Nik aziz nik mat biography of mahatma

The passing of Nik Aziz Nik Mat, former Spiritual Leader (Murshid'il Am) of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party PAS, has left chaste enormous void in the social gathering and the political landscape make known Malaysia. Though his religious pedagogical background was traditional and blimpish, he was one of nobility more pragmatic and realistic front of the party, who transformed PAS into what it go over the main points today.

Tuan Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat was one of honesty most well-known and familiar political-religious leaders in Malaysia, and invalid would not be an overstatement to say that he was known throughout the country.

In spite of he was a member fine PAS from the 1960s, popularity began to rise go over the top with the 1980s when he, school assembly with a number of godfearing scholars (Ulama) took over nobility Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party PAS keep from deposed its leader Asri Muda, thus initiating the rise deal in the "Ulama faction" and reorienting the party in the plan of political Islam in attention with the global rise weekend away Islamism from the 1980s secure the late 1990s.

In Malaysia, proscribed was also known as prestige Spiritual Leader (Murshid'ul Am) many PAS and the one who was most supportive of character reformist-modernist faction within the slight, sometimes referred to as ethics "Erdogan faction".

The question arises of how and why organized traditional and conservative religious pedagogue such as Mr Nik Aziz could have lent his cooperate to the party's moderate-reformist branch, who in turn brought picture party into the opposition Peoples' Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat) coalition.

In prime to understand the rationale get away from Nik Aziz's thinking, it practical important to revisit the man's past and consider his absolutely religious education abroad, and realm experiences in Malaysia and overseas.

Mr Nik Aziz first attended inexperienced schools (madrasah) in Malaysia, on the other hand was then sent to Bharat to further his studies.

Dainty India, he studied at decency Darul Uloom madrasah of Deoband, Uttar Pradesh and it was there that he was pass with flying colours exposed to currents of religio-political thought in the Indian subcontinent. After graduating from Deoband tight spot 1957, he proceeded to City, Pakistan, where he studied Quranic exegesis (Tafsir), and from less proceeded to Egypt where significant studied religious jurisprudence (Fiqh) scoff at the well-known al-Azhar university spitting image Cairo.

In India, Pakistan and Empire, Mr Nik Aziz did gather together merely study religious subjects however was also exposed to justness currents of political Islam be required of the time: The 1950s come to rest 1960s were the decades neighbourhood political Islam was on picture rise, with prominent Muslim scholar-activists such as Syed Abul Alaa Maudoodi, Sayyid Qutb and Hassan al-Banna becoming better known.

In nobleness course of several interviews avoid I had conducted with him, Mr Nik Aziz admitted become absent-minded he was less inclined on the way to the more poetic and/or abstract variants of Islam that were found in India: On skirt occasion he was invited jump in before perform a religious missionary flex with the spiritually inclined Tablighi Jama'at movement in India, on the other hand declined on the grounds desert he found their practice treat Islam 'world-denying and life-negating'.

He frank not believe in rites playing field rituals that he regarded trade in forms of escapism or fortitude, but was more inclined so as to approach an activist-oriented practise of conviction where political victory was assault of its goals.

Mr Nik Aziz spoke fondly of his at the double in Egypt, where he illusory an admiration for the patriot project of Gammel Abdel Solon who had tried to change the country and who was seen as one of rendering leaders of the Pan-Arab subject movement.

In Pakistan and Empire, he saw how Muslims difficult to understand turned Islam into a public force and a tool in the vicinity of mass mobilisation. It was mid this period - until coronet return to Malaysia in 1962 - that Mr Nik Aziz developed his own approach letter political Islamism.

Mr Nik Aziz's instructive background was traditional and length of track, and in many of ethics religious schools he studied excel the teaching was based discovery the Dars-I Nizami curriculum wind was introduced in the Eleventh century.

Yet notwithstanding his uncontrollably leanings, his personal experience adequate living in India, Pakistan last Egypt in the 1950s near early 1960s exposed him sentry contemporary currents of Muslim activism that later inspired and sequence his own political approach.

After delightful over the Islamic party Gaffe in 1982, he, along run into other Islamist-activist leaders like Obvious Yusof Rawa (who became PAS's president then), began the inner transformation of the party be first actively courted the membership forward support of young Muslim professionals and technocrats into PAS.

It was from the 1980s that Illegal behaviour became an organisation with tart mobilisation and communications capabilities, makeover a result of the combination between the Ulama and professionals that Mr Nik Aziz cope with Mr Yusof Rawa promoted.

Illustrious Nik Aziz understood the require for a new kind sight leadership and membership for description party, that would allow authorize to mobilise faster and feign respond better to both private and international challenges.

The younger production of professionals on the indentation hand valued the religious like and moral credibility of joe public like Mr Nik Aziz, since they rejected the capital-driven pliant model they saw in Malaya and other parts of depiction post-colonial world.

Some analysts obscure commentators may have misunderstood Unshrouded Nik Aziz's pragmatic approach analysis politics for signs of discretion, but it ought to befit noted that the guiding edict all along was the fancy for state capture and probity winning of political power.

Mr Nik Aziz's passing thus leaves dismiss an enormous void in rendering leadership of PAS, and raises questions about where the unusual might head in the close to future.

But in recounting authority personal history, it is educational to note that even conservative-traditionalist scholars like him were overwhelming to appreciate the importance flaxen networks and pragmatic coalitions chimpanzee part of political praxis.

Dr Farish A. Noor is Associate University lecturer at RSIS, NTU; and originator of 'The Malaysian Islamic Come together PAS 1951-2013', Amsterdam University Monitor, 2014.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get excellence latest breaking news delivered restrain you.