Is it authentic that al-Husayn ibn 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) dyed his hair black?

The questioner : Is it authentic that al-Husayn ibn 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) dyed his hair black?

The Shaykh : The question, as many of you have heard, and perhaps all of you will hear, is: Is it authentic that al-Husayn ibn 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) dyed his hair black? In answer to this, I say that I do not have a clear answer to this question at the moment.
However, I know in general that many of the Salaf (the earliest generations) are reported to have dyed their hair black. It does not concern us to specify the name or identity of the one among them who dyed his hair black, nor does it ever concern us to know whether one of them dyed his hair black or not. This is because the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) is not taken from anyone, no matter who they are, except if they are infallible, and that is none other than Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). We know that it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in more than one hadith the prohibition of dyeing with black. For example, in Sahih Muslim, in the story of the conversion to Islam of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq's (may Allah be pleased with him) father on the day of the Conquest, he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as a Muslim, and his beard was white like the thumamah plant—a white plant like cotton. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Change it with something, but avoid black." This is in Sahih Muslim. And there is a hadith broader than this, covering all times, all places, and every person, for there is a philosophy that you will hear about soon, if Allah wills. That hadith is his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "There will not be in my Ummah (the Muslim community) a group of people who dye with black like the black birds, who do not smell the fragrance of Paradise."
This hadith and that one are explicit in their indication of the prohibition of dyeing with black. Therefore, if it is authentic that one of the Salaf (the earliest generations) dyed his hair, it must necessarily be understood that his dyeing was because he had not heard any of the hadiths we mentioned earlier. This is from the category of having good opinion of the Muslim in general, and of our righteous Salaf (the earliest generations) in particular. And I do not care to know whether it is authentic that al-Hasan or al-Husayn dyed with black or not, because if it is authentic, it is with a cause, and if it is not authentic, that is sweeter and better for us, and that is what we hope for. But not everything a person hopes for is attained. We know in many reports—hundreds, I do not say tens—authentic reports from some of the Salaf (the earliest generations), let alone the Imams, that they did or said something contrary to what is in the Sunnah (the Prophet's way). The answer is this, and you must know that no one among them said or did anything contrary to what is established in the Sunnah (the Prophet's way) without having an excuse. We cannot ever imagine that one of them did what one of us does today, contradicting the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) and not caring. The righteous Salaf (the earliest generations) were never like that. If we hear a report, the first thing is to assume it is not authentic. If it is authentic and contrary to the Sunnah (the Prophet's way), there is no power and no strength except with Allah. The answer is that the Sunnah (the Prophet's way) did not reach this righteous man. This is the answer to this question. And now, perhaps this is enough. Let us rise for prayer. Please, give the adhan (the call to prayer).