Mystical Secrets of the Last Days
Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani is the world leader of the most distinguished Naqshbandi order of Sufis. Shaykh Nazim is both a scholar of the Divine Law, being the mufti of Turkish Cyprus, as well s the Shaykh of the Way (tariqah).A resident of Turkish Cyprus, he was born in Larnaca, Cyprus on April 23, 1922. He is a descendant of the family of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and the mercy of God be upon him, on both his mother and his father's side, being both a Hasani and Husayni Sayyid. On his father's side, he is a descendant of Sayyid Abdul Qadir Gilani, the founder of the Qadiri Sufi order and n his mother's side, his ancestry comes from Jalal al-Din Rumi, the founder of the Mawlawi Sufi order.Shaykh Nazim finished high school in Cyprus in 1940. He then traveled to Istanbul for higher education. He studied at the University of Istanbul, completing an MA in Chemical Engineering. During his years in Istanbul, he also completed the requirements of the Divine Law and Arabic language. He received his permission from Shaykh Jamal al-Lassuni. Shaykh Nazim then directed his attention to the study of the spiritual path of seven Sufi orders: Naqshbandi, Chishti, Qadiri, Mawlawi, Rifai, Shadhili and Badawi. He then increased his study of the Naqshbandi order under his shaykh at that time, Sulayman Arzurumi. After a few years. Shaykh Sulayman told him, O my son, the one who is carrying your secrets is not me, but my spiritual teacher who migrated from Daghistan to Turkey and who is now residing in Damascus in the Median district. He is known as the Master of the Golden Chain of the Naqshbandi order in our time.Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani then moved to Syria. On the way to Damascus, he first visited Aleppo, Hama and Homs. In Homs, under the direction of his Shaykh, stayed for one year in seclusion in the mosque and tomb of the famous Companion of the Prophet, Khalid ibn Walid. There he received more intensive instruction in the Divine Law, the Traditions and the Science of the Quran under the Shaykhs Muhammad Ali Uyun as-Suud, Abdul Aziz Uyun as-Suud, mufti of Homs, Abdul Jalil Murad and Sayyid as-Subai, who are all Naqshbandi shaykhs as well as famous scholars of the Traditions and religious scholars of the Divine Law.In 1944 he moved to Tripoli, Lebanon, where he was the guest of Shaykh Munir al-Malik, the mufti of northern Lebanon and Shaykh of the Qadir, Rifai and Naqshbandi Sufi orders. In 1945 he went from Tripoli to Damascus to Hai al-Midan where he finally met Shaykh Abdullah ad-Daghistan an-Naqshbandi. He stayed with his Grand Shaykh until his Grand Shaykh passed away on October 4, 1973. During that period of almost forty years, Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani continued to receive the heavenly foundation of spiritual knowledge which poured forth from the heart of Shaykh Abdullah ad-Daghistani into his heart.Shaykh Nazim continuously traveled to the Middle East and Turkey during these 40 years. Upon the death of his Grand Shaykh and by his spiritual order, he enlarged his scope of travel to include Europe, America and the Far East. He established hundreds of centers all over the world, spreading Islam together with Sufi spiritual knowledge which has brought hundreds of thousands of converts to Islam. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he is the mujaddid of this century as was Sayyid Abdul Qadir Gilani, in his time; Shah Bahaudin Naqshband, in his time; Sayyid Ahmad al-Faruqi, in his time; and Jalal al-Din Rumi, in his time.Shaykh Nazim carries the secret of seven Sufi orders: Naqshband, Chishti, Qadiri, Mawlana, Rifai, Shadhili and Badawi, through a chain of authorization from his master, Shaykh Abdullah ad-Daghistani, through the chain of 39 Grand Shaykhs linking him to the Prophet.He has entered many seclusions during his lifetime ranging in duration from 40 days