Tasweed (making black or making a sayyid: honouring with the title sayyid, and dyeing or dressing in black)

In the jurists' usage tasweed has two senses: honouring someone with the title sayyid (lord, chief), and dyeing with black, the opposite of white. ^{1 2}

Calling the Prophet sayyid in prayer: some later jurists add the word "sayyidina" to the Ibrahimic prayer as a courtesy, while others keep to the transmitted wording, which they consider the safer course. ³

Calling the Prophet sayyid outside prayer: all agree that sovereignty belongs to him, but the reports differ on whether the title may be used of him, because he is reported to have said that he should not be called sayyid as chiefs are called. Scholars read this as humility, or as a usage of the pre-Islamic greeting, or as a warning against excessive praise, while other reports use the word of him. ^{3 8 9}

Calling others sayyid: most jurists allow it, citing Qur'anic usages of the word for Yahya and for the husband of the woman in the story of Yusuf, and reports applied to companions. Others hold that the word is used of God alone unless it is joined to another term; some allow it for the owner of a slave, citing a report that tells the slave to call his owner sayyid. Some scholars disliked addressing anyone as sayyid, especially someone who is not pious. ^{9 4}

Who deserves the title: sayyid comes from sawda, meaning glory and nobility. It is used of the one who leads a group, who must be of refined character, and of anyone who has many good qualities. ⁴

Calling a hypocrite sayyid: the title is not given to a hypocrite, whose inner state does not match his outward one, and a report forbids it. ^{4 5}

Dyeing with black

The Hanafis, Malikis and Hanbalis dislike a man dyeing with black in general, except in jihad. Within this the Hanafis and Malikis distinguish: dyeing to frighten the enemy in war is praised by agreement; dyeing to adorn oneself before women is disliked in the view of most Hanafi shaykhs; for the Malikis it is forbidden if it is a deception, such as a man who wants to marry a woman and dyes his white beard black. ^{5 7}

The Shafi'is hold dyeing with black forbidden in general; al-Nawawi says the sound view is prohibition, except in jihad. They cite the report of Abu Quhafa, whose white hair was ordered changed and black avoided, on the day of the conquest of Mecca. ⁷

For women, the Shafi'is forbid black dye to an unmarried woman and allow it to a wife with her husband's permission, since he has a stake in her adornment. Ishaq ibn Rahawayh is reported to allow a woman to adorn herself with it for her husband. ⁷

The detail is set out under the entry on dyeing (ikhtidab). ⁷

Wearing black in mourning

The jurists agree that a widow may wear black clothes, though she is not obliged to. One Hanafi view limits the wearing of black dye made for mourning to three days; the school's jurists read that as applying to dye made in grief, while clothes dyed black before the death may be worn for the whole period. The Hanafis forbid black mourning for anyone other than a husband. ^{7 10}

The Malikis allow a widow in mourning to wear black unless she is very fair or black is the adornment of her people. The Shafi'is forbid it where black is the custom of her people for adornment; al-Mawardi mentions a view that makes black obligatory in mourning. ¹⁰

Blackening in condolence

The jurists agree that blackening the face in grief for the dead is forbidden, since it shows distress and a lack of acceptance of God's decree. Black clothes in condolence are disliked for men and allowed for women; dyeing clothes black or dusky out of grief is not permitted. ¹⁰

Dress and turban

The Hanafis recommend black clothing, citing a report recorded by al-Shaybani in his work on the law of war, and Abu Hanifa is reported to see no harm in dyeing with black. ¹⁰

The Shafi'is recommend that the Friday preacher look good in his dress, but leaving off black is better unless leaving it causes a harm; Ibn Abd al-Salam called constant wearing of it an innovation. The Prophet is reported to have worn both white and black turbans, but white is the better colour by the general report. ¹⁰

The Hanbalis allow black, even for soldiers, since the Prophet entered Mecca on the day of the conquest wearing a black turban. ⁶

Blackening the face as discipline

The Hanafis and Malikis do not allow smearing the face of a person disciplined with soot. The Shafi'is and Hanbalis allow it, since the ruler judges the kind and degree of the discipline to fit the offence, keeping to a gradual order. ⁶