Sultan al-Awliyah Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim ‘Adil ar-Rabbani
Since the beginning of human history, God Most High has revealed divine guidance through His Prophets and Messengers, beginning with the first man, Adam (peace be upon him). The prophetic line includes such well-known figures as Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Lot, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus, peace be upon them all, ending and culminating in Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, a descendant of Abraham, who brought the final revelation from God to mankind in the sixth century after Christ.
Although there are no longer Prophets upon the earth, the Most Merciful Lord did not leave His servants without inspired teachers and guides. AwliyaAllah ́ — holy men or saints — are the inheritors of the Prophets. Up to the Last Day, these “friends of God,” the radiant beacons of truth, righteousness and the highest spirituality, will continue in the footsteps of the Prophets, calling people to their Lord and guiding seekers to His glorious Divine Presence.
One such inspired teacher, a Shaykh (spiritual guide) of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order, is Shaykh Nazim ‘Adil ar-Rabbani. Shaykh Nazim’s full name is Muhammad Nazim ‘Adil ibn al-Sayyid Ahmad ibn Hasan Yashil Bash al-Haqqani al-Qubrusi al-Salihi al-Hanafi, may Allah sanctify his soul and have mercy on his foreparents. A descendant not only of the holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) but also of the great Sufi masters, ‘Abdul Qadir al- Gilani and Jalaluddin Rumi, Shaykh Nazim was born in Larnaca, Cyprus, on April 21 1922, just before the fall of the Ottoman Empire (of which he remained an admirer for the rest of his life), and during the period of British rule of the island.
He is the Imam of the People of Sincerity, the Secret of Sainthood, who revived the Naqshbandi Order at the end of the 20th Century, with Heavenly guidance and Prophetic ethics. He infused into the Nation and the Planet, love of God and love of the lovers of God, after they had been darkened with the fire and smoke of tribulation and terror, anger and grief.
He is the Unveiler of Secrets, the Keeper of Light, the Shaykh of Shaykhs, the Sultan of Ascetics, the Sultan of the Pious, the Sultan of the People of the Truth. He is the Chief Master without peer of the Divine Knowledge in the late 20th Century. He is the Rain from the Ocean of Knowledge of this Order, which is reviving spirits in all parts of this world. He is the Saint of the Seven Continents, his light having attracted disciples and students from all quarters of the globe. He wears the Cloak of the Light of the Divine Presence. He is unique in his time. He is the orchid planted in the earth of Divine Love. He is the Sun for all the universes. He is known as the Saint of the Two Wings: the external knowledge and the internal knowledge.
He is a Miracle of Allah’s Miracles, walking on the earth and soaring in the Heavens. He is a Secret of Allah’s Secrets, appearing in His Divinity and Existing in His Existence. He is the Owner of the Throne of Guidance, the Reviver of Divine Law, the Master of Sufi Way, the Builder of the Truth, the Guide of the circle, the Lyric Poem of All the Secrets. He is the Master of Saints and the Saint of the Masters. Seekers circle the Kabah of His Light. He is a Fountain always flowing, a Waterfall continuously cascading, a River always flooding, an Ocean endlessly cresting and breaking on infinite shores.
Gifted from earliest childhood with an extraordinarily spiritual personality, from his father’s side, he received initiation and training in the Qadiri Sufi Order, keeping company with his paternal grandfather, who was a shaykh of the Qadiri Order, to learn its discipline and its spirituality.
At the age of 18 he moved to Istanbul to take a degree in Chemical Engineering at Istanbul University but, as he recalled later: “I felt no attraction to modern science; my heart was always drawn to the spiritual sciences.” While still at university he was educated privately in Arabic and Islamic theology under Shaykh Jamaluddin al-Lasuni and acquired a spiritual guide in the Naqshbandi Sufi order, Shaykh Sulayman Arzurumi.
After graduating in 1944 Shaykh Nazim travelled to Syria to find the Naqshbandi leader Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Fa`iz ad-Daghestani, then living in Damascus, but due to growing countrywide unrest in response to French Mandatory rule, he was unable to enter the city until 1945. There he followed a period of intensive training under Shaykh ‘Abdullah, during which Shaykh Nazim divided his time between Damascus and Cyprus.
Shaykh Nazim began to spread Islamic teachings and spiritual guidance in Cyprus. Many followers came to him and accepted the Naqshbandi Order. It was a time when all religion was banned in Turkey, and as he was in the Turkish community of Cyprus, religion was entirely banned there as well. Even the reciting of the adhan, the call to prayer, was prohibited. Shaykh Nazim was arrested for calling the adhan and was sentenced for over 100 years in prison. Miraculously however, the day of his judicial hearing, the government was overturned and his case dismissed.
During his years in Cyprus, Shaykh Nazim traveled all over the island. He also visited Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and many other places to teach the Sufi Way. He moved back to Damascus in 1952 when he married a disciple of Grandshaykh, Hajjah Amina ‘Adil. From that time, he lived in Damascus but would visit Cyprus every year for the three holy months of Rajab, Sha’ban and Ramadan. He had two daughters Naziha and Ruqaiyya, and two sons Mehmet and Bahauddin.
Before leaving this world in 1973, Grandshaykh designated Shaykh Nazim as his successor.
In the year following the death of Shaykh ‘Abdullah, Shaykh Nazim began visiting Western Europe, travelling every year to London. In 1974, Shaykh Nazim traveled to London for the first time, thus initiating what was to become an annual visit during the month of Ramadan. A small circle of followers began to grow around him, eagerly taking their training in the ways of Islam and Tariqah at his hands.
From this humble beginning, the circle of Shaykh Nazim’s students has grown to include millions of disciples from all walks of life and all parts of the globe. Shaykh Nazim was a luminary, possessing an impressive spiritual personality, radiating love, compassion and goodness. He was regarded by many as the Qutb or “chief saint” of this time.
Shaykh Nazim used a subtle interweaving of personal example and talks to deliver his teachings to his students. Such “associations” were invariably delivered extempore according to the inspirations granted to him. He would rarely lecture, but rather pour out from his heart into the hearts of his listeners with knowledge and wisdoms able to transform their innermost beings and bring them toward their Lord as His humble, willing, loving servants.
Shaykh Nazim’s language and style are unique — so eloquent, moving and flavourful that not only do his teachings seem inspired but also his extraordinary use of words. His sohbets represent the teachings of a twentieth century Sufi master, firmly grounded in Islamic orthodoxy, speaking to the hearts of those of any faith who seek God.
The sum total of Shaykh Nazim’s message is that of hope, love, mercy and reassurance.
Without doubt, Shaykh Nazim played a pivotal role in the resurgence of interest in Sufism in the 20th century and played a central part in spreading Sufi teachings in the West, sending followers to open Sufi centres, organising Sufi activities and initiating people into his order.
Shaykh Nazim passed away at the age of 92 in Northern Cyprus, attended by family and students from around the globe. His resting place is in self-same home-based teaching center (dergah) next to his humble abode, in Lefke.
Al-Fatiha for his blessed soul. Amin.
