I have a nice wonderful and pleasant beard

I was talking to one of the staff. Don't exactly remember the topic because I was taken by surprise when it seemed out of the blue, the guy says: "By Allah (I swear by God), you have a nice beard. Well, I had not trimmed my beard for about a week and so it was not the best looking beard. I was pretty sure of that. So I thought maybe he means it in a more religious sense. Since the prophets had beards, maybe he means that since I am letting my beard grow, that is nice. But that was unlikely too since my beard is not long enough to be considered a resectable beard in that sense.  I was going to complement him on his beard, but he was clean shaven, which made the conversation even more bizzar. He did not seem to care about beards, so I said thank you and changed the subject.

A couple of days go by and I am talking to another staff memeber. He says: "You have a wonderful beard." It was the same beard. So I am thinking jokingly that maybe this the fashion, and people have a hard time here growing scragly looking beards. Like people who have straight hair want curly hair and vice versa. I am also considering that this is an inside joke and they just have not let me in on it. So I wait, but the person looks quite sincere. So I thank the person. I need to find out what is going on. This does not seem to be a coincedance.
Later that evening I go to the rooftop with the rest of the visitors to look at the stars. Some people are huddled around the telescope taking turns to look at Jupiter, it's rings and moons. I am drinking a glass of sweet tea (there is no other kind.) I start talking to another staff memeber, and sure enough I find out that my beard is pleasant. Well I need to find out what is going on.
I see the guide who first informed me about the qualities of my beard. Since he started all this I decide to find out from him.
So I tell him that someone else just complimented me on my beard, and I need to know what is going on. He start laughing and asks "you don't know what that means."
"No I don't"
"Who said that" he asks.
"Several people have told me that"
He explains that when you want to tell someone that he is a nice person, or has a pleasant personality, ect., you pay the complement to the beard and not the person. So I ask him how do I respond, because I had notice people look at me strangely when I thanked them. He says the proper response is to say, best effort translation, I have nothing over you, meaning I am not better than you.
For the next few days some of the staff kept repeating this phrase when they saw me. Actually I think they were amused that I thought the complement was about my beard. Now I keep my beard trimmed but have not received any complements.