Question:
Assalamu `Alaykum,
I am growing my beard as per the Sunnah insha’Allah. It is just more than half a fist length. It is quite voluminous on the sides and I have very short head hair. I have two questions:
1) What is the sunnah length of the beard according to Hanafi madhab, and if its a fist length, does that mean I should grab my chin hair and see if the hair exits the bottom of my fist
2) What is permissible, and/or required, in terms of maintaining it (in terms of cutting) both, while its growing, and once its reached full length. Can it be kept even in the length by using scissors on the front, or in width by using trimmer on the sideburns
Answer:
As-Salamu `Alaykum,
1. According to the majority of the Ahnaf the beard itself is wajib and the handful (qubda) length is sunnah. Sayyiduna `Abdullah ibn `Umar and Sayyiduna Abu Hurayra – (radiallaahu `anhuma) used to trim what was in excess of one fist.
2. If a person has to trim his beard up to a fist’s length it would be permissible and if he does so up to shorter than a fist’s length, he will be going against an act which is wajib and this is not permissible, and if he chooses not to trim it at all, this will also be permissible. Using scissors on the front, or using trimmer on the sideburns would be acceptable.
Imam Senad Agic, Ph.D.
Head Imam (IABNA)
The Islamic Association of Bosniaks in North America
