Hennaed Man

Many Muslim men color their hair and beards with henna, and surprisingly enough, they oftentimes use a shockingly bright orange or red color. For some reason, this seems to be very popular among Indian and Pakistani men here in Saudi Arabia. Muslim women also use henna to color their hair, but most often with brown or reddish brown. Using henna to decorate women's hands with intricate designs is a popular wedding tradition in this area also.

I have read that the Prophet Mohammed colored his hair and beard with henna, so many Muslim men do this to emulate him. Also, if an older man wishes to ask for the hand of a younger woman in marriage, Islam forbids him from coloring his hair to make himself appear younger to the woman because that would constitute fraud. It is not uncommon here to see older men with fading henna colored beards and the roots growing back in gray, like the man in this photo.