Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

 

DEAR BROTHER IN ISLAM,.

ASSALAMALAIKKUM.

 

I HAD SEEN IN THE RECENT TURN OUT OF THE WORLD SCENARIO A LOT OF PEOPLE COLOUR THEIR HAIRS USING ARTIFICIAL COLOURING AGENTS.PLEASE CLARIFY WHETHER IT IS PERMISSIBLE TO DO SO IN THE LIGHT OF QURAN AND SUNNAH, EVEN FOR OUR BLACK OR NORMAL HAIRS.

 

EXPECTING A RESPONSE AT YOUR EARLIEST POSSIBLE CONVENIENCE.

 

BEST REGARDS,

 

ENG.JEELANI BASHA.

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Color hair

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

The Messenger of Allah (saws) himself,  and some of his closest companions used to dye their hair with henna and/or ‘katam’ (dye of plants used as hair-color).

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.167         Narrated by Ubaid Ibn Juraij

‘And about the dyeing of hair with Hinna;  no doubt I saw the Messenger of Allah (saws) dyeing his hair with it and that is why I like to dye (my hair with it).’

 

Al-Muwatta Hadith 51.8

Yahya related that Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Aswad ibn Abdal-Yaghuth used to sit with us and he had a white beard and hair.  One day he came to us and he had dyed them red, and the people said to him, 'This is better.'   He said, 'Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (saws) sent her slave girl Nukhayla to me yesterday.  She informed me that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq used to dye his hair.'

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 5.257         Narrated by Anas (the servant of the Prophet)

When the Prophet arrived (at Medina), there was not a single companion of the Prophet who had grey and black hair except Abu Bakr,  and he dyed his hair with Hinna and Katam (i.e. plants used for dying hair).  Through another group of narrators, Anas bin Malik said,. "When the Prophet arrived at Medina, the eldest amongst his companions was Abu Bakr.  He dyed his hair with Hinna and Katam till it became of dark red color."

 

Dyeing of the hair is permissible in Islam.  And if Allah has blessed one with old age,  it is preferable that he does not dye his hair jet-black,  but rather dye it brown,  dark red, or with henna or katam as was the practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and his noble companions. 

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan