Every once in a while, a positive story comes out of the darkness that is Iraq. One such gem is the one I am choosing to share with you this morning (oh, and you are welcome!). For two years while ISIS fighters lived in the recently liberated village of Tal Kayf, 20 Kilometers northeast of the hell that is Mosul, barber Mahmoud Fadil was told that his fingers would be chopped off if he was found to be so much as trimming men’s beards. One can only imagine the scene in the village had to be like those in the video below when Mabij was liberated from ISIS control in April of this year. Men were openly cutting off their beards and women were burning burqas in the streets in celebration.

Much like in when Manjib was liberated from their ISIS invaders, the men in Tal Kayf were coming in at an alarming rate to request shaves and beard “re-designs”.  During the occupation of his village by ISIS, Fadil was threatened with having his fingers cut off if he so much as trimmed a clients beard. The beard in some sects of Islam signifies the depth (or lack thereof) of the believers faith in Allah.

Many Mufti’s , or Islamic scholars, claim that to shave is haraam (forbidden) for the Muslim male. As outlined in the quotes from multiple Muslim texts written by Islamic Mufti’s across the faith, men are forbidden from shaving their faces in most sects of the religion.

“The Beard according to the Great Imams of Jurisprudence

Hanafi

Imam Muhammed (R.A.) writes in his book “Kitabul Aathaar” where he relates from Imam Abu Hanifa (R.A.) who relates from Hadhrat Haytham (R.A.) who relates from Ibn Umar (R.A.) that he (Ibn Umar) used to hold his beard in his hand and cut off which was longer. Imam Muhammed (R.A.) says that this is what we follow and this was the decision of Imam Abu Hanifa. Therefore, according to Hanafies, to shorten the beard less than a FIST LENGTH is HARAAM and on this is IJMA (concensus of opinion).

Shafi’i

Imam Shafi (R.A.) in his Kitabul Umm states, “To shave the beard is HARAAM.” (Shari Minhaj dar Shara Fasl Aqueeqa).

Maaliki

Shekh Ahmad Nafarawi Maliki in the commentary of Imam Abu Zayed’s booklet states, “to shave the beard is without doubt haraam according to all Imams.” It is also mention in “Tamheed” which is a commentary of “Muatta” (Sunnan Imam Malik (R.A.)) that to shave the beard is HARAAM and among males the only ones to resort to this practice (of shaving) are the HERMAPHRODITES (persons who possess both male and female features and characteristics).”

Clearly, Fadil’s customers no longer see eye to eye with ISIS on this particular issue of faith. Regaining the town was a coup for the Iraqi Army and hundreds of citizens have returned to the village since it was liberated on October 23rd.

Hopefully, now that the town has been taken from ISIS control by the Iraqi Army it will not be left like some of the other towns that have been liberated from ISIS during the offense to re-take Mosul. Many villages outside of Mosul that have been liberated have been left to their own devices only to suffer horrific retribution when ISIS fighters return and execute the villagers later after the Turkish, Peshmerga and American troops have left the area. ISIS came back to Nimrud, located south of Mosul, to execute 284 men and boys as a show of force according to a report to CNN by an Iraqi intelligence source.

We can only hope that ISIS will not come back to Tal Kayf because now they will be able to readily identify the men who reject their radical Islamist agenda. Now that they have shorn their beards they will be readily identifiable as what the group would consider to be kuffar or unbelievers in Islam. In the meantime I think that Mahmoud Fadil gets my vote for being the bravest man in Tal Kayf and I salute him!