Those in authority refer to rulers and Muslim scholars who must be obeyed unless their command contradicts Shari`ah (Islamic law). In this case, it is not obligatory to obey them.

All praise be to Allah, our government does not command a soldier or anyone to shave their beard, this may be the order of some officials. They are not to be obeyed in this regard and they should be addressed politely until they understand that obeying Allah (Exalted be He) and His Messenger (peace be upon him) takes precedence over obeying anyone else.

As for preachers who claim that a Muslim who shaves his beard is effeminate, this is the opinion of some latter scholars. Effeminate refers to someone acting like women and it does not mean he is a homosexual, as some people may think. Preachers and other people should avoid using this ambiguous term and if they are to use it, they should clarify its meaning to people to avoid any misunderstanding. Moreover, preaching aims at guiding people and directing them to goodness and not to repelling and enraging them.