Sultan-ul awliya Mawlana sheikh Nazim Adil Haqqani Ar-Rabbani (قـدس الله سره) was the successor of Grand Sheikh Abdullah Faiz Dagestani (قـدس الله سره). Sultanim was born on 21 April 1922 in the Gregorian calendar in Cyprus, his lineage traces back to Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (قـدس الله سره) through his paternal Grandfather Shaykh Yesilbas Hussayn al-Qadiri (قـدس الله سره) and Mawlana Jalal-Ud-Din Rumi (قـدس الله سره) through his maternal grandfather Shaykh Kaytazzade Mehmet Nazim (قـدس الله سره) who he was named after.
After finishing school in Cyprus, a young Shaykh Nazim (قـدس الله سره) 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 (قـدس الله سره) and received ijaza from him. He also took initiation into the Naqshbandi Tariqa from Shaykh Sulayman Arzarumi (قـدس الله سره) who eventually sent him to Syria in search of the renowned Wali of the epoch, Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani (قـدس الله سره) , who held the secrets of the Naqshbandiyya.
Mawlana then left his homeland and headed towards the Middle East, where he sought the company of Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani (قـدس الله سره) . He spent 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 (radiallahu anhu) in Hims under its great Ulema and obtained ijaza in Hanafi Fiqh from Shaykh Muhammad ‘Ali ‘Uyun al-Sud (قـدس الله سره) and Shaykh ‘Abd al-Jalil Murad(قـدس الله سره) and was given ijaza in hadith from the Muhaddith – Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Muhammad ‘Ali ‘Uyun al-Sud al-Hanafi (قـدس الله سره).
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Muhammad ‘Ali ‘Uyun al-Sud al-Hanafi (قـدس الله سره) is one of the ten great hadith teachers of the late, Shaykh al-Islam ‘Abd Allah Siraj al-Din who met Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani (قـدس الله سره) in 1959 and gave bay’a to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim during the his last visit to him in Aleppo in 2001.
Sultanim also studied under Shaykh Sa’id al-Siba’i (قـدس الله سره) who sent him to Damascus after receiving a sign related to the coming of Mawlana Shaykh ‘Abd Allah al-Daghestani (قـدس الله سره) to Syria. After his initial arrival in Syria from Dagestan in the late thirties, Mawlana Shaykh ‘Abd Allah (قـدس الله سره)mlived mostly in Damascus but often visited Aleppo and Hims. In the city he got to know Shaykh Sa’id al-Siba’I (قـدس الله سره) 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 (قـدس الله سره) replied to him, “That student belongs to us; send him over!” That student was Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (قـدس الله سره) who came to Damascus and gave his bay’a to Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani (قـدس الله سره) between 1941 and 1943.
Before his passing from this temporary abode, Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Daghestani (قـدس الله سره) made a will and appointed Shaykh Nazim Adil Al Haqqani (قـدس الله سره) as his Caliph and Successor. 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 (Golden chain) of the Naqshbandi Tariqah and that people take Shaykh Nazim al Haqqani (قـدس الله سره) as their Murshid in his place, who would now connect them to the Naqshbandi Masters.
Since then, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (قـدس الله سره) in addition to his travels towards the East began frequenting the West regularly, conveying to Europeans and Americans the spiritual and peaceful message of Islam and its mystical teaching and wisdom as taught by the Naqshbandi Masters. Mashallah, since then after rigorous training from sheikh Abdallah al Faiz Dagestani (قـدس الله سره) and undergoing various seclusions and many other forms of spiritual training under his murshid, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani (قـدس الله سره) dedicated his entire life to Defending Truth (HAQQ) and engaged in constant ascetic worship of his Lord, which gave him the title ‘Haqqani’ the one who is upon the truth.
His spirituality attracted and still attract hundreds if not 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( subhaana wa ta’ala) , 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 people having taken the Naqshbandi Order through him both directly and indirectly and more than 10,000 people having embraced Islam through him. On the 7th of May 2014, our master Mawlana sheikh Nazim (قـدس الله سره) was veiled from this Dunya and As such, it is our prayer that Allah Most Majestic raises his maqam higher and allow us to benefit from the barakah and teachings that he has left with us through our living murshid, Mawlana sheikh Mehmet.
