Fatwa ID: 02840

Answered by:  Aalimah Nasima Umm Hamza​

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah

As far as I know, the Khilal of a dense beard is Sunnah. At the moment I am reading the book Bahishti Zewar and there it is mentioned not as-Sunnah but rather as Mustahhab. Also, another Sunnan like drinking from the leftover Wudhu water is not mentioned.
 

Are these things Sunnah or Mustahhab and why are these not mentioned as-Sunnah?

JazzakAllah kheyr

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah

First please note that there is a difference between Sunnah and Mustahab/Mandoob. In Raddul Muhtaar, it is stated that Sunnah is that which the Prophet (pbuh) consistently did, only leaving rarely. Whereas something is Mustahab/Mandoob if the Prophet (pbuh) didn’t do an action consistently or he showed a preference for action, even if he (pbuh) didn’t do it himself.

The reason why there are differences in whether an action is Sunnah or Mustahab/Mandoob is due to the fact there were differences amongst the Imams of the Madhab about which category an action falls into.

This is what we see with the khilal of the beard. Imam Abu Yusuf (r.a)considered it to be Sunnah, whereas Imam Abu Hanifah (r.a) and Imam Muhammad (r.a) considered it Mustahab. The opinion adopted by the Madhab is that the Khilal of the beard is Sunnah, as Imam Abu Yusuf (r.a) has stated.

As for the drinking of the leftover water after Wudu, it is mentioned in Raddul Muhtaar as being a Mandoob act.

And Allah SWT knows best.

Written by Aalimah Nasima Umm Hamza

Checked and approved Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

References:

فَالْأَوْلَى مَا فِي التَّحْرِيرِ أَنَّ مَا وَاظَبَ عَلَيْهِ مَعَ تَرْكٍ مَا بِلَا عُذْرٍ سُنَّةٌ، وَمَا لَمْ يُوَاظِبْ عَلَيْهِ مَنْدُوبٌ وَمُسْتَحَبٌّ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ بَعْدَ مَا رَغَّبَ فِيهِ

(Raddul muhtaar, Kitaab at-Taharah, Sunan al-Wudu, p.124)

(وَتَخْلِيلُ اللِّحْيَةِ) هُوَ تَفْرِيقُ شَعْرِهَا مِنْ أَسْفَلَ إلَى فَوْقَ، بَحْرٌ، وَهُوَ سُنَّةٌ عِنْدَ أَبِي يُوسُفَ وَأَبُو حَنِيفَةَ وَمُحَمَّدٌ يُفَضِّلَانِهِ وَرَجَّحَ فِي الْمَبْسُوطِ قَوْلَ أَبِي يُوسُفَ كَمَا فِي الْبُرْهَانِ شُرُنْبُلَالِيَّةٌ.

(Raddul Muhtaar, Kitaab at-Taharah, Sunan al-Wudu, p.117)

وَأَنَّ الْمَنْدُوبَ هُنَا هُوَ الشُّرْبُ مِنْ فَضْلِ الْوُضُوءِ لَا بِقَيْدِ كَوْنِهِ قَائِمًا

(Raddul Muhtaar, Kitaab at-Taharah, Sunan al-Wudu, p.129)