Darul Uloom Deoband asks students not to shave beards; expels 4 wards

Saharanpur: Islamic educational institution Darul Uloom Deoband has issued an order asking its students not to shave beards.

Darul Uloom Deoband education department’s in-charge Maulana Hussain Ahmed said in the order on Monday that no student studying in the institution shall shave their beards.

“If he does so he will be expelled. Apart from this, admission will not be given to the students coming for admission in the institution after cutting their beards,” it said.

Earlier on February 6, four students were expelled for shaving their beards, sources at the institute said.

They said Darul Uloom Deoband had issued a fatwa three years ago that cutting a beard is ‘haram’ (unacceptable) in Islam.

When contacted, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, a senior All India Muslim Personal Law Board member and the Shahar Qazi of Lucknow, told PTI, “Rasool Allah Muhammad used to keep a beard, so keeping a beard is ‘Sunnah’ (practice) in Islam. If a person has a beard once and later removes it, then that person will be considered guilty. Beard has a different significance in Islam.”