WHY ARE WE NOT ALLOWED TO DYE OUR HAIR BLACK

We are not allowed to dye our hair black for many reasons. The First Major Reason: is that there is a very severe punishment mentioned in the Hadith Shareef for those who apply black dye. Therefore it is in Abu Dawood Shareef:

Translation: Hazrat Ibn Ab’bas Radi Allahu Anh has narrated that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمsaid that at the end of time, there will be people who will apply black dye like the chests of pigeons; they will not even be able to smell the fragrance of paradise in the hereafter. (Sunan Abi Dawood Shareef, Chapter of black dye, Volume 3 page number 223/Zia-ul-Quran Publications Lahore) Abu Muhammad Mahmood bin Ahmad Badrud’deen Al Aini Alaihir Rahma says in Umdatul Qaari which is the explanation of Sahihul Bukhari:

Translation: The opinion of the majority of the scholars is that apart from black dye, red and yellow dyes should be applied because there are many narrations regarding the punishment (warnings) of black dye. (Umdatul Qaari, Chapter of dye, Volume 22, page number 51)

The Second Reason: for the prohibition of the use of black dye is deception, as it involves deceiving people by pretending to be young despite being old, and deception is strictly condemned and forbidden in Islam. Husain bin Mahmood bin Hasan Muzhiri says in Al Mafaateeh which is the explanation of Masaabeeh:

Translation: Changing the whiteness i.e. changing white hair with black dye is Makrooh because it is to hide the whiteness, and to show the people that he is still young. (Al Mafaateeh Sharh Al Masaabeeh, Chapter of clothing, Volume 5 page number 31) It should be noted that when the Jurists say the word Makrooh without restriction, it means Makrooh e Tahreemi and Makrooh e Tahreemi is the same as Haraam in a ruling. (Waqaarul Fataawa Volume 2 page number 174) The Third Reason: for the prohibition of black dye is Muthlah i.e. in the ruling of disfiguring the face, as it is stated in Fataawa Razviyyah Shareef that the use of black dye to blacken the hair is written as Muthlah, which is Haraam. Therefore Imam e Ahle Sunnat Sayyidi Ala Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Radi Allahu Anh writes: It is narrated in Tabarani, Mu’jam e Kabeer with the correct chain of narration on the authority of Hazrat Abdullah bin Ab’bas Radi Allahu Anhuma that the

Translation: Whosoever does Muthlah with his hair has no share with Allah Almighty. (And Allah forbid)

This Hadith is specifically related to the issues related to the hair. The Muthlah of the hair is that which was mentioned by the Imams; that is the shaving of a woman’s head or a man’s beard or both a woman and a man’s eyebrows (as the pagans of India do this while mourning) or to apply black dye, just as it has been mentioned in Munaawi, Azizi and Hafni which are the explanations of Jaami’us Sagheer, that all the above-mentioned forms are included in Muthlah of the hair (disfiguring the hair) and all are forbidden. (Fataawa Razviyyah Shareef Volume 22 page number 664 / Raza Foundation Lahore)

Summary: In the light of the Quraan and Hadith and according to the sayings of the Respected Companions of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمand eminent scholars, black dye is impermissible and forbidden for anyone except the Mujahideen (the true Muslim soldiers). Furthermore, deception and Muthlah is found in it, which is forbidden so it is necessary to avoid it nonetheless.