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In the year following the passing of the venerable Mawlana 'Abd Allah in 1973, the venerable Mawlana Shaykh Nazim began visiting Western Europe, traveling every year from the Middle East to London. On his return trips to Damascus, he would often drive by car through the former Yugoslavia, spending time visiting the Muslim communities there. It became his practice to spend the month of Ramadan in the large centre established in London. In 2000 this practice was discontinued due to his advanced age.

In 1997, the venerable Mawlana visited Daghestan, the homeland of the venerable Mawlana 'Abd Allah Daghestani. He also made repeated visits to Uzbekistan were he made the pilgrimage to the tomb of the eponymous founder of the Naqshbandi Order, the venerable Imam of the tariqat Khwaja Baha al-Din Shah Naqshband (d.1388CE).

In 1991, the venerable Mawlana visited the United States for the first time and at that time, the venerable Mawlana made the first of four nationwide tours, during the course of which he brought several thousand individuals into the fold of Islam. During his touring of the United States, he appointed numerous representatives throughout the United States, including of course, his son-law Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, a Caliph of Mawlana 'Abd Allah Daghestani, the late Shaykh Mazhar Jamil and in New York, Shaykh Abdul Kerim Kibrisi.

In 1998, the venerable Mawlana traveled to South Africa, accompanied by one of his US representatives and son in-law Shaykh Kabbani and a large contingent of students from around the globe. There he visited Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, in each city giving lectures in mosques filled to capacity. He assigned his representative in South Africa to be Dr. Yusuf DaCosta.

In 2001, the venerable Mawlana made the 2001 "Naqshbandi-Haqqani Eastern World Tour of the Muslim World", starting in Uzbekistan, from where he then traveled to Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In the course of this journey, the venerable Mawlana met with people of all walks of life, from the highest dignitaries and leaders to the common folk. Despite his advanced age, the venerable Mawlana was able to maintain an incredibly hectic schedule of meetings, speeches, dhikr gatherings and spiritual gatherings with little or no rest for a period of forty days and covering a distance of over 15,000 miles.

The venerable Mawlana Shaykh Nazim made his last trip to the United States in 2000, during which he was invited to speak at a United Nations conference on Religion and Spirituality.

In 2003, the venerable Mawlana appointed Sayyid Ahmed Amiruddin as a representative, and in 2007 appointed him Deputy, giving him authority to initiate, guide and establish the tariqat on his behalf and on behalf on the venerable Mawlana 'Abd Allah Daghestani. In Ramadan of 2009, the venerable Mawlana declared Sayyid Ahmed Amiruddin to be 'one of closer ones to Mahdi (alaihi salam)'.

There are numerous representatives of the venerable Mawlana throughout the world in almost every major city of the world, working to implement his mission in their respective areas on his behalf. May Allah be pleased with their service and ikhlas.

Relations with world leaders

The venerable Mawlana has had close relations with several notable politicians, notably the late president of Turkey, Turgut Ozal as well as the president of Turkish Cyprus, Rauf Denktaş. During his travels in Southeast Asia (which began in 1986) he gave his spiritual blessings to His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, His Highness Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X of Yogyakarta and several members of Malaysia’s royal families including His Highness Prince Raja Dato’ Seri Ashman Shah have taken initiation into the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Order at his hand. The venerable Mawlana has also traveled on numerous occasions to India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka where he has been received with great fanfare. The venerable Mawlana has made the pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj) some 27 times.

Due to his advanced age, the venerable Mawlana rarely travels abroad nowadays. He currently resides in his family home in the town of Lefke, Northern Cyprus, where murids from all over the world come to visit him to seek the blessings of his association (sohbet), spiritual gaze (tawajjuh) and support, may Allah sanctify his noble secret!

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		Sultan ul Awliya Khwaja Muhammad Nazim Burhan l-Kurama Ghawthu l-Anam Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani an-Naqshbandi Introduction *Mawlana Shaykh Mehmet Nazim Adil al-Haqqani an-Naqshbandi (Khwaja Muhammad Nazim),* inherited the Naqshbandi Tariqat and its Secret from Mawlana Sultan ul-Awliya Shaykh 'Abd Allah al-Faizi ad-Daghestani, thus making him the 40th Grand Shaykh of the Naqshbandi Tariqat, tracing its lineage and tradition back to the Holy Prophet (S). The venerable Mawlana was born on the 26th of Shabaan, 1340, corresponding to April 23, 1922. His venerable father was a Hasani sherif (sayyid), descending from Ghawth al-Adham Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, and his mother's lineage traced back to the venerable Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, through the family of Mevlana Jalal al-Din Rumi. During his youth, the venerable Mawlana was called upon by elders in his community to perform istikhara for them and would give spiritual advice from a young age, displaying signs of immense spiritual powers. The venerable Mawlana received training, instruction and deputyship in the Qadiri tariqat during his youth, and inherited the Secret of the Mevlavi Tariqat as well, and would initiate people into these orders early in his spiritual career. The venerable Mawlana pursued a degree in chemical engineering at a university in Istanbul , and during his student life, would receive instruction in hadith, Arabic language, fiqh, and tafsir at an evening Madrassah of Dars i-Nizami during the evenings under the tutelage of Shaykh Sulaiman Arzrumi. During this time, the young Mawlana received initiation in the Naqshbandi Tariqat and upon completing his religious at the hands of Shaykh Arzrumi, he was advised by his respected Shaykh, on the order of the the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), to travel to Damascus to find Mawlana Shaykh 'Abd Allah al-Faizi ad-Daghestani who would train the venerable Mawlana in highest level teachings of the Most Distinguished Naqshbandi Tariqat. The venerable Mawlana spent five years in search of Mawlana Shaykh 'Abd Allah ad-Daghestani, and during this time stayed at the mosque and madrassah of Khalid ibn al-Walid in Syria. During this period, he was preparing to meet the venerable Mawlana by engaging in excessive mujahada, at times fasting for days and almost never leaving the mosque, engaging in teaching and learning of religion and worship. Daily, the venerable Mawlana yearned for and sought permission of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaih wa sallam) to meet the venerable Mawlana Shaykh 'Abd Allah. Upon receiving permission, he travelled to Damascus to meet the venerable Mawlana Shaykh 'Abd Allah. Mawlana Shaykh`Abd Allah Daghestani Upon arriving at the doorstep of the venerable Mawlana, the venerable Mawlana Shaykh Nazim was greeted by Mawlana Shaykh 'Abd Allah, who greeted him and initiated him into the Naqshbandi Tariqat he was carrying. Mawlana`s own account of his first meeting with Sultan al-Awliya Mawlana Shaykh Àbd Allah al-Faizi ad-Daghestani is recorded by Shaykh Hisham Kabbani in his book The Naqshbandi Sufi Way in the following words: "I didn't know which house was the Shaykh's. A vision appeared to me at that moment, while standing in the street, that the Shaykh was coming out of his house and calling me inside. That vision ended but I could see no one in the streets. It was empty because of the bombardment by the French and the English. Everyone was afraid, hiding in their houses. I was alone in the streets. I was contemplating in my heart to know which house was the Shaykh's. Then in a vision I saw a specific house with a specific door. I looked until I found that door. As I approached to knock on the door, the Shaykh opened the door. He said, 'Welcome, my son, Nazim Effendi.' "His unusual appearance immediately attracted me. I had never seen such a Shaykh before. Light poured from his face and forehead. Warmth was coming from his heart and from the brilliant smile on his face. He took me upstairs, climbing up to his room telling me, 'We have been waiting for you.'" "In my heart I was completely happy to be with him, but I also had a yearning to visit the city of the Holy Prophet (S). I asked him, 'What shall I do?' He said, 'Tomorrow I will give you your answer. For now, rest.' He offered me dinner and I prayed the Night Prayer with him and slept. In the early morning he woke me for tahajjud (after-midnight) prayer. Never in my life had I felt such power as that in his prayer. I felt myself in the Divine Presence and my heart was more and more attracted to him. "A vision came to me and I saw myself climbing a ladder from our prayer place to the Bayt al-Ma'mur, the Ka`ba of the Heavens, step by step. Every step was a state in which he put me, and in each state I received, in my heart, knowledge that I had never before learned or heard about. Words, phrases and sentences were put together in such a magnificent way, transmitted inside my heart in every state that I had been lifted to, until we reached the Bayt al-Ma'mur. There I saw 124,000 prophets standing in rows for prayers, with Sayyidina Muhammad (S) as Imam. I saw 124,000 Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (S) standing in rows behind them. Then I saw the 7,007 Saints of the Naqshbandi Order standing behind them for prayer. Then I saw 124,000 saints of the other orders, standing in rows for prayers. There was a space left for two people directly on the right side of the twelve imams. Grandshaykh went to that open space and he took me with him and we prayed Dawn Prayer. Never in my life had I experienced the sweetness of that prayer, and when the Prophet Muhammad (S) lead the prayer, the beauty of his recitation was indescribable. It was an experience that no words can describe, because it was a Divine matter. As the prayer ended, the vision ended, and I heard the Shaykh telling me to call the adhan for Fajr." "He prayed the Dawn Prayer and I prayed behind him. Outside I could hear the bombardment of the two armies. He gave me initiation in the Naqshbandi Order and he said to me, 'O my son, we have power that in one second we can make our murid reach his station. As soon as he said that he looked into my heart with his eyes, and as he did so they turned from yellow to red, then to white, then to green and black. The color of his eyes changed as he poured into my heart the knowledge associated with each color. The yellow light was the first and corresponded to the state of the Heart (Qalb). He poured into my heart all kinds of the external knowledge which is necessary for the daily life of people. Then he poured from the stage of the Secret (Sirr), the knowledge of all forty Orders which came from Sayiddina `Ali (r), and I found myself a master in all these Orders. While transmitting the knowledge of this Stage, his eyes were red. The third stage, which is the Secret of the Secret (Sirr as-Sirr), is only permitted for Shaykhs of the Naqshbandi Order, whose imam is Sayyidina Abu Bakr (r). As he poured into my heart from this stage, his eyes were white in color. Then he took me into the Stage of the Hidden (Khafa), the station of hidden spiritual knowledge, where his eyes were changing to green. Then he took me to the Station of Complete Annihilation, the Station of the Most Hidden (Akhfa) where nothing appeared, and the color of his eyes was black. Here he brought me into the presence of Allah. Then he brought me back to existence." Adhan in Arabic Following his meeting Mawlana 'Abd Allah, the venerable Mawlana was advised to return to Cyprus and engage in 'amr bilma'ruf wa nahya 'anil munkar'. Acting on the instructions of the venerable Mawlana 'Abd Allah, the venerable Mawlana Shaykh Nazim returned to Cyprus and during his stay, the venerable Mawlana began defying the unjust laws of the undemocratic government of Cypurs which prohibited the majority Muslim population from pronouncing their daily call to prayer in the Arabic language. The venerable Mawlana was warned on numerous occasions to seize his activities, but refused, and was subsequently arrested. If sentenced, the venerable Mawlana could have faced life imprisonment. However, the day he was to be sentenced, the government was toppled by Adnan Menderes as a punishment (adhab) from Allah Almighty, the law changed in favour the Arabic adhan on the island, and his charges dropped. This was a miracle of the venerable Mawlana Shaykh 'Abd Allah al-Faizi ad-Daghestani. The venerable Mawlana later migrated to Damascus after re-opening Cyprus. There, in Damascus, he lived for over thirty years in service of the venerable Mawlana Shaykh 'Abd Allah al-Faizi ad-Daghestani, and married Hajjah Amina Adil, a spiritually powerful female murid of the venerable Mawlana 'Abd Allah. From her, the venerable Mawlana had two daughters and two sons. His Seclusions During his training, the venerable Mawlana was placed in numerous rigorous and lengthily seclusions by the order of of Mawlana Shaykh 'Abd Allah ad-Daghestani. When he was only 33 years old, he was ordered into seclusion by the venerable Mawlana Shaykh 'Abd Allah ad-Daghestani who told him, “I have received an order from the Prophet for you to make seclusion in the mosque of 'Abd Al Qadir Jilani in Baghdad, Iraq. Go there and make seclusion for six months.” During this seclusion the venerable Mawlana only emerged from his room for the five prayers. Other than that he spent the rest of the day in his cell. The venerable Mawlana was reciting the whole Qur'an daily in nine hours. In addition to that he was reciting 124,000 times the dhikr of 'laa ilaha ill-Allah' and 124,000 times prayers on the Prophet (s) (salawat) and was reading the entire Dalail al-Khayrat [book of devotions] daily. The venerable Mawlana was reciting 313,000 times dhikr of the name 'Allah, Allah' daily, in addition to all the prayers that were assigned to him. Vision after vision appeared to him, which took him from one state to another and give him a state of complete annihilation in the Divine Presence (fana fillah). His Vision of Ghawth al-Adham Mawlana`s account of this seclusion in Baghdad at the mosque of Ghawth al-Adham Shaykh Àbd al-Qadir al-Jilani was recorded in the book The Naqshbandi Sufi Way in the following manner: "One day I had a vision that Sayyidina `Abdul Qadir Jilani was calling me to his grave and he was saying, 'O my son I am waiting for you at my grave. Come!' Immediately I took a shower, prayed two cycles of prayer and I walked to his grave which was only some few feet from my room. When I got there I began contemplating and I said, as-Salam `alayka ya jiddee ('Peace be upon you O my grandfather'). Immediately I saw him come out of the grave and stand beside me. Behind him was a Great Throne decorated with rare stones. He said to me, 'Come with me and sit with me on that throne.' "We sat like a grandfather with his grandson. He was smiling and saying, 'I am happy with you. The station of your Shaykh, `Abdullah al-Fa'iz ad-Daghestani is very high in the Naqshbandi Order. I am your grandfather and I am passing to you now, directly from me, the power that I carry as the Arch-Intercessor and I initiate you now directly into the Qadiri Order.'" When Shaykh Nazim had finished his seclusion and was about to leave, he went to Sayyidina 'Abdul Qadir Jilani's grave to say goodbye. Sayyidina 'Abdul Qadir Jilani appeared in the flesh to him and said, "O my son. I am very happy with the states you have reached in the Naqshbandi Order. I am renewing your initiation to me through the Qadiri Order." Sayyidina `Abdul Qadir Jilani then said, "O my grandson, I am going to give you a token of your visit." He hugged him and gave him ten coins. Those coins were from the time he was living in, not from our time. Up until today, Shaykh Nazim has kept those coins with him. Before he left, Shaykh Nazim gave the Shaykh who had served him during the seclusion, his jubba (cloak) as a remembrance. He told him, "I used that cloak during all of my seclusion, either as a mat to sleep on, or as a dress when praying and making dhikr. Keep it and Allah will bless you and Sayyidina Muhammad (s) will bless you and all the Masters of this Order will bless you." The Shaykh took the cloak, kissed it, and wore it. Shaykh Nazim left Baghdad and went back to Damascus, Syria. In 1992, when Shaykh Nazim was visiting Lahore, Pakistan, he visited the tomb of Shaykh `Ali Hujwiri. The Shaykh of the Qadiri Order invited him to his house, and Shaykh Nazim spent the night there. At Fajr time, the Shaykh said, "O my Shaykh, I kept you here tonight to show you a very precious cloak, that we have inherited 27 years ago. It was passed from one great Shaykh of the Qadiri Order to another from Baghdad, and finally it reached us. All our Shaykhs have kept it and preserved it, because it was the personal cloak (jubba) of the Ghawth of his time. "A Turkish Shaykh of the Naqshbandi Order kept seclusion in the mosque and tomb of Sayyidina 'Abdul Qadir Jilani. When that Shaykh finished his seclusion he gave the cloak as a present to a Qadiri Shaykh who had served him during his seclusion. That Qadiri Shaykh, before he passed away, ordered his successors to take great care of that cloak, because if anyone wears it, he will be healed of any illness. Any seeker wearing that cloak, in his path to the Divine Presence, will be lifted easily to high states of Vision." He opened the closet and revealed the cloak preserved in a glass case. He opened the case and took the jubba out. Shaykh Nazim was smiling. The Shaykh asked him, "What is it my Shaykh?" Shaykh Nazim said, "This brings me great happiness. This is the cloak I gave to the Qadiri Shaykh at the conclusion of my khalwat." When the Shaykh heard this he kissed the hand of Shaykh Nazim, asked to renew his initiation in the Qadiri Order and to take initiation in the Naqshbandi Order. Allah takes good care of his saints, wherever they go, by means of his sincere and beloved servants. Worldwide Missionary Work In the year following the passing of the venerable Mawlana 'Abd Allah in 1973, the venerable Mawlana Shaykh Nazim began visiting Western Europe, traveling every year from the Middle East to London. On his return trips to Damascus, he would often drive by car through the former Yugoslavia, spending time visiting the Muslim communities there. It became his practice to spend the month of Ramadan in the large centre established in London. In 2000 this practice was discontinued due to his advanced age. In 1997, the venerable Mawlana visited Daghestan, the homeland of the venerable Mawlana 'Abd Allah Daghestani. He also made repeated visits to Uzbekistan were he made the pilgrimage to the tomb of the eponymous founder of the Naqshbandi Order, the venerable Imam of the tariqat Khwaja Baha al-Din Shah Naqshband (d.1388CE). In 1991, the venerable Mawlana visited the United States for the first time and at that time, the venerable Mawlana made the first of four nationwide tours, during the course of which he brought several thousand individuals into the fold of Islam. During his touring of the United States, he appointed numerous representatives throughout the United States, including of course, his son-law Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, a Caliph of Mawlana 'Abd Allah Daghestani, the late Shaykh Mazhar Jamil and in New York, Shaykh Abdul Kerim Kibrisi. In 1998, the venerable Mawlana traveled to South Africa, accompanied by one of his US representatives and son in-law Shaykh Kabbani and a large contingent of students from around the globe. There he visited Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, in each city giving lectures in mosques filled to capacity. He assigned his representative in South Africa to be Dr. Yusuf DaCosta. In 2001, the venerable Mawlana made the 2001 "Naqshbandi-Haqqani Eastern World Tour of the Muslim World", starting in Uzbekistan, from where he then traveled to Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In the course of this journey, the venerable Mawlana met with people of all walks of life, from the highest dignitaries and leaders to the common folk. Despite his advanced age, the venerable Mawlana was able to maintain an incredibly hectic schedule of meetings, speeches, dhikr gatherings and spiritual gatherings with little or no rest for a period of forty days and covering a distance of over 15,000 miles. The venerable Mawlana Shaykh Nazim made his last trip to the United States in 2000, during which he was invited to speak at a United Nations conference on Religion and Spirituality. In 2003, the venerable Mawlana appointed Sayyid Ahmed Amiruddin as a representative, and in 2007 appointed him Deputy, giving him authority to initiate, guide and establish the tariqat on his behalf and on behalf on the venerable Mawlana 'Abd Allah Daghestani. In Ramadan of 2009, the venerable Mawlana declared Sayyid Ahmed Amiruddin to be 'one of closer ones to Mahdi (alaihi salam)'. There are numerous representatives of the venerable Mawlana throughout the world in almost every major city of the world, working to implement his mission in their respective areas on his behalf. May Allah be pleased with their service and ikhlas. Relations with world leaders The venerable Mawlana has had close relations with several notable politicians, notably the late president of Turkey, Turgut Ozal as well as the president of Turkish Cyprus, Rauf Denktaş. During his travels in Southeast Asia (which began in 1986) he gave his spiritual blessings to His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, His Highness Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X of Yogyakarta and several members of Malaysia’s royal families including His Highness Prince Raja Dato’ Seri Ashman Shah have taken initiation into the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Order at his hand. The venerable Mawlana has also traveled on numerous occasions to India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka where he has been received with great fanfare. The venerable Mawlana has made the pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj) some 27 times. Due to his advanced age, the venerable Mawlana rarely travels abroad nowadays. He currently resides in his family home in the town of Lefke, Northern Cyprus, where murids from all over the world come to visit him to seek the blessings of his association (sohbet), spiritual gaze (tawajjuh) and support, may Allah sanctify his noble secret!