Editing Ayah Pin (section)

==Spiritual career==
In 1953, Ayah Pin became seriously ill and he alleged that an {{sic|angel}} visited him. Twenty years later, the angel returned and he began his spiritual career. Whether Ayah Pin was the founder is unclear, but during this phase, he may have been a follower of Hassan Yaacob (also known as Anak Rimau), apparently another claimant to divinity.

After Hassan died, Ayah Pin and his four wives developed the Sky Kingdom teachings. Since then, he managed to gather many followers. The Sky Kingdom does not believe in a doomsday and Ayah Pin allegedly would become the Prime Minister in the afterlife.

Around the mid-1980s, the Sky Kingdom commune was formed in Besut. Some reports state that the Office of Islamic Affairs declared the group to be deviant at this time. In 1995, the Sky Kingdom's signature building projects began, as per divine revelation. Two years later, the Terrenganu Local Religious Affairs council (''Jawatankuasa Fatwa Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Melayu Terengganu'') issued a [[fatwa]] against the group. Around this time, four adherents were arrested for renouncing [[Islam]], but they were later freed on the grounds that as ex-Muslims, Malaysia's [[Sharia]] court no longer enjoys jurisdiction over them.<ref name="Pemimpin kultus"/>

In 2001, Ayah Pin renounced Islam.<ref name="Pemimpin kultus"/> The Sharia court accused him of contravening Section 25 of the ''Enakmen Pentadbiran Hal Ehwal Agama Islam, 1986'' (Administration of Islamic Religious Affairs, 1986), stating that his teachings and beliefs were false, deviant, corrupting, and threatening to public peace (''membawa ancaman kepada ketenteraman orang awam serta merosakkan akidah''). He pleaded guilty to the charge of "insulting Islam" (''menghina Islam''), and was jailed for 11 months and fined RM 2,900. The Religious Affairs Office hoped that Ayah Pin's arrest would prevent the Sky Kingdom's growth. However, the movement continued to attract new followers, mostly from university students and the [[Orang Asli]].<ref name=thesun>{{cite news|author=Danny Lim and Tong Yee Siong|publisher=The Sun, Malaysia|title=Pie in the sky (Feature and interview)|url=http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=10057|access-date=26 December 2007|date=8 July 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219062618/http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=10057|archive-date=19 February 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 18 July 2005, a group of masked [[vigilantes]] vandalised the Sky Kingdom's headquarters, smashing windows and torching buildings.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=The Sun, Malaysia|url=http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=10213|title=Masked group attacks Ayah Pin commune|access-date=26 December 2007|date=18 July 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912033201/http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=10213|archive-date=12 September 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Two days later, 58 followers were arrested,<ref>{{cite news|publisher=The Sun, Malaysia|date=21 July 2005|url=http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=10254|title=58 followers of Ayah Pin arrested|access-date=26 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912190159/http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=10254|archive-date=12 September 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> and on 31 July, three of Ayah Pin's four wives were also arrested in [[Kelantan]].<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Bernama|url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11861/three-wives-of-ayah-pin-detained|date= 31 July 2005|access-date=26 December 2007|title=Three Wives of Ayah Pin Detained}}</ref> Ayah Pin escaped arrest and became a fugitive wanted by the Malaysian authorities. Forty-five members face charges of failing to observe the government [[fatwa]] (i.e. for continuing to be members of a sect declared as deviant), which carries a fine of up to RM 3,000 or two years in prison. One of those arrested faced an additional charge of "insulting Islam". Court cases promise to revolve around the issue of religious freedom, which is theoretically guaranteed by the Malaysian constitution.

On 1 August 2005, officials of the Besut Land and District Office destroyed the Sky Kingdom's various buildings, citing Section 129 of the National Land Code (which punishes unauthorised construction with land confiscation). The titular landowner is Ayah Pin's first wife, who apparently failed to appear in court for a hearing on the matter. On 1 September 2005, at a hearing, a trial date for 45 followers accused of violating the government fatwa was set for three days beginning 18 December that year. All of the accused were represented by Wan Haidi Wan Yusoh of Ubaidullah Aziz and Co., who unsuccessfully petitioned the court to order his name blacked out by the media. The group had previously experienced great difficulty in attracting legal representation, presumably owing to attorneys' fear of reprisals or negative publicity.<ref name=nst>{{cite news|publisher=New Straits Times|date=1 September 2005|access-date=26 December 2007|url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/12121/lawyer-to-represent-all-45-sky-kingdom-sect-followers|title=Lawyer to represent all 45 Sky Kingdom sect followers}}</ref>

As of 2007, after wide media coverage, the original Hulu Besut commune, now down to 24 members, had reportedly chosen a new leader, who turned out to be a former police chief inspector in his 30s. The group is suspicious of visitors, and routinely turns off the commune's lights whenever a car approaches at night in order to conceal itself.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Harian Metro|language=ms|access-date=26 December 2007|url=http://www.carigold.com/portal/forums/showthread.php?t=9060|title=Pemimpin baru 'Kerajaan Langit'}}</ref> From 2009 onwards, Ayah Pin was believed to have been residing in exile in [[Narathiwat]], [[Thailand]] until his death.