Authenticity Of The Story Of The Prophet ﷺ Meeting Two Persian Envoys Who Had Shaved Their Beards

The Arabic Text the narration:

(Source: https://islamqa.info/ar/answers/218487/تخريج-حديث-لكن-ربي-امرني-ان-احفي-شاربي-واعفي-لحيتي )
قال ابن سعد في ” الطبقات الكبرى ” (1/ 347) :
أَخْبَرَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْمَجِيدِ بن سهل عن عبيد الله ابن عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ : ” جَاءَ مَجُوسِيٌّ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ أَعْفَى شَارِبَهُ وَأَحْفَى لِحْيَتَهُ فَقَالَ : ( مَنْ أَمَرَكَ بِهَذَا ؟ ) ، قَالَ: رَبِّي ، قَالَ : ( لَكِنَّ رَبِّي أَمَرَنِي أَنْ أُحْفِيَ شَارِبِي وَأُعْفِيَ لِحْيَتِي ) .
وهذا إسناد مرسل صحيح .
وقال ابن أبي شيبة في ” المصنف ” (7/ 346):
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ فُضَيْلٍ , عَنْ حُصَيْنٍ , عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ شَدَّادٍ , قَالَ : ” كَتَبَ كِسْرَى إِلَى بَاذَامَ : أَنِّي نُبِّئْتُ أَنَّ رَجُلًا يَقُولُ شَيْئًا لَا أَدْرِي مَا هُوَ , فَأَرْسِلْ إِلَيْهِ فَلْيَقْعُدْ فِي بَيْتِهِ ، وَلَا يَكُنْ مِنَ النَّاسِ فِي شَيْءٍ ، وَإِلَّا فَلْيُوَاعِدْنِي مَوْعِدًا أَلْقَاهُ بِهِ , قَالَ: فَأَرْسَلَ بَاذَامُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَجُلَيْنِ حَالِقِي لِحَاهُمَا ، مُرْسِلِي شَوَارِبِهِمَا , فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ( مَا يَحْمِلُكُمَا عَلَى هَذَا ؟ ) ، قَالَ: فَقَالَا لَهُ: يَأْمُرُنَا بِهِ الَّذِي يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُ رَبُّهُمْ , قَالَ : فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ( لَكِنَّا نُخَالِفُ سُنَّتَكُمْ , نَجُزُّ هَذَا وَنُرْسِلُ هَذَا ) .
وهذا أيضا مرسل صحيح الإسناد ، وعبد الله بن شداد تابعي كبير .

Translation of the Hadith:

It was reported that the ruler of Yemen , appointed by the Persian emperor Kisra , sent two envoys
to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ !

When they came into his presence , he
noticed that they had shaved theirbeards and let their
moustaches grow big . Hating their ugly appearance , he turned his face away and said , ” Woe be to you , who told you to do so ? ”

They replied : “ Our lord ( Kisra ) did!” The Messenger ! responded : “ But my Lord , exalted and glorified be He , has commanded me to spare my beard
and trim my moustaches.”

[ Recorded by Ibn Jarir at
Tabari , Ibn Sa’d , and Ibn Bishran . Verified to be Hasan( good ) by Al – Albani ( Fiqh us – Sirah by al-Ghazali p . 359 ) ] (Translation taken from ‘Beard Between The Salaf and The Khalaf’ by Shaikh Muhammad Al-Jibaly in English.)

Strength of the above narrations:

(From the same link of Islamqa.info)

والحاصل :
أن الحديث إنما يصح مرسلا .
وقد حسنه الشيخ الألباني رحمه الله في ” تخريج فقه السيرة ” (ص359) ، فلعله باعتبار تعدد طرقه ، وصحة إرساله من طريقين .
وقد ذكره غير واحد من أهل العلم في مصنفاتهم ، كشيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية وابن كثير وغيرهما .

The Ahadith above are Sahih Mursal (i.e. authentic till the Tabai [not till the Sahabi]).

And Shaikh Al-Albani graded this narration Hasan (acceptable) in his checking of Fiqh-us-Seerah (of Muhammad Al-Ghazali) (Arabic, p.359) because of considering its many chains and the strength of the Mursal narrations from two routes.

And more than one (many) from the people of knowledge mentioned this (story) in their books, like Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Katheer and other than them.

Conclusion: The above narration was related by a senior Tabai, ‘Abdullah ibn Shaddad and it has come via two Sahih Mursal routes, thus the narration is as Shaikh Al-Albani said- Hasan (acceptable)

-Summarized by Abu Muaaz Mohammed Manna.