LAHORE, Sept 25: Renowned religious scholar and poet, Maulana Naeem Siddiqui, died of heart failure here on Wednesday morning. He was 86.

Maulana Siddiqui was a founder-member of the Jamaat-i- Islami and a close associate of Maulana Syed Abul Aala Maudoodi.

He, however, quit the Jamaat in 1994 due to differences with the party’s leadership and joined the Tehrik-i-Islami and was elected the first chief of the movement.

He started his literary career by joining biweekly magazine, Kausar, from Karachi under the editorship of Maulana Nasrullah Khan Aziz. Later, he joined the monthly Charagh-i-Rah and remained its editor for nine years.

In 1961, Maulana Siddiqui launched the monthly Sayyara from Lahore and remained associated with it till his last breath.

He wrote a well-known book on the life of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) titled Mohsin-i-Insaniyat. He was also a poet of a unique style and wrote verses on religious, political and social issues.

His Namaz-i-Janaza was offered at the Mansoora Ground and was led by Mian Tufail Muhammad, former Amir of the Jamaat.

Maulana Abdur Rahman Ashrafi and the JI deputy chief paid tribute to the late Maulana Siddiqui for his valuable services for the cause of Islam and the Ummah.—APP