Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 198
! ! 198 is an Islamic tradition. When an outsider observes a person shaving off his beard who is known to be a Muslim , he will obviously assume that this person has no respect or reverence for Islam ic traditions in his heart , and by shaving off his beard he disrespects Islam. A beard is not burdensome , nor does i t make one feel too hot. G iven that keeping a beard is an Islam ic tradition and the Holy Prophet sa desired it , it is a commandment, the obedience of which is evident to all. A longer forelock can be hidden in a cap or turban , but one cannot hide his chin, thus it is not too much to ask to keep a beard in obedience to the Holy Prophet sa and in deference to Islam ic traditions. A person asked me if kee ping a beard is a fundamental Islamic doctrine. Take notice of how those who would question this [doctrine] seek out different paths. He intended for me to say no, so that he could argue if it is not an Islam ic doctrine , then it is the same whether one obeys it or not. However, I replied that although wearing a beard is not an Islamic rule, obeying the Holy Prophet sa is , and since he has commanded us to do so, it is obligatory. This question is similar to that of someone asking if carrying wood is a fundam ental doctrine of Islam. W hen the answer is negative , he concludes that when his father ask ed him to carry wood and he refus ed to do so and his father struck him it was an act of cruelty. Perhaps carrying wood is not an Islamic principle , but when one hear s that his father asked him to carry the wood and he refused, no one will consider him a victim. I n fact, everyone will reprimand him because Islam commands us to obey and respect our parents. Or for example, someone might ask if sitting in the front row at a gathering is a principle of Islam ? Everyone will reply that it is no t and will in fact say that sitting in th e back is a sign of humility. However, if they discovered that a prophet or khalifa had asked him to sit in the front and he refused , no one would consider this humility, for he refused to sit in the front despite his master’s command. Similarly, if a soldie r asks a doctor if staying up all night is good for one ’s health, the doctor will not reply, “Yes, it is recommended,” but will instead advise him to rest during the night. However, it would be wrong for the soldier to assume from the