Shaving beard is un-Islamic, says fatwa

Muzaffarnagar, Aug 7: Prominent Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband has issued a fatwa that shaving beard is un-Islamic, sparking a debate on the issue.

The fatwa comes in response to a query by Mohammmad Irshad and Mohammad Furqan, who run a salon in Badjia-ul-Haq locality of Deoband, where the Islamic seminary is located.

The Darul Ifta department which issues religious decrees stated in its fatwa that shaving or trimming beard was against the Sharia law and thus it's un-Islamic to shave or trim beard.

"The sharia doesn't allow us to cut the beard of a person of any religion. If someone is in this business then he should try to shift to some other work", read the fatwa. Following the fatwa, some of the barbers in nearby areas have stopped shaving work and put up the copy of the fatwa at the door of their shop.

The seminary in the past had said shaving beard after keeping it or even not growing beard are both "unlawful and a major sin". "You should grow your beard trusting in Allah as well as keep on supplicating Allah for firmness," it had earlier said.

When asked, Muslim cleric Maulana Asghar Abbas said there is no harm in trimming beard to keep it small. "It's better to avoid shaving," he said.

PTI