TOK GURU NIK AZIZ: DEVELOPING WITH ISLAM

“How a selected leader should not reject a good position if he (the potential leader) has the ability to lead compare to others”.

(Hadeeth Nabi Muhammad s.a.w.)

The hadeeth had bring Yang Amat Berhormat Tuan Guru Dato’ Haji Nik Abdul Aziz bin Nik Mat into a decision to accept the Kelantan’s PAS Commissioner post when he refused to do so at first.

Nik Abduk Aziz Bin Nik Mat was born in 1931 at Pulau Melaka, a village located about 7km from Kota Bharu town. His father, the late Tok Guru Haji Nik Mat Bin Raja Banjar is a famous Islamic Scholar at that time. Haji Nik Mat really serious about his son’s Islamic education and this is one of the factor that contributed to the style of leadership perform by Tok Guru Nik Aziz.

In addition, Tok Guru Nik Aziz had been sent to learn Islamic knowledge from To Khurasan, one of the most famous ‘Guru’ in Kelantan and Jertih, Terengganu with the late Tuan Guru Haji Abbas Haji Ahmad at Madrasah Ittifaqiah.

After five years studied at that school, in 1952, Tok Guru Nik Aziz went to India to further his study at the Deoband Darul Ulum in India for five years. From India, he continued his Islamic education at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt and he managed to pass and finish his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Art in Islamic Law only in four years. Tok Guru Nik Aziz came back to Malaysia in 1962. He can speak a few foreign languages such as Arabic, English, Tamil, and Urdu.

Tok Guru Nik Aziz seriously joined the Parti Islam Semalaysia or PAS after resigned as the adult teacher. After a few months, he had been offer as the candidate for by-election for Pengkalan Chepa parliamentary seat. He has won the by-election at Pengkalan Chepa parliamentary seat from the year 1967 until 1986, when he then been transfer to another parliamentary seat in Bachok, Kelantan. He was elected as the Central Ulamak Council Chief in the year 1986 until now, which gives him authority to advice all matters pertaining to Islamic faced by the party and the followers.

Tok Guru Nik Aziz has been appointed as the 5th Chief Minister of Kelantan Darul Naim on 22nd October 1990. As an emerging and transformational leader, Tok Guru Nik Aziz has cut off 40% of his salary to be given to the savings of Kelantan PAS.

Moreover, he did not accept any allowance provided for him during Hari Raya. He also had warned all the elected exco and state assembly members to reject any prize given to them. He felt that the prize given can be considered as misconduct or bribery that could led to corruption.

His advocacy of Islamic Syariah Law to all Malay Muslims has however drawn to critism, as did his suggestion that women would be at lower risk of being rape if they abandoned their lipstick and perfume. He also banned on the game of snooker for 15 years in Kelantan. Kelantan is a State with no cinemas. This desire to be seen as different also extends to politics. Nevertheless, creative tension emerges when Nik Aziz rejects the idea of communal separation because of ethnicity or locality.

Kelantan’s citizen are be blesses by Allah due to their clear and absolute acceptance of one and only creator, Allah s.w.t.. In several states, there are people who burned out the church but in Kelantan, there are no disturbances like what had happened. It will not and never happened in Kelantan due to Kelantan’s citizen that practicing a lifestyle that are based on religion which successfully instill the understanding between the race and religion. Indeed, since Kelantan was governed with the doctrine of ‘Developing with Islam’, it has lead to harmony among the layers of folks in the village, estate, town, and city.

“He did not have to raise his voice; the 79-year-old is a skilled orator who makes people want to stay quieter in case they miss something”, quoted from Amir Muhammad who is the writer that attended a ‘live’ talk by Nik Aziz that see Nik Aziz in a different way from his previous thought.

Moreover, according to Amir, Tok Guru Nik Aziz gifted is his ability to talk about politics and religions and he belongs firmly in the camp of those who do not ostensibly separate between the two in images that are rooted in everyday lived experience.

Therefore, Yang Amat Berhormat Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has never seemed to be mere politician, but the embodiment of a certain hope and dignity. He is the one that give us opportunity to differentiate the morality in Developing with Islam.