Katam ~ كــتـــم

[Abu Hind]

 

Dying the hair by Henna & Katam is praised by Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam. Furthermore, he asked to avoid the black color, you can read the complete article at :

 

كتـم / Katam

 

Bukhari narrated that Uthman bin Abdullah bin Maw'hab said. “We came to Umm Salamah Radi Allaho Anha and she took out some hairs of Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam that were dyed with Henna and Katam.” In addition, in the four books of Sunan (Abu Dawood, Al-Tirmizi, An-Nas’ay and Ibn Majah), it is narrated that Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam said:

 

"Henna and Katam are the best of what you use to change (the color of) white hair".

 

In the Sahihain, it is narrated that Anas Radi Allaho Anh said, Abu Bakr Radi Allaho Anh once dyed (his hair) with Henna and Katam. Furthermore, Abu Dawood narrated that Ibn Abass said, ‘A man who tinted (his hair) with Henna passed by Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam who said, "How good this is". Then, another man who tinted (his hair) with both Henna and Katam passed by and Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam said, this is even better. Then another man who tinted his hairs with Sufrah passed by and Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam said, ‘This is the best of all'.

 

وزاد أحمد قال: وجاء أبو بكر بـأبي قحافة إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم فتح مكة يحمله حتى وضعه بين يدي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لـأبي بكر : (لو أقررت الشيخ في بيته لأتيناه)، تكرمة لـأبي بكر ، فأسلم ولحيته ورأسه كالثغامة بياضاً، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: (غيروهما وجنبوه السواد).

 

Imam Ahmad reported that at the time of Fath Makkah (the fall of Quraish Empire), Abu Bakr Radi Allaho Anh brought his father (Abu Quhafah) to Messenger of Allah (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam), carrying him in his hands until he let his father to sit in front of the beloved Prophet, and because he was an old man, Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam said "If you have kept him in the house, it was better that we would have walked down to visit him at the house (as a respect for Abu Quhafah)". Abu Quhafah accepted ISLAM & his beard & head were white like a Thughamah tree (a tree that is full of white flowers), so Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam said "Take him to his women so that they may dye his hair, but avoid the black color (Henna was meant here).

 

Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam disallowed dying the hair black. But if Katam is mixed with Henna, there is no harm in it. Katam and Henna dye the hair between red and black colors, unlike Wasmah (woad), which turns the hair black. This is the most plausible answer to the argument.

 

To explain Sufrah (Yellow dye) فمر آخر قد خضب بالصفرة, we look into another Hadith :

 

وعن نافع عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما: (أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يلبس النعال السبتية ويصفر لحيته بالورس والزعفران، وكان ابن عمر يفعل ذلك) رواه أبو داود و النسائي .

Reported by Naf'e on the authority of Ibn Umar Radi Allaho Anh that he said : "Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alahie Wasallam used to wear Sabatean shoes (of Yemeni origin) & he used to dye his beard YELLOW with Wars (cornel) & Saffron".

 

The main objective here is that black color should be avoided while dying the hair and Allah Knows the best.