What is the ruling on one who evens out his beard, making it uniform?

"Letting the beard grow, preserving it, and letting it hang down is obligatory, as indicated by authentic hadiths, such as the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: 'Trim mustaches and let beards grow; act differently from the polytheists,' and his saying: 'Trim mustaches and let beards hang down; act differently from the Zoroastrians.' As for what was narrated by Al-Tirmidhi, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to take from his beard, it is a false report and not authentic. It is not permissible for a believer to cling to it or to seek leniency based on what some scholars say, for the Sunnah is authoritative over everyone."