Dyeing with henna

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) traces this hadith back to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Jews and the Christians do not dye, so differ from them."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: On the day of the Conquest of Makkah, Sayyiduna Abu Quhafah (may Allah be pleased with him) was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and his head was as though it were the thaghamah plant, extremely white. So he said: "Take him to one of his womenfolk, and let them change it, and keep him away from black."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Of the things with which you change white hair, the best are henna and the katam plant."

Tawus, or Ibn Tawus, narrates from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: A man who had dyed with henna passed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "How excellent this is." Then another man who had dyed with henna and katam passed by him (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This is better than that." The narrator said: Then another man who had dyed with yellow passed by him (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This is better than all of that."

He said: Tawus used to dye with yellow.

It is narrated from Abu Ja'far al-Ansari; he said: I saw Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and it was as though his head and his beard were like the embers of the tamarisk (tree).

It is narrated from al-Hasan that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best thing with which you change white hair is henna and katam."

It is narrated from al-Shaybani; he said: I saw Ibn al-Hanafiyyah, and his head and his beard were red; he had dyed them both with henna and katam.

It is narrated from Isma'il bin Abi Khalid; he said: I saw Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him). He had two braids, and they were dyed with henna.

It is narrated from Isma'il; he said: I saw Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) dyeing with henna.

It is narrated from Yazid; he said: I said to Abu Ja'far: Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) dye? Abu Ja'far said: He (peace and blessings be upon him) certainly applied some henna and katam.

It is narrated from Uthman bin Mawhab; he said: I went in to Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), and she brought out and showed me one of the hairs of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), dyed with henna and katam.

It is narrated from Ibn Nabil; he said: I saw Tawus, and he had dyed with henna.

It is narrated from Qays bin Abi Hazim; he said: Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) used to come out to us while his beard was like the flame of arfaj (a plant that grows in soft ground), because of applying henna and katam.

It is narrated from Amir; he said: Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) applied dye only once.

Isma'il reports; he said: I saw Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him), and their dye was red.

It is narrated from al-Ayzar bin Hurayth; he said: Sayyiduna al-Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) used to dye with henna and katam.

It is narrated from Uthman bin Hakim; he said: With the family of Abu Ubaydah bin Abdullah bin Zam'ah, I had the honor of seeing a few hairs of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), dyed with henna.

It is narrated from Abu Salamah bin Abd al-Rahman bin Awf that Abd al-Rahman bin al-Aswad bin Abd Yaghuth, who used to sit with them, had a white head and a white beard. One day he came to them, and he had made his head and his beard red. At this the people said to him: This is good. He said: My mother, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), sent her slave girl to me last night, and she adjured me that I must certainly dye.

And she informed me that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) used to dye.

It is narrated from Ikrimah; he said: I saw Thamud, and I saw that their beards were dyed.