Just exactly who is Maulana Shaikh Muhammad Nazim 'Adil al-Haqqani an-Naqshbandi?

[Journalist Shafiq Morton has a brief look at the historic visit of the Shaikh to Cape Town, South Africa, in November 2000]


I had been fortunate enough to accompany the Shaikh together with his son-in-law, Shaikh Hisham Kabbani, in the United States in 1998 for a period of three weeks. During this time we toured New York, visited the United Nations and met with politicians on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Also part of the entourage were the muftis of Albania and Kosovo as well as the Chechen president, Aslan Maskadov. These activities were the precursor to the 2nd International Conference of the Islamic Supreme Council of America in Washington.

As the resident photographer I was privileged to witness first-hand something of the essence of the fortieth Grand Shaikh of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, an order that traces its lineage back in a "golden chain" to the Prophet Muhammad [SAW] through his greatest companion Abu Bakr as-Siddiq [ra].

In 1998 I wrote that Shaikh Naazim was a spiritual colossus of the twentieth century. And while his contribution to the inner peace of humanity will never win him a Nobel Prize, it has to be remembered that at least half a million people have embraced Islam at his feet.

His murids (or followers) are said to run into millions and include heads of state, pop stars, and even allegedly Prince Charles. In that regard, I once heard Shaikh Naazim say that he was a collector of souls.

Of this I have no doubt, as in America I saw non-Muslims become mesmerised by his spiritual luminosity. In one instance I remember a crack junkie becoming a Muslim after meeting the Shaikh for two hours and in another, a CNN journalist saying shahada after hearing him speak.

I saw complete strangers take his hand in the foyer of the United Nations, in the streets of New York and in the tree-lined avenues of Capitol Hill.

But in spite of all this, Shaikh Naazim remained down-to-earth, humble, sweet natured and loving to all. A pauper was treated as equally as a prince was in his company, and I never saw him ever turn anyone away.

His recent visit to Cape Town, South Africa, typified all of this. Whether playfully beating video man Dawood Schroeder with his stick on Table Mountain, bantering with tourists, or conversing with the late Shaikh Nazim Mohamed at the Muslim Judicial Council, he was always at the same time serious, witty and incredibly insightful.

His apparently simple sohbets or talks were often exactly the opposite, deep, cryptic, metaphysical - and extremely challenging. I mean, for example, how many 'alims can explain ibn 'Arabi's wahdat al-wujud (the unity of being) in three sentences?

After witnessing him in action for a week in Cape Town, my feelings about Shaikh Naazim have been reconfirmed. Yes, he is definitely a spiritual giant of our times. But in so saying, describing him has become even more difficult!

This is because he kept on reminding me of a man I'd seen in pictures but never met. This person was my wife's grandfather, Shaikh Muhammad Salih, founder of the Azzawia and a spiritual luminary whom many say brought the spirit of the "qaf" to Cape Town in the 1920's.

As a multi-layered personality, Shaikh Naazim is many things to many people. In his presence, one feels strangely secure. He is definitely the kind of person you would like to share a bomb shelter with.

As a person who treads lightly in the dunya he may appear soft and bending (like the proverb of the Malaysian rice plant in the wind) but when it comes to submitting to his Creator, he is unwavering. Here, it is easy to sense that his iman is like steel.

Perhaps the uniqueness of Shaikh Naazim in this arrogant day and age is his manner of approach. His presence does not announce itself to you as king or conqueror but rather as a servant. What is so engaging is that he essentially humbles himself to you with a fine-tuned subtlety before you realise that you must humble yourself to him.

One of his favourite English expressions is "Mercy Oceans," his Grand Shaikh 'Abd Allah ad-Dagestani's way of explaining the Sunnah and its countless mercies. And for those who think the Sunnah - the way of our beloved master Muhammad [SAW] - is a simple matter of beard length and counting the rewards like bank notes, there is a very rude awakening.

For Shaikh Naazim the Sunnah is strict Shari'ah - as well as charity, generosity, hard work, heart knowledge and compassion.

Of all the people I have encountered on this earth, Sayyid Moulana Shaikh Naazim 'Adil al-Haqqani is the closest I have seen anybody come to epitomise the Sunnah. In his commanding presence I felt like an unclean grain of sand being washed around in the depths of his "Mercy Oceans."

I remember him once saying on the lawn of a murid's house: "My people, are you happy? Allah is happy. The Angels are happy. They are not for crying…" Indeed, in just a few words he had taught us the excellence of a positive outlook on life and the fact that other people's hearts will open like flowers to a smile.

But on a deeper level with these simple words he had actually taught the real lesson, the adab of viceregency.

In another instance he said that man was chasing zeroes. "Are you going to show your cheque book to Allah?" he asked with a chuckle. "The aim of mankind today is to collect zeroes, but you have been created for Allah's divine service. Service for Dunya is not for Allah Almighty. The Muslim world is running after Dunya, after western people, running to be like non-Muslim..."

Again, in just a few statements, a clear warning of the consequences of worshipping the "zero-culture" of materialism.

After being rudely challenged from the floor in a Cape Town mosque and accused of contravening the Sunnah, Shaikh Naazim came up with the following sohbet a few hours later.

"The Rasullullah [SAW] called people to him, he was a saviour of souls. Some came to him saying 'save our souls' and he saved them as they surrendered. These (pious) people were respected whether living or dead. Shaitan became angry because of this…

"Shaitan becomes angry if a saved person is (particularly) from the sahabis or the awliyyah. Shaitan wants these people to be taken away. He is the biggest enemy of the pious. People destroy tombs and mazars of the awliyyah because Shaitan asks for them not to be known. He wants the ummah to forget them…that's the reason for no tombstones!

"Allah says don't forget people who did their best for Me, these people who gave their souls for Islam, but Shaitan wants them to be forgotten. Shaitan wants his people to destroy everything that was against Shaitan. Shaitan is crying for his hatred..Shaitan (is jealous of good) and wants to destroy the graves of those who killed Abu Jahl..."

It was a devastating critique of the Salafis but no less a serious warning directed at our very own nafs.

I could go on forever quoting Shaikh Naazim's pearls of wisdom dropped into the "Mercy Oceans" net for the seeker throughout the day. In nearly a month of observing his behaviour I have never seen him talk from notes. He sleeps little and his day starts well before fajr and often ends in the early hours of the morning.

For those who challenge the credentials of Shaikh Naazim it is perhaps best to remember that he is an orthodox Sunni Muslim down to his fingertips and studied Shari'ah, Qur'anic sciences and Hadith under great masters in Turkey, Syria and the Lebanon.

He is the mufti of Turkish Cypress and is an acknowledged 'alim of Hanafi fiqh, apart from possessing a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering from Istanbul University.

Academic qualifications aside, Shaikh Naazim is a Sayyid (a descendent of the Holy Prophet [SAW]) on both the Hasani and Hussaini lines. Through his father he traces his lineage back to Sayyid 'Abdul Qadir Jilani [ra] (the great 10th century saint) and through his mother to Moulana Jalal ud-Din Rumi [ra].

As a Grand-Shaikh of the Naqshbandi tariqat Shaikh Naazim also carries ijaza (permission to teach) in other orders such as the Qadiri and Rifa'i'.

Physically, Shaikh Naazim is small of stature but somehow seems to be much taller than he actually is. He may well be past his 80th year, but when he strides out (his walking stick before him like an alif), it's always as if one is trying to keep up with him. I have also never seen him miss his salah, even when on travel.

Yet behind all the intensity and 'ibadat there lurks a delightful sense of humour. At breakfast one morning he did a take of President Bush entering the Oval Office and confronting a set of anonymous instructions and a mysterious red telephone.

I have already written over one thousand words and I still haven't got anywhere near to the essence of Shaikh Naazim 'Adil al-Haqqani! He has performed the Hajj 27 times, has undergone rigorous spiritual seclusion on many occasions and has established Islamic centres around the world.

Indeed, the barakah of Shaikh Naazim spreads wherever he travels. Cape Town was no exception. A person I know was embraced by the Shaikh and shortly afterwards dreamt of Sayyidina Abu Bakr [ra]. Another who had not met Shaikh Naazim or any of his entourage was given advice in a dream by one of his Khalifas (Shaikh Hisham).

A moment on his last night in a country mosque outside Cape Town will stay in the memory for a long time. Shaikh Naazim had asked the question: "What goodness has the modern (university) graduate brought to society without the Holy Books?" After suggesting that "Tariqat says keep Sunnah, the essence of Shari'ah," he then went on to talk about the threat of secularism.

"Oh my people, 20th century education is aimed at bringing people to the level of animals…higher education is not leading to Allah when the name of Allah is prohibited," he said.

"We are living in a time that truth is lost and defenders of truth have disappeared…I ask for you to be defenders of truth."

The "Oh my people" rang like a bell. "Oh my ummah!" At that moment it seemed as if it was not Shaikh Naazim talking, but the Prophet [SAW]. Shaikh Naazim had become the Sunnah! Great men, friends of Allah, who see with the eyes of Allah and whose hearts beat with the unison of the kalimah, enjoy vision through the agency of the Prophet [SAW].

Perhaps, in conclusion, it would be fitting to recall something remarkably profound that Shaikh Naazim uttered on top of Table Mountain, an event that lent itself to much symbolism. Before that the Shaikh had "communed" with nature, admiring the view of the city and ocean 1,000 metres below and playfully eying a rock rabbit.

As Hafiz Mahmoud Sahib made the adhan for Dhur, a bird on a ledge before him sang its heart out. After making Dhur salah on one of the viewing platforms that faced north from the southernmost city of Africa, he turned around and then challenged those in Cape Town who had been attacking him but who had declined to confront him in debate.

"They come here, we all jump together, and then we see who floats," he said, ominously waving his hand like a butterfly settling on a flower.

copyright Al-Qalam Youth Magazine
Posted by naqshihaqq at Sunday, October 21, 2007

Source : http://sultanulawliya.blogspot.com/

 

In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. Peace and Salutations be upon His Messenger

His full name is Muhammad Nazim ‘Adil ibn al-Sayyid Ahmad ibn Hasan Yashil Bash al-Haqqani al-Qubrusi al-Hanafi, may Allah sanctify his soul and preserve his secret. His kunya is Abu Muhammad – after his oldest son – and he is also the father of Baha’ al-Din, Naziha, and Ruqayya.

He is the Grand Mufti of Turkish Cyprus. He was born in 1341 (1922) in the city of Larnaca, Cyprus (Qubrus) to a family of Arab origin with Tatar roots. His father descended from the Cardinal Saint of Islam, Sultan al Awliya Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani; who declared “My foot is on the necks of all Saints”. His mother descends from Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi.

He grew up in Cyprus, as a top student in all of his classes and he also showed great signs of Wiliyat throughout his youth. As a youth, he was initiated and trained in both the Qadri and Mevlavi Paths. He excelled in both of these to the extent that elders would come to visit him and ask him to make istakharah for them regarding various matters concerning their personal lives.

His Educational Background

After finishing school in Cyprus, young Shaykh Nazim went to university in Istanbul and graduated in Chemical Engineering. While in Istanbul, he also studied Arabic and fiqh under Shaykh Jamal al-Din al-Alsuni (d. 1375/1955) and received ijaza from him. He also took initiation into the Naqshbandi Tariqa from Shaykh Sulayman Arzarumi (d. 1368/1948) who eventually sent him to Syria in search of the renowned Wali of the epoch, Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani, who held the secrets of the Naqshbandiyya.

Shaykh Nazim then left his homeland and headed towards the Middle East, where he sought the company of Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani. He spen five years looking for his Shaykh. During these intense five years, he continued his Shari’a studies in Halab (Aleppo), Hama, and Hims. He studied at the shrine and madrassah of Khalid ibn al-Walid (radi allahu anhu) in Hims under its great Ulema and obtained ijaza in Hanafi fiqh from Shaykh Muhammad ‘Ali ‘Uyun al-Sud and Shaykh ‘Abd al-Jalil Murad, and ijaza in hadith from the Muhaddith Shaykh ‘Abd al-’Aziz ibn Muhammad ‘Ali ‘Uyun al-Sud al-Hanafi.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-’Aziz ibn Muhammad ‘Ali ‘Uyun al-Sud al-Hanafi is one of the ten great hadith teachers of the late Rifa’i Hafiz of Aleppo, Shaykh al-Islam ‘Abd Allah Siraj al-Din (1924- 2002 CE) who met Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani in 1959 and gave bay’a to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim during the latter’s last visit to him in Aleppo in 2001.

Shaykh Nazim also studied under Shaykh Sa’id al-Siba’i who sent him to Damascus after receiving a sign related to the coming of Mawlana Shaykh ‘Abd Allah al-Daghistani to Syria. After his initial arrival in Syria from Daghistan in the late thirties, Mawlana Shaykh ‘Abd Allah lived mostly in Damascus but often visited Aleppo and Hims. In the latter city he got to know Shaykh Sa’id al-Siba’i who was director of the Khalid ibn Walid madrassah. Shaykh Sa’id wrote to him, “We have a remarkable student from Turkey studying with us.” Mawlana Shaykh ‘Abd Allah replied to him, “That student belongs to us; send him over!” That student was Mawlana Shaykh Nazim who came to Damascus and gave his bay’a to Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani between 1941 and 1943.

According to the Ulema

The director of Dar al-Ifta’ in Beirut, Lebanon, Shaykh Salah al-Din Fakhri wrote by hand: “On the morning of al-Ahad 20 Rabi’ al-Akhir 1386 corresponding to Sunday 7 August, 1966, we were granted the privilege of visiting Shaykh ‘Abd Allah al-Daghistani – Allah have mercy on him – in Mount Qasyun in Damascus on the initiative and in the company of Mawlana al-Shaykh Mukhtar al-’Alayli – Allah have mercy on him – the Mufti of the Republic of Lebanon at the time; Shaykh Husayn Khalid the imam of Nawqara Mosque; Hajj Khalid Bashir – may Allah have mercy on both of them; Shaykh Husayn Sa’biyya [the present director of Dar al-Hadith al-Ashrafiyya in Damascus]; Shaykh Mahmud Sa’d; Shaykh Zakariyya Sha’r; and Hajj Mahmud Sha’r. The Shaykh received us most kindly, with a warm welcome full of happiness and mirth. This was in the presence of Shaykh Nazim al-Qubrusi – Allah save and keep him! We sat from nine o’clock in the morning until the zuhr call to prayer while the Shaykh – Allah have mercy on him – explained and spoke about Sham, its excellence, its extraordinary merits, and the fact that it is the site of the Resurrection and that Allah will gather all human beings in it for the final Reckoning. He mentioned things that moved our hearts and minds, imbued with the glorious spirit of the Salihiyya district, and he spoke about the indissoluble link – in practice as well as discourse – between tasawwuf and the Shari’a….”

Reverence From the Pious Ulema

There are many more prestigious names of the Ulema and Awliya’ of Syria who loved and associated with both Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani and Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani during the golden thirty-year period of their association such as Shaykh Muhammad Bahjat al-Baytar (1311-1396), Shaykh Sulayman Ghawji al-Albani (d. 1378) the father of Shaykh Wahbi, Shaykh Tawfiq al-Hibri, Shaykh Muhammad al-’Arabi al-’Azzuzi (1308-1382) the Mufti of Lebanon and principal Shaykh of Shaykh Husayn ‘Usayran, al-’Arif Shaykh Shahid al-Halabi, al-’Arif Shaykh Rajab al-Ta’i, Shaykh al-Qurra’ Shaykh Najib Khayyata al-Farazi al-Halabi, al-’Arif Shaykh Muhammad al-Nabhan, Shaykh Ahmad ‘Izz al-Din al-Bayanuni, al-’Arif Shaykh Ahmad al-Harun (1315-1382), Shaykh Muhammad Zayn al- ’Abidin al-Jadhba, and others – Allah have mercy on all of them!

Thus has it been noted that in every encounter with the Awliya’ and righteous Ulema of this Ummah, they invariably show the highest respect and most fearsome humbleness to Mawlana and his silsila even when they are ostensibly on a different path such as al-Habib ‘Ali al-’Aydarus in Malaysia; Sayyid Muhammad ibn ‘Alawi al-Maliki in Makka; al-Habib ‘Umar ibn Hafiz of Tarim; Sayyid Yusuf al-Rifa’i of Kuwait; Shaykh ‘Isa al-Himyari in Dubai; Sayyid ‘Afif al-Din al-Jilani and Shaykh Bakr al- Samarra’i of Baghdad; al-Sharif Mustafa ibn al-Sayyid Ibrahim al-Basir in central Morocco; the Grandmufti of Syria Shaykh Ahmad Kuftaro ibn Mawlana al-Shaykh Amin and his friends Shaykh Bashir al-Bani, Shaykh Rajab Dib, and Shaykh Ramazan Dib; the Kattani Shuyukh of Damascus; the late Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Siraj al-Din and his nephew Dr. Nur al-Din ‘Itr; Mawlana al-Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Shaghuri; Dr. Samer al- Nass; and more- may Allah have mercy on them! Each of the above-named Ulema all invoke tarazzi on Mawlana al-Shaykh Nazim, expressing belief in the loftiness of his wilaya and asking for his du’a. “And Allah suffices as Witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” (48:28-29).

His Seclusions

During his thirty years of intense training under Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani, Shaykh Nazim was placed in numerous seclusions. When he was only 33 years old, he was ordered into seclusion by Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani who told him, “I have received an order from the Prophet for you to make seclusion in the mosque of Shaykh ‘Abd al Qadir Jilani in Baghdad. You go there and make seclusion for six months.”

About this same seclusion Shaykh Nazim himself states, “I only emerged from my room for the five prayers. Other than that I spent my whole time in that room. I was able to reach such a state that I was reciting the whole Qur’an in nine hours. In addition to that I was reciting 124,000 times the Dhikr ‘Laa ilaha ill-Allah’ and 124,000 prayers on the Prophet (salawat) and I was reading the entire Dalail al-Khayrat [book of devotions]. Added to that I was regularly reciting 313,000 ‘Allah Allah’ every day, in addition to all the prayers that were assigned to me. Vision after vision was appearing to me every day. They used to take me from one state to another and give me a state of complete Annihilation in the Divine Presence.”

Inheritor of the Masters

Before his passing from this temporary abode, Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani made a will and appointed Shaykh Nazim Adil Al Haqqani as his Caliph and Sucessor. He granted to him his office and the secrets of the Naqshbandi Tariqa. He ordered that Shaykh Nazim’s name be included in the Silsila of the Naqshbandi Tariqat and that people take Shaykh Nazim as their Murshid in his place, who would now connect them to the Naqshbandi Masters. Since then, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim in addition to his travels towards the East, he began frequenting the West regularly, conveying to Europeans and Americans the spiritual and peaceful message of Islam and its mystical teaching as taught by the Naqshbandi Masters.

Mashallah, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani is currently over eighty four years old and resides in Cyprus, where he dedicated his entire life to Defending Truth and constant ascetic worship of his Lord. His spirituality has attracted hundreds of thousands of Seekers to the Path from all walks of life and from all over the world, including internationally acclaimed musicians, artists, businessmen and even Monarchs and Heads of States such as the Sultans of Malaysia and the Sultans of the UAE. His miracles (Karamah) are countless, from literally disappearing into thin air and later reappearing while in presence of numerous witnesses to appearing countless times in dreams and visions with the Messenger of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to guide his Murids to their heavenly destinations. Mawlana’s efforts to spread Islam in the West have resulted in more than 100,000 persons having taken the Naqshbandi Order through him both directly and indirectly and more than 10,000 people having embraced Islam through him. As such, it is our prayer that Allah Most Majestic protects him and keeps him healthy and grants him a long life so more from humanity may benefit from the barakah of his presence and breaths. Ameen.

On The Life Of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani Part 1 :

On The Life Of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani Part 2 :

On The Life Of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani Part 3 :

On The Life Of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani Part 4 :

On The Life Of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani Part 5 :

On The Life Of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani Part 6 :

Sidi Shaykh Nazim Meets Sidi Shaykh Abdur Rauf al Yamani (the helper of Imam Mehdi) :

Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani Meets Shaykh Osman Sirajuddin :

Shaykh Habib Kazim Al Saqqaf And Habib Ja’far and Shaykh Babikir Visit Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Part 1 :

Shaykh Habib Kazim Al Saqqaf And Habib Ja’far Visit Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Part 2 :

Habib Ali Visits Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani :

Habib Ali Al Jifri meets Shaykh Nazim :

Habib Ali Al Jifri Prays For Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani :

About the meeting between Habib Ali al-Jifri and Shaykh Nazim :

Shaykh Abdul Hafiz Murid Of Shaykh Nazim being introduced to the Ulama of Damascus ( Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi , Shaykh Adib al-Kallas , Shaykh Abdul Razzaq al- Halabi , Shaykh Mahmud Efendi and others ) :

Source :http://seekerofthesacredknowledge.files.wordpress.com