Abdullah al-Faiz ad-Daghistani (), was the 39th Shaykh in the Naqshbandi Haqqani Silsila.

Early life

He was born in the North Caucasian region of

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...

, then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, in 1891.'The Naqshbandi Sufi Way' by Hisham Kabbani. KAZI Publications, 1995. Both his father and elder brother were medical doctors, the latter being a surgeon in the Imperial Russian Army. Shaykh Abdullah was raised and trained by his maternal uncle, Shaykh Sharafuddin Daghistani (1875–1936).

George Gurdjieff George Ivanovich Gurdjieff ( – 29 October 1949) was a philosopher, mystic, spiritual teacher, composer, and movements teacher. Born in the Russian Empire, he briefly became a citizen of the First Republic of Armenia after its formation in 1 ...

visited him for a meeting regarding the Enneagram.

Move to Ottoman Turkey

In the late 1890s Shaykh Abdullah's family emigrated to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, following his uncle, Shaykh Sharafuddin who had emigrated in the 1870s. They settled in the northwestern Anatolian city of

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

and after a year moved to the village of Reşadiye, now known as Güneyköy, in

Yalova Province Yalova Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province in northwestern Turkey, on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara. Its adjacent provinces are Bursa Province, Bursa to the south and Kocaeli Province, Kocaeli to the east. Its area is 798 ...

, Turkey. The new village was established on land granted by the sultan and was populated by Daghistani refugees affected by the War of '93 and the uprising against the

. Shortly thereafter, Shaykh Abdullah's father died, and at the age of 15 he married a Daghistani named Halima.

Training in Sufism

In 1910, after merely six months of marriage, Shaykh Sharafuddin ordered Abdullah into a Sufi seclusion ('' khalwa'') for five years. This practice included severe austerities that were intended to raise his spiritual rank. When Abdullah returned to secular life the Ottoman Empire was embroiled in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Along with many young men of his village, Abdullah entered military service and took part in the Battle of Gallipoli. During a firefight he was severely wounded by enemy fire. In 1921, Abdullah was instructed by Shaykh Sharafuddin to enter another five years seclusion. He completed this and was then granted a license, or ''

ijazah An ''ijazah'' (, "permission", "authorization", "license"; plural: ''ijazahs'' or ''ijazat'') is a license authorizing its holder to transmit a certain text or subject, which is issued by someone already possessing such authority. It is particul ...

'', to be a master, or shaykh, in the Naqshbandi order.

Interlude in Egypt

Because of anti-Sufi regulations in the new Turkish Republic, Shaykh Abdullah began to contemplate leaving the country. After the death of Shaykh Sharafuddin in 1936, a delegation came to Rashadiya (''Reşadiye'') from King Farouk to pay their condolences, as he had many followers in Egypt. One of Shaykh Abdullah's daughters married a member of the delegation. Shaykh Abdullah and the family then moved to Egypt, though they would remain there for only half a year as the marriage soon ended in divorce.

Life in Syria

Following his daughter's divorce, Shaykh Abdullah and his family then moved to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

where he would remain for the rest of his life. He resided for a time in

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

, moved to

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

and then finally to

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

near the tomb of saint Sa'd ad-Din Jibawi. There, he established the first tekke for his branch of the Naqshbandi order. In 1943, he moved to a house on Jabal Qasioun mountain. The house was bought by his first Syrian

murid In Sufism, a (Arabic ) is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title , or . A or Sufi follower only becomes a when he makes a pledge () to a . The equivalent Pers ...

and later one of his deputies in the Sufi order, Shaykh Husayn Ifrini. This house is now the site of his burial shrine and its adjoining mosque.

Death

Shaykh Abdullah passed away on September 30, 1973, in

. His grave and burial shrine are in Damascus,

, at the site of his former home and mosque on '' Jabal Qasioun'' mountain.

Notable followers

Among his notable followers are Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani, Shaykh Hisham al Kabbani, Shaykh Adil Mehmet, Husayn Ifrini and Shaykh Adnan Kabbani. His student and successor, Shaykh Nazim, continued to carry on the spread of Shaykh Abdullah's teachings around the world.

References

External links

Media Library and Live Broadcast of the Haqqani Golden Chain Sheikh Nazim's Official Naqshbandi Journal - Exclusive Talks & Webcast as instructed by Sheikh Nazim Al-Haqqani himself
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daghistani, Abdullah ad- 1891 births 1973 deaths Russian Muslims Russian Sufis Naqshbandi order