Thursday, 18 October 2007

Beards in Religion

Beards play an important role in some religions

Christianity
In Eastern Christianity, beards are often worn by members of the priesthood, and at times have been required for all believers - see Old Believers. Amish and Hutterite men shave until they are married, then grow a beard and are never thereafter without one, although it is a particular form of a beard (see Visual markers of marital status).
Nowadays, members of many Catholic religious communities, mainly those of Franciscan origin, use a beard as a sign of their vocation.

Judaism
Many Orthodox Jews grow beards for social and cultural reasons. Since the electric razor is a relatively modern innovation, virtually all Orthodox Jews grew beards before its advent. Beards are thus symbolic of keeping the traditions of one's ancestors. The Zohar, one of the primary sources of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), attributes holiness to the beard, specifying that hairs of the beard symbolize channels of subconscious holy energy that flows from above to the human soul. Therefore, most Hasidic Jews, for whom Kabbalah plays an important role in their religious practice, traditionally do not remove or even trim their beards.


Sikhism
Sikhs consider the beard to be an integral part of the male human body as created by God and believe that it should be preserved, maintained, and respected as such. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, ordained and established the keeping of the hair and beard as part of the identity and one of the insignia of Sikh males. Sikhs consider the beard to be part of the nobility and dignity of manhood.

Islam
Many Muslims believe that it is mandatory by Islamic law to grow the beard because in Sahih Bukhari the Prophet said, "Do the opposite of what the pagans do. Keep the beards and cut the moustaches short."Following the Prophet's actions is very important as well since he was proclaimed as a walking Quran and Muslims try their utmost to follow the teachings of the Quran. Since the Prophet kept a beard, many Muslim men keep beards to follow his actions and the teachings of the religion. Depending on their sect, they have differing opinions on how the Prophet Muhammad wore his.
According to the majority opinions in the four major Sunni schools of jurisprudence, a beard is mandatory for all men, unless they have a medical reason not to grow one. The exception is the Shafi`i Madhab, which includes two valid opinions, one stating that a beard is required and one stating that a beard is Sunnah Mu'akadah (An emphasized example set by the Prophet, but not required). Minority opinions exist in all four schools that the beard is optional, but virtuous.
Prophet Muhammed also was quoted as saying that growing the beard is part of the Abrahamic tradition that Muslims have inherited. God commanded Abraham to keep his beard, shorten his mustache, clip his nails, shave the hair around his genitals, and pluck the hair in his armpit; accordingly Muslims starting with their Prophet Muhammed emulate Abraha

Rastafari Movement
A male Rastafarian's beard is a sign of his pact with God (Jah or Jehovah), and his Bible is his source of knowledge. Leviticus 21:5 ("They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in the flesh.")

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