Chapter on Mentioning the Gray Hair of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and What is Reported About Dyeing His Hair

Narrated by Anas bin Malik, he said: "I heard that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away, and he did not have more than twenty white hairs in his head and beard." Rabiah bin Abu Abdur-Rahman said: "I saw a strand of the Prophet's hair, and it was red. I asked, and it was said: due to perfume."

Reported by Al-Bukhari in Sahih from Ibn Bukayr from Al-Laith. It was also narrated from Al-Zuhri from Anas.

Narrated by Muhammad bin Sirin, he said: "The title dropped from a copy (H). It is a part of the previously mentioned hadith, which has been referenced in footnote number (520)."

Translation of Hadith: Anas ibn Malik on Prophet Muhammad's Hair Dye

I asked Anas ibn Malik: Did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, dye his hair? He replied: "He did not see much gray hair, except for a few."

Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz informed us that Abdullah al-Shaiban narrated to us, who said: Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Hilali narrated to us, who said: Mu'alla ibn Asad mentioned it in the same manner. Narrated by Bukhari in Sahih from Mu'alla ibn Asad. Also narrated by Muslim from Haggag al-Sha'ir, from Mu'alla ibn Asad.

Abu al-Husayn al-Fadl ibn al-Qattaan informed us that Abdullah ibn Ja'far narrated to us, who said: Ya'qoub ibn Sufyan narrated from Sulaiman ibn Harb, who said: Hammad ibn Zaid narrated to us from Thabit, who said: I asked Anas ibn Malik: "Did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, dye his hair?" He replied: "He did not see enough gray to dye. If I were to count the white hairs in his beard, they would be less. Abu Bakr dyed his hair with henna."

Narrated by Bukhari in: Kitab al-Libas, chapter on gray hair; Fath al-Bari, pg. 10:351 from Mu'alla ibn Asad, from Wuhayb, from Ayyub, from Muhammad ibn Sirin. I asked Anas, and Muslim also narrated it in Kitab al-Fada'il, chapter of the beauty of the Prophet's hair, hadith 101 and 102, pg. 4:1821, both narrated by Muhammad ibn Sirin from Anas. Ibn Majah also narrated it differently from Humaid from Anas: "Did the Messenger of Allah dye his hair?" He replied: "He only had around seventeen or twenty gray hairs in the front of his beard." Sunan Ibn Majah, hadith 3629, pg. 1198.

Translation of a Hadith on Hair Dyeing

Reported by Bukhari in Sahih from Sulaiman ibn Harb. Abu Al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Muqri, narrated to us that Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq told us, who informed us that Yusuf ibn Ya'qoub relayed to us, from Abu Al-Rabi', from Hammad ibn Zaid, who narrated from Thabit, saying: Anas was asked about the dyeing of the Prophet's hair, peace and blessings be upon him. He said, "If I wished, I could count gray hairs on his head. However, he did not dye his hair. Abu Bakr used to dye his hair with henna and katam, while Umar dyed his hair intensely with henna."

Muslim narrated in Sahih from Abu Al-Rabi'. Muhammad ibn Abi Al-Husayn ibn Al-Fadl told us, who reported from Abdullah ibn Ja'far, who narrated from Ya'qoub ibn Sufyan, relayed by Al-Hajjaj. Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz informed us, reporting from Ali ibn Hamshad Al-Adl, who narrated from Abu Muslim that Al-Hajjaj ibn Minhal spoke to them, relayed by Hammad ibn Salamah, Thabit narrated.

[586] Bukhari reported in: Book of Dress, Chapter on What is Mentioned about Graying. Fath Al-Bari (10:351-352).

[587] (Katam) is a type of dye similar to pepper used to dye hair, breaking the whiteness or redness to black. When mixed with henna, it strengthens the hair.

[588] Muslim narrated in: Book of Virtues, Chapter on the Prophet'sgray hair, Hadith 103, and Bukhari in: Book of Dress, Chapter on What is Mentioned about Graying, Fath Al-Bari (10:351-352). Also in Abu Dawood in the chapter on Hair Dyeing (4209), (4:86).

[589] In place of (بن مِنهال), it is "Al-Hajjaj".

Was Prophet Muhammad Young?

It was asked to Anas: Was the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, a young man? He said: God Almighty did not matter about the gray hair. There were only about seventeen or eighteen hairs on his head. This is the narration of Ya'qub. In another narration by Abu Muslim, it was asked Anas: What was the gray hair of the Prophet, peace be upon him? Then he mentioned it.

It was narrated that Anas said: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not dye his hair, he only used henna on the forelocks and beard, it was narrated by Muslim. Anas further described that it was light near the temples, and light near the two sides of the forehead. This was reported by Ibn Musa, Yusuf ibn Ya'qub al-Qadi, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, Abdul-Samad ibn Abdul-Warith, and Al-Muthanna ibn Sa'id, from Qatadah.

Further narrations by Abu Muhammad, Abdullah ibn Yusuf al-Asbahani; Abu Bakr, Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Qattan; Ibrahim ibn al-Harith are reported in Musnad Ahmad. The original text is in Arabic and the Hadith is from Anas.

Hadith about the Prophet Muhammad's Appearance

Al-Baghdadi reported that Yahya ibn Abi Bukayr narrated to us that Zuhayr informed him. Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz reported to us that Abu Al-Abbas, Muhammad ibn Ya'qub, narrated to us that Ismail ibn Ishaq Al-Qadi told us that Ahmad ibn Yunus narrated to us from Zuhayr. Abu Abdullah also reported to us that Abu Bakr ibn Ishaq told us that Ismail ibn Qutaybah informed us that Yahya ibn Yahya narrated to us that Abu Khaythamah relayed from Abu Ishaq, from Abu Juhayfah, saying: "I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, his hair was white, and Zuhayr placed some of his fingers on his forehead. It was said to him: 'Who do you resemble today?' He said: 'I have inherited nobility and I comb it.'

In a separate narration by Al-Asfahani, it is mentioned that he placed his hand on his forehead. This hadith was narrated by Muslim in Sahih from Yahya ibn Yahya and Ahmad ibn Yunus. Imam Bukhari included it in his collection from the hadith of Isra'il, from Abu Ishaq.

Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz and Abu Sa'id ibn Abi Amr told us that Abu Al-Abbas, Muhammad ibn Ya'qub reported to us that Abu Zur'ah, Abdur-Rahman ibn Amr Al-Dimashqi, in Damascus, informed us that Ali ibn Ayyash narrated to us that Hariz ibn Uthman mentioned: the place of her whiteness [in the chain of narrators].

Meeting with Abdallah Ibn Busr Al-Sulami

I asked Abdallah Ibn Busr Al-Sulami, "Did you see the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was he an old man?" He replied, "There were white hairs in his beard." This was narrated by Al-Bukhari in Sahih.

The Messenger's Self-Care

Jaabir Ibn Samurah mentioned, "When the Prophet would apply oil, it wasn't visible, but when he refrained from doing so, it was noticeable." This was narrated by Muslim in Sahih.

Physical Appearance of the Prophet

It was reported that there were only a few white hairs in the Prophet's head and beard. This is a unique detail in Al-Bukhari's narration. It is also mentioned in Muslim and other collections.

The Appearance of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

It was narrated by Musnad Ahmad and Sahih Muslim that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to shave the front of his head and trim his beard. When he applied oil and combed his hair, there would be no tangles. Abu Nu'aim added that when he anointed his head and combed his hair, there would be no discernible traces. Abu Nu'aim further stated that he had abundant hair on his head and beard. All those who narrated this hadith agreed that when his head was disheveled, it would be noticeable.

A man asked, "Was his face sharp like a sword?" Jabir responded, "No, rather it was radiant like the sun and moon combined. I saw his seal between his shoulders resembled a dove's egg in size and blended with his body."

This hadith was narrated by Muslim from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah, from 'Ubaydullah ibn Musa.

Reference:

This narration is found in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad (5:90, 92, 95, 100, 104) and in Sahih Muslim in the Book of Virtues, under the chapter "The Description of the Prophet (pbuh)" (Hadith 109, p. 1823).

The Prophet's Hair Dyed with Henna and Katam

During our visit to Umm Salamah, the Prophet's wife, she brought out a lock of the Prophet's hair that was dyed with henna and katam, giving it a reddish color. This practice was used to dye the Prophet's hair. The authenticity of this narration is confirmed through various chains of narrators.

First Narration

Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Abdan reported from Ahmad ibn Ubayd al-Saffar who narrated from Tamtam Muhammad ibn Ghalib, who narrated from Musa, who narrated from Salam ibn Abi Muti', who narrated from Uthman ibn Abdullah ibn Mawhab, that Umm Salamah showed them hair of the Prophet dyed with henna and katam.

Second Narration

Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Hafiz reported from Abu al-Abbas Muhammad ibn Ya'qub, who narrated from Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Saghan, who narrated from Yahya ibn Abi Bukayr, who narrated from Israel, who narrated from Uthman ibn Abdullah ibn Mawhab, that Umm Salamah had a container of silver filled with hair of the Prophet. When someone was sick, she would take it out, mix it with water, and pour it on the person's face.

Translation of a Hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari:

Authenticated by al-Bukhari in Sahih: Narrated by Malik ibn Isma'il from Isra'il.

Transmitted by Abu 'Abdullah al-Hafiz: Informed by Abu al-'Abbas al-Sayyari, who relayed from Muhammad ibn Musa ibn Hatim, who in turn was informed by 'Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Shaqiq, who reported from Abu Hamzah, 'Abd al-Malik ibn 'Umayr, who heard from Iyad ibn Laqit, who narrated from Abu Rimthah, saying:

"I came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and he was wearing two green garments. His hair was long and had turned white, and his beard was red dyed with henna. Then Abu al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl al-Qattan said: I was informed by 'Abdullah ibn Ja'far, who narrated from Ya'qub ibn Sufyan, who heard from Abu Nu'aim, who said: I was informed by 'Abdullah ibn Iyad, who narrated to me from Iyad ibn Abu Rimthah.

'I went with my father towards the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. When I saw him, he asked me: "Do you know who this is?" I said: "No." He replied: "Verily, this is the Messenger of Allah." I shivered when he said that, as I used to believe that the Messenger of Allah was not like other people. But he was a man with abundant hair dyed with henna, and he was wearing two green garments.'

Commentaries:

• 1. In Sahih: "al-Yasar" instead of al-Sayyari.
• 2. The hadith is further detailed in the following narration.
• 3. This hadith is also reported by Abu Dawood in the Book of Clothing, Hadith no. (4065), and by al-Tirmidhi in the Book of Seeking Permission, narrated by Bandar from Ibn Mahdi, who reported from 'Ubaydullah ibn Iyad from Iyad ibn Laqit from Abu Rimthah.
• 4. The hadith is also reported by al-Nasa'i in the Book of Prayers, narrated by Bandar from Muhammad ibn Bashshar concerning the story of his two garments, adding 'he used to wear them for sermons' and in the Book of Adornments with this chain detailing his dyeing with henna.

Hadith on the Grey Hair of the Prophet ﷺ

First Narration:

It was narrated that Anas ibn Malik entered Al-Madinah along with 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-Aziz, and 'Ali was with them. 'Umar then sent a message to him, inquiring: "Ask him if the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used dye. For I have seen a strand of his hair that was dyed." Anas replied: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was inclined towards having grey hair. If I were to count the white hairs in his head and beard, I would not exceed eleven strands. The only hair that was dyed with scent was a hair that was changed in color."

Second Narration:

There is a difference in narrations regarding the number of grey hairs in the head and beard of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Scholars have reconciled these narrations to suggest that the white hairs did not exceed twenty, where the first narration indicates they were less than twenty. The second narration clarifies that they were seventeen, with ten in the head and the rest in the beard, as the beard encompasses both the cheeks and the chin.