<b>Guidance from the Hadith:</b><br> 1) Religious innovations are those things newly introduced in religion and every act that contradicts the Prophet’s Sunnah or the ways of the rightly-guided Caliphs.<br> 2) One of the signs of a person’s proper understanding of the religion is his keenness to adhere to the Prophet’s Sunnah and guidance and not to contradict his commands, because the best guidance ever is that of Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).<br> Note:<br> The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) forbade his Ummah from plucking gray hair from the beards and heads and other areas in the body. Falling under this prohibition is plucking the beard at the beginning of its growth. If this is the case, then what about those who shave their beards after they have fully grown and thereby Allah honors and adorns them and completes their manhood?! Indeed, this act falls under the Prophet’s statement: “Whoever does something that is not in accordance with this matter of ours, it will be rejected.” So, the author, Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy upon him), did well as he included the Hadith reported by ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) in this chapter, which draws the attention that plucking gray hair and the beard, as well as shaving the beard, run counter to the Prophet’s guidance.