WEARING OF BEARD

Do you know who a pogonologist is? Read patiently and have the scope of your mental shelve widened.

Those common, conflicting pictures of Jesus hung in churches, and in christian homes indisputably depict the man (or men) therein as a bearded person(s). So why should a christian stereotype a muslim whose chin is filled up with hairs like his Jesus? Why tag him a terrorist for acting as done his model? Isn't he supposed to wear beard like the "God" or "son of God" he claims to love passionately? Why does he shave his beard when his supposed model wore his? Isn't he proud of that glorified outlook?

Wearing of beard is apparently no sign of unsociability. It is an act that is as glorified as clothing oneself, even by the aethiests of yore who shallowly held that there was no Supreme Being called God. In 1955, when the wearing of beard was preponderant among scholars of different specialisations - Science especially - the word, pogonology was accorded entry in the dictionary as the study of beards. Till the moment, it is an uncommon field with a very few persons as professionals. They are  pogonologists.

If keeping beard was a sign of unsociability, why did the popular father of Biology - Charles Darwin - had his chin thickly haired? Or could an international discoverer of sciences be badly labelled as uncivilized? The answer is a definite, upper-cased "NO". Why? Because it wasn't done in the name of any religion, right? That is shallowness and irrationality!

Today, there are lots of guys who are likely to be taken for imams or alfas given the hairiness of their chins, especially when they are clad in the native attire and ultimately topped with an "agbada". While some of them are christians, those who claim Islam among them might have never stepped a foot in the mosque. They may not even know how ablution is done, let alone have a mastery of how to genuflect in solah. Some of these people might have at one time or the other abused those who had done it in the name of Sunnah. They later found an act they had abused fashionable, and they embraced it, not to accrue any reward to themselves, but to show off.

The holy Prophet commanded that beard be worn by muslims to get themselves uniquely distinguished from the mushrikuun. The Prophet did not only do the talk, he did exemplarily walk it. He was bearded. His companions were bearded. The other recommended generations were equally bearded like their forebears. Why then would any obedient muslim decide to make his chin an artificial desert? Why shave off your beard when your predecessors - those you were commanded to model - never shove theirs? Come on, you've got to be sunnatic, brother.

Aside the reward for following the Prophet, beard adorns the face of the wearer. It beautifies the physiognomy of the keeper. It adorably dignifies the person as well.

Beard requires some treatments, such as combing and creaming. Never mind the one whose beard is unkempt. Never get discouraged by his laxity. It is Allah you want to worship, not human. The laxity of a worshipper isn't a rational factor for you to be lax. Some people are unfortunately naturally dirty. Sunnah never taught them to be. You may call their attention to it, perhaps they will heed. Be a muslim for Allah, not for human.

Author: Kay Yusuf