Is It Permissible to Trim My Beard Before Offering My Eid Sacrifice? (Shafi’i)


Shafi'i Fiqh

Answered by Shaykh Jamir Meah

Question: Assalamu alaykum

Is it permissible to trim my beard before offering my Eid Sacrifice?

Answer: Assalam ‘alaykum, I pray you’re well.

It is a disliked to remove any external body parts, such as body hair, nails, teeth etc., during the 10 days of Dhul Hijjah and until the actual Eid sacrifice has taken place.

Conditions

The dislike is on the following 3 conditions:

1. The person intends to make an Eid sacrifice

2. The sacrifice is for himself and not on behalf of another person

3. There is no harm involved in abstain from removing the part, such as discomfort or pain.

If one of these conditions do not apply, then it is not disliked to remove the body part. If there is pain, then it is sunna to remove it.

As such, it would be permissible, but disliked, for you to trim your beard during these blessed days. Some schools hold it impermissible to do so unless for a valid reason.

If the reason for your wanting to trim you beard is general grooming, then it would be encouraged to avoid trimming your beard. However, if it is due to a need, such as an important job interview etc., and without trimming you genuinely feel it could affect the interview outcome, then this could be seen as a valid excuse. And Allah knows best.

Wisdom

The wisdom behind the abstinence from removing body parts during these blessed days is so that the Divine Mercy descends upon every part of the person and that every single part of him is protected from the Hellfire.

[Tuhfatul Muhtaj, Bushra al Karim]

May Allah accept your and our works in these blessed days.

Warmest salams,
[Shaykh] Jamir Meah

Shaykh Jamir Meah grew up in Hampstead, London. In 2007, he traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he spent nine years studying the Islamic sciences on a one-to-one basis under the foremost scholars of the Ribaat, Tarim, with a main specialization and focus on Shafi’i fiqh. In early 2016, he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continues advanced studies in a range of Islamic sciences, as well as teaching. Jamir is a qualified homeopath.