Is it a sunnah to shorten the beard and cut the beard from the sides? Did our Prophet (pbuh) say to a man who came near him, “I wish you had cut this and that part of your beard.”?

Is it a sunnah to shorten the beard and cut the beard from the sides? Did our Prophet (pbuh) say to a man who came near him, “I wish you had cut this and that part of your beard.”?

Dear Brother / Sister,

We did not come across with a hadith that has the meaning mentioned above. There are few narrations regarding trimming the beard but there are many narrations and views of the scholars stating that the beard should not be touched.

According to some narrations, Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) clipped his beard at the bottom and on the sides. (Tirmidhi, Adab, 17).

Imam Malik says, "A Muslim should grow his beard in the form that the majority of Muslims grow; he should cut the extra part; it is mandub (recommended). If that extra part is not cut, it causes an ugly appearance. There is no limit in shortening the beard. The best way is to shorten it so that it will look beautiful." Based upon an application reported from Imam Baji Abdullah Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayra Imam Malik said that the extra part out of a handful could be cut.”

It is stated in Durrul-Mukhtar that it is sunnah to have a handful of beard. Similarly, according to the opinion of the majority, it is sunnah to cut the extra part out of a handful.

Besides, there is a hadith about hair: “A person who has (long) hair should take good care of it.”(See Iraqi, Takhriju ahadithi’l-Ihya with Ihya, 1/142).

The following hadith is reported by Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi: “A man whose hair and beard was in a mess came to the place where the Prophet was. The Prophet said, ‘Does he not have any oil to take care of his hair?’” (Iraqi, ibid)

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