Influencer and entrepreneur Hafiz Mahamad recently returned to the spotlight after a brief hiatus from social media. However, just days after his comeback, the controversial figure was the target of criticism for his social media content.
The influencer was in Mecca with his wife and the staff of his company, Ainaa Beauty, to perform their pilgrimage (Umrah). As part of the pilgrimage, Muslims would perform the Tawaf or the circling of the Kaaba seven times. For many Muslims, it is a dream to kiss the Black Stone (Hajar Aswad), a holy relic set in the corner of the Kaaba. However, kissing the Black Stone is not mandatory during the Tawaf and should only be done if possible.
In a video originated from Hafiz’s TikTok account, the entrepreneur shared that his wife and female staff wished to kiss the Black Stone. To fulfil their wish, Hafiz and the other male staff members decided to push through the crowds. While he did not directly get into an altercation, Hafiz did struggle to give the women each a chance to kiss the Black Stone. At one point, his ihram clothing was pulled off his body, revealing his torso. At the end of it, Hafiz said he managed to fulfil his wife and staff’s wishes, leaving them in tears of happiness.
After sharing the video, Hafiz received praise from his followers for being a dutiful husband. Many felt touched by his efforts to allow his wife and female staff to perform a highly desired part of the pilgrimage. However, the video also brought in tons of criticism for the influencer. As the pilgrimage was for Muslims to show solidarity with the Muslim people and their submission to their God, many believed Hafiz’s actions went against this because he had to grapple with others at the Kaaba to approach the Black Stone. Others also slammed him for using a religious ritual for social media content.
Local Islamic scholar Dr. Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri also spoke about the issue, condemning the act of creating content during the pilgrimage. In his post, the scholar wrote, “Pilgrimage (Umrah) is an act of worship, not a spiritual holiday.”. He explained that kissing the stone is part of the pilgrimage but is not mandatory. In addition, if it requires you to fight or injure someone or yourself, the ritual is then considered forbidden (haram). While Dr. Zulkifli did not mention any names in his post, many knew he was referencing Hafiz when speaking about individuals using a religious ritual for content.
Hafiz has yet to respond to the criticism – but this is not the first time netizens criticised the entrepreneur for making content from a vulnerable moment because he once documented his friend’s funeral. What do you think about Hafiz’s video?
Watch the full video here:
Alhamdulillah hafiz mahamad dapat cium batu hajar aswad walaupun strugle sampai terbuka kain ihram . pic.twitter.com/a6GMenvX5o
— ISU SEMASA VIRAL (@isusemasaviral) March 3, 2024
