KUALA BESUT, July 12 — Islamist party PAS moved to shift its supporters into gear for the 12-day by-election campaign last night by invoking a sixth-century battle won by Prophet Muhammad during the holy month of Ramadan.

In its call for a “jihad” — the Arabic term for holy struggle — PAS asked its followers to emulate the spirit of soldiers during the historic Battle of Badr, which saw a victory by outnumbered Muslim force thanks to supposedly divine intervention.

“We have to remember that Ramadan is a month of ‘jihad’. It’s not just a month of fasting,” said PAS Youth deputy chief Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz here.

After the death of the late BN assemblyman Dr A. Rahman Mokhtar, there had been concerns that the by-election will be held during the fasting month.

Seen as a month of contemplation, the Malay community usually abstains from tasking activities during the daytime and commit themselves to religious rites at night, leaving little time for campaigning.

PAS however has stumbled on the recipe to tap the energy of its members during the holy month, by declaring that any work done for PAS is a jihad towards the glory of Islam.

“Although the Prophet bore arms during the Battle of Badr, it does not mean that jihad can only be done by bearing arms,” Nik Abduh reminded around 200 PAS members during a rally here after the customary tarawih prayers.

The son of PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat explained that “jihad” can also mean fighting against great difficulty, which also include the party’s fight to instil the rule of the Quran.

He also praised Kuala Besut folks as “blessed” for having the opportunity to listen to religious teachings at day and night in PAS’s events and rallies during the campaigning period.

“The right moment to change is during Ramadan,” he said, hinting at a change of rule in the state of Terengganu.

PAS has nominated entrepreneur and contractor Azlan Yusof, 48, popularly known as Che Long among his fellow locals, against Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abdul Rahman, 37, today.

A PAS win will see both BN and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) each holding 16 state seats and neither the majority. In this case, Terengganu Sultan Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin will be obliged to choose the new mentri besar whom he believes commands the confidence of the majority of the assembly.

Terengganu currently has 32 state and eight parliamentary seats. In Election 2013, BN retained control of the state by winning 17 seats to take a two-seat advantage over PR.

Late assemblyman Dr A. Rahman had won by a 2,434-vote majority in the last polls. The Kuala Besut by-election will be held on July 24.