Short answer
It is disliked. The Prophet ﷺ said not to pluck grey hairs, because a hair that turns grey in Islam will be a light for the believer on the Day of Resurrection. The Hanafi texts call plucking them for looks makruh. Dyeing grey hair with henna or any colour except black is the recommended alternative. The four schools agree.
Plucking grey hairs from the head or beard to look younger is makruh. Dyeing them with henna, katam or another colour that is not black is mustahabb (recommended).
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ forbade plucking grey hair and said it is the light of the Muslim. In another wording he said: do not pluck grey hairs, for no Muslim grows a grey hair in Islam except that it will be a light for him on the Day of Resurrection. Anas reported that people disliked a man pulling out the white hairs from his head and beard. Grey hair is treated in Islam as a mark of dignity, not something to be ashamed of.
The ruling. The Hanafi books say plucking grey hairs for the sake of appearance is makruh. It is not a major sin, but it goes against a clear instruction, so avoid it. The same applies to snipping out single grey hairs in the beard to hide them. The four schools agree that it is disliked.
What you can do. The Sunnah answer to grey hair is colour, not removal. The Prophet told the Muslims to change grey hair and to be different from those who did not dye, and he praised henna and katam. Brown, chestnut, auburn and henna tones are all fine. Pure black is the one shade to avoid; see is it haram to dye your hair black and dyeing your hair.
Women. The hadith applies to women too, so plucking grey hairs is disliked for them as well. Dyeing greys for her husband is a good thing.
Early greying. If you are going grey young, seeing a doctor or using lawful treatments is fine. That treats a cause rather than pulling out the sign.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Ar-Room 30:54
۞ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن ضَعْفٍۢ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ضَعْفٍۢ قُوَّةًۭ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍۢ ضَعْفًۭا وَشَيْبَةًۭ ۚ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْقَدِيرُ ﴿٥٤﴾
Allah is the one who created you from weakness, then made after weakness strength, then made after strength weakness and white hair. He creates what He wills, and He is the Knowing, the Competent.
Grey hair is part of the stages of life that Allah decrees.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2821
Grading to be checked... نهى عن نتف الشيب وقال إنه نور المسلم ...
"He forbade plucking grey hair and said: it is the light of the Muslim."
A direct prohibition with its reason.
Sunan Abi Dawud 4202
Grading to be checked... لا تنتفوا الشيب ما من مسلم يشيب شيبة في الإسلام ...
"Do not pluck grey hairs. No Muslim grows a grey hair in Islam except that it will be a light for him."
Grey hair carries reward, so it is not to be removed.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Karahiyya, chapter on circumcision, hair and nails. Plucking grey hair for adornment is makruh.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on the siwak and the practices of the fitrah. Nawawi records that plucking grey hair is disliked.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.