What is the ruling on retracting an oath I made — to myself — that I would not shave my beard, in support of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him? And will I bear a burden of sin if I retract it? What are the requirements for growing a beard, and is it permissible to trim it? Is it permissible to shave it if one's wife is repulsed by it?

Growing a beard is obligatory, and shaving it is prohibited according to the majority of scholars. Whoever swears an oath not to shave it is not permitted to break his oath. If he shaves it after taking the oath, he commits a sin in addition to breaking the oath, and he must offer expiation for the oath and sincere repentance. If the oath was made within oneself without utterance, it is not considered an oath. However, if it was uttered verbally, even if alone and not in front of others, it is a binding oath, and expiation is required if it is violated. Some scholars have permitted trimming what exceeds a fistful, or what is excessively long or wide to the point of disfigurement, but the preferred approach is to leave it untouched. It is not permissible to shave it to please one's wife or anyone else, based on the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him: "There is no obedience to a created being in disobedience to Allah Almighty."