Question Did Phrophet Muhammed (saw) apply surma (kohl) to his eyes? And are there any ahadeeth that narrate this? In the USA kohl is banned as it causes lead poisoning (as they say) can this be true? because I would like to apply it as well, as i suffer from poor vision.

Question

Did Phrophet Muhammed (saw) apply surma (kohl) to his eyes? And are there any ahadeeth that narrate this? In the USA kohl is banned as it causes lead poisoning (as they say) can this be true? because I would like to apply it as well, as i suffer from poor vision.

Praise be to Allah.
    In a number of hadeeths it is narrated that the Prophet  
    (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used kohl and commanded others 
    to do so. For example it is narrated in the Musannaf of Ibn Abi 
    Shaybah, from the hadeeth of Anas, that the Prophet  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to apply kohl to his right eye three 
    times, and to his left eye twice. This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by 
    al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah no. 633. And it was proven in
    Sunan al-Nasaa’i (5113) and Sunan Abi Dawood (3837) and 
    elsewhere, from the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) 
    that the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon 
    him) said: “The best of your kohl is ithmid (antimony), for it makes 
    the vision clear and makes the hair  grow.” 
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah 
    have mercy on him) said: Kohl protects the health of the eyes and gives 
    strength and clarity of vision, and cleanses they eye of bad substances. In 
    addition to that some types of kohl also serve as an adornment and if it is 
    applied before going to bed this is even better. And ithmid is more 
    efficacious than other types of kohl. 

    Zaad al-Ma’aad, 4/281. 

    It says in al-Mughni: It is mustahabb to use kohl an 
    odd number of times. (al-Mughni, 1/106). 

    It says in al-Majmoo’: With regard to using kohl an 
    odd number of times, there is a difference of scholarly opinion. It was said 
    that it should be applied an odd number of times to one eye and an even 
    number of times to the other, so that the total number will be odd. The 
    correct view of the scholars who examined this issue is that it should be 
    applied an odd number of times to each eye. Based on this, the Sunnah is to 
    apply it three times to each eye. (al-Majmoo’, 1/334). 
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthyameen 
    (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Some eye doctors say that kohl is 
    harmful to the eyes and they advise not using it. What do you say to them? 

    He replied: Ithmid (antimony) is known to be very good for 
    the eyes. I do not know anything about other types of kohl. Trustworthy 
    doctors are the ones whom we should consult on this matter. 
And it was said of Zarqa’ 
    al-Yamaamah, who could see as far as three days, that when she was killed, 
    they saw that all the veins of her eyes bore traces of this ithmid. 

    (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, vol. 17; Chapter on medical 
    treatment and visiting the sick). 

    From the above it is known that kohl is good and is not 
    harmful to the eyes, rather it is beneficial. But there may be some kinds of 
    modern, manufactured kohl that contain some chemical ingredients which may 
    cause physical damage and remove some of the benefits of kohl. Hence people 
    nowadays should look for pure kohl and not regard every kind of kohl 
    available nowadays as beneficial. And Allaah knows best.