Nazim Al-Haqqani


Mehmet Nazım Adil, commonly known as Sheikh Nazim, was a Turkish Cypriot Sufi Muslim sheikh and spiritual leader of the Naqshbandi tariqa.

Names

Nazim was active in Turkish and Arabic language contexts. His name was therefore transliterated into English in various ways: Nazim Qibrisi ), indicating his homeland of Cyprus, and Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Qubrusi al-Haqqani an-Naqshbandi. His name al-Haqqani is an honorific granted by his Sufi teacher Abdullah Fa'izi ad-Daghestani. He has no connection with the Islamic insurgent group known as the Haqqani network.

Early life

He moved to Istanbul, Turkey, in 1940 to study chemical engineering at Istanbul University. 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

In Turkey

In Istanbul, Nazim studied Classical Arabic and Islamic Jurisprudence under Jamal al-Din al-Alsuni and received an ijaza in these subjects from him. He was initiated in Naqshbandi Sufism by Sulayman Arzarumi, who eventually directed him to Damascus, Syria, to continue his studies with his destined sheikh. He left Istanbul and arrived in Syria in 1944.

In Syria

In Syria, Nazim continued his sharia studies in Aleppo, Hama, and Homs. In Homs, he studied at the madrasa adjoining the burial shrine and mosque of Muhammad's companion, Khalid ibn al-Walid. There, he received further ijazas in Hanafi jurisprudence from Muhammad 'Ali' Ayoun al-Soud and Abdul Jalil Murad.
Following the end of the unrest in the region due to World War II, 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. He trained him well in naqshbandi Sufi path. Nazim would consider Abdullah as his primary spiritual director until the latter's death in 1973.

Islamic Missionary Activity

Nazim returned to Cyprus and began Islamic missionary activity. Whilst there, he came into conflict with the Kemalist governing body of the Turkish community of the island, which in accordance with Kemalist ideology was actively striving ti de-Islamize the society. The government had enacted laws forbidding the public performance of the Islamic call to prayer in its traditional Arabic form. Regardless, Nazim continued to do so. The conflict was resolved with the coming to power of Adnan Menderes 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.

International mission

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, 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 1991, Nazim visited the United States for the first time at the invitation of his son-in-law and representative Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani. At that time, he made the first of four nationwide tours.
In 1997, Nazim visited Daghestan, the childhood home of his primary Sufi sheikh, Abdullah Fa'izi ad-Daghestani. He also made several visits to Uzbekistan where he made pilgrimage to the tomb of the eponymous founder of the Naqshbandi Order, Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari.
In 1998, Nazim was the 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, visiting Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.

Notable Followers

Among his students is the British teacher of spirituality, John G. Bennett.

Political Opinions

Nazim was involved in the political realm. He had close ties with several notable politicians, notably the late president of Turkey, Turgut Ozal, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş. Born just before the fall of the Ottoman Empire, he praised Ottoman history and civilization, contrasting its culture with its successor, the modern-day Republic of Turkey.
Whenever Shaykh Nazim would visit Lebanon, that governor and the prime minister of Lebanon would sit in the Shaykh’s association. Up until today, their families and many of the Lebanese people are his followers.
Sheikh Nazim can be seen addressing multitudes of Turkish people in a stadium whose audience includes the likes of Abdullah Gul, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Necmettin Erbakan. In it he discusses the importance of Islamic values of the Turkish state, discussing how their forefathers were the Ottomans who ruled the country as a caliphate for more than 600 years until its downfall.
In 2011, Sheikh Nazim predicted that a virus would come and plague the entire world, a likely reference to Covid-19.
In 2012, Sheikh Nazim hosted former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf as an honoured guest in his home in Lefke, Cyprus. They exchange gifts and discuss the fact that Musharraf is a part of the Ahl al-Bayt.

Honors

He received the Bahauddin adil from Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak in 2009.

Recognition

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: he was ranked 49th, 49th, 48th, 45th, and 42nd in the 2009-2013 editions, respectively.

Death

Nazim had been receiving medical care since April 17, 2014, when he was rushed from his home in Lefke to the Near East University Hospital in North Nicosia, Northern Cyprus, after suffering from respiratory problems. He died on May 7, 2014, aged 92.

Published works