Malaysia’s Viral Non-Islamic Ritual Arrest Has A Father Nobody Is Talking About

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter , or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

When the videos went viral, Hadie was at the mosque.

He was there the day after, too.

And the day before.

He has been there most days since his family left.

The man at the centre of Malaysia’s most-discussed religious controversy this week is 21-year-old Aliff Daniel Adli, arrested on Tuesday (13 Oct) alongside his 51-year-old mother by the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (JAWI) following warrants issued by the Shah Alam Syariah Lower Court.

Both are being investigated under Sections 4 and 10 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Enactment 1995 — acts of worship contrary to Islamic law, and insulting Islam.

What the press statements did not mention was the father.

The Other Side of the Story

Hadie, who agreed to speak through a mutual acquaintance, described a household that fractured slowly, over years, along a single fault line: his son’s deepening involvement in practices he believed crossed into syirik — the Islamic prohibition against putting anyone or anything else on the same level as God.

“I warned him. I told him, if you associate partners with Allah, you become my enemy. The enemy of Allah and His Messenger is my enemy,” Hadie said, according to the acquaintance who relayed the conversation.

Daniel just said, yes, yes, okay — and carried on.

Hadie said he destroyed his son’s ritual implements multiple times.

Each time, more appeared.

He said his son purchased the items with his own money, earned from offering spiritual services to clients — among them, he said, elderly Chinese men who sought Aliff Daniel out for traditional healing.

His wife, he said, did not share his alarm.

She said it was his source of income. She backed them.

Batu Caves, a Photograph, and an Envelope

Hadie said the breaking point came when he noticed his wife and children leaving the house in unfamiliar ceremonial clothing, bound for Batu Caves.

He said he asked them to change.

They declined.

He left for the mosque.

That night, a friend — since deceased — sent him photographs of what took place.

The images, Hadie said, showed his son engaged in body-piercing rituals at the site.

Months later, his wife called a family meeting; she handed him an envelope, and inside was a divorce petition.

I asked her if she had thought it through carefully. She had.

Hadie said he has lived alone in a rented room since the divorce, which he confirmed took place earlier this year.

The family home was left to Aliff Daniel; he said only his eldest child maintains regular contact.

They Found Him at the Mosque

When Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) officers came to speak with him following the viral spread of the videos, they found him at the mosque.

He said he cooperated fully and was told he had no case to answer.

JAIS director Datuk Mohd. Shahzihan Ahmad confirmed that Aliff Daniel and his mother were arrested by JAWI in Kuala Lumpur.

He said at least 14 other individuals are expected to be summoned to assist investigations.

No further details were provided on their identities or alleged roles.

Mohd. Shahzihan urged the public against speculation and the spread of unverified information.

Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Sirajuddin Suhaimee said Jakim had forwarded reports on the matter to state religious departments for further action.

Neither Aliff Daniel nor his mother has issued a public statement.

His mother contacted Hadie after the arrests to say Aliff Daniel had long since repented — a claim Hadie said he could not verify.

READ MORE : Mother And Son Arrested After Non-Islamic Ritual Video Goes Viral

This account is drawn from a single source — a mutual acquaintance who spoke with Hadie by telephone and relayed the conversation in a widely-circulated social media post. Hadie’s account has not been independently verified.

Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook , X , Instagram , or Threads .