BEARD AND LONG TROUSERS ABOVE THE ANKLE, IS IT PIETY?

Islam, or surrendering oneself to God, is symbolized by thinking, acting, and judging in accordance with what God says. It is impossible to think without having a basis, to act without a form, and behavior as a manifestation of thought is reflected, among other things, in the etiquette of dress.

What Islam teaches is certainly not trivial, such as how many beard hairs must grow to be called a "beard," or how many millimeters long a beard must be to be considered "long." Such trivialities are not regarded by Allah as acts of obedience. Allah does not look at the human physical form; He looks at our way of thinking. Thus, the primary focus begins with the mind and then action; piety (taqwa) towards Allah is the consciousness of always being under His supervision.

يَٰبَنِيٓ ءَادَمَ قَدۡ أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡكُمۡ لِبَاسٗا يُوَٰرِي سَوۡءَٰتِكُمۡ وَرِيشٗاۖ وَلِبَاسُ ٱلتَّقۡوَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ خَيۡرٞۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَذَّكَّرُونَ

"O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness (taqwa) that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember." (Al-A'raaf 7:26)

The output of this "clothing of piety" is protection through the constant remembrance of Allah. Piety cannot be measured by centimeters above the ankle; piety is measured by the parameter of love for Allah within the mind and its execution.

Once you possess the clothing of piety, the next stage is to wear beautiful clothes that cover the awrah (intimate parts), especially when meeting others in public. Allah regulates human clothing with three conditions:

1. Covering the awrah.
2. Beautiful/Good appearance.
3. Not excessive.

۞يَٰبَنِيٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمۡ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسۡجِدٖ وَكُلُواْ وَٱشۡرَبُواْ وَلَا تُسۡرِفُوٓاْۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُسۡرِفِينَ

"O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess." (Al-A'raaf 7:31)

Since the verse above relates to public places (mosques), the standards for "beautiful" and "excessive" are subjective, depending on each individual and community. Humans who wear beautiful clothing and are not excessive must not be judged with harsh words, forbidden, or even threatened with hellfire. The subsequent verse serves as a reference for social life in utilizing the sustenance (clothing and food) provided.

قُلۡ مَنۡ حَرَّمَ زِينَةَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِيٓ أَخۡرَجَ لِعِبَادِهِۦ وَٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ مِنَ ٱلرِّزۡقِۚ قُلۡ هِيَ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ فِي ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا خَالِصَةٗ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۗ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لِقَوۡمٖ يَعۡلَمُونَ

"Say, 'Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of provision?' Say, 'They are for those who believe during the worldly life [but] exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection.' Thus do We detail the verses for a people who know." (Al-A'raaf 7:32)

Humans who act in the name of Allah to persecute others simply because of differences in utilizing clothing and food are among those who commit sin, acts that violate human rights without a just cause. Such persecution is what Allah forbids in the following verse:

قُلۡ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ ٱلۡفَوَٰحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَٱلۡإِثۡمَ وَٱلۡبَغۡيَ بِغَيۡرِ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَأَن تُشۡرِكُواْ بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمۡ يُنَزِّلۡ بِهِۦ سُلۡطَٰنٗا وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ

"Say, 'My Lord has only forbidden immoralities, what is apparent of them and what is concealed—and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allah that which you do not know.'" (Al-A'raaf 7:33)

The verse above warns humanity regarding forbidden acts. By reading and understanding these four verses, the acts forbidden by Allah are as follows:

1. Being excessive in clothing and adornment.
2. Prohibiting what Allah has already established the limits for in clothing and adornment.
3. Fahisyah (hidden acts approaching adultery).
4. Itsmun (obstructing the truth / perverting what is right).
5. Violating human rights without a just cause.
6. Associating partners with Allah.
7. nventing lies about Allah regarding things humans do not know.

I will provide an example of two of these acts in the following hadith:

"Whoever lets his garment trail (isbal) in prayer out of pride, Allah will not make Paradise lawful for him nor forbid Hell for him." (Sunan Abu Daud 542)

In the hadith above, Allah did not send down any authority (hujjah) regarding isbal in the Qur'an. Isbal only appears in reports (hadiths) attributed to the Prophet. Claiming that Allah sent down authority regarding isbal is equivalent to inventing about Allah what humans do not know. The hadith above becomes concrete evidence of a violation of Al-A'raaf 7:33, the act of inventing things about Allah that are not mentioned in the Qur'an. If anyone can guarantee that this hadith is an authority sent down by Allah, please present your argument and change my mind.

We have discussed clothing: covering the awrah, beauty, and moderation are the basic guidelines for human dress taught by Allah.

Then what about the beard? Does Allah command us to maintain a beard? Is the thickness, neatness, length, or color of a beard a benchmark for one's Islam, faith, and piety?

There are several famous figures with impressive beards: Karl Marx, William Shakespeare, Lord Kelvin, Galileo Galilei, Harnaam Kaur, Hans Langseth, Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Darwin, and Santa Claus. These figures have cool beards, especially Hans Langseth, who holds a world record. Now, which of their beards signifies faith, Islam, and piety?

Rather than dwelling on my question, it is better to look at what is actually requested in the hadith about growing a beard.

...from Abu Umamah, he said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) went to meet the elders of the Ansar whose beards had turned white. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "O people of Ansar! Wear red and yellow colors and be different from the People of the Book." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, the People of the Book wear trousers and do not wear sarongs." He said: "Wear trousers and sarongs and be different from the People of the Book." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, they wear shoes and do not wear sandals." He said: "Wear shoes and sandals and be different from the People of the Book." We said: "O Messenger of Allah, they trim their beards and grow their moustaches." He said: "Trim your moustaches, grow your beards, and be different from the People of the Book." (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 21252)

This hadith does not explain why the Prophet went to meet the elders of the Ansar. According to my analysis, this hadith is related to the war against the People of the Book mentioned (perhaps) in Surah Al-Ahzab. The Prophet asked his people to have a different identity from the enemies. This difference was not meant to hinder war strategy or movement, but to make it easy to distinguish friend from foe. This was the Prophet's strategy in organizing his troops.

The Prophet did not command them to discard items that facilitate mobility. For example, trousers and shoes were still allowed because they facilitate movement. Additional identifiers like sarongs and sandals were permitted. Using yellow and red colors made it easy to recognize allies.

What happened in other hadiths is that the text (matn) presented is incomplete; only the final part of the text was transmitted, such as:

"Shorten the moustache and grow the beard." (Sunan Nasai 4959)

"Shave your moustaches and leave your beards (to grow)." (Shahih Bukhari 5443)

The same could happen with other hadiths. We don't even know if the hadith in Musnad Ahmad is the complete text, so I personally have to speculate to conclude that this is related to war.

Fragmented hadiths cause the Prophet's words to be interpreted out of context and swallowed whole as if they were Allah's direct request. Yet, if we analyze it, the command regarding the beard applied when going to war. In the past, war involved swords and face-to-face combat. It was vital to identify those around you quickly. A moment of distraction could cost a life.

In modern warfare, the situation has changed. Every country's army has an identity through uniforms, flags, or other symbols. Differentiation strategies exist now, just as the Prophet once implemented.

So, where does the beard go? The beard has no legs, so it doesn't need to run or wear "non-isbal" trousers. Today, for certain groups, the beard has even been turned into "clothing of piety." In reality, the clothing of piety resides in the mind and the deeds of every believer. We must also be careful that the adornment of a beard does not become a source of pride or a feeling of being the "ultimate dweller of Paradise."

Indeed, Allah is with His servants who wear the clothing of piety.

@AbuMusa2026