Does a Muslim man have to wear a beard?

No, he does not have to. The beard is a recommended Sunnah, a good example set by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), but not a duty whose neglect is punished. A pure heart, truthfulness and good conduct matter far more.

In Islam not all commandments carry the same weight. First come the clear duties of the Holy Qur’an. Whoever deliberately disregards them commits a serious sin. Next come duties that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) linked with a warning. Then follows the Sunnah, meaning what he himself did and recommended to others. Here too there are levels, and much of it is encouragement for which no punishment is announced.

The beard belongs to this last group. The Holy Qur’an does not even hint at it. The tradition recommends it, but nowhere does it say that a man without a beard will be punished. Behind it lies a natural idea. God created men and women outwardly different, and the beard emphasises that difference. Whoever naturally grows little or no beard is exempt in any case, because God does not demand anything for which He has not given a person the ability.

Whoever loves the Holy Prophet (saw) wishes to follow him even in small things. Then the beard grows out of love rather than a sense of obligation, and that is exactly how it is meant. The traditions describe the beard of the Holy Prophet (saw) as a sign of beauty and dignity, not as a sign of severity.

It becomes a problem when the order of priorities is turned upside down. In later times some people placed the beard above everything else and treated men without a beard almost like unbelievers. In the process, purity of heart, honesty and decent dealings with others slipped into the background. A beard that expresses arrogance misses its purpose. The verse above reminds us that before God the most righteous person is the most honoured.