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From: SX43@liverpool.ac.uk
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Re: Goats,Beards,and Action (Article from MuslimWise).
Message-ID: <1990Dec15.013238.10030@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 15 Dec 90 01:32:38 GMT
Sender: bes@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Behnam Sadeghi)
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
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Approved: bes@tybalt.caltech.edu

In article <1990Dec11.170212.372@wpi.WPI.EDU>, zvs@bby.oz.au (Zev Sero) says:
>
>I would like to know more about this.  Is it a requirement of Islam
>that Muslims wear beards?  Or is it perhaps only required of `clergy'?
>Thanks.                 Zev (a bearded Jew)

Wearing a beard is the example of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him.) and
as far as I am aware it was the practice of all the Prophets before him,
all the way back to Adam (Peace on them all).

As such it is a very strong Sunnah for Muslims to wear beards.

There is supposed to be a hadith which says that we should trim our
moustaches and let the beards grow, but I dont know its status (reliable
or not..). Personally I dont let mine grow too long as I prefer it
tidy; it helps to keep it clean too I find, when it gets longer its
more difficult. I suppose its a fault but there are much greater faults
I am invested with which would need sorting out before I worry about
whether or not I should trim my beard.

The Prophet (SAW) also said that the Beard contains the Beauty of a man.

After I decided to grow mine (about three years ago) I was relieved to
hear that people thought it suited me, so I wasnt tempted to doff it.

Some people dont get on with their beard so they end up shaving it.

Its a shame we are so self-conscious, but thats part of the test I
suppose :-).

Fazal.