The Daul Uloom Deoband is the largest Muslim seminary in India.
Shaving one's beard, or even trimming, it has been termed "un-Islamic" by the largest Muslim seminary in India, the Darul Uloom of Deoband, in response to a query.
The fatwa or religious decree came in the form of a reply to a query by Mohammad Irshad and Mohammad Furqan, they run a salon in Badjia-ul-Haq locality of Deoband in western Uttar Pradesh.
The Darul Ifta department which issues religious decrees said, "The sharia doesn't allow us to cut the beard of a person of any religion. If someone is in this business then he should try to shift to some other work."
Some of the barbers in nearby areas have stopped shaving beards ad have put a copy of the fatwa on the doors of their shops. In the past, the seminary had said that shaving a beard after keeping it, or not growing a beard, both are unlawful and a major sin. "You should grow your beard trusting in Allah as well as keep on supplicating Allah for firmness," it had earlier said.
When asked, a Muslim cleric, Maulana Asghar Abbas said, "There is no harm in trimming beard to keep it small. It's better to avoid shaving".