Can I trim my beard for it to look neat and what is the ruling on sea foods; prawns, calamari?

· 24 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1436 AH2 min readFatwa 33968English

Question

I have two questions.

First question

1. i follow hanafi fiqh and have a fist length beard, but i find it gets tangled often and hurts. Also it has come to point where it is going quite wide and looks messy and not neat.

Can i shorten my beard around my face to an even length and make neater?

2. in regards to prawns and clamari, ( i follow hanafi fiqh). We spoke with an alim who advised some syrian hanafi ulema allow the eating of all seafood. Can i please have some clarity if this is permissable?

I have contemplated changing madhabs to shafee fiqh because it creates diffculty.

please advise me what i should do

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

It would be permissible to trim the beard around the face to an even length provided that you do not trim it to less than a fist. The trimming of the beard to less than a fist (from all three sides of the face) is not permissible according to all four schools of thought (i.e. Hanafi, Shafi’, Maliki and Hanbali). [1] [2] [3]

The beard is in itself a sign of beauty in a person [4]. You could keep the beard neat and tidy by combing it regularly and applying oil to it. [5]

According to the Hanafi school of thought, only those sea creatures which are classified as (Samak) – are Halal. [6] Calamari does not fall in this category and therefore will not be permissible to consume. [7] There are differences of opinion with regards to the permissibility of consuming prawns among the Hanafi contemporary Ulama on the pretext of whether it falls under the category of Samak or not; some Ulama are of the opinion that it is permissible whilst some say no. Thus, there would be scope in consuming them. However, a cautious approach is in abstaining from them.[8]

It is not permissible to switch one madh-hab for another. In doing so, a person will only be following his whims and desires. [9]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Safwaan Ibn Ml Ahmed Ibn Ibrahim

Student Darul Iftaa
Limbe, Malawi

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

) ايج ايم سعيد كمبني الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (6/ 407) [1]

يحرم على الرجل قطع لحيته…

لا أن يحمل الوجوب على الثبوت، وأما الأخذ منها وهي دون ذلك كما يفعله بعض المغاربة، ومخنثة الرجال فلم يبحه أحد، وأخذ كلها فعل يهود الهند ومجوس الأعاجم فتح

ڈاڑھی مونچھ اور سر کے بال کے مسائل – مولانا فضل الرحمن اعظمی

) ايج ايم سعيد كمبني الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (6/ 407 [3]

قوله والسنة فيها القبضة) وهو أن يقبض الرجل لحيته فما زاد منها على قبضة قطعه كذا ذكره محمد في كتاب الآثار عن الإمام، قال وبه أخذ. محيط اهـ ط)

وفي اللحية إذا حلقت فلم تنبت الدية لأنه يفوت به منفعة الجمال

ولنا أن اللحية في وقتها جمال وفي حلقها تفويته على الكمال فتجب الدية

ايج ايم سعيد كمبني جامع الترمذى [شمائل] ص. 4 [5]

شمائل ترمذی مع اردو شرح خصائل نبوی – (48-46) مكتبة رحمانية

قال: ولا يؤكل من حيوان الماء إلا السمك ... وما سوى السمك خبيث.

ايج ايم سعيد كمبنى ((6/ 306 الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار)

(ولا) يحل (حيوان مائي إلا السمك) الذي مات بآفة ولو متولدا في ماء نجس ولو طافية مجروحة وهبانية

[رد المحتار] أن حل السمك ثبت بمطلق قوله تعالى - {لتأكلوا منه لحما طريا} [النحل: 14]- كفاية، وما عدا أنواع السمك من نحو إنسان الماء وخنزيره خبيث فبقي داخلا تحت التحريم، وحديث «هو الطهور ماؤه والحل ميتته» المراد منه السمك كآية - {أحل لكم صيد البحر} [المائدة: 96]- لأن السمك مراد بالإجماع وبه تنتفي المعارضة بين الأدلة، فإثبات الحل فيما سواه يحتاج إلى دليل،

الفتاوى الهندية ) (5/289) – مكتبة رشيدية)

( الْبَابُ الثَّانِي فِي بَيَانِ مَا يُؤْكَلُ مِنْ الْحَيَوَانِ وَمَا لَا يُؤْكَلُ ) الْحَيَوَانُ فِي الْأَصْلِ نَوْعَانِ نَوْعٌ يَعِيشُ فِي الْبَحْرِ وَنَوْعٌ يَعِيشُ فِي الْبَرِّ ، أَمَّا الَّذِي يَعِيشُ فِي الْبَحْرِ فَجَمِيعُ مَا فِي الْبَحْرِ مِنْ الْحَيَوَانِ يَحْرُمُ أَكْلُهُ إلَّا السَّمَكُ خَاصَّةً فَإِنَّهُ يَحِلُّ أَكْلُهُ إلَّا مَا طَفَا مِنْهُ

Answered by
Safwaan Ibn Ml Ahmed Ibn Ibrahim
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Questions about this ruling, answered only from the archive with sources.

Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.

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