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Sheikh Nazim Kibrisi, leader of world famous Nakshibendi Tarikat/Sufi Order…has over 1 million followers… Sheikh Nazim graduated from Istanbul University from the Chemical Engineering Department…He shares his experiences of his journey to become a sheikh, his life, and his sufi order with Denge Magazine.
Sheikh Nazim Kibrisi was born in Larnaca, Cyprus on April 21, 1922. He is known as "Kibrisi". His paternal origins extend to Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, founder of the Qadiri Sufi Order and his maternal origins extend back to Maulana Jalalluddin Rumi, founder of the Mawlawi Sufi Order. As a child, he was taught the discipline and spirituality of the Qadiri Sufi Order by his grandfather, who was also a sheikh.
Sheikh Nazim Kibrisi studied Chemical Engineering at Istanbul University
Sheikh Nazim went to Istanbul to study at the university in 1940. While studying chemical engineering he knew that modern sciences were not enough for him so he focused more on the spiritual sciences.
He went to Damascus to find Sheikh Abdullah Daghestani
Sheikh Nazim would frequently go to Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque) for worship. There he was tutored by the sheikhs he met. After witnessing an open sign he went to Damascus, which was under French invasion, to find Sheikh Abdullah Daghestani. In 1945 he reached Damascus to see a deserted city due to the French and British bombings. After finding Sheikh Abdullah Dagistani, Sheikh Nazim learned the highest level of spirituality and returned to Cyprus upon the Sheikh Dagistani's request.
The incarceration of Sheikh Nazim for making the call to prayer in the original Arabic…
Around the end of World War II many restrictions were brought to the religion of Islam and prayers had to be performed in Turkish. After a difficult day journey by boat, Sheikh Nazim reached Cyprus from Damascus. The first thing he did was go to a mosque and make the call for prayer (adhan) in Arabic. He was immediately arrested for this and jailed for one week. After his release, he went to Selimiye Mosque in Nicosia and made the call to prayer in Arabic again. Sheikh Nazim went all over Cyprus to different mosques and continued to make the call in Arabic. As a result Sheikh Nazim attracted much attention from the government and was charged with 114 cases.
Prime Minister Menderes dismissed the cases
The day Sheikh Nazim was to be tried in court coincided with elections in Turkey. Adnan Menderes was announced prime minister and the first thing Menderes did was to allow prayers and adhan to be performed in their original form. This dismissed the cases against Sheikh Nazim Kibrisi and he was released.
Marriage at 28 in Damascus
Sheikh Nazim Kibrisi organized pilgrimage (Hajj) visits from Cyprus and started spreading Islam and spirituality in his country. In 1950, he went to Damascus again and settled. He married Hajja Amina. They have two sons and two daughters. However, upon Sheikh Abdullah Dagestani's request he enters into seclusion (halvet) where he stays in meditation and in isolation, away from his family, for six months.
10,000 people convert to Islam in America
Sheikh Nazim traveled the world to spread Islam show people the right way. 1974, the trips began with Europe and never stopped. In 1986, Sheikh Kibrisi went to the Far East where he was greeted with joy by sultans, presidents, and the people. After the Far East, he went to America in 1991. In North America, Sheikh Nazim opened many centers for the Nakshibendi Sufi Order and helped over 10 thousand people to become Muslims.
North Cyprus, known for its casino tourism, is a religious tourism hot spot…
At the Dergah in Lefke, world renowned Nakshibendi Sufi Order leader Sheikh Nazim Kibrisi greets those who visit him with great hospitality and gives discourses on specific days. Kibrisi has well over 1 million followers and people from all over the world come to Cyprus to see him. North Cyprus is primarily known for its gambling tourism, however, it is one of the head locations for religious tourism…
How would you evaluate North Cyprus' current situation?
- In Cyprus and Turkey we have been saying that Turkey is the motherland of Cyprus. However, in 1924, Turkey disowned Cyprus with the Lausanne Treaty. Turkey did not act like a "mother"land. It did not show motherhood nor did it show fatherhood to us… The Kingdom of Britain took over our rights. So now how does Turkey become our motherland? Okay, why they did not remove this article in the Lausanne Treaty? Let us know why and we will be able to figure out if Turkey is our father or our mother. Turkey put us to the door and said 'face the consequences by yourself.'
"The Young Turks tried to turn us into Greek descendents"…
- After the Greeks revolted, England declared that there are two communities living in Cyprus. The first "Ottoman" and the second "Orthodox", meaning the Greek-Cypriots. We are the sole community in the world carrying the Ottoman identity because Turkey can not claim any ownership. They can not give passports only fake, made up passports. We are Ottoman because that is the name used in reference to us in the Lausanne Treaty. The Cypriot community applied all the revolutionary reforms of Turkey and followed the Ottomans living abroad. The Turkish-Cypriot community was divided into two: the Ottomans and the Young Turks (Jön Türk). After 1924, there existed an Islamic and a Young Turk community. So the as Turks we were divided into two and the fights continued. The Young Turks did everything possible to destroy the Islamic front.
Is the Turkish-Cypriot community knowledgeable and have a general awareness in religion or is there a weakness? Now that we are entering into the month of Ramadan, what are your thoughts?
- All of the revolutionary reforms were implemented here now we have nothing remnant of Islam left. The Young Turks tried to make us out to be Greek descendants. The Islamic front became so weakened that it was hard to find a 'muezzin' (one who makes the call to prayer). Islamic schools (medrese) were shut down. For example, think of this: if the school educating and training future doctors is shut down and if you get rid of all remaining doctors one by one who will take care of the ill? After 1928, not a single medrese, old fashioned school, old fashioned clothing nor anything that would show our identity was left. Because of these people such a youth has appeared that they do not know what they are. Let them ask their elders, their fathers, their grandfathers, "what are we, who are we?". During the second world war the Young Turks occupied Cyprus and they forced the 'adhan' to be called in Turkish. They did everything, worked very hard to corrupt Islam.
When we asked Sheikh Nazim Kibrisi, "what happened to those who corrupted religion?" With a slight smile he replied…
- A trench has become all of their home.
How are you with the politicians in Cyprus?
- They do not know what I know, and I know what they do not. I am not a man that does not know. I read and saw everything. Who ever wants may come… priest, judge, commander, general. I have words to say.
Is it true that President Rauf Denktas is a friend of yours?
- Denktas is two years younger than me. I was born in 1922, Denktas in 1924… We went to elementary school together. Denktas was the principal at Hakim Sakir Efendi School. He specifically sat Denktas next to me and said, "O Denktas, this man is intelligent and very smart. He will watch over and take care of you. So you just sit next to him".
Denktas would say:
- "O Captain (Sheikh Nazim Kibrisi), they sat me next to you because they think you are slow but they think we both are slow. At the end of the day, they'll kick us both out of this country.
[Denge Magazine, September 2007]
