Nazim Al-Haqqani
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| Nazim Al-Haqqani | |
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| Born | Mehmet Nazım Adil 21 April 1922 Larnaca, Cyprus |
| Occupation | Leader of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order |
| Religion | Sunni, Sufi Islam |
| Website | |
| www.saltanat.org[1] | |
Mehmet Nâzım Adil (Arabic: محمد ناظم الحقاني , born April 21, 1922 (CE) / Sha'ban 23, 1340 AH), formally referred to as Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Qubrusi al-Haqqani (Turkish: Muhammed Nazım El-Hakkani), often called Shaykh Nazim, is a Turkish Cypriot Sufi Sheikh and leader of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Order.[1]
Born in Larnaca, Cyprus, Shaykh Nazim traces his lineage back to the 11th-century Sufi Saint Abdul Qadir Jilani and 13th-century mystical poet Jalaluddin Rumi.[2]
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Biography [edit]
Early life [edit]
After completing secondary school in 1940, at the age of 18 Shaykh Nazim moved to Istanbul, where two brothers and a sister were living. He studied chemical engineering at Istanbul University. While advancing in his non-religious studies, he continued his education in Islamic theology and the Arabic language under the tutelage of Cemalettin Elassonli. Shaykh Nazim earned a degree in chemical engineering, yet he would later state, "I felt no attraction to modern science. Rather, my heart was always drawn to the spiritual sciences."[2] He is fluent in Turkish (native), Arabic, English, and Greek.
At some point during his first year of life in Istanbul, Shaykh Nazim met his first spiritual guide, Suleyman Erzurumi, who was a spiritual leader in the Naqshbandi Sufi order.[2] Shortly after obtaining his degree, Shaykh Nazim received inspiration to go to Damascus in order to find the Naqshbandi leader Abdullah Fa'izi ad-Daghestani. He left Istanbul and arrived in Syria in 1944, although the unrest caused by the Vichy French government prevented his entry into Damascus until 1945.[2]
While in Cyprus, Shaykh Nazim came into conflict with pro-Atatürk governing body of the Turkish community of the island. Nevertheless, all these were dropped shortly thereafter with the coming to power of Adnan Menderes in Turkey, whose government opted for a more tolerant approach to Islamic traditions.[2]
Shaykh Nazim moved back to Damascus in 1952, though every year he would visit Cyprus for at least three months.[2]
Living abroad [edit]
In the year following the death of Shaykh Abdullah Fa'izi ad-Daghestani in 1973, Shaykh Nazim began visiting Western Europe, travelling every year from the Middle East to London. While in the United Kingdom, he was a teacher and associate of esoteric Christian George Gurdjieff and spiritualist John G. Bennett.[3][4] Among Shaykh Nazim's current students and devotees are Hisham Kabbani, Gibril Haddad and Stephen Suleyman Schwartz.
In 1997, he visited Daghestan, the homeland of one of his spiritual leaders, Shaykh Abdullah Fa'izi ad-Daghestani. Shaykh Nazim also made repeated visits to Uzbekistan where he made the pilgrimage to the tomb of the eponymous founder of the Naqshbandi Order, Shaykh Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari.[2]
In 1991, he visited the United States for the first time, at the invitation of his son-in-law and representative Shaykh Hisham Kabbani. At that time Shaykh Nazim made the first of four nationwide tours.
In 1998, he was the chief guest of honor at the Second International Islamic Unity Conference, held in Washington, D.C. Later in the same year, he traveled to South Africa and visited Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.
Views [edit]
Having been born just before the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Shaykh Nazim is an admirer of the Empire's history and civilization, as opposed to the modern-day Republic of Turkey to which his feelings are lukewarm.[5]
References [edit]
- ^ Bottcher, Dr Annabelle. "The Naqshbandiyya in the United States". Archived from the original on 2007-08-23. Retrieved 2007-06-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g 'The Naqshbandi Sufi Way' by Hisham Kabbani. KAZI Publications, 1995. http://www.naqshbandi.org/chain/40.htm
- ^ Haqqani's relationship with Gurdjieff.
- ^ Haqqani speaking at Gurdjieff events.
- ^ Nazim al-Haqqani, Magnificence. Saltanat: The Majesty and Magnificence of Islam, vol. 9, #8. December 2011.
External links [edit]
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