it appears that al-Zuhrī knew of no hadith prohibiting it at all. He therefore followed his own preference in the matter: he would dye his hair while his face was still youthful and cease doing so afterward. Yet Ma’mar—one of al-Zuhrī’s students—said, “Al-Zuhrī used to dye his hair black,” stating this without qualification, restriction, or distinction. Imam Ahmad narrated this from him (2/309) with an authentic chain. I therefore do not know whether Ibn Abī Āsim’s chain to al-Zuhrī for the former report is authentic or not.

In any event, no one’s deed or statement after the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, constitutes proof. The preceding hadith is proof against al-Zuhrī and others who adopted the aforementioned distinction, for the words “but avoid black” do not naturally suggest such a distinction. This is especially so because there are two other hadiths that indicate general applicability even more clearly. The first is the report of Ibn Abbās, may Allah be pleased with him, who said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“There will be people at the end of time who dye their hair black like the crops of pigeons. They will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.”

It was narrated by Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasā’ī, Ahmad, and al-Diyā’ al-Maqdisī in al-Mukhtāra (folios 234–235), as well as by many others whom there is no room to mention here, through an authentic chain meeting the criteria of al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

The second is the report of Abū al-Dardā’, traced back to the Prophet:

“Whoever dyes his hair black, Allah will blacken his face on the Day of Resurrection.”

It was narrated by al-Tabarānī in al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr; through him, by al-Hāfiz Abd al-Ghanī al-Maqdisī in al-Sunan (folio 2/182); and by Ibn Adī in al-Kāmil (folio 2/149), with a somewhat weak chain, as al-Hāfiz stated (10/300). He cited al-Tabarānī and Ibn Abī Āsim as its sources, and Ibn Abī Hātim said—