Reports on grey hair and dyeing

Sayyiduna Fadalah bin Ubayd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever grows old in Islam (or whose hair turns white), it will be a light for him on the Day of Resurrection." A man who was present with him said to him: "Some people pluck out their white hairs?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever wishes, let him pluck out his light."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Ibn Lahi'ah; his hadith is hasan (good), though there is weakness in him. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) did not change (the colour of) his white hair (that is, he did not dye it). This was raised with him: "O Commander of the Faithful! Do you not change it, when Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) used to change it (that is, he used to dye it)?" Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever's hair turns white while in Islam, it will be a light for him on the Day of Resurrection." (Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said:) "So I will not change any of it."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and something similar in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Suwayd bin Abd al-Aziz, who is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever grows old in Islam (that is, whose hair turns white), it will be a light for him on the Day of Resurrection."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Tarif bin Zayd. Al-Uqayli said: He is not corroborated in this hadith.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not pluck out white hairs, for they are light. Whoever's hair turns white in Islam, ten good deeds will be recorded for him in return for it, one of his sins will be wiped away in return for it, and he will be raised one degree in return for it."
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Abu Dawud recorded it in abridged form.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty says: 'I feel shy before My male servant and My female servant whose hair turns white in Islam. The beard of My male servant turns white and the head of My female servant turns white in Islam, (so I feel shy) to punish them in Hell after that.'"
Abu Ya'la recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Nuh bin Dhakwan, and other weak narrators besides him.

Abu Malik al-Ashja'i narrates: I heard my father, and I had asked him, and he said that in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) we used to apply wars and saffron as dye.
Ahmad and al-Bazzar recorded it. Its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except Bakr bin Isa, who is thiqah (trustworthy).

Al-Hakam bin Amr al-Ghifari narrates: My brother Rafi' bin Amr and I came to the Commander of the Faithful, Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). I had dyed myself with henna and my brother had dyed himself with yellow dye. Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said about me: "This is the dye of Islam," and he said about my brother: "This is the dye of faith."
Ahmad recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Abd al-Samad bin Habib; Yahya bin Ma'in declared him trustworthy and Ahmad declared him weak. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Muhammad bin Sirin narrates: Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about the dyeing of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He said: Only a few of the hairs of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had turned white. After him, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to dye with henna and katam. The narrator says: On the day of the conquest of Makkah, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) carried his father, Sayyiduna Abu Quhafah (may Allah be pleased with him), and brought him, and seated him before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him): "You should have let the elderly man stay in his house, and we would have gone to him." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said this to honour Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Abu Quhafah (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted Islam, and the hair of his head and beard was white like thaghamah (a flower so named). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Change them, but avoid using black."
Ahmad recorded it; Abu Ya'la recorded something similar, and al-Bazzar recorded it in abridged form. Part of it is recorded in the Sahih. The narrators of Ahmad are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to some elders of the Ansar whose beards were white. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O company of the Ansar! Dye with red and yellow, and act contrary to the People of the Book." After this, the narrator mentioned the full hadith, which has already passed in the chapter on the prohibition of wearing it.
Ahmad recorded it. Its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except the narrator al-Qasim, who is thiqah (trustworthy); some criticism has been made of him, but it is not harmful.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not imitate the non-Arabs; change (the white colour of) your beards."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Rishdin bin Kurayb, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to apply henna, and forbade (dyeing with) black.
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Yusuf bin Khalid al-Samti, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Dye with henna, for it increases your youthfulness and your (capacity for) marriage."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Yahya bin Maymun al-Tammar, who is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Change the white (of your hair), and the best thing with which you change it is henna and katam."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Sa'id bin Bashir, who is thiqah (trustworthy), though there is weakness in him.

Sayyiduna Abu al-Tufayl (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best thing with which you change white hair is henna and katam." (The narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are:) The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to dye with henna and katam.
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Abu al-Nadr, who is extremely weak, and he did not hear from Sayyiduna Abu al-Tufayl (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the hair of his head and beard was white. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Are you not a Muslim?" He said: "Yes, I am!" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then apply dye."
Abu Ya'la recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Ali bin Abi Sarah, who is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Dye with henna, for its scent is pleasant, and it soothes headache (or dizziness)."
Abu Ya'la recorded it through al-Hasan bin Di'amah from Umar bin Sharik. Al-Dhahabi said: Both of them are majhul (unknown).

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: One day we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when some Jews came to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw their white beards and said: "Why do you not change them?" (That is, why do you not dye them?) He was told: "They dislike it." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said (to the Muslims): "But you should change their colour, and beware of using black."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Ibn Lahi'ah. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy), and it is a hasan (good) hadith.

Sayyidah Aishah Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Change the white (of your hair)! Do not imitate the Jews or the Christians."
Al-Tabarani recorded it from his teacher, whose name is Ahmad; I do not know him. It appears that he is thiqah (trustworthy), because al-Tabarani narrated a great deal from him. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I saw henna on the temples of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) conquered Makkah, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was standing at his head. He said: "O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be ransomed for you! Abu Quhafah (may Allah be pleased with him) is a very old man and he is on the outskirts of Makkah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Take us to him." He said: "O Messenger of Allah! He is more entitled to come to you." Then Sayyiduna Abu Quhafah (may Allah be pleased with him) was brought, and the hair of his head and beard was (white like) thaghamah (a flower so named). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Change it, but avoid using black."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Dawud bin Farahij, whom Yahya al-Qattan and others declared trustworthy, and a group declared him weak. Its chain also contains narrators whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "At the end of time there will be people who blacken their hair; Allah Almighty will not look at them (with mercy)."
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say:
Abu Dawud recorded it, but without the words: "Allah Almighty will not look at them (with mercy)."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its chain is jayyid (good).

It is reported about Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that a slave-woman of his offered to dye his beard. He said: "Do you want to extinguish my light, just as so-and-so has extinguished his light?"
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Baqiyyah bin al-Walid, who is a mudallis (one who conceals defects in the chain). The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Abu Amir Salim bin Amir narrates: I saw Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), and he did not change the colour of his beard.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy), except Bakr bin Sahl. Al-Dhahabi said: He is muqarib al-hadith (fair in hadith). Al-Nasa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) declared him weak.

Mustaqim bin Abd al-Malik narrates: I saw Sayyiduna Imam Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him); the hair of neither of them had turned white, and neither of them used dye.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Jumhur bin Mansur, whom I do not know. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyidah Umm Ayyash (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: I never saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) apply dye, until he passed away.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Abd al-Karim bin Rawh, whom Ibn Hibban declared trustworthy, and he said: He makes mistakes and narrates contrary to others. Others declared him weak. No one has criticised the remaining narrators of this report.

Sayyiduna Hassan bin Abi Jabir al-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at Ta'if. He saw some men among his Companions who had dyed their beards red, and some who had dyed their beards yellow. He said: "Welcome to those who dye red and those who dye yellow."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains the Tabi'i, a man called Yusuf, who is not further identified, and a narrator, Baqiyyah, who is a mudallis. Its remaining narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Shu'ayb bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Najiyah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrate: We saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with dye applied.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, A'idh bin Shurayh, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to apply dye, he would take some oil and saffron, rub it on his hand, and then apply it to his beard.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Abu Tawbah Bashir bin Abdullah; Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned him and did not criticise him. The remaining narrators of this report are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyidah al-Jahdamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) go out to the prayer, shaking the traces of henna off his head and his blessed beard.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Abu Bakr al-Dahiri, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Utbah bin Abd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to order the changing of the colour of the hair, so as to differ from the non-Arabs.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, al-Ahwas bin Hakim, who is da'if (weak), though he has been declared trustworthy.

Amir bin Sa'd narrates: Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) used to dye with black.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Salim bin Muslim, whom I do not know. The remaining narrators of this report are the narrators of the Sahih. He also recorded it through another chain that contains a narrator, Rishdin bin Sa'd, who is da'if (weak), though he has been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) saw Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him), who had dyed his white hair black, so that it was like a crow's wing. He said: "O Abu Abdullah! What is this?" He replied: "O Commander of the Faithful, I like that some remnant (perhaps meaning his past youth) be seen in me." So Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) did not forbid him from it, nor did he find fault with him over it.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator who is not named; Sa'd bin Abi Maryam says: Someone whom I consider reliable narrated it to me. The chain of this report contains a narrator, Abd al-Rahman bin Abi al-Zinad. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Abu Ushshanah narrates that he saw Sayyiduna Uqbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) dyeing with black, and he would say: "We blacken the top of it (that is, the hair), but its roots refuse." The narrator says: He was a poet.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except Abu Ushshanah, who is thiqah (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Muhammad bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he saw Sayyiduna Imam Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) riding a long-tailed horse, dyed with black.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except Muhammad bin Isma'il bin Raja', who is thiqah (trustworthy).

Sulaym bin al-Hudhayl narrates: I saw Sayyiduna Jarir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) with black dye applied to his head and beard.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. I do not know either the narrator Sulaym or the one who narrates from him.

Sayyiduna Muhammad bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyiduna Imam Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) used to dye with black.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its narrators are the narrators of the report before it. Both have also been narrated through other routes, and this is the most authentic of them, and the narrators of both are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyiduna Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) used to dye with wasmah.
Al-Tabarani recorded it through various routes, and this is the most authentic of them, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sufyan bin Uyaynah narrates: I asked Abdullah bin Abi Yazid: "Did you see Sayyiduna Imam Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)?" He replied: "Yes! I saw him sitting by the well of Zamzam." Sufyan says: I asked: "Did you see that he had applied dye?" He replied: "No. I saw that the hair of his head and beard was black, except for this small part, that is, the part below the lower lip; there were some white hairs there." It has been mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also had white hairs in this part, so (in this respect) Sayyiduna Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) resembled the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Al-Tabarani recorded it. If the narrator Abdullah bin Abi Yazid is al-Mazini, then he is thiqah (trustworthy); and if he is someone else, then I do not know him. The remaining narrators of this report are the narrators of the Sahih, except Abdullah bin Ahmad, who is thiqah (trustworthy) and ma'mun (reliable).

Abd al-Rahman bin Buzruj narrates: I saw Sayyiduna Imam Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), both sons of Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her); they both used to dye with black, but Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) would leave the part below the lower lip.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Ibn Lahi'ah, whose hadith is hasan (good), though there is weakness in him, and the remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Abdullah bin Abi Zuhayr narrates: I saw Sayyiduna Imam Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) dyeing with wasmah.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. I do not know the narrator Abdullah bin Abi Zuhayr. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).