# Does Islam require a particular dress or beard style for scholars?

*A message to those who attack him: respect the difference*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7uxklqh8-ig/s/7/
- Date: 2014-07-02 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Insights to a personal journey: An interview with Mufti Abu Layth (22:13–24:49)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UXKLQH8-ig&t=1333s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7uxklqh8-ig/

**Topics:** Beard, moustache and hair; Dress and appearance

**Question as asked:** What is your message to those who attack you?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No: respect the difference of opinion. Many esteemed Maliki scholars were clean-shaven or wore suits, and the din mandates no uniform.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says the din does not mandate a particular type of uniform.

**Evidence, his words at 24:09:** “there's many people who have you know exercised that the dean has not actually um you know it does not mandate a particular type of” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UXKLQH8-ig&t=1449s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth asks critics to accept that his dress and appearance are based on reason and on aspects of the din, which he believes permissible, and to respect a difference of opinion, reminding them that Muslims agree on much more. He points to esteemed non-Hanafi scholars of the last century, especially Maliki scholars of North Africa and of the Zaytuna in Tunis, many of whom were clean-shaven or wore small or trimmed beards and suits, including a grand mufti whose name the captions garble. He says people who have only seen the dress of Saudi Arabia, the Gulf or Pakistan assume it is mandatory, but the din does not mandate a particular uniform.

## Sources and names cited

- al-Zaytuna
- lihyah (beard)
- Maliki scholars

## Transcript (machine tier, 22:13–24:49)

[22:13] it the message to those who attack me H I'd like to say just hate is going to hate no I mean I think on a on a realistic note I I would say look we have a difference um you don't like the way I dress you don't like the way I that's fine I'm not telling you to embrace it I don't have a problem with the way you dress I don't have a problem with the way you decide to do your hair or to shape your beard if we can just accept that what I'm doing is based on reason it is based on aspects of the Deen I do believe it

[22:52] to be permissible to be valid and we may have a difference of opinion here you may disagree with me but but I would just appreciate if you respect the difference that's all look and I'd like to remind us that we agree on so much more so to disagree on just you know you look at my appearance and you think I would also like to bring you know these people's attention to many of the worldwide and especially within let's say since we have things like photographs and stuff like that if we just take a look at this last century and we take a look at a lot of the the

[23:30] esteemed from um especially that are non let's say Hani so if you're going to look at the from the Maliki and from let's say Northwest North Africa in general you will see many that would have had things like kept a go beard or many of them some of them let's say the of the grand Muhammad Hussein I mean if you look at him he was clean shaven Maliki in I mean if you look at a lot of the the the leading of of the Zuna Tunis you will see many of them were either clean shaven or next to clean shaven or small stubble like beard

[24:09] or some of them are very trimmed beard many of the they they wear suits so just because people haven't actually been um exposed to this does not mean and now maybe they're seeing me they're thinking everybody is like I don't know like let's say dressed the way people do in Saudi Arabia or in the Gulf or in Pakistan and they're going to assume that well just because everybody either dresses like that or there's you it's not quite like that I mean there's many people who have you know exercised that the dean has not actually um you know it does not mandate a particular type of

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 7UXKLQH8-ig/s/7. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7uxklqh8-ig/s/7/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.