Asalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,
Tldr: Ask yourself who you are doing it for. If you're doing it for people then you'll listen to what they say. Doing it for yourself* then there's no point. If you're doing it for Allah then nothing else should matter. If it's hard, becomes a struggle, that means it's Jihad. Skip ahead to "****" near the end.
Edit: instead an asterisk below (also tried with a plus) i just wrote "asterisk" since both just became a dot so the link wasn't obvious.
Asterisk: doing it for yourself actually can be split up further. It could be for yourself in this life, or for yourself in the next. If it's for yourself in the next life then ignore what i said about it not mattering. Allah said that you will get what you strive for. If you're doing it because you want appreciation or a pat on the back in this life then it doesn't matter. If you want both, meaning appreciation in this life and a reward in the next, well you can ask Allah and He will give you. This alone is a lengthy topic and I'm not comfortable going into any more details so I'll leave it at that.
Long version: Story is about me with a beard but obviously this applies to everything Islam.
Ok so, when i originally started to grow my beard i already got a huge negative response from my family. Ridicule, constantly saying i should shave it off, etc. When i said "it's sunnah" (also separate discussion) i got hit with a "how many other sunnah do you follow?". I won't lie, it was very disheartening but my case was somewhat special Alhamdulillah. I'd recently gone through a huge life changing event which was Allah's way of pushing me into it otherwise i would've never considered it.
After family came friends. The usual jokes of "you're a moulvi" and a random terrorist joke here and there.
From relatives I've gotten a Pakistani favorite "He probably heard a Bayaan (speech) by Maulana Tariq Jameel (Scholar) and will shave it off in a week or two". I'm guessing this is used everywhere though, not just limited to Pakistan.
Anyway, luckily in my area it's not uncommon for men to have beards so i can't imagine what it'd be like living in a place where you'd be the only one, add in strange stares and no one wants to sit next to you on public transport would make it even worse I'd imagine. For that reason I'd like to take the time and say how much i respect the brothers in that situation. Needed a separate line for the sisters, i can't imagine how much worse it would be for those who wear the hijab, especially the sisters who wear a burkah (I've heard it's not "Islamic" but if a sister chooses to wear it for Allah then who are we to judge).
Ok, back to the story. After feeling like crap for a while i got to thinking and it finally hit me.
"Who are you doing this for?"
I realized that if i did it for my family, friends, relatives, anyone really i should shave it off.
If i had done it for myself then it doesn't matter whether i keep it or shave it because i should be happy with "who i am" or "who i want to be". If it was to get the praise from others in this life then what difference does it make? (hadith about how the first three people who will go to hell are the "martyr", hafiz, and generous/charitable persons all because their intentions were wrong).
If i did it for Allah... Then it doesn't matter if anyone, including myself, wants anything different. That's what sacrifice is all about, what obeying Allah is all about.
I don't remember where i heard this but (paraphrased): It's easy following Islam when it lines up with your desires, the real test of faith is when Islam asks for something against them (your desires).
That got me thinking more, if you find yourself in this situation where you feel bad or are made to feel bad about doing something Islam asks you to do. No matter how much people mock or ridicule you, no matter how much you want to give up, remember Rasuulallah Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam. Remember the Sahaba, may Allah be pleased with them all. The struggles they went through, the ridicule, and how they stuck with it (Islam) anyway because it was the Truth, it was for Allah and Allahu Akbar we still pray for them to this day "may Allah be pleased with them".
Also remember that if you're going through any situation where following Islam goes against your desires, or it's made difficult due to social or environmental reasons then that means it's Jihad.
Very important: Don't follow anything blindly. First check to make sure it's legit. Search for the truth. By the Will of Allah when you find the truth then be sure to follow it (or at least try).
Please excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes, I'm horrible at proofreading.
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