Many people have told me that "one is judged on the society and times in which one lives". Is this true or not? reference? Length of beard

· 15 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1421 AH1 min readFatwa 2257English
Misc. Fiqh

Question

I have asked for reference so that I can pass on the reply with reference as it is the belief of many brothers i know, but i am unsure about it as they say this to me when talking about the length of ones beard etc. jazaak allah khair.

Answer

It is true that in Shari'ah, certain Masaail (rulings) are based on Urf (prevailing conditions) but very stringent conditions attached to this principle prevent general application as is being commonly done today.

One of the conditions being non-contradiction to any explicit text (Qur'aan and Hadith). Shortening of the beard lesser than one fist length will not fall under this principle due to direct contradiction of explicit Ahaadith. Application of this principle can only be done by a Mufti or Aalim (scholar) well versed in the principles of Shari'ah and prevailing conditions. The people you have described seem to be abusing this principle to follow their own agendas, therefore we advise you to be cautious in dealing with them.

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai
FATWA DEPT.

Answered by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Ask AskImam

Fatawa SA is an independent, read-only index of fatawa already published by Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah (AskImam). It is not a fatwa service. For your own situation, ask the issuing Darul Ifta directly.