About 5,000 people today performed the "solat ghaib" (absentee funeral prayers) for PAS spiritual leader Haron Din at the Sultan Salahudin Abdul Aziz Mosque in Shah Alam.

The prayers, which started about 9.25am, was led by Haron's grandson Hakeem Hamdi, 17.

Among those present were PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and two PAS state executive councillors in the Selangor government, Ahmad Yunus Hairi and Zaidy Abdul Talib.

Also joining the congregation were Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Md Yunos, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Muhyiddin Yassin and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) strategy director Dzulkefly Ahmad.

Earlier, there was a sombre mood when a recital of prayers for the late Haron was held, led by the grand imam of the mosque, Muhammad Farhan Wijaya.

Zaidy (photo), when met after the prayers, described Haron as an Islamic scholar who had such a profound knowledge and his loss would be greatly felt by all PAS members as well as the Islamic community in the country.

For Jamal, despite having different political ideologies, he said that he always admired Haron's leadership qualities as well as his wide and deep knowledge of Islam.

"Although he was from PAS, I really admired him, who since young until the day he died had devoted his life for the sake of the people," he said.

Haron, 76, died at 10.10am Friday (Malaysian time) at Stanford University Hospital in San Francisco, from heart complications.

His remains were buried at the Five Pillars Muslim Cemetery in Livermore, California, at 8.57am (Malaysian time) today.

Haron leaves behind wife Khatijah Salleh and five children - two sons and three daughters.

- Bernama