His boss gave him the choice between reducing his beard or leaving the job
Question

                I work in a company and the boss asked me to reduce my beard (not shave it off) or leave the job. He always lets me pray in the mosque at the times of prayer. What is the ruling on reducing my beard?.
Praise be to Allah.Firstly: 
Shaving the 
    beard is haraam, as is shortening it and reducing it, because of the 
    evidence which shows that it is obligatory to leave it alone and let it 
    grow. 
It says in
    Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (5/133): Shaving the beard is haraam 
    because of the saheeh ahaadeeth and reports that have been narrated 
    concerning that, and because of the general meaning of the texts that forbid 
    resembling the kuffaar, including the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar, which says that 
    the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 
    said: “Be different from the mushrikeen; let your beards grow and trim your 
    moustaches.” According to another report: “trim your moustaches and let your 
    beards grow.” And there are other, similar ahaadeeth. Letting the beard grow 
    means leaving it as it is and not shaving it, or plucking or cutting any 
    part of it. Ibn Hazm narrated that there was scholarly consensus that 
    trimming the moustache and letting the beard grow is obligatory, and he 
    quoted as evidence a number of ahaadeeth, including the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar 
    (may Allaah be pleased with him) quoted above, and the hadeeth of Zayd ibn 
    Arqam, according to which the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be 
    upon him) said: “Whoever does not trim his moustache is not one of us.” 
    Classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi. It says in al-Furoo’: According to 
    our companions – the Hanbalis – this indicates that it is haraam. 
Shaykh 
    al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The Qur’aan, 
    Sunnah and scholarly consensus indicate that we are commanded to be 
    different from the kuffaar and that it is forbidden to resemble them in 
    general terms, because resembling them outwardly may cause us to resemble 
    them in attitude and doing blameworthy deeds and even in beliefs. It 
    generates love and friendship inwardly, just as inward love generates 
    outward resemblance. Al-Tirmidhi narrated that the Messenger of Allaah  
    (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He is not one of us who 
    imitates people other than us; do not imitate the Jews and the Christians.” 
    According to another report: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” 
    Narrated by Imam Ahmad. And ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab rejected the testimony of 
    a man who plucked his beard. 
Imam Ibn 
    ‘Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed: It is haraam to shave the beard, and 
    no one does that but effeminate men, meaning those who imitate women. The 
    Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had a thick beard, 
    as was narrated by Muslim from Jaabir and in other reports. And it is not 
    permissible to remove anything from it because of the general meaning of the 
    evidence that shows that that is not allowed. End quote. 
Shaykh Ibn 
    Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on one who 
    makes the ends of his beard even? 
He said: 
    What is required is to leave the beard alone and let it grow, and not to do 
    anything to it, because it is proven that the Prophet  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Trim the moustache and let the beard 
    grow; be different from the mushrikeen.” Saheeh – agreed upon. Narrated from 
    Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him). And al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have 
    mercy on him) narrated in his Saheeh from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be 
    pleased with him) that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be 
    upon him) said: “Trim the moustache and let the beard grow; be different 
    from the mushrikeen.” Muslim narrated in his Saheeh from Abu Hurayrah 
    (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet  (peace and blessings 
    of Allaah be upon him) said: “Cut the moustache and let the beard grow; be 
    different from the Magians.” 
All these 
    ahaadeeth indicate that it is obligatory to leave the beard alone and let it 
    grow, and to trim the moustache. This is what is prescribed in Islam, and 
    this is what is obligatory, as taught and enjoined by the Prophet  
    (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This is following the example 
    of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his 
    companions (may Allaah be pleased with them), and differing from the 
    mushrikeen, and avoiding resembling them or resembling women. 
With regard 
    to the report narrated by al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him) which 
    says that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used 
    to remove something from the length and breadth of his beard, this is a 
    false report according to the scholars, and it is not a saheeh report from 
    the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Some people 
    insisted on using this hadeeth as evidence, but it is not a saheeh report, 
    because its isnaad includes ‘Umar ibn Haroon al-Balkhi, who is accused of 
    lying. 
So it is not 
    permissible for a believer to follow this false hadeeth, or to use as a 
    concession that which was said by some scholars, for the Sunnah is binding 
    upon us all, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“He who 
    obeys the Messenger (Muhammad), has indeed obeyed Allaah”
[al-Nisa’ 
    4:80] 
“Say: 
    Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger, but if you turn away, he (Messenger 
    Muhammad) is only responsible for the duty placed on him (i.e. to convey 
    Allaah’s Message) and you for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall 
    be on the right guidance. The Messenger’s duty is only to convey (the 
    message) in a clear way (i.e. to preach in a plain way)”
[al-Noor 
    24:54] 
“O you 
    who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad), and those of you 
    (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst 
    yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allaah 
    and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final 
    determination”
[al-Nisa’ 
    4:59]
And Allaah 
    is the Source of strength. End quote from Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh ibn 
    Baaz (4/443). 
Secondly: 
It is not 
    permissible for your boss to order you to reduce your beard, because this is 
    an order to commit sin, as explained above, and you have no right to obey 
    him. Rather what you must do is be patient and explain the shar’i ruling to 
    him. If he insists on his opinion, and letting your beard grow means that 
    you will lose your job, it depends on your situation and your work. If you 
    can find another job, then leave this one, seeking the pleasure of Allaah. 
    If you cannot find another job, then we hope that you will be forgiven if 
    you reduce your beard, because the scholars have stated that it is 
    permissible to do a haraam action in causes of necessity and extreme need, 
    so long as you limit yourself to the minimum of reducing it that will please 
    your boss. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“So keep 
    your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can”

    [al-Taghaabun 64:16]
See also 
    question no. 70319. 
And Allaah 
    knows best.