Muslim

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: Very few hairs of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had turned white, so there was no need for him to dye his hair. However, since a few hairs had become white, on some occasions he did dye them. Anas (radi Allahu anhu) described the general situation, while some Companions, according to their observation, have also mentioned instances when the dyed hairs were seen. For example, as in the agreed-upon narration of Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu), he said, "I saw him applying yellow dye," and Umm Salamah (radi Allahu anha) showed Abdullah bin Wahb some red hairs of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
The blessed beard of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not have so much whiteness that it would require regular dyeing. Only a few counted hairs had indeed turned white, which were also dyed, or due to the use of fragrance, they had become reddish. Since Sayyiduna Anas (radi Allahu anhu) did not see him dyeing his beard, he denied this. In one narration, it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not dye his hair, but Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhuma) used dye (khidab). (, Sahih Muslim, al-Fada’il, Hadith: 56073 (2341)) And those noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) who saw him dyeing have narrated it; thus, Hazrat Abu Rimthah (radi Allahu anhu) says: I saw that the beard of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was dyed with henna. (, Sunan Abi Dawud, al-Tarajjul, Hadith: 4208) Hazrat Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) states that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to color his beard with wars and saffron. (, Sunan al-Nasa’i, al-Zinah, Hadith: 5246)

(2)
If, due to old age, white hairs appear in the head or beard, they should not be plucked out, because the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade this. (, Musnad Ahmad: 206/2)

Hadith Footnote:
Nineteen or twenty or fifteen — incomplete.

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
(1)
Shamtaat:
Whiteness within the blackness of the hair,
meaning white hairs.
(2)
Buht:
Pure, in which there is no admixture of anything.

Hadith Commentary:

Benefits and Issues:
By applying a mixture of henna (mehndi) and katam (wasm), the hair becomes blackish in color; it does not become completely black.

Benefits and Issues:
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not have so much whiteness in his hair or beard that there was a need to regularly dye it.
A few countable hairs had indeed turned white, which were also dyed, but since Sayyiduna Anas (radi Allahu anhu) did not see him dyeing them, he denied it.
Other Companions, having seen him dyeing, have therefore narrated it.

The correct view is that the blessed hair of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had not turned so white that there was any need to dye them. The mention of dyeing in some ahadith will be interpreted as referring to occasional instances.