Is it obligatory to dye hair with anything other than black?

Question : People differ; some people dye their hair, and their habit is to dye it, and they want to disapprove of those who do not dye it. Another person dyes it but leans toward the brown color, perhaps thinking that this form is black.

Answer : Yes, what is forbidden is pure black. As for mixing black with another color, there is no harm. For example, henna is yellow and katam is black; if a person mixes them and dyes with that, there is no harm. As for those who strongly disapprove of those who do not dye their hair, there is a consideration in that, because there may be an excuse. Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding taking hair on the head: "It is a recommended practice (sunnah); if we were able to do it, we would, but it has a burden and expense." Although the stronger position in the issue of taking hair is to follow custom, the important thing is that he (may Allah have mercy on him) excused himself due to the burden, stating that it requires combing, arranging, and perfuming, and the like. Many of our scholars—and I do not cite them as an argument against the Sunnah, because the Sunnah is certainly preferable to follow—do not do this; they do not change anything. We encountered Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) and his brothers, Abd al-Latif, and we encountered Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) and other sheikhs, none of whom dyed their hair. It appears to me, and Allah knows best, that their reason is the same reason Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) gave: that it requires care, and a person checks it every day, because if hair is dyed, it does not last three or four days without it becoming apparent, appearing from the bottom of the hair, so it needs to be dyed a second time. Then, is the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) statement, "Change this white hair" , that they dye it, intended to mean opposition? Or is it intended to mean not being confused with them at that time, meaning that if Jews are found who do not dye, we tell the Muslims to dye? Or is it an independent recommended practice? This is also a matter of consideration. If we say it is an independent recommended practice, we do it whether we have Jews or not, whether they dye or not.