Is shaving the beard halal?
Scholars differ. Growing the beard is commanded in several hadith; the schools differ on how serious shaving it is.
The views, and who holds them
| Held by | Verdict | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali | Haram | Shaving the beard is prohibited. |
| Shafi'i (the relied-upon view of al-Nawawi and al-Rafi'i) | Makruh (disliked) | Shaving is disliked; some later Shafi'i scholars held it prohibited. |
Quick answers
- Is shaving the beard halal?
- Scholars differ. Growing the beard is commanded in several hadith; the schools differ on how serious shaving it is.
- Who holds that it is haram?
- Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali: Shaving the beard is prohibited.
- Who holds that it is makruh (disliked)?
- Shafi'i (the relied-upon view of al-Nawawi and al-Rafi'i): Shaving is disliked; some later Shafi'i scholars held it prohibited.
Sources
- Halal or Not? rulebook topic “Shaving the beard”, live answer (checked 28 September 2026)
- Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali
- Shafi'i (the relied-upon view of al-Nawawi and al-Rafi'i)
Information, not a fatwa. Where scholars differ, this shows the main views so you can follow the one you already follow or ask a scholar you trust.
Ask Halal or Not? yourself
Ask any everyday question, or check a stock, fund, coin or medicine, and see where the scholars agree and differ. Open Halal or Not?, free, no sign-up.
In Claude or any app that takes MCP connectors, add https://goodturn-mcp.pages.dev/halalornot/mcp and ask: “Is shaving the beard halal?”
More on everyday life
- Is music halal? Scholars differ
- Can a Muslim keep a dog? Depends
- Can a Muslim keep a cat? Halal
- Are tattoos halal? Haram
- Is nail polish halal? Depends
- Can men wear gold and silk? Haram
- Is smoking, vaping or shisha halal? Haram
- Is cannabis halal? Haram
- Is chess halal? Scholars differ
- Are video games halal? Depends