His son, Ahmad Shauqi Kassim, said the funeral was carried out impeccably, and he thanked those who helped out.

Speaking to FMT, Shauqi expressed satisfaction with the respect accorded by the public at the Al-Huda Kelang Lama mosque in Kulim where prayers were held for the remains.

“The cleansing was done very thoroughly, and the face of my late father looked peaceful and beautiful,” he said.

After his death, critical comments appeared on social media questioning Kassim’s controversial views on the authority of the hadis as a basis of Islamic law.

A group on Whatsapp comprising several religious leaders even questioned Kassim’s status as a Muslim.

One commentator was the Mufti of Perlis, Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, who wrote on Facebook on the importance of the hadis as a source of reference on the management of Muslims’ bodies, although he did not directly refer to Kassim.

Asri’s comment was criticised by several users on Facebook who described it as insulting to Kassim.

Meanwhile, Asri praised the mosque committee members, including those who donned PAS attire, in handling the funeral of the veteran writer.

“Whatever the differences in opinions, the actions of the Kedah PAS amal unit (security unit) at the funeral was exemplary.

“It was an honourable act,” Asri wrote on Facebook.

He also praised the Kedah Mufti, Syeikh Fadzil Awang, saying his “views and decisions resolved a problem”.

Contacted by FMT, a PAS supporter confirmed that many of those who helped in the funeral were committee members and supporters from the party’s Kelang Lama branch.

“I acted as imam for the prayers, and the funeral arrangements were handled by the Kelang Lama mosque.

Hasrul Nisam Asaari, the deputy chairman of the mosque committee, said most of those who handled the burial were committee members of the local PAS branch.

He said there were no objections from anyone throughout the funeral as everyone accepted that Kassim remained a Muslim despite differences of opinions on the hadis.

Kedah PAS Youth exco Naqai Hassan praised the efforts of the party’s members in the area.

Kassim fell into a coma at Kulim Hospital and died on Oct 10 from lung and heart ailments.

He once led Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia together with Syed Hussin Ali, before the party was merged with Parti Keadilan Nasional to become PKR.

He was detained for five years under the Internal Security Act from 1976 to 1981.

However, Kassim is most famous for his book, “Hadis: Satu Penilaian Semula” (Hadith: A Re-evaluation), a critical study on the authority of the hadis as a source for Islamic practices. The book was banned by the government in 1986.