She says: I read a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibiting dyeing hair black. How authentic is it, and is it general for men and women, or is it
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The questioner : She says in it: I read a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibiting dyeing hair black. How authentic is it, and is it general for men and women, or is it specific to men? And what is the wisdom behind this prohibition?
The Shaykh : This hadith is authentic. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded changing the white hair and commanded avoiding black. He warned those who dye their beards black that they will not smell the fragrance of Paradise. This indicates that dyeing with black is among the major sins. So a person should fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and avoid what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited, so that he may be among those who obeyed Allah and His Messenger. And Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ahzab 33:71] And He said: [Al-Ahzab 33:36] Then, the wisdom behind this is that dyeing it with black is contrary to the wisdom of Allah the Exalted upon which He created the creation. If he turns his white hair to black, it is as if he wants to return his old age to youth. Thus, he is opposing the wisdom upon which Allah the Exalted created the creation, which is that when they grow old, their hair turns white after being black. It is well known that opposing the creation is a matter that is not befitting and not permissible for a person to oppose Allah the Exalted in His creation, just as it is not permissible for him to oppose Allah in His Shari'ah.
As for removing unnatural defects, there is nothing wrong with that. For example, if a person has an extra finger, he may undergo an operation to remove it, provided there is no harm. Or if one of his lips has a cleft, he may undergo an operation to close this cleft, and the like of that. There is nothing wrong with it, because this falls under the category of removing incidental defects.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : This hadith is authentic. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded changing the white hair and commanded avoiding black. He warned those who dye their beards black that they will not smell the fragrance of Paradise. This indicates that dyeing with black is among the major sins. So a person should fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and avoid what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited, so that he may be among those who obeyed Allah and His Messenger. And Allah the Exalted said:
And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.
وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًاAnd whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error.
وَمَنْ يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلالًا مُبِينًاAs for removing unnatural defects, there is nothing wrong with that. For example, if a person has an extra finger, he may undergo an operation to remove it, provided there is no harm. Or if one of his lips has a cleft, he may undergo an operation to close this cleft, and the like of that. There is nothing wrong with it, because this falls under the category of removing incidental defects.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.