Hair and beards turning grey with age is a natural and inevitable process, and many people choose various ways to cover the grey. Organic or natural hair colours, such as henna mixed with indigo powder, are now popular. But how permissible is it in Islam to dye hair or a beard that has turned grey with age jet black using such natural ingredients? Here are the specific guidance of the Sharia and the rulings of Islamic jurisprudence on the matter.
The prohibition on black dye for grey hair
When hair or a beard turns grey with age, using an entirely black dye is forbidden in Islamic law. Whether the dye is herbal or organic, if the end result is pure black, it must be avoided. The guidance of the Sunnah is to change the whiteness of grey hair or a beard with henna or another colour, such as reddish, yellow or brown, while avoiding jet black.
Hadith contain a clear prohibition. Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that on the day of the conquest of Makkah, Abu Quhafa, the father of Abu Bakr, was brought before the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), with his hair and beard as white as thaghama, a plant with brilliant white flowers. The Messenger of Allah said: “Change this with something, but avoid black.” (Muslim 2102)
Another hadith carries a stern warning. Abdullah ibn Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “At the end of time there will be people who dye their hair black like the breasts of pigeons. They will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.” (Abu Dawud 4212)
The reason behind the ban: avoiding deception
The wisdom behind the prohibition is to prevent people from hiding their real age and presenting themselves as young, which is deception. The noted Islamic scholar Ibn al-Qayyim wrote: “The forbidden black dye is dye used with the intention of deceiving, such as an old woman dyeing her hair black to deceive her husband, or an old man doing so to deceive his wife, because that is plain deception.” (Zad al-Ma’ad 4/368)
When hair turns grey early
If a person’s hair turns grey early, before old age, because of illness or some other unusual physical cause, some jurists and early scholars allow some leeway in using black dye.
The noted early scholar Imam al-Zuhri said: “When our faces were fresh and youthful, we used black dye. But when wrinkles appeared and our teeth became loose, we gave it up.” (Fath al-Bari 10/367)
The test for henna mixtures
With a mixture of indigo powder and henna, what matters is the final colour.
Forbidden: if applying the mixture of these two natural ingredients turns the hair completely and deeply black, older people must avoid it.
Permitted: if the mixture gives the hair a pleasing reddish, dark brown or coppery tone alongside the black, and it does not look pure black, using it is entirely permissible.
Islam teaches that the signs of old age should be accepted with dignity. The trend of older people keeping jet-black hair or beards by artificial means is forbidden in the Sharia to close the door to deception. So when colouring hair naturally, every believer should pay careful attention to the final colour.
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