Egyptian Qurra

Q: I have some questions which I would like ask mufti sb and seek his assistance. These questions make me uncomfortable and it’s about the Egyptian qurra. I don't attend their gatherings and neither do I listen to them. But what makes me feel uncomfortable is when I see the wise people, ulama and qurra attending these gatherings and honouring the qaari. I would request mufti sb if he can response to my questions and give a response to their statements with dalaa'il so that I know how to defend myself when I approach people who honour and love the qaaris. I myself have hatred for them. The questions are as follows:

  1. What is the hukm of attending a gathering which is conducted by a qaari who shaves his beard? 
  2. I am not saying the qurraa who shaves their beard are on haqq, but looking at their karaamaat what 'if' they are awliyaa so will I be accountable if I condone them and not attend their gatherings? And does it mean I'm not respecting the quraan?
  3. In At-targhib wat-tarheeb in the last volume a hadith is mentioned about the signs of qiyaamah and one of the signs mentioned is " wa an ta'luwa aswaatul fasaqati fil masaajid" and many more ahadith so if we not going to make them mahmool on these qaaris with the mere excuse that they are forced to shave their beards so on who are we going to make these ahaadith mahmool on? Indirectly making the kalaam of Nabi (Sallallahu Alyhi Wasallam) go to a waste. 

I therefore request mufti sb to reply to my questions with such dalaaill through which I can defend the sunnah, mujtahideen and islaam.

A: 

  1. With due respect to the recitation of the Qaaris and their ikhlaas and sincerity we are commanded by the shari`ah not to honour an open sinner. The buzurgaan-e-deen that may have shown some consideration for them, perhaps it was in consideration for the respect of the Qur’aan itself and not the person. Further, their foresight and understanding is far greater than we can imagine. However, with all due respect to all the buzurgaan-e-deen and mashaayikh, we have a duty not to show special respect to a person who is sinning openly. Just as we will not appoint a qaari whose beard is shaved to call out azaan or lead the salaah or deliver the pre-jumuah talk, similarly we are under obligation not to show them any additional respect so that the laymen and common person may not consider the beard to be an insignificant practice. If this is taken lightly, then we are doing a great disservice to Islam by creating an impression to the common and lay person that the beard is not an aspect of taqwa and not an emphasized thing in Deen upon which Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had even turned his mubaarak face away.
  2. The awliyaa unanimously agree that af`aal-e-awliyaa hujjat na baashad (the works of awliyaa and mashaayikh are not shar`ee proof.). Rasulullah (sallallahu alahi wa sallam) has commanded us to adhere to the sunnah and not the isolated actions of the awliyaa, especially when they are not in conformity with the sunnah. Further, a wali is one who dos not break the sunnah and doesn’t continue committing a sin. A person who shaves his beards is perpetually in sin whether in namaaz or out, whether sleeping or awake, whether in hajj or in Madinah; he is perpetually in a state of sin. Such a person cannot be called a wali according to the standards that have been laid in the books of aqaaid. Refer to Sharh-ul-`Aqaaid. If a supernatural has to take place at the hands of a such a person it will not be called a karaamat. It can be called muoonat or isitdraaj.
  3. Until this point we haven’t understood the issue of being forced to shave the beard, for we see many Egyptians that come out in tableegh jamaat who have shar`ee beards. If it was an obligation then how do these people manage to keep beards? If they are state qaaris and therefore they are required to shave, they can respectfully resign from their work in honour of the sunnah and continue reciting the Qur’aan for the pleasure of Allah. The qiraat does not have to be done for the state.

عن ابن عمر عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال خالفوا المشركين وفروا اللحى وأحفوا الشوارب وكان ابن عمر إذا حج أو اعتمر قبض على لحيته فما فضل أخذه (صحيح البخاري، الرقم: 5892)

( لا ) يكره ... تطويل اللحية إذا كانت بقدر المسنون وهو القبضة ... وأما الأخذ منها وهي دون ذلك كما يفعله بعض المغاربة ومخنثة الرجال فلم يبحه أحد وأخذ كلها فعل يهود الهند ومجوس الأعاجم (الدر المختار 2/417-418)

ودخلا على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وقد حلقا لحاهما وأعفيا شواربهما فكره النظر إليهما وقال " ويلكما من أمركما بهذا ؟ " قالا أمرنا ربنا - يعنيان كسرى - فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم " ولكن ربي أمرني باعفاء لحيتي وقص شاربي (البداية والنهاية 6/486)

السيرة الحلبية 3/246

فتاوى رحيمية 10/108

Answered by:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)