Is It Haram to Dye Your Hair?
Short answer: Dyeing hair is not just permitted — changing grey hair is encouraged in authentic hadith. The single caution in the texts is about pure black. Fashion colors are broadly permitted with common-sense conditions.
The encouragement
When Abu Bakr’s father was brought with hair white as the thughama plant, the Prophet ﷺ said: "Change this — but avoid black" (Sahih Muslim 2102). Henna and similar dyes were the sunnah-era standard (the Prophet ﷺ recommended henna and katam — Abu Dawud 4205).
The black-dye question
Because of the explicit "avoid black", the majority of scholars discourage or prohibit dyeing in pure black, especially to conceal age in a misleading context (e.g., marriage negotiations). Some scholars permit very dark brown and blends — the caution targets jet black specifically.
Fashion colors
Contemporary scholars generally permit non-black colors for men and women, with conditions of common sense: no harmful substances, no imitation intended to deceive, and for women, observing hijab rules around who sees it. The base ruling of dye is permission.
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Can Muslims dye their hair black?
Pure black is the one color the texts caution against ("change this, but avoid black" — Sahih Muslim 2102); the majority discourage it, while some permit near-black shades. All other colors are broadly permitted.
Is dyeing hair with henna sunnah?
Yes — henna (and katam) are explicitly recommended in the hadith for changing grey (Abu Dawud 4205).