What is the ruling on a woman dyeing her hair with a color other than black?

The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Noble Shaykh, is it permissible for a woman to change her hair from black to red, for example, using dye?

The Shaykh : The answer regarding a woman dyeing her black hair with a color other than black is based on an important principle, which is that the original ruling for things is permissibility and lawfulness. This is the default, and a person may wear what he wishes and adorn himself as he wishes, provided there is no prohibition in the Shari'ah. For example, dyeing with black is prohibited by the Shari'ah due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . Colors other than black may be commanded, such as henna and katam, or they may be left unaddressed.
So the colors are three: a category that is commanded, such as henna and katam; a category that is prohibited, which is black; and a category that is left unaddressed. What Allah has left unaddressed, where the original ruling is permissibility, is lawful. Accordingly, we say: this dye that women use is lawful, except if it is a dye used only by disbelieving women, in which case it is not permissible, because it falls under the category of imitating the disbelievers. Imitating the disbelievers is forbidden due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his companions): , and because imitating them is a type of loyalty, and showing loyalty to disbelievers is forbidden. The way imitating them is a type of loyalty is that when they see people imitating them, they are strengthened in their falsehood and say, "People follow us." They become more active in their falsehood and look down upon those who imitate them, because one who imitates another implies by his imitation that he considers himself lower than that other person, and therefore he followed him. Thus, we say: the imitation of some Muslims of the disbelievers today is a type of loyalty and a type of humiliation. They have humiliated themselves by going to be followers of the disbelievers. It is also a type of disbelief due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . If these colors that women adopt are specific to the hair of disbelieving women, it becomes forbidden because of the imitation.