Removing some of the beard hair by mistake

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Q: I am a young man from Yemen now living in Saudi Arabia. I strive to be upright and I let my beard grow. Once, I went to the barbershop and while the barber was cutting my hair, the machine removed some of my beard hair by mistake. I did not want to raise a case against the barber, because it would not return the removed hair anyway. Therefore I asked him to trim my beard in proportion to the part removed by the machine. When a Muslim brother saw me, he advised me in a harsh manner that hurt me deeply. When he saw that I shortened my beard, he said to me: You renounced Islam.Am I considered Murtad (apostate) because I shaved or shortened my beard? Which of the two of us is more sinful; me for shortening my beard, or the brother who asked me had I renounced Islam (by doing so) which means that I became a Murtad?

A: Shaving the beard or cutting some of it is prohibited, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded us to let it grow and forbade shaving or cutting it. This is a form of imitating the Mushriks (those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity or worship) and removing it causes distortion and blemish. However, a Muslim who shaves his beard should not be considered a Kafir (disbeliever), but he is a sinful and disobedient person and should (Part No. 4; Page No. 58) repent to Allah and grow his beard. Your brother in Islam used wrong words in advising you. May Allah pardon us, you, him and all Muslims.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.