Aydoğan Fuat, formally referred to as Shaykh Abdul Kerim al-Qubrusi ( tr, Şeyh Abdülkerim Kıbrısî), was an American Sufi Sheikh of

Turkish Cypriot Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( tr, Kıbrıs Türkleri or ''Kıbrıslı Türkler''; el, Τουρκοκύπριοι, Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,0 ...

origin and former representative of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Order in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, under the leader

Nazim Al-Haqqani Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil Al-Qubrusi Al-Haqqani (qaddas Allahu sirruhu) (born Mehmet Nâzım Âdil; 21 April 1922 – 7 May 2014) ( tr, Şeyh Muhammed Nâzım Âdil El-Kıbrısî Hakkanî), commonly known as Shaykh Nazim ( tr, Şeyh Nâzım ...

Early years

Abdülkerim was born to Fuat (later Fuat Savaşkan), a

dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...

known in ''

tariqat A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking ''haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth". ...

'' circles as

Hajji Hajji ( ar, الحجّي; sometimes spelled Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since i ...

Fuad ar-Rabbani. He attended the ''

khutbah ''Khutbah'' ( ar, خطبة ''khuṭbah'', tr, hutbe) serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition. Such sermons occur regularly, as prescribed by the teachings of all legal schools. The Islamic traditio ...

'' by Shaykh Nazim at

Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque ( tr, Lala Mustafa Paşa Camii), originally known as the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas and later as the Saint Sophia (Ayasofya) Mosque of Mağusa, is the largest medieval building in Famagusta, Cyprus. Built between 129 ...

in Famagusta and later became a disciple. In November 1973, he joined the

Turkish Resistance Organisation The Turkish Resistance Organisation ( tr, Türk Mukavemet Teşkilatı, TMT) was a Turkish Cypriot pro- taksim paramilitary organisation formed by Rauf Denktaş and Turkish military officer Rıza Vuruşkan in 1958 as an organisation to counter t ...

and fought around

Varosha, Famagusta Varosha ( el, Βαρώσια, ; tr, Maraş or ''Kapalı Maraş'') is the southern quarter of the Famagusta, a ''de jure'' territory of Cyprus, currently under the control of Northern Cyprus. Varosha has a population of 226 in the 2011 Nor ...

during the

Turkish invasion of Cyprus The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and progressed in two phases over the following month. Taking place upon a background of intercommunal violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, and in response to a Greek junta-s ...

in 1974. Through his life he served under Shaykh Nazim, becoming his representative in North America and throughout the world.

In the United States

In 1974, Shaykh Nazim commissioned Abdülkerim to found a Naqshbandi-Haqqani branch in the United States. He undertook charity work in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, mostly rehabilitation of drug addicts. In 2002, he founded the ''Osmanlı Dergâhı'', a '' zawiya'' located in Catskill Mountains, New York. Shaykh Abdul Kerim converted a barn to a Sufi Dergah in the Ottoman tradition. Prayers are held five times a day with special services on Fridays. The Sufi center concentrates on Sufi Zikr (remembrance) with ceremonies every Thursday night and provides outreach to the surrounding community of

Sidney, New York Sidney is a town in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 5,774 at the 2010 census. The town is at the northwestern corner of the county and contains the village of Sidney. History The town was formed in 1801 from the t ...

. In the words of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, "He stood up against unbelief. Only one man, and in the US also, another center of unbelief. He also taught them their lesson and limits!"

Death

Abdülkerim died of

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

during a visit to his ''dargah'' in Lefka. He is interred at the Ottoman Cemetery in Famagusta, Northern Cyprus.Osmanli.us
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qubrusi, Abdul Kerim 1957 births 2012 deaths People from Paphos District American people of Turkish Cypriot descent Cypriot emigrants to the United States American Sunni Muslims American Sufis Turkish monarchists