hennaed beards, definitely!
Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on October 27, 1999 at 02:24:17:
In Reply to: Re: Henna as a textile dye in 450 BCE?...what about Marco Polo? posted by Kenzi on October 26, 1999 at 23:32:29:
Any man who has made his pilgrimage to Mecca is permitted to dye his
beard red with henna. Mohammed said so! In the PBS series on
Alexander the Great, there is a quick shot of some Afghani (?) older
gentlemen who have half grown out white hennaed beards. (I know some
very fashionable fellows who've paid a great deal for the white/red
style....) White or blonde hair was traditionally regarded as very
ugly, ever since records were kept on such things, and hennaeing aging
hair has always been the antidote. Black hair is greatly preferred,
and regarded as most beautiful. Anyhow...yes, it is appropriate and
admirable for a traditional Muslim man to henna his beard if it has
gone grey and he is pious, and elderly Muslim women in the rural
middle east often prefer the orangey-red henna to their white hair.