Is Not Growing a Beard a Sin?
Question
I respect the Sunnah of having a beard but I do not have one. Am I getting sinned for it or am I just losing the reward for not having kept it? Please give me your views. Should one trim it?
Response
There is no command in the Quran that requires a believer to keep a beard and neither is there any mention of sin due to not having kept one. As a result, I do not find myself in a position to say that it is a source of sin to you.
In my opinion, however, I think one should keep a beard because I feel that keeping a beard is part of the nature of man. An-Nisa verse 119 tells us that Satan took a vow to mislead human beings, leading them astray from nature; he said:
I have recently found myself inclined to believe that beard is a part of the nature of man and therefore one should keep it. In my opinion, the beard has to look neat and smart, and one should be highly presentable with it - it should not leave an impression of the person being untidy.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) seems to also have said similarly about the beard - in one of his narrations, he is reported to have said:
If keeping a beard becomes a source of harassment or causes difficulty for you, then you should keep praying to God Almighty to show you the best path and to give you energy to stay intent on that path.