YOURSAY ‘He may have gone but will continue to live in our conscience and hearts.’

PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz dies at 84

Vijay47: Reading through the many comments in Malaysiakini , we note that every single one is an expression of admiration for what he was when he lived and the words of sorrow and condolence now that he has left.

Small in build, frail in body towards the end, he nevertheless was, as many have stated, truly a giant among men. How many leaders do we have at whose passing the whole nation, all of us, would grieve?

Some must surely anticipate with trepidation the flood of abuse and condemnation that awaits their death. To you, our dear Tok Guru, you have fought the good fight, you have earned your eternal rest in peace.

Axolotl: Thanks, Vijay47, for expressing how many of us feel about Tok Guru Nik Aziz (TGNA). He effectively combined spiritual integrity with the political savvy of an old fox.

Alas, the same cannot be said of his son so far, whose brain seems addled by overexposure to the toxic indoctrination of village ustazs.

Interesting that TGNA should leave his physical body two days after Anwar's physical body is locked up in Sungai Buloh prison.

A new era has indeed begun in Malaysia and never has there been deeper disgust and ill-feeling toward Najib Abdul Razak, Rosmah Mansor, Mahathir Mohamad, Daim Zainuddin - indeed that whole rotten bunch of congenital crooks who have brought our beloved land to the brink of moral and financial bankruptcy - that will translate soon enough to fullscale rebellion against the corrupt status quo.

Anonymous_1423767573: He won the respect of Malays and eventually even the 'others' sang his praises. May he rest in peace. May his son Nik Abduh learn the reasons why in good time.

David Dass: He was a good man. Our condolences to the family. It’s indeed a loss to the nation. A man whose presence was reassuring. I may not have agreed with him always, especially his views about the place of women in society, but one could not help but admire him for his humility and his integrity.

His consistency and his principles were also his strong points. When churches were attacked, he rushed to a number of them to give his support and to show his contempt for the perpetrators. May he rest in peace.

Ferdtan: PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz was rather a pro-Pakatan; or much correctly put, a die-hard anti-PAS/Umno alliance. He may have said/did something which we may not agree but one thing was for sure his heart was always with Pakatan.

As a spiritual chief in charge of the ulama leaders, whom many were pro-Umno most probably including its deputy leader Haron Din, he while alive was adamant to keep PAS in the Pakatan coalition. He had steered the party away from the enticement of Umno to join BN.

Now with him gone, who else to take over from him? His deputy, of course. That may quicken the end of PAS in Pakatan as the pro-Umno ulama faction under him will become much racial and religious conservatives, more in line with Umno policies.

Thus with the demise of Nik Aziz, his well-known views of not working with Umno are expected not to be followed. Is it premature to say that with Anwar in jail and now Nik Aziz gone, will this be also the demise of Pakatan?

MingXiang: A gentle soul. Straight as an arrow and clean as a whistle. Yes, he does remind us of Gandhi. May God take him to His abode.

JD Lovrenciear: The nation continues to suffer blow after blow and now we are faced with yet another as we mourn the loss of another one of the rare leaders who never failed to inspire us in thoughts, words and deeds.

May God grant him eternal rest. His sacrifices, commitment, struggles and championing for justice and understanding must not be in vain, Abdul Hadi Awang.

Abasir: Like the late Karpal Singh, Nik Aziz was one of the few remaining principled politicians who could always be relied on to speak with uncompromising conviction and clarity on matters that could profoundly affect the lives of ordinary Malaysians.

Though his views were always coloured by his faith (and often at odds with the plurality of Malaysian society), he had a certain endearing quality about him, something almost Quixotic and therefore non-threatening.

But that aside, what singled him out from among the country's vulgarly rich, ostentatious and obnoxious political class was his sage-like simplicity and his disdain for everything so important to the high-flying Putrajayans in their three-piece suits.

While we may question what often seemed to be his parading of 7th century prejudices as 21st century virtues, we must all agree that the Gandhi-like simplicity and frugality which marked his personal lifestyle set the impossible standard for the pygmies currently in power. Al Fatihah.

Sali Tambap: May his soul rest in peace and that God's mercy be upon him. He was a good man and deserved our genuine respect. He has put to shame the powerful and the proud by the simple life that he lived and the humility of his disposition. Goodbye, Tok Guru.

Norman Fernandez: Salute and my respect for you, sir. I hate PAS for the deceit and despise most of the leaders, including Hadi Awang.

But you sir, have my highest respect. I remember sitting next to you in a non-halal Jia Peng Restaurant, Kulai and had a great chat (during the Barisan Alternatif days). Rest in peace. You have earned the respect of non-Muslims.

Moontime: We have lost a great man. May Allah swt bless his soul and put him among the pious in Jannatul Firdaus.

I will never forget the time I met him at KLIA and the chat that ensued regarding the difference between 'berdoa' and 'baca doa'. I took the opportunity to 'salam' him three times. We will all surely miss this great man.

Hang Tuah PJ : Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un. "Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return." Al Fatihah.

In passing, to all those religious bigots who have been screaming at non-Muslims for being anti-Islam, just read the comments here from non-Muslims.

You see, when you live a life as a Muslim yang truly beriman and warak , the non-Muslims look up to you and respect you which means, they respect Islam. I have nothing further to say.

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