Why shouldn’t a Muslim grow a beard?

It was November 1989 when a young 16 years old Sachin Tendulkar was selected to represent India for a Test series in Pakistan. Tom Alter the renowned actor and anchor was interviewing him. “What compelled you to take up cricket?” he asked. A boyish Tendulkar in his typical tone replied, “It was my brother who first took to me Azad Maidan when I was 10 year old and introduced me to Coach Ramakant Achrekar, however since India won the 1983 world cup I was fascinated and drawn towards cricket and has been trying to copy Sunil Gavaskar, the way he plays”.

There was nothing astonishing in this innocuous little anecdote of a budding cricket superstar, however the last line is worth noticing when a young Tendulkar proudly mentions how he tried to copy Sunil Gavaskar as his role model and as his cricketing idol. We can quote similar examples in day today life, a child trying to imitate his parents for almost everything, young ambitious actors trying to follow the footsteps of their cinema idols, budding authors trudging the style and literary expressions of some of the erstwhile successful writers. And when they do, not only in terms of their act, but also the way they dress, walk, talk, display emotions, their style quotient, the world takes a notice and often applauds the lesser mortals who are able to successfully achieve even an iota of their role models. Now the question is; What is the scientific justification behind this? None, apart from being able to replicate the success of the best in the business.

As I always do prior to writing my blogs, I chanced upon many articles, discussion forums, message boards, etc wherein people were asking the rationale or justification behind Muslims growing a beard. In response many Muslim brothers and sisters tried, but in vain to bring forth the point as a reasoning in sporting a fist long beard, as the ‘Sunnah’ of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Invariably the discussion ended up deriding, persecuting and vilifying Muslims, Islam, Quran and our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) by those who asked the question or others who just jumped in to create a mockery of the forum. The end result would be another crusade wherein each member of the party trying to glorify his/her religion at the same time slandering others’. More often than not it would be the innocent Muslim who had tried to answer the question to spread the knowledge and understanding about Islam end up being apologetic and defensive trying to justify his faith and love for his own religion. Damn Preposterous!!

  The Quran quotes Allah saying,

"Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exempler for him who hopes in Allah and the Final Day, and who remembers Allah." (Quran 33:21)

And many other similar quotes which emphasize upon following the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) not only for his teachings but also his way of life. Muslims across the globe believe that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was sent on this sinful earth as the last and the most venerated Messenger of Allah. People used to doubt and disbelieve his abilities, his declaration of prophecy and a plethora of unbelievable tasks he performed such as travelling to the heavens (Meraj) to meet Allah himself, infusing life in the dead, curing the diseased, hearing the dead and lifeless, turning around the day and night and many more such amazing implausible tasks beyond explanation of human mind. People would doubt him 1400 years back and many still do. However these doubting Thomas’ had to eat their own words as slowly but steadily science went on to prove many claims which Quran had made and Prophet had suggested. I will give a few examples:

·    Clouds were responsible for making rains and it was evaporation of water that made it possible

·    Moon was responsible for creating high tides in the sea

·    There are bigger and brighter stars in the Universe much more massive than the Sun

·    Plants generate food from sunlight (Photosynthesis)

·    The changes in season is caused by the tilt of the earth

·    Benefits of keeping fast

·    Sleeping while on your right side

·    Benefits of Prostration (Sajda)

·    Benefits of eating Halal Meat

Not only these but there were many more other social transformations which were suggested by the Holy Quran and also advised by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) which hold true and justifiable even after 14 centuries and will continue to hold good till eternity. These socio-cultural edicts seemed blasphemous and iconoclastic to the ethos and norms of the barbaric Arab tribes at that time but came to be recognized as revolutionary and radical in the modern world. I would as well quote few examples of these social changes:

·   Right of women to her father’s property

·   Right to education for everyone

·   Divorcee and Widow remarriage

·   Voting rights and participation of women in administration

·   Rights of prisoners of war to a fair treatment

·   Compassion and respect towards your parents

·   Duties/Rights of Parents on their children and vice-versa

·   Duties/Rights of Husband over his Wife and vice-versa

·   Fair working hours, compensation and care facility for employees/workers/slaves

·   Zakat (2.5% of your savings) to be distributed to the poor

·   Regular charity, one third of produce from the sacrificed animal to the poor

·   Identifying economic status/poverty line by way of Gold Standards - Person in possession of atleast 7.5 Tolas (1 Tola = 10 grams) of Gold or 52.5 Tola of Silver or its equal worth

The list to these scientific and socio-cultural and economic proclamations is endless. As people read and try to extract the virtues of Quran and Hadees (teachings from life) of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) more and more revolutionary ideas evolve which help resolve scientific and social and economic anomalies of the contemporary society. The ‘Go-Green’ initiatives undertaken by corporates, governments, governing bodies and NGO’s can be attributed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) way back in 6^th century AD when he asked his followers to plant not only ‘Date’ trees but other foliage rich trees to provide shade and food to the travelers in the holy city of Madina. The fruits of these efforts followed or copied over the centuries are for everyone to appreciate as a verdant and green Madina welcomes millions of pilgrims every year during the times of Hajj. People are mesmerized how a city can maintain such greenery while being in midst of an arid desert?

While the world is even perplexed to see the barren and desiccated land of Mecca, the holiest city for the Muslims, oozing gallons and gallons of the elixir water Aab-e-Zamzam since past thousands of years right inside the Masjid-e-Haram housing the Kaba, while the surrounding areas just a few kilometers away do not have any ground water table. What is the science behind the Holy Gumbad-e-Khizra (the Tomb housing the grave of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)) not having a shadow, or the ultra cool breeze coming from the door overlooking Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) resting place even though the surroundings temperature is in excess of 45 degree Centigrade. No one tried to put forth a scientific compulsion to these living wonders or seek justification for the same, then why apply the some illogical rationale asking about the scientific reason for a Muslim to grow a beard? Yes, we follow our Prophet, we try to imitate him, the way he talked, his demeanor, his compassion towards everyone, his every act during the 63 years of his life. He is an example for billions of Muslims who have accepted Allah as the Almighty and Muhammad (SAW) as his Prophet. Unlike some of his predecessors or many holy men who shun worldly duties to dedicate their lives towards their Lord, our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) performed the divine and earthly tasks with aplomb and in the process teaching his followers the way of life and hereafter.

Why then should I go around justifying the acts and way of life of my beloved Prophet (SAW)? My faith is not built on such weak platform to be shaken by accusations and reasoning’s of a few disbelievers. The first pillar of Islam which is the Kalma substantiates our strong faith in Islam, as it says, “There is no God except Allah and Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is his messenger”. I never asked my parents to give me a proof or justification of existence of Allah or a corroboration of Muhammad (SAW) as the messenger of Allah. No Muslim does that, for that is the faith that you believe in Allah and the teachings of his Prophet. Why then is a Muslim asked or scorned upon if he chooses to grow a beard? No one asks a Christian why they sport a cross across their necks or create a symbolic cross with hands across their chest, their nuns cover their head or a Hindu why he rings a bell before entering a temple or folds his hands or applies a vermillion mark on his forehead, the Sikhs why they keep a turban or the Buddhist Monks why they shave their heads? The reasons is true and simple, people have been following their role models and their ancestors who have taught them the way to worship and revere their gods in a particular way and how and what to wear, what is good what is not. And true to their faith and belief in their religion, their Holy Book – The Quran, their messenger – Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and Almighty Allah, Muslims have taken the good virtues and teachings from their elders and ancestors who in turn have learnt it over the generations from the Prophet (SAW) himself on how to lead their life.

If you are not comfortable, just ignore it, rather than vilifying the Muslims as backward (if their kids are attending religious schools or Madarasa), illogical (if they choose to sport a beard) suppressing (if their women decide on wearing a scarf or a veil) causing hardships (when they keep fasts during the month of Ramzan) and rigid (when they proudly proclaim Quran as unchanged and unabridged encyclopedia of life since the time of its inception from Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) own voice, while almost all the other religious texts around have undergone sea changes, just to please the rulers of the times). The very reason I purposefully didn’t have the title to this blog as “Why do Muslims grow beard?”

As always I wanted to give a conclusion of my understanding and research on the topic and presenting my thought process. But while reading many articles and discussions on the subject I would like to “copy paste” the just opinion beautifully articulated by one of my Muslim Brother (by pen name umar_italy) in one such forum. Read on:

These things make me crazy.

How is it that Muslims followed the Sunnah for over 1400 years, without all this obsession for "scientific reasons"? What reasons did they have, when no one went around displaying PSEUSO-"scientific" researches?

This materialist, quantitative, westernized "apologetical" mindset is destroying all intellectual and spiritual capacities of Muslims of today.

I shudder every time I read that there is really someone thinking that there are scientific researches saying that on the three fingers used to eat (and only on them...) there is a kind of "special substance" naturally secreted by the body, that helps the digestion... Or that most part of diseases are in the stomach, and are caused by the fact of drinking by standing... And so on..

That's absolutely non-sense that make us look like fool people with inferiority complex, trying to "justify" our intention to follow the Sunnah..

So we follow Sunnah for the sake of "modern science"?

Or for love of Rasul-Allah (saws) and for the Baraka therein?

"Why you grow your beard?" - "Because I love the Messenger of Allah (saws)" - Khalas.