“I saw hair of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in the possession of Anas ibn Mālik, and it was dyed” (1).
Others said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used perfume so frequently that his hair had acquired a reddish hue. It was therefore thought to be dyed, although it had not been dyed.
Abū Rimthah said: I came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with a son of mine. He asked: “Your son (2)?” I replied: Yes, I bear witness to that. He said: “Your offenses are not held against him, nor are his held against you.” Abū Rimthah added: I saw that his gray hair was reddish.
Al-Tirmidhī (3) said: This is the best and most illuminating report narrated on this subject, for the authentic reports state that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had not become gray-haired.
Hammād ibn Salamah (4) narrated from Simāk ibn Harb that Jābir ibn Samurah was asked: Did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, have any gray hair on his head? He replied: There was no gray hair on his head except for a few hairs along the parting. Whenever he applied oil, it concealed them.
(1) Transmitted by al-Tirmidhī in al-Shamā’il (48). Its chain includes ʿAmr ibn ʿĀsim, who is weak. Al-Hākim (2:607) also transmitted through ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muhammad ibn ʿAqīl, who said: Anas ibn Mālik came to Medina while ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz was its governor. ʿUmar sent a messenger to him, saying: “Ask him whether the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, dyed his hair, for I have seen some of his hair that was colored.” Anas replied: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was blessed with hair that remained black. Had I counted the gray hairs I could see on his head and in his beard, I would not have counted more than eleven. This coloration comes only from the perfume applied to the hair of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.” Its chain is sound (hasan), and al-Hākim graded it authentic.
(2) Some who collated manuscript ʿ against another copy of the work added hādhā (“this”) after ibnuka (“your son”), as in al-Shamā’il.
(3) In al-Shamā’il (45). Also transmitted by ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ahmad in Zawā’id al-Musnad (7111, 7113), and selected by Ibn al-Jārūd for his collection (770). The wording in Abū Dāwūd (4206, 4208) and al-Nasā’ī’s al-Kubrā (9303) is: “He had smeared his beard with henna.” See also al-Musnad (7104, 7114, 7115, 7116). The hadith is authentic.
(4) Transmitted by al-Tirmidhī in al-Shamā’il (44). Muslim (2344) transmitted a similar wording.