Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil Al-Qubrusi Al-Haqqani (born Mehmet Nâzım Âdil; 21 April 1922 – 7 May 2014) (), commonly known as Shaykh Nazim (), was a

Turkish Cypriot Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( or ; ) are so called ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are mainly Sunni Muslims. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land onc ...

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

imam and one of the most influential members of the Haqqani stream of the

Naqshbandi Naqshbandi (Persian: نقشبندیه) is a major Sufi order within Sunni Islam, named after its 14th-century founder, Baha' al-Din Naqshband. Practitioners, known as Naqshbandis, trace their spiritual lineage (silsila) directly to the Prophet ...

order (''

tariqa A ''tariqa'' () is a religious order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking , which translates as "ultimate truth". A tariqa has a (guide) who plays the ...

'').

Names

Shaykh Nazim was active both in Turkish and Arabic language contexts. His name was therefore transliterated into English in various ways: Nazim al-Qubrusi ), indicating his homeland of Cyprus (), and Muhammad Nazım 'Adil al-Qubrusi al-Haqqani an-

().

Early life

Shaykh Nazim was born Mehmet Nâzım Âdil on 21 April 1922, and traced his lineage back to Imam

Abdul Qadir Gilani Abdul Qadir Gilani (; ; c. 1077/78 – 1166) was a Hanbali scholar, preacher, and Sufi leader who was the eponym of the Qadiriyya, one of the oldest Sufi orders. He was born c. 1077/78 in the town of Na'if, Rezvanshahr in Gilan, Persia, ...

through his paternal Grandfather Shaykh Yeshilbash Hussayn al-Qadiri and Mawláná

Rumi Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (), or simply Rumi (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century poet, Hanafi '' faqih'' (jurist), Maturidi theologian (''mutakallim''), and Sufi mystic born during the Khwarazmian Empire ...

through his maternal grandfather Shaykh Kaytazzâde Mehmet Nâzım who he was named after. During his studies he moved to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, Turkey, in 1940 to study chemical engineering at

Istanbul University Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...

. He would later state: "I felt no attraction to modern science; my heart was always drawn to the spiritual sciences."

Studies in Sharia' and Sufism

Shaykh Nazim studied

Classical Arabic Classical Arabic or Quranic Arabic () is the standardized literary form of Arabic used from the 7th century and throughout the Middle Ages, most notably in Umayyad Caliphate, Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid literary texts such as poetry, e ...

and Islamic Jurisprudence (''fiqh'') in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

under Jamal al-Din al-Alsuni (d. 1955 CE/1375 AH) and received an ijaza (permission to teach) in these subjects from him. He was initiated in Naqshbandi Sufism by Sulayman Arzarumi (d. 1948 CE/1368 AH), who eventually directed him to

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, to continue his studies with his destined sheikh. He left Istanbul and arrived in Syria in 1944. Following the end of the unrest in the region due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Nazim was able to enter Damascus in 1945. There, he met Abdullah Fa'izi ad-Daghestani, and they exchanged the Sufi oath of mutual allegiance (bay'ah). He trained him well in Naqshbandi Sufi path. Nazim would consider Abdullah as his primary spiritual director (''murshid'') until the latter's death in 1973.

Islamic missionary activity

Nazim returned to Cyprus and began

Islamic missionary activity Islamic missionary work or ''dawah'' means to "invite" (in Arabic, literally "invitation") to Islam. After the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, from the 7th century onwards, Islam spread rapidly from the Arabian Peninsula to then rest of t ...

. Whilst there, he came into conflict with the

Kemalist Kemalism (, also archaically ''Kamâlizm'') or Atatürkism () is a political ideology based on the ideas of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey.Eric J. Zurcher, Turkey: A Modern History. Ne ...

governing body of the Turkish community of the island, which in accordance with Kemalist ideology was actively striving to de-Islamize the society. The government had enacted laws forbidding the public performance of the Islamic call to prayer (''adhan'') in its traditional Arabic form. Regardless, Nazim continued to do so. The conflict was resolved with the coming to power of

Adnan Menderes Ali Adnan Ertekin Menderes (; 1899 – 17 September 1961) was a Turkish politician who served as Prime Minister of Turkey between 1950 and 1960. He was one of the founders of the Democrat Party (DP) in 1946, the fourth legal opposition party of ...

in Turkey, whose government chose a more tolerant approach to Islamic traditions. Nazim took up residence in Damascus in 1952 to continue his studies with Abdullah, though he continued to spend three months or more each year in his native Cyprus. Following the death of Abdullah Fa'izi ad-Daghestani in 1973, Nazim was made his spiritual successor. In 1974, he began to visit Western Europe, traveling every year to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England, for the month of Ramadan. He gained a large following of spiritual seekers from Western Europe and North America, many of whom converted to Islam after encountering his teaching. From 1980, his lectures on Islam and Sufism were published in English and other European languages. Nazim's transnational appeal was facilitated by his ability to speak English, Turkish, Arabic, and Greek. In his later years, Nazim was regularly recognized among the world's fifty most influential Muslims in the annual publication,

The 500 Most Influential Muslims ''The 500 Most Influential Muslims'' (also known as ''The Muslim 500'') is an annual publication first published in 2009, which ranks the most influential Muslims in the world. The publication is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies C ...

: he was ranked 42nd in the 2013/2014 edition. Notable students and followers of Al-Haqqani include John G. Bennett, the British author on spirituality, and Rank Nazeer Ahmed, the Indian Muslim scholar and legislator. Also he had ties with prominent scholars such as Habib Ali al-Jifri, Habib Umar, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
Shaykh Habib Kadhim al Saqqaf

Political opinions

Nazim was involved in politics. He had close ties with several notable politicians, notably the late

president of Turkey The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye (), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the ...

Turgut Özal Halil Turgut Özal (13 October 192717 April 1993) was a Turkish politician, bureaucrat, engineer and statesman who served as the eighth president of Turkey from 1989 to 1993. He previously served as the 26th prime minister of Turkey from 1983 ...

, and the Turkish Cypriot leader,

Rauf Denktaş Rauf Raif Denktaş (27 January 1924 – 13 January 2012) was a Turkish Cypriot politician, barrister and jurist who served as the founding president of Northern Cyprus. He occupied this position as the president of the Turkish Republic of Nort ...

. Born just before the fall of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, he praised

Ottoman history The Ottoman Empire was founded c. 1299 by Turkoman chieftain Osman I as a small beylik in northwestern Anatolia just south of the Byzantine capital Constantinople. In 1326, the Ottoman Turks captured nearby Bursa, cutting off Asia Minor from Byz ...

and civilization, contrasting its culture with its successor, the modern-day

Republic of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Shaykh Nazim can be seen addressing multitudes of Islamists in a conference of the

Welfare Party The Welfare Party (, RP) was an Islamist political party in Turkey. It was founded by Ali Türkmen, Ahmet Tekdal, and Necmettin Erbakan in Ankara in 1983 as heir to two earlier parties, National Order Party (MNP) and National Salvation Party ...

whose audience includes the likes of

Abdullah Gül Abdullah Gül (; ; born 29 October 1950) is a Turkish politician who served as the 11th president of Turkey from 2007 to 2014. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister of Turkey, Prime Minister from 2002 to 2003, and concurrently s ...

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

, and

Necmettin Erbakan Necmettin Erbakan (29 October 1926 – 27 February 2011) was a Turkish politician and political theorist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Turkey from 1996 to 1997. He was pressured by the military to step down as prime minister and was la ...

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, Belgium in 1994. In it he discusses the importance of Islamic values and praises the

Ottoman Caliphate The Ottoman Caliphate () was the claim of the heads of the Turkish Ottoman dynasty, rulers of the Ottoman Empire, to be the caliphs of Islam during the Late Middle Ages, late medieval and Early Modern period, early modern era. Ottoman rulers ...

.Shaykh Nazim. Abdullah Gul. Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Necmettin Erbakan

Death

Nazim had been receiving medical care since 17 April 2014, when he was rushed from his home in

Lefke Lefka (; ) is a town in Cyprus, overlooking Morphou Bay. It is under the '' de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. In 2011, the town proper had 3,009 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Lefke District of Northern Cyprus, having been a sub-dist ...

to the Near East University Hospital in

North Nicosia North Nicosia or Northern Nicosia ( ; ) refers to the largest settlement and the ''de facto'' capital of Northern Cyprus. It is the northern part of the divided city of Nicosia, and is governed by the Nicosia Turkish Municipality. , North Nicos ...

, Northern Cyprus, after suffering from respiratory problems. He died on 7 May 2014 (8 Rajab 1435), aged 92.

Published works

* al-Qubrusi, Nazim. 1980. ''Mercy Oceans: The teachings of Maulana Abdullah al-Faizi ad-Daghestani''. n.p. * Daghistānī, ʻAbd Allāh al-Naqshbandī, and Nazim Haqqani. 1980. ''Mercy oceans: Winter lectures 1400 H. (1980 A. D.); Book two''. Konya, Turkey: Sebat. * al-Qubrusi, Nazim 'Adil. 1982. ''Mercy Oceans' Endless Horizons; Summer lectures from 1981''. Konya, Turkei: Sebat Offset Pr. * al-Qubrusi, Nazim 'Adil. 1983. ''Mercy Oceans' Pink Pearls''. Konya, Turkei: Sebat Offset Pr. * Haqqani, Nazim. 1984. ''Mercy oceans' divine sources: The discourses of our master Shaykh Nazim Al-Qubrusi (Imam ul-Haqqaniyyin)''. Konya, Turkey: Sebat. * –––. 1985. ''Mercy oceans of the heart: the discourses of our master Shaykh Nazim Al-Qubrusi (Imam ul-Haqqaniyyin)''. urkey? .n. * al-Qubrusi, Nazim 'Adil. 1986. ''Mercy Oceans Rising Sun.'' Konya, Turkey: Sebat. * Haqqani, Nazim. 1987. ''The secrets behind the secrets behind the secrets''. Berlin: Duru. * al-Qubrusi, Nazim 'Adil. ''Toward the Divine Presence: Book one, London Talks, Summer 1984''. n.p.n.d. * Haqqani, Nazim. 1987. ''Mercy oceans' lovestream: the discourses of our master Shaykh Nazim al-Qubrusi al-Haqqani delivered by the permission of his Grandsheikh Shaykh Abdullah Ad-Daghistani; Selected lectures Summer 1406 A. H. (1986 C. E.); London, Germany, Switzerland.'' Konya: Sebat. * Haqqani, Nazim. 1987. ''Mercy oceans: Serendib edition; Transcript of lectures.'' Colombo: Council of Thareeqathun Naqshbandhia. * Al-Qubrusi, Shaykh Nazim 'Adil. 1988. ''Mercy Oceans' Hidden Treasures'', 2nd ed. Konya, Turkey: Sebat. * Daghistānī, ʻAbd Allāh al-Naqshbandī, Nazim Haqqani. 1988. ''The Naqshbandi way: a guidebook for spiritual progress; The spiritual exercises of the Naqshbandi Sufi path according to the instructions of Sultan Ul-Awliya Shaykh Abdullah Ad-Daghistani''. Konya, Turkey: Mercy Oceans publications. * An-Naqshabandi, Shaykh Nazim 'Adil Al-Haqqani. 1989. ''Mercy Oceans Saphires from Serendib.'' Colombo, Sri Lanka: Arafat Publishing House. * Naqshbandi, Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani. 1990. ''From Dunya to Maule: (from here to hereafter)''. İstanbul: Sebil Yayınevi. * An-Naqshabandi, Shaykh Nazim 'Adil Al-Haqqani. 1990. ''Mercy Oceans' Emeralds of Eden: Lectures of a Sufi Grandsheikh''. Colombo, Sri Lanka: Peacock Printers. * –––. 1992. ''Natural medicines''. London: Ta-Ha. * Naqshbandi, Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani. 1994. ''Mystical secrets of the last days''. Los Altos, CA: Haqqani Islamic Trust for New Muslims. * Haqqani Naqshbandia, Shaykh Nazim al al-. 1994. ''Keys to paradise''. London: Zero Productions. * Naqshbandi, Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani. 1994. ''The divine kingdom''. Los Altos, CA: Haqqani Islamic Trust for New Muslims. * Haqqani, Sheik Nazim. 1995. ''Natural medicines: traditional Sufi healing methods''. London: Zero Productions. * al-Haqqani, Nazim. 1995. ''Power oceans of light.'' London: Zero Publications. * Naqshbandi, Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani. 1995. ''When will peace come to earth?: Oh people, don't waste.'' London: Zero Productions. * Haqqani, Nazim. 1996. ''Secret desires: talks given in 1996 in Germany and Great Britain by a sufi master of our time.'' London: Zero Productions. * Naqshbandi, Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani. 1997. ''Defending truth: associations with a Sufi master of our time.'' London: Zero Productions. * Nāẓim ʻAdl al-Ḥaqqānī, Muḥammad. 1997. ''Islam the freedom to serve: Suhbats, aphorisms, and stories.'' Bonndorf im Schwarzwald: Gorski und Spohr. * al-Haqqani, Shaykh Nazim. 1998. ''Pure hearts.'' London: Zero Productions. * Naqshbandi, Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani. 1998. ''Secret desires.'' London: Healing Hearts / Zero Productions. * –––. 1998. ''Star from heaven: talks given in 1995 by a Sufi master of our time in England, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.'' London: Zero Productions. * Sheikh Muhammad Nazim Al Haqqani, and Khairiyah Siegel, 1999, "On the Bridge to Eternity", the millennium book * –––. 2002. ''In the mystic footsteps of saints.'' 2 vols. Fenton Mich:

Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order The Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order is an organization which claims to adhere to the Naqshbandi, Naqshbandi Tariqa. It is named after its founder, Nazim Al-Haqqani, Nazim Adil al-Qubrusi al-Haqqani. The Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order of America (N ...

. * Al-Haqqani, Shaykh Nazim 'Adil. 2002–2007. ''Liberating the soul: a guide for spiritual growth.'' 6 vols. .l. Islamic Supreme Council of America. * Naqshbandi, Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani, and Muhammad Hisham Kabbani. 2004. ''Naqshbandi awrad of Mawláná Shaykh Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani.'' Fenton, MI: Islamic Supreme Council of America. * Naqshbandi, Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani. 2006. ''The path to spiritual excellence''. Fenton, MI: Islamic Supreme Council of America. * Naqshbandi, Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani. 2007. ''Through the eye of the needle: Counsel for Spiritual Survival in the Last Days.'' Fenton, Mich: Institute for Spiritual & Cultural Advancement. * Al-Haqqani, Mawláná Shaykh Nazim, and Hamidah Torres. 2008. ''Sufi spiritual practices for polishing the mirror in the heart.'' ar de Plata, Argentina SereSereS. * Al-Haqqani, Mawláná Shaykh Nazim. 2008. ''Love sufi teachings and spiritual practices.'' Málaga: SereSereS. * Naqshbandi, Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani. 2010. ''The Sufilive series.'' Fenton, MI: Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Advancement (ISCA). * Naqshbandi, Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani, and Muhammad Hisham Kabbani. 2010. ''Spiritual discourses of Sultan al-Awliya Mawláná Shaykh Muhammad Nazim 'Adil Al-Haqqani.'' Fenton, MI: Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Advancement (ISCA). * –––. 2010. ''Breaths from beyond the curtain: spiritual guidance of the Naqshbandi Sufi Masters.'' Fenton, Mich: Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Advancement. *Shaykh Nazim, over 2,000 pieces of unique video content
Sheikh Nazım Al Haqqani Al Qubrusi An Naqshibandi