Do we not say that the narrator mentioned henna and katam, and that he used each of them separately on the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Well, what do we say if the narrator mentioned henna and katam, and he meant that he dyed with each of them separately?
The Shaykh : No, how is it? The Messenger used to dye with henna and katam!
The questioner : In that case, did he sometimes dye with henna?
The Shaykh : We return to the same previous issue. If we say this, is it not the case that in some of his times he differed from his prohibition of black?
The questioner : It does not differ from black.
The Shaykh : You are saying: Is it not possible to interpret the hadith that he sometimes dyed with black to mean that he sometimes dyed with katam... So let us now put black in place of katam!
The questioner : Why does katam not result in black!
The Shaykh : Well, does henna result in black?
The questioner : Or does henna?
The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah... We are searching... If two mixtures, neither of which is black, how can they produce black?
The questioner : Katam means that if it is alone, it results in blueness!
The Shaykh : Good, and if you mix it with henna?
The questioner : And if you mix it with henna, it results in black.
The Shaykh : Which one influenced the other to make it lean toward black: katam or henna!
The questioner : I do not know.
The Shaykh : This is unreasonable talk. It means one of the two things, my brother, which is... predominantly black. Do you mix it with one that is not predominantly black? You mix it with one that is not predominantly black. So, the one that is not predominantly black takes the nature of what from the one that is predominantly black? Is katam or henna closer to black?
The questioner : Apparently, katam, of course.
The Shaykh : It is so, but if you have in your mind that the one closer to black is not black, the problem is over. So why do you tire yourself in reconciling the one who dyed with pure katam with the hadiths prohibiting black, as long as there is no contradiction!
The questioner : There is no contradiction. The contradiction is in the mixture, meaning mixing henna with katam. This one says yes, he says Ibn al-Athir said. Read to you, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : He says Ibn al-Athir said in the interpretation of the hadith... It means using katam separately from henna, for if henna is mixed with katam, it comes out black, and the prohibition of black is authentic. And he said perhaps the hadith... But the narrators... about henna and katam... For mixing may lead to black, but if each one is alone, it does not lead to black!
The Shaykh : It returns to the previous search: what is the ratio of the mixture? And if katam itself is not black, there is no problem... But there remains an issue related to the science of chemistry: if we mix two things, neither of which is black, is it possible that blackness occurs between them? Knowledge of this science... By experience, it is not possible for two mixtures that do not contain black to become deep black. So if katam does not dye black by its nature, it is permissible to use it, and likewise henna is permissible to use, and likewise henna is permissible to use alone. But if there is something we do not know, as Ibn al-Athir says, that mixing henna with katam produces black that does not exist in the original, neither in katam nor in henna, then at that time we say we look at the ratio of the blackness as we explained earlier.
The questioner : But we attribute the hadith that came to being separate.
The Shaykh : No, there is no obstacle as long as katam does not dye black, there is no obstacle!
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : No, how is it? The Messenger used to dye with henna and katam!
The questioner : In that case, did he sometimes dye with henna?
The Shaykh : We return to the same previous issue. If we say this, is it not the case that in some of his times he differed from his prohibition of black?
The questioner : It does not differ from black.
The Shaykh : You are saying: Is it not possible to interpret the hadith that he sometimes dyed with black to mean that he sometimes dyed with katam... So let us now put black in place of katam!
The questioner : Why does katam not result in black!
The Shaykh : Well, does henna result in black?
The questioner : Or does henna?
The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah... We are searching... If two mixtures, neither of which is black, how can they produce black?
The questioner : Katam means that if it is alone, it results in blueness!
The Shaykh : Good, and if you mix it with henna?
The questioner : And if you mix it with henna, it results in black.
The Shaykh : Which one influenced the other to make it lean toward black: katam or henna!
The questioner : I do not know.
The Shaykh : This is unreasonable talk. It means one of the two things, my brother, which is... predominantly black. Do you mix it with one that is not predominantly black? You mix it with one that is not predominantly black. So, the one that is not predominantly black takes the nature of what from the one that is predominantly black? Is katam or henna closer to black?
The questioner : Apparently, katam, of course.
The Shaykh : It is so, but if you have in your mind that the one closer to black is not black, the problem is over. So why do you tire yourself in reconciling the one who dyed with pure katam with the hadiths prohibiting black, as long as there is no contradiction!
The questioner : There is no contradiction. The contradiction is in the mixture, meaning mixing henna with katam. This one says yes, he says Ibn al-Athir said. Read to you, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : He says Ibn al-Athir said in the interpretation of the hadith... It means using katam separately from henna, for if henna is mixed with katam, it comes out black, and the prohibition of black is authentic. And he said perhaps the hadith... But the narrators... about henna and katam... For mixing may lead to black, but if each one is alone, it does not lead to black!
The Shaykh : It returns to the previous search: what is the ratio of the mixture? And if katam itself is not black, there is no problem... But there remains an issue related to the science of chemistry: if we mix two things, neither of which is black, is it possible that blackness occurs between them? Knowledge of this science... By experience, it is not possible for two mixtures that do not contain black to become deep black. So if katam does not dye black by its nature, it is permissible to use it, and likewise henna is permissible to use, and likewise henna is permissible to use alone. But if there is something we do not know, as Ibn al-Athir says, that mixing henna with katam produces black that does not exist in the original, neither in katam nor in henna, then at that time we say we look at the ratio of the blackness as we explained earlier.
The questioner : But we attribute the hadith that came to being separate.
The Shaykh : No, there is no obstacle as long as katam does not dye black, there is no obstacle!
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.