua for me that God forgives my sins, beautifies my character and grants me Jannat-al-Firdous.
49 comments
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May 11, 2015 at 5:08 am
farhan
i am 19,from India and i keep beard,here everybody looks down upon bearded men,but i don’t care because i believe to be a true Muslim in the eyes of Allah we have to do all those things that our beloved prophet has ordered us to do.
January 18, 2013 at 12:44 pm
People
Scientific benefits for having a Beard
http://peopleawesome.com/read-1301.html#read
May 6, 2012 at 8:17 am
Adeeb
It was awesome….
May allah keeps mercy on us…..
February 3, 2012 at 11:38 pm
Rabbany N. Rahman
Masha Allah its a good article
February 3, 2012 at 11:38 pm
Rabbany N. Rahman
Masha Allah a good article
January 25, 2012 at 3:56 am
Ally
A.ALYK my fellow brothers and sisters in I$LAM…..im an 18 yr old boy from Africa,Tanzania….sometime’s i sit down and wonder what is wrong with us, i mean its like theirs a virus spreadin in our realigion i mean some of our USTADH (the preacher) are too mean some only care for money and whatnots so one jus issolate himself / herself from this AMAZING way of life called I$LAM….ALL IN ALL i jus know that ALLAH (sw) AND his PROPHET (saw) Love US sooo much, that they tolerate evrythin we do…its time we changed…WE THE MU$LIS shud fill our RELIGION with LOVE and CARE…i guarantee the whole world will follow…..
January 7, 2012 at 8:52 am
kalam
subhaanallah…itz really a true thing,which get ignored by many of our muslim bro..most of youngsters used to shave their beard for impressing girls and try to expose their face as attractive….we must know one thing aiimaan(girl) said abt d benefits and haqh of keeping rasulallahz sunnah…and we must prepare ourself to maintain each n evry sunnahz of rasulallah…im 19 frm india..im goin clg with beard allahuakbar! Many of my frndz n lecturers encouraged abt diz said”by seeing u wit beard bring a respect n boldness so dnt shave,keep it up as long as ur end”..so allah SWT may giv hidhaayath to our bros to keep maintain rasulallahz sunnah,insha allah…!
October 8, 2011 at 4:51 pm
ahmedfaraz
alhumdulilah ,very nice article
April 30, 2011 at 6:27 am
obaidur rahman
assalam-alekum
Jazalallah 2 all person who write in tis article u 2 aimannz…
U all wud b hapy 2 knw tht 2day u have done a work of sawab…i m 20 frm india, nagpur & decided 2 keep beard frm nw onwards..i alwz search fr medical advantages 2 keep beard bt 2day i got 2 knw that these advantages are much more beneficial..&important than those….so i realy say u all jazakallah
September 26, 2010 at 10:56 pm
sandeepan
As far as my opinion beard saves you from depression, if you are facing some problem mentally(relationship) keep beard for 15 days, and then shave it , I’m sure that it will make you feel better. so try it friends.
October 8, 2011 at 4:47 pm
ahmedfaraz
its not a solution to solve relationship problem it is aur nabi sunnah
ahmed faraz
September 26, 2010 at 10:55 pm
sandeepan
As far as my opinion beard saves you from depression, if you are facing some problem mentally(relationship) keep beard for 15 days, and then shave it , I’m sure that it will make you feel better.so try it friends.
September 5, 2010 at 6:40 am
ALI SALEEM
Keeping beard is important and it makes a muslim;s unique identity.
September 1, 2010 at 9:02 am
deen314
Hi Reza, thank you for reading!
Please note that I did not call the reasons “scientific”? This entry starts off with the following: “This article is a reflection on…” and continues “It is an attempt at exploring…”.
Although I am confident there are scientific benefits – this article is not written from the scientific perspective.
Regards!
August 31, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Reza
What are the reference for you so called “scientific reasons” in support for growing beard? Just like any other islamic site, there is no true reference to scientific researches on the subject, just a set of vague statements.
August 30, 2010 at 5:31 am
adeelijaz49
For your first point, you can think the other way around. You keep a beared and when you try to do something wrong, you should stop and think that you are (at least by facial) representing Islam more than those who are clean shaved. So what impact would you potray on the other people about a muslim.
August 27, 2010 at 7:04 am
aslam
keeping beard is sunnah of our beloved prophet and we must be proud of it.
August 26, 2010 at 10:30 am
atiq khan
i am a teacher and i am fasting these days and something has inspired me to be a good muslim and i have kept a beard as well and i have decided to perform prayers five times a day. plz pray for me my dear brother and sisters so that i should be firmed on my decisions. and i would request all of my muslims ummah to please pray five times a day and the whole world would be yours. Kindly pray for me so that i should pray to Allah. and five times.
August 22, 2010 at 4:28 pm
aiimanz
lol;P P.S. jus like guys like to ensure that the girl had been proper b4 they marry ..same way girlz like ensure that the guy is proper and wat bttr way of ensurement than a physical declaration of piety?!?
August 22, 2010 at 3:55 pm
3bAd kAzMi
AoA..
3bad here!!i think i havta w8 for a year or so…:-(
bt still confused thou..!!
August 22, 2010 at 3:09 pm
aiimanz
Amazing article! I am a girl and i think guys that have beards (especially in the West) are confident. Having a beard in a western society or anyother shows a guy’s manliness. It declares power. As a girl, i know that girls shy away from guys who grow beard if they are wearing inappropriate or tight clothing (considering that the guy follows the sunnats applied towards a non-mahram girl).
3 reasons [i can think of] why a guy wouldnt want to grow a beard:
1)calling of names e.g.terrorist
2)wouldnt look gud
3)girls wont like you
now reasons why all these 3 should be in the advantage or pros of growing a beard:
1)calling of names
you will be popular and people will know you. the first impression you might give people is of a terrorist. but through your attitude towards them people will change their minds (so follow the sunnat in every possible way!)therefore you will later b a good popular.
e.g. i live in canada and go to a public highschool. i wear an abaya and a hijab. people in my class called me a terrorist in the begginng but now they just joke around. they call me some type of a bomb. so when i get mad they say shez gonna blow up! its fun!:D
2) wont look gud
looking good dont matter if people love you jus the way you are…you ll notice in the autographs in ur yearbooks u ll get many “dont ever change”
;)also many more proposals.
e.gi have gotten more thn 10 already;) guys keep that beard growin;P
3)girls wont like u
ok this is the easiest. girls will love you (as mentiond b4 they only shy away) for sure because if you follow the sunnat its like you are playing hard-to-get. all girl will try to “tame” you know. its human nature to try getting something one cannot get:D also life is explaind in ranges:
when we are these years old we care/worry bout these stuff:
0-10: only care about family nn toys nn playin
10-19: our appearance and our rep
20-29: education and marriage and materials(big house, big car)
30-39: marriage and raising of children and competition of materials(big house, big car)
40-49: children’s education and competition of materials
50-59:looking forward to when u retire and children’s marriages
60-69: u look back and regret y u wasted ur time in worldy affairs when you could have built a mansion in jannat (heaven)
70+: u prepare for u death and try to knowledge your children and grandchildren about the later regret. (but no one listens since they r blinded jus like u once were)
that is y Allah has given a high rank to those youngsterz that follow Allah and Rasul (S.A.W) :
nearest meaning of a hadith: a younng man [teenager] who sees a beautiful girl but looks away and resist his pleasure for the sake of Allah will be under shadow of Allah’s Arsh (throne) on the day of judgement.
>>that day when the sun is goin to be so close that people will be drowing in their own sweat (u ll sweat according to how many bad deed/sins u did) and only those will be saved that are givven a place under the shade of the Arsh.:D
i hope this helped guys…i kno i wrote a lecture bt it always gud to kno girls perspective. KEEP GROWING THAT BEARD DONT TRIM OR SHAVE AND EVERYONE WILL REALISE THAT HIGH SCHOOL IS ALL DRAMA:DTHEN THEY LL AFTR WITH A PROPOSAL ;)it ll be rainin cats and dogs:P
August 22, 2010 at 3:11 pm
aiimanz
**:DTHEN THEY LL RUN AFTR U WITH A PROPOSAL;)
August 20, 2010 at 2:56 pm
aiden
Some people from south asia have it so long and dont take care of it\ it actually looks bad on them and kind of dirty, they might want to trim a bit or infact the turn off people with their looks,…
my opinion…keep its nice and clean
August 22, 2010 at 2:28 pm
aiimanz
opinions matter in this world but you cannot point fingers at people …that is a sign of pride
btw if you grow a “TRUE BEARD” (a beard that ws NEVER cut or shaved) it doesnt grow long. Shaving it causes the beard to grow thicker and longer.
my dad has a true beard nn it barely fits into his fist (hes in his 40s)
so DONT SHAVE…it’ll stay nice
July 27, 2010 at 10:00 am
Hasan Tauheed
MaSAllah………
June 26, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Bilal
Main and important benefit of beard is that It makes you strong. strong mentally and Improve your decision power. You will feel a complete man with beard. Whatever Prophet has done just fallow it and you will feel the difference and beard is one of them.
June 24, 2010 at 5:05 am
waseem bari
thanks for giving information about beared every muslim should proud islam
June 20, 2010 at 8:42 am
Ermias
P.S: I am a follower of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which got a half year/more than 200 days of fasting, we pray 5 times a day by letting our fore-heads touch the ground, keep the Sabbath/Senbet, we have the exact replica of the ARK OF THE COVENANT given to our father, father of the Prophets MOSES in every church as well as the original ARK ITSELF!
Thus, christianity of west and ours is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. So, pls know that there are wisdom filled christians in deep hidden places!
BLESSINGS!
August 22, 2010 at 2:23 pm
aiimanz
brother we love how you have told us about your religion …the point being of growing a beard is that it is the sunnat (lifestyle) of our Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)…..the major difference that christians and jews have with muslims is that we believe that Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was the LAST prophet….and after him(near his death) Allah (GOD) says in the Holy Quran
Verse(5:3);
“Today I perfected your religion for you and completed my favor to you and have chosen for you Al-Islam as your religion.”
so when something is perfect and complete you are not able to add to it.
p.s. we do believe that Hazarat Moosa(A.S.)[Moses] and Hazrat E’sa(A.S.)[Jesus] were two of Allah’s closest and mightiest Prophets.
June 20, 2010 at 8:35 am
Ermias
A very wise decision indeed!
But i just like to point out that growing beard is still practice in the Orthodox Christian religion too. And it is the majority of the western corrupts that try to eleminate it with an idea of relating it to “fundamentalist/terrorist…”.
I am 19 and i too am keeping my beard and all the ppl in my family do it too because it’s my religion and what THE ALMIGHT GREAT ONE wants me to do.
Just pointing out that, growing beard is not Islamic only, We the Uncorrupt follow it too.
May 9, 2010 at 2:36 am
SportySardar
I’m a Sikh in the US. I keep a turban and a beard. No question that either of them will be going any where any time soon.
May 19, 2010 at 6:55 am
attiq
thanks for giving us such good information abt beard.. i m inspired by the thoughts and true love for islam…
April 26, 2010 at 2:27 am
M sami
Mashallah….In our society we tend to trust the beard men. Thats also a good advantage…
Please stop counting advantages…they are countless…
JUST READING WONT WORK….GROW THE BEARD AND FOLLOW THE SUNNAH……
April 22, 2010 at 9:44 am
yaseen
mashallah.its highly inspiring art 2 read…………….may allaha gide us to right path
March 27, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Mohammed Arshad Khan
masha Allah bhai…its not just an article..its dawaah towards the nation to know what islam mean to muslims and how good and spritual it is to follow….Allah grant u with good explaining skills….im 20 and i decided to grew my beard…inshallah…..summa ishallah.
February 10, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Zeeshan
Masha Allah a good article
October 23, 2009 at 11:02 am
Waleed
May ALLAH (The Almighty) reward you with goodness.
Aameen !
October 7, 2009 at 6:15 am
AFGMUJAHID
assalam alaikum
im 13 and i cant wait till i have a beard, just that moment 1 piece of hair grows, it aint coming off inshallah.
nice article, jazakallahu khair,
March 25, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Krshna
Well, I love growing my beard. i’m not a Musilim myself(I’m a Hindu from India), but have a lot of best friends who are Muslims, and well, they hate their beards! Most of the worlds greatest philosphers/masters like the prophet, jesus christ and even hindu sages etc, grew their beards. Jews are also encouraged to grow their beards, and christian Kings and Knights also grew their beards.
The way i see it, muslims used to live in the deserts where it is extremely hot. Keeping a beard would save your facial skin from being burnt.
Keeping a beard also protected your face from the sand in sandstorms or anything of the order.
Keeping a beard makes you feel stronger, physically and mentally.
Keeping a beard helps the body stay cool. (Try soaking your beard in water, you will find that the moisture in it remains even after hours!)
A Beard will make you pay LESS attention to your own looks, thereby controlling your self admiration and EGO. People are les inlcined to remain attached to their looks and get carried away by external appearances.
What do you think?
My muslim friends told me that according to Islam, when a beard is stroked downwards, the action on the face is supposed to destress and relax the heart.
They say that the heart rate returns to normal on continual stroking of the beard.
🙂
Peace !
Krshna
March 27, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Mohammed Arshad Khan
u speak sense bro….good to hear ur words…im impressed… keep it up..
February 19, 2009 at 3:44 pm
ibnummabd
Jazakumullahu khairan
October 5, 2008 at 8:58 am
Zaid
great article. i would like you to know that the mushriks and yahoods of mecca used to keep beards too. But looking at rasoolullah and his sahaba keeping beards they agitated by cutting off their own beards.we who call ourselves the ummat should not shave our beards.
July 31, 2008 at 11:15 am
AfroBro
This is an interesting read. Other points I’ve read from around are that since people generally like trusting older and more mature people and that having a beard makes you look more mature, its really good for business.
February 29, 2008 at 9:59 am
yash
cool! cool!
January 8, 2008 at 10:57 am
music
very interesting.
i’m adding in RSS Reader
November 14, 2007 at 11:31 am
Muhammad Rizwan
Great…MashaAllah..keep it up
November 14, 2007 at 11:30 am
Muhammad Rizwa
Great…MashaAllah
November 4, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Saleem
Masha’Allah, great article! I’m a doctor doing subspecialty training at a major hospital in the U.S. and Alhamdulillah, I’ve been keeping a beard the past few months. Just as you mention, I’ve gotten some mixed and unexpected reactions by people. Suffice it to say, keeping a beard is certainly a challenge, and I too consider it as being similar to a Muslimah donning the hijab.
May Allah SWT have mercy on us and accept out efforts.
August 6, 2007 at 11:37 am
Imran
A very nice article, full of inspiration and hope!
Thanks