Q: Is it true that a man who shaves his beard is cursed and his Salah (Prayer) is invalid? What is the evidence on this?

A: All Praise be to Allah Alone and may peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, his family and Companions! Letting the beard grow is a Wajib (obligatory), as the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered Muslims to do so, and the original rule about the imperative mode is that it denotes obligation. Shaving the beard is Haram (prohibited), as it entails imitating the Kafirs (disbelievers) and disobedience to the order of the Prophet (peace be upon him), who has prohibited us from doing so and asked us to be contrary to them. It is reported on the authority of Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, Do the opposite of what the Mushriks (polytheists) do; grow the beards and cut the moustaches short. Narrated by Ahmad, Al-Bukhari and Muslim. It is also reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, Trim the moustache, and grow the beard, to do the opposite of what the Magians do. Narrated by Ahmad and Muslim. It was never reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a Sahih (authentic) Hadith that he shaved any part of his beard. However, growing the beard is not a prerequisite for the validity of Salah. If a person shaves his beard and offers Salah, his Salah will not be invalidated, but he is considered a sinner for abandoning a deed which was ordained by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and opposing his way. As for cursing him by the Prophet (peace be upon him), this was not authentically reported.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.