Has anyone seen this guy that is shown on the news who is, I presume, an important guy in Hamas and has a bright red beard? Is that dyed? (I presume, yes) Is it a status symbole?
I think it means he’s a leprechaun.
He is wearing a green hat.
Viking in the woodpile.
But seriously, the man is Mohammad Abu Tir, of Hamas, second on their parliamentary list that just got elected. And the beard is dyed. The dye is called hannah in Arabic. It’s not for status; it’s more of a custom thing. Some people do it others don’t. The same stuff is used in some not-permanent tattoos.
It’s sunnah (Muslim tradition, to emulate the practice of Muhammad) for a man to dye any grey hairs he has. However, it’s also forbidden to dye them black, unless for the purpose of making soldiers look younger than they are, so it’s not uncommon for men to dye their hair with henna, which colors it bright red. It can make going to mosque an occasionally surreal experience, if you’re standing next to a little wizened dark-skinned Pakistani man with bright neon orange hair.
Ah, so he’s wearing Lucille Ball on his chin…
Is it really Sunnah to die the hair and beard with hennah? I never knew that…
Learning something new every day.
Then again, a little more reading on my part in the link I provided would’ve shown just that.