Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh · Politician profile · CERAP

Topics Politician AnalysisNik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh

Why this matters to you

As the MP for Pasir Puteh — a rural constituency in Kelantan — Nik Muhammad Zawawi's parliamentary activity directly affects the constituency's access to federal agricultural support, rural infrastructure funding, and representation on national policy issues, as evidenced by his parliamentary questions on border agency reform (Source: theedgemalaysia.com). His role as Secretary of the Majlis Syura Ulama PAS means his party-level decisions on coalition matters — such as the PN-Bersatu relationship — may influence the stability of the federal opposition, which in turn affects parliamentary scrutiny of government policies on cost of living and public services (Source: freemalaysiatoday.com). Voters in Pasir Puteh re-elected him in GE15 with a majority of 29,109 votes, the largest margin among the four candidates in that contest (Source: utusan.com.my).

Summary

Datuk Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi bin Salleh is a PAS Member of Parliament for Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, serving since 2018, and holds the position of Secretary of the Majlis Syura Ulama PAS. He served as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries II from 2021 to 2022 under the Ismail Sabri administration. A trained Islamic scholar educated at Al-Azhar University and Al Al-Bayt University, he has been a prominent voice within PAS on both religious and political matters.

Biography

Datuk Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi bin Salleh (born 17 March 1967) is a Malaysian politician and Islamic scholar serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, since May 2018 [1]. He is a member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a component of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition [1]. Academically, he holds a Bachelor's degree in Usuluddin (Tafseer) from Al-Azhar University, Egypt, obtained in 1990, and a Bachelor of Arts in Aqeedah & Philosophy from Al Al-Bayt University, Jordan [1]. Following his studies, he served as a lecturer at Ismail Petra International Islamic College from 1998 to 1999 [1]. He was a Member of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly for Kuala Besut from November 1999 to March 2004, before contesting and winning the federal seat of Pasir Puteh at the 14th General Election in 2018 [1]. He served as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries II under the Ismail Sabri administration from August 2021 to November 2022, and concurrently chaired the Farmers' Organisation Authority (FOA) [1]. Within PAS, he served as Chief of the Dewan Ulamak PAS from July 2019 to 2021 [1] and currently serves as Secretary of the Majlis Syura Ulama PAS [2]. He retained Pasir Puteh at the 15th General Election in November 2022 with a majority of 29,109 votes [3].

Known for

Nik Muhammad Zawawi is known as a PAS ulama-politician, holding the senior religious-scholarly position of Secretary of the Majlis Syura Ulama PAS [2]. He has drawn public attention on multiple occasions for statements made in Parliament and at public events touching on interfaith and Islamic historical matters. He previously served as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries II during the Perikatan Nasional-aligned Ismail Sabri administration [1].

Political positions

Nik Muhammad Zawawi's publicly recorded positions reflect a conservative Islamic framework consistent with PAS ideology. In August 2020, during a Dewan Rakyat debate on the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2020, he claimed that all religions including Christianity forbid alcohol consumption, and stated that the Bible had been 'distorted or altered' [4]. He subsequently retracted the statement and apologised to Christians in Parliament in November 2020 [2]. During his tenure as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries II, he was involved in visits to agricultural cooperatives and paddy irrigation infrastructure [5]. In his role as Secretary of the Majlis Syura Ulama PAS, he has articulated the party's concerns about the stability of its Perikatan Nasional partner Bersatu, stating in June 2026 that Bersatu's internal turmoil had 'affected PN's strength and stability, undermining people's confidence in its ability to champion the unity of the ummah' [2].

References

Education

1990Obtained a Bachelor's degree in Usuluddin (Tafseer) from Al-Azhar University, Egypt.⛓
1997Earned a Bachelor of Arts in Aqeedah & Philosophy from Al Al-Bayt University, Jordan.⛓

Before politics

1998–1999Served as a lecturer at Ismail Petra International Islamic College.⛓

Political career

November 1999Elected as Member of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly for Kuala Besut.⛓
March 2004Tenure as Terengganu State Legislative Assembly member for Kuala Besut ended.⛓
May 2018Won the parliamentary seat of Pasir Puteh, Kelantan at GE14, beginning his tenure as federal MP.⛓
July 2019Appointed Chief of Dewan Ulamak PAS Pusat, a position held until 2021.⛓
2020–2021Served as Deputy Chairman of the Perikatan Nasional Backbenchers Club (PNBBC).⛓
26 August 2020Made remarks in the Dewan Rakyat during debate on the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2020, claiming the Bible had been 'distorted or altered', drawing widespread criticism from Christian groups and politicians.⛓
3 November 2020Retracted his earlier statement about the Bible in Parliament and issued an apology to Christians.⛓
August 2021Appointed Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries II under Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob; also appointed Chairman of the Farmers' Organisation Authority (FOA).⛓
November 2022Tenure as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries II ended with the collapse of the Ismail Sabri administration following GE15.⛓
19 November 2022Retained the Pasir Puteh parliamentary seat at GE15 under Perikatan Nasional (PN) with 52,937 votes and a majority of 29,109 votes.⛓
2 June 2026As Secretary of the Majlis Syura Ulama PAS, conveyed the Syura Council's decision to defer the question of PAS-Bersatu relations within PN to the PAS Central Committee.⛓

Election history

2022Pasir PutehWon⛓
2018Pasir PutehWon⛓

Stance evolution

Public statements grouped chronologically. The party tag shows which party the politician was contesting under at that point.

2026PAS
- The council calls on all leaders, members and supporters to uphold party discipline, close ranks, and ensure the interests of Islam, the ummah and the country remain our highest priority.
  Statement made as Secretary of the Majlis Syura Ulama PAS following a council meeting at PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on the party's relationship with Bersatu within PN. · Source
2020PAS
- So, I apologise if anyone was hurt, it was not my intention. What I intended to do is to defend the original form of the Bible that was revealed to Jesus, without any alterations, which led me to defend it.
  Statement made in the Dewan Rakyat when retracting his earlier remarks about the Bible being 'manipulated', during the debate on the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2020. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

GovernmentAs an opposition MP under the current Unity Government, Nik Muhammad Zawawi sits on the PN-PAS bench. During his period as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries II (2021–2022) under the Ismail Sabri administration, he was part of the federal executive.⛓
OppositionAMK chief Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim, citing Nik Muhammad Zawawi's May 2026 remarks about companions of the Prophet, described PAS president Hadi Awang's defence of the MP — that the mistake may have been influenced by historical writings — as 'irresponsible', and said the explanation 'appeared to normalise the dissemination of questionable narrations'.⛓
PublicBN and PH divisions in Pasir Puteh filed police reports over Nik Muhammad Zawawi's May 2026 remarks at a ceramah in Kuala Terengganu alleged to have described companions of the Prophet in derogatory terms. Nik Muhammad Zawawi subsequently apologised and retracted the remarks. Police confirmed 63 reports were received nationwide.⛓
ExpertThe Dewan Ulamak PAS Pusat acknowledged that Nik Muhammad Zawawi's May 2026 ceramah contained 'several statements that were inaccurate from a historical fact perspective' regarding the lives of companions of the Prophet.⛓
VerifiedFactsNik Muhammad Zawawi won Pasir Puteh at both GE14 (2018) and GE15 (2022), the latter with 52,937 votes and a majority of 29,109. He served as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries II from August 2021 to November 2022. He currently serves as Secretary of the Majlis Syura Ulama PAS.⛓

Sources

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