Shaykh Mehmet 'Ádil was born on 29 March 1957 in Damascus,
Shām
Syria (Hieroglyphic Luwian: 𔒂𔒠 ''Sura/i''; gr, Συρία) or Sham ( ar, ٱلشَّام, ash-Shām) is the name of a historical region located east of the Mediterranean Sea in Western Asia, broadly synonymous with the Levant. Other s ...
Naqshbandi
The Naqshbandi ( fa, نقشبندی)), Neqshebendi ( ku, نهقشهبهندی), and Nakşibendi (in Turkish) is a major Sunni order of Sufism. Its name is derived from Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari. Naqshbandi masters trace their ...
Sufi order
A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking '' haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth".
...
.
Biography
Mehmet 'Ádil is of
Turkish Cypriot
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( tr, Kıbrıs Türkleri or ''Kıbrıslı Türkler''; el, Τουρκοκύπριοι, Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,00 ...
Qadiriyya
The Qadiriyya (), also transliterated Qādirīyah, ''Qadri'', ''Qadriya'', ''Kadri'', ''Elkadri'', ''Elkadry'', ''Aladray'', ''Alkadrie'', ''Adray'', ''Kadray'', ''Kadiri'', ''Qadiri'', ''Quadri'' or ''Qadri'' are members of the Sunni Qadiri t ...
tariqa,
Abdul-Qadir Gilani
ʿAbdul Qādir Gīlānī, ( ar, عبدالقادر الجيلاني, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī; fa, ) known by admirers as Muḥyī l-Dīn Abū Muḥammad b. Abū Sāliḥ ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī al-Baḡdādī al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusayn ...
, while his great grandmother is of the lineage of the founder of the Mawlawi tariqa, Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi. According to the lineage in the Nāqib al-Ashraf records, his lineage goes back to the family of the Islamic
Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...
, and is
ahl al-bayt
Ahl al-Bayt ( ar, أَهْل ٱلْبَيْت, ) refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, but the term has also been extended in Sunni Islam to apply to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. ...
from his father’s side.
His mother, Hajja Amina Sultan, is the daughter of a
Tatar
The Tatars ()Tatar in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different family who migrated to Sham Sharif (the Levant), through
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The r ...
of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
due to the start of anti-religious policies of Communist countries of the time. She is originally from the Orenburg Bakey town of the Republic of Tatarstan, a subject of the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia
North Asia or Northern Asia, also referred to as Siberia, is the northern region of Asia, which is defined in geographic ...
.
Shaykh Muhammed Mehmet 'Ádil spent his youth in Syria’s capital, Damascus, under the guidance of both Shaykh
Abdullah Fa'izi ad-Daghestani
Abdullah ad-Daghistani ( ar, عبد الله الداغستاني, ; December 14, 1891 – September 30, 1973), commonly known as Shaykh Abdullah, was a North Caucasian Sufi shaykh of the Naqshbandi-Sufi order.
Early life
He was born in the Nor ...
and Shaykh Nazim 'Ádil al-Háqqaní ar-Rábbaní, training in the manner and discipline of the
Naqshbandi
The Naqshbandi ( fa, نقشبندی)), Neqshebendi ( ku, نهقشهبهندی), and Nakşibendi (in Turkish) is a major Sunni order of Sufism. Its name is derived from Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari. Naqshbandi masters trace their ...
tariqa. He received his Islamic education at the prestigious Mahd al-Fath al-Islami Institute in Damascus.
Shaykh Nazim declared publicly before passing away that the person to succeed him, i.e. his
khalifa
Khalifa or Khalifah (Arabic: خليفة) is a name or title which means "successor", "ruler" or "leader". It most commonly refers to the leader of a Caliphate, but is also used as a title among various Islamic religious groups and others. Khalifa ...
, would be Shaykh Muhammad Mehmet 'Ádil. He took over the trust as the 41st Shaykh of the Naqshbandi Golden Chain with the passing of Shaykh Nazim to the Abode of Eternity on 7 May 2014 / 8 Rajab 1435.
Shaykh Mehmet 'Ádil resides in the village of Akbaba of Beykoz district,
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...