from behind a curtain, holding a written document, to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Prophet withdrew his hand and said, “I do not know whether this is the hand of a man or a woman.” She replied, “It is a woman’s hand.” He said, “Had you been a woman, you would have colored your fingernails”—meaning with henna. [Recorded by Abu Dawud and al-Nasa’i.] Yet she must not apply to her nails any dye that hardens on the surface and prevents water from reaching them during purification. (1)

2 – With regard to a woman’s dyeing the hair of her head: if it has turned grey, she may color it with anything except black, because of the Prophet’s ﷺ general prohibition on using black dye.

Imam al-Nawawi stated in Riyad al-Salihin, p. 626, under the chapter “The prohibition for men and women to dye their hair black,” and in al-Majmuʿ (1/324): “There is no difference between men and women concerning the prohibition of dyeing with black; this is our position.” End quote.

As for a woman’s dyeing her naturally black hair so that it becomes another color, I hold that this is impermissible, for there is no need for it: black hair is itself a form of beauty, not a defect requiring change, and doing so constitutes imitation of non-believers.

3 – It is permissible for a woman to adorn herself with the customary amounts of gold and silver, and this is a matter of scholarly consensus; however, she is not allowed to display her jewelry