Is it must for men to grow beard...? Is it allowed to appear Hair dye..? Whether Islam permits hearing songs and doing dance..?

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Is it must for men to grow beard...? Is it allowed to appear Hair dye..? Whether Islam permits hearing songs and doing dance..?

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Answer:

 

Beard color hair music

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Your Question: Is it must for men to grow beard...?

Growing a beard was considered normal and natural for a man at the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws),  whether he was a believer or not.   Even the enemies of Islam like Abu Jahl and Abu Lahb had beards!    And because every man naturally grew a beard,  it was not necessary for the Prophet (saws) to give an explicit command exhorting the believers to grow a beard.   

 

The only specific saying of the Prophet (saws) regarding the keeping of beards arose when he saw that the pagans used to grow both their beards and their mustaches long;  thus he (saws) said to the believers:

Ibn 'Umar related that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Differ from the polytheists: let your beards (grow), and trim your moustache."

Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

 

It was only a couple of centuries ago,  when the western culture and ideology became dominant over the world and muslim lands,  that it became a fashion to be clean shaven.    And as with any dominant culture,  people are always ready to adopt its actions,  whether they are of virtue, or of vice!    But Islam has its own culture,  and growing a beard is part of the Islamic culture.

 

The question is why should a believer,  who professes to believe in Allah and the Last Day,  and who professes to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws),  want to grow a beard?  

The answer is simple. Today, you might have seen many youngsters copy the fashion of sport-stars, Hollywood-stars or anybody else whom they love. If you notice today, many hot Hollywood stars and sport stars are sporting a "goatie" beard!    And true to fashion, you see a lot of people around today who keep "goatie" beards!!! As Muslims, our role model should always be the Prophet (saws). We love to copy everything he did ... he had a beard,  and if indeed,  we want to follow the Messenger of Allah (saws),  we should strive to grow a beard.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzab verse 21:

There is indeed the best example for you in the Messenger of Allah, for every such person looks forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remember Allah much.

 

In another narration, the Prophet of Allah said in narrating a prophecy of times to come:

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.651         Narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri

The Prophet (saws) said: “There will emerge from the East some people who will recite the Quran, but it will not exceed their throats, and who will go out of the deen of Islam as an arrow passes through the game. They will never come back to it unless the arrow comes back to the middle of the bow by itself (i.e. impossible!). The companions asked, "What will their signs be?". The Prophet (saws) said: "Their sign will be the habit of shaving off of their beards".

 

Thus the keeping of beards is an absolutely encouraged and preferred Sunnah of the Prophet (saws) and every muslim male must strive to keep a beard, if his model and example is indeed the Prophet of Allah (saws). He will get his due reward from Allah, Insha Allah, if he keeps the beard to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

 

But if a believer does not want to sport a beard for whatever reason, the other believers should not make a big issue out of it.    What is important in Islam and in the Sight of Allah, is that one truly believes and does good righteous deeds according to the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah.  And when that happens, it is expected that the beard will follow soon after!   

 

The beard is nothing more than a sign that the believer truly wants to follow a Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).    There are many people who have long beards,  but do deeds against the commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws).   And there are many people who are amongst the best believers,  but do not have lengthy beards!  Allah will not decide the recipient of His Mercy and His Forgiveness from the appearance of the individual;  but rather He will decide whether the person believed and did righteous good deeds as commanded by Allah and His Messenger (saws).  

 

Your Question: Is it allowed to appear Hair dye..?

The Messenger of Allah (saws) himself, and some of his closest companions used to dye their hair with henna and/or ‘katam’ (dye of plants used as hair-color).

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.167         Narrated by Ubaid Ibn Juraij

‘And about the dyeing of hair with Hinna;  no doubt I saw the Messenger of Allah (saws) dyeing his hair with it and that is why I like to dye (my hair with it).’

 

Al-Muwatta Hadith 51.8

Yahya related that Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Aswad ibn Abdal-Yaghuth used to sit with us and he had a white beard and hair.  One day he came to us and he had dyed them red, and the people said to him, 'This is better.'   He said, 'Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (saws) sent her slave girl Nukhayla to me yesterday.  She informed me that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq used to dye his hair.'

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 5.257         Narrated by Anas (the servant of the Prophet)

When the Prophet arrived (at Medina), there was not a single companion of the Prophet who had grey and black hair except Abu Bakr,  and he dyed his hair with Hinna and Katam (i.e. plants used for dying hair).  Through another group of narrators, Anas bin Malik said,. "When the Prophet arrived at Medina, the eldest amongst his companions was Abu Bakr.  He dyed his hair with Hinna and Katam till it became of dark red color."

 

Dyeing of the hair is permissible in Islam for both, the believing men and the believing women.  And if Allah has blessed one with old age, it is preferable that one does not dye their hair jet-black, but rather dye it brown, dark red, or with henna or katam as was the practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and his noble companions. 

 

To the best of our knowledge there is nothing in the Quran or the Sunnah which prohibits the believers from changing the color of their hair, if they wish to do so.

 

Your Question: Whether Islam permits hearing songs and doing dance..?
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.494B       Narrated by Abu Amir

that he heard the Prophet (saws) saying, "From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful.”

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 3153        Narrated by Muhammad ibn Hatib al-Jumahi

The Prophet (saws) said, "The distinction between what is lawful and what is unlawful is the song and the tambourine at a wedding."

 

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4909  Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: ‘Singing (of unlawful songs) produces hypocrisy in the hearts.’

 

Beloved brother in Islam, if one takes ‘music’ to mean the melodious sound of the Muaddin while calling to prayer,  or the beautiful sound of the ‘Qari’ when he recites the Holy Quran,  or the musical sound of the ‘daff’ (tambourine) that is played to celebrate one’s wedding or on the Day of Eid, or the tunes of chorus sung by the mujahideen, etc.;  these are not only permitted,  these types of music are absolutely encouraged in Islam.

 

Thus, ‘music’ per say is not forbidden in Islam; what is indeed forbidden in Islam is the illegal string music which is so rampant in movies, television, radios, etc. which encourage ‘fahisha’ and indecency.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 33:

33      Say: ‘The things that my Lord hath indeed forbidden are: ‘faahisha’ (shameful deeds) whether open or secret; sins and trespasses against truth or reason; assigning of partners to Allah for which He hath given no authority; and saying things about Allah of which ye have no knowledge.’

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 151:

151     Say: "Come I will rehearse what Allah hath (really) prohibited you from: join not anything as equal with Him; be good to your parents: kill not your children on a plea of want;  We provide sustenance for you and for them;  come not even near ‘faahisha’ (shameful deeds) whether open or secret; take not life which Allah hath made sacred except by way of justice and law”: thus doth He command you that ye may learn wisdom.

 

If one looks around the society we live in today, one would notice that conventional ‘music’ is related to almost every place that encourages ‘fahisha’ or indecency; and it is this concept of ‘fahisha’ and indecency that Allah has strictly declared haraam for the believers.  The principle in Islam is that every road that leads to the forbidden is also forbidden; and as illegal conventional ‘music’ is an accomplice to and leads or encourages ‘fahisha’ and indecency, it too would be considered forbidden.

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 2.103         Narrated by Urwa on the authority of Aisha

On the days of Mina, (11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah) Abu Bakr came to her while two young girls were beating the tambourine and the Prophet (saws) was lying covered with his clothes. Abu Bakr scolded them and the Prophet (saws) uncovered his face and said to Abu Bakr, "Leave them, for these days are the days of 'Id and the days of Mina."

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 3154        Narrated by Aisha

I had a girl of the Ansar whom I gave in marriage, and Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Why do you not sing, Aisha, for this clan of the Ansar like singing."

 

Singing in its essence is neither prohibited nor unlawful in Islam.  Provided none of the commands and tenets of Islam are violated, it is permissible in Islam for one to sing, especially on joyous occasions like marriage, Eid, etc. if one wishes to do so.

 

What determines whether a song or singing is lawful or unlawful is what is said in the songs and whose ears access those songs.  The Muaddin (or caller to prayer) chanting the adhaan, or one reciting the Quran in a melodious voice, or the chanting of the ‘talbeeyah’ during pilgrimage, or the chanting of the mujahideen in battle, etc. are not only lawful but highly encouraged and meritorious in the Sight of Allah Subhanah. 

 

But if the songs being sung encourage indecency, ‘fahisha’, or glamorize elements of evil, or disbelief, or hypocrisy, or ‘shirk’, etc.; or songs which are sung by women when in the company or presence of non-mehram men; or songs being sung with illegal string music, etc.;  then all such songs and all such singing would be deemed prohibited in Islam.

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 3153        Narrated by Muhammad ibn Hatib al-Jumahi

The Prophet (saws) said, "The distinction between what is lawful and what is unlawful is the song and the tambourine at a wedding."

 

To the best of our knowledge there is no specific prohibition in Shariah either against the men or the women playing or listening to the legal music of the ‘daff’ (tambourine) during weddings, provided of course that none of the tenets of Shariah (mixed gatherings, display of indecency, etc.) are violated. 

 

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),   one can be assured of never ever being misled;   but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.  

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan

 

 
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