A TikTok video has gone viral for the wrong reason - a man with long hair was reprimanded for not wearing a headscarf (better known locally as tudung) at a mosque. The hilarious ordeal was caught on camera and shared on popular social media platform, TikTok where it garnered tens of thousands of views at the time of writing. Local media outlets such as WORLD OF BUZZ, Lobak Merah, Latest Malaysia , and more have picked this hilarious piece of news up.
The 36-second video shows a man being confronted by a woman in a mosque. The woman then started his lecture by saying, “You have to wear this robe. You go down and wear the robe (provided for guests to cover their aurat - refer to the image below). You cannot wear like this - open (refers to aurat or awrah being open)". The man responded with, “I am a man!”. To which the woman at the mosque responded with, “I know. You are a man but you still have to cover it up”. The man responded again with, “I am a man!”. The woman responded again with, “I know but (it) cannot be this way”. The man was visibly confused by the response and this back-and-forth went on for a while until the man responded with, “I am not a woman. My hair does not need to be covered - it is not an aurat”. The video ended after the woman exclaimed, “Aduhai!” and left.
The short video sparked laughter from netizens. Many speculated that the woman at the mosque mistook the man for a woman at first but was too embarrassed to admit her mistake. One netizen had the following comment (originally in Malay but translated to English for this article), “I think this lady is embarrassed but she still wants to continue (the argument).” Others "applauded" the lady's confidence in responding to the man's answer where he stated that he is a man. One netizen commented (originally in Malay translated to English for this article), “She was so confident when she answered, ‘I know’ HAHAHAHA”.
This does raise a question: do men need to cover their hair? According to AboutIslam, there are no (Islamic) scholars who said that the covering of the hair for Muslim men is compulsory. What some scholars have said is that it’s recommended for Muslim men to cover their heads because in some cultures, covering the hair is a sign of dignity. As for a man having long hair, he is allowed to do so; according to Shaykh Amjad Rasheed on Islam QA, there is no legal limit for a man or woman to grow out their hair, but what is important, is that a man be cautious when he grow out his hair that he not intend to imitate women, nor the people of sin and shamelessness. If he intends this, it is haram.
In the amusing exchange captured in this viral TikTok video, we witness a humorous yet thought-provoking encounter at a mosque. While the confusion over attire may have caused chuckles among netizens, it also prompts us to reflect on the importance of understanding religious practices. As we share a laugh over this incident, let's also take away a lesson in tolerance and education, ensuring that our beliefs are based on knowledge rather than assumptions. After all, in a world where even a man's hair can spark debate, a good sense of humor may just be our best accessory.
Update: As of 7/4/2024, the Masjid Negara (the mosque involved in this incident) has issued a public apology to the man involved in the incident. They have stated that the woman who reprimanded the man with long hair was a security guard; the security guards at their mosque are appointed by a third party, which is a security company appointed through government procurement. They have also admonished the female guard to prevent the same incident from happening again in the future.
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