Malaysian spiritual leader A leader of the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat who helped to keep his party in an opposition alliance was a man of humble lifestyle. He joined PAS in 1967 and served as a federal lawmaker for 19 years. In 1986 Nik Aziz became a Kelantan state legislator and was appointed chief minister in 1990. Under his 23-year tenure he banned gambling, alcohol, nightclubs, unisex salons and massage places. He refused to live in his official residence and dwelled in his wooden home next to a mosque thereby earning great respect from his countrymen and women. He resigned from his public life in 2013 due to his declining health. Born in Kota Bharu, Malaysia, into a religious family Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat studied at Darul Uloom Deoband University in India. He took up the study of Quran in Pakistan. He also joined Al-Azhar for higher studies.