Grooming
Beard[edit]
The cut of the beard and its dressing are left to the discretion of men (but not to make selves playthings of the ignorant)[edit]
"The seventh Glad-Tidings
"The choice of clothing and the cut of the beard and its dressing are left to the discretion of men. But beware, O people, lest ye make yourselves the playthings of the ignorant."
God has as a bounty relieved men of restrictions on the trim of the beard (but not to be improper/playthings of the ignorant)[edit]
"It hath been forbidden you to carry arms unless essential, and permitted you to attire yourselves in silk. The Lord hath relieved you, as a bounty on His part, of the restrictions that formerly applied to clothing and to the trim of the beard. He, verily, is the Ordainer, the Omniscient. Let there be naught in your demeanour of which sound and upright minds would disapprove, and make not yourselves the playthings of the ignorant. Well is it with him who hath adorned himself with the vesture of seemly conduct and a praiseworthy character. He is assuredly reckoned with those who aid their Lord through distinctive and outstanding deeds."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 159)
"Many rules about dress had their origins in the laws and traditional practices of the world's religions...Muslim practice, in its desire to emulate the custom of the Prophet, also introduced a number of restrictions with regard to the trim of the moustache and the length of the beard.
"Bahá'u'lláh removed such limitations on one's apparel and beard. He leaves such matters to the "discretion" of the individual, and at the same time calls upon the believers not to transgress the bounds of propriety and to exercise moderation in all that pertains to dress.
- (Notes to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, no. 175)
Hair[edit]
Shaving one's head[edit]
Not to shave one's head[edit]
"Shave not your heads; God hath adorned them with hair, and in this there are signs from the Lord of creation to those who reflect upon the requirements of nature. He, verily, is the God of strength and wisdom. Notwithstanding, it is not seemly to let the hair pass beyond the limit of the ears. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Lord of all worlds."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 44)
- "Shaving one's head" (under "Prohibitions")
The law prohibiting the shaving of one's head among the laws not binding on the believers in the West[edit]
"IV.D.1.y...IV.D.1.y.xxxi...the shaving of one's head..."
- (On behalf of? the Universal House of Justice, at https://bahai-library.com/uhj_laws_not_binding )
The law of shaving one's head, formerly enjoined by Bahá'u'lláh for pilgrimage, is now lifted[edit]
"QUESTION: Shaving the head hath been forbidden in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas but enjoined in the Súriy-i-Hájj.
"ANSWER: All are charged with obedience to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas; whatsoever is revealed therein is the Law of God amid His servants. The injunction on pilgrims to the sacred House to shave the head hath been lifted."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Questions and Answers of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, no. 10)
"In some religious traditions it is considered desirable to shave one's head. The shaving of the head is forbidden by Bahá'u'lláh, and He makes it clear that the provision contained in His Súriy-i-Hájj requiring pilgrims to the Holy House in Shíráz to shave their heads has been superseded through this verse of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Q and A 10)."
- (Notes to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, no. 68)
Limit on length of (men's) hair[edit]
(Men) not to let one's hair pass beyond the limit of the ears; law to be clarified by the Universal House of Justice in the future[edit]
"Shave not your heads; God hath adorned them with hair, and in this there are signs from the Lord of creation to those who reflect upon the requirements of nature. He, verily, is the God of strength and wisdom. Notwithstanding, it is not seemly to let the hair pass beyond the limit of the ears. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Lord of all worlds."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 44)
- "Growth of men's hair beyond the lobe of the ear" (under "Prohibitions")
"Shoghi Effendi has made clear that, unlike the prohibition on shaving the head, this law forbidding the growing of the hair beyond the lobe of the ear pertains only to men. The application of this law will require clarification by the Universal House of Justice."
- (Notes to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, no. 69)
The law on the growth of men's hair below the lobe of the ear among the laws not yet binding on the believers in the West[edit]
"IV.D.1.y...the growth of men's hair IV.D.1.y.xxxii below the lobe of the ear."
- (On behalf of? the Universal House of Justice, at https://bahai-library.com/uhj_laws_not_binding )
Parting of the hair[edit]
The parting of the hair was a law confirmed by Muhammad[edit]
"The people of the Days of Ignorance engaged in many practices which the Law of Islám later confirmed...It was...their wont...to part the hair...Can one, God forbid, assume that because some of the divine laws resemble the practices of the Days of Ignorance, the customs of a people abhorred by all nations, it follows that there is a defect in these laws?...Rather, the purpose of His consummate wisdom was to free the people from the chains of fanaticism which had bound them hand and foot, and to forestall those very objections which today confuse the mind and trouble the conscience of the simple and helpless."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 28-29)
Make-up[edit]
See also[edit]
To-dos for this page[edit]
- Find and link to references in traditions to restrictions on trim of the moustache and length of the beard
