Obituary: Sheikh Mahmud Effendi (Rahimahullah) [1929 – 2022]

[ummtaalib]

 

Wednesday the 22^nd June 2022/ 21^st Zul Qa’dah 1443, marked the sad demise of Sheikh Mahmud Effendi (Rahimahullah), one of the most well-renowned scholars of Turkey. Sheikh Effendi dedicated his life to the re-establishment of Islam in Turkey and he was the means that Allah Ta’ala used for bringing millions of the Turkish population back on the path of Deen.

 

Sheikh Effendi became a hafiz at the tender age of six. He began studying Arabic and Persian at first, and then went on to study the Islamic Sciences and graduated at the young age of sixteen. Sheikh Effendi was appointed Imam of the Ismail Agha mosque in Istanbul in 1954, where he remained until he retired in 1996.

 

Upon the demise of his spiritual mentor, Shaikh Ali Haydar Effendi, he took upon himself the task of spiritual guiding and advising his community to live their life in the obedience of Allah and upon the beloved teachings of Nabi (sallallahu’alayhi wasallam).

 

In addition to travelling to every region in Turkey, Sheikh Effendi also travelled to the Middle East, Central Asia, India and Europe in an attempt to call people to the beautiful religion of Islam and the truth. Whenever possible, he would visit Makkah and Madinah every year to perform Hajj, and once a year to perform Umrah.

 

In April 2011, he performed a spectacular Umrah, together with over 50,000 of his followers – something like this had not been witnessed for centuries.

 

Sheikh Effendi’s outstanding knowledge of the Sunnah, his profound knowledge of the sciences of the Shariah and his Islamic demeanour as a whole made great impressions on both the scholars and the laymen of the Islamic world whom he met during his journeys and on their visits to him.

 

The most notable work of Sheikh Effendi is the work of translating Qur’an to into the Turkish language, named Qur’an Majeed. Another voluminous work by Sheikh Effendi is the Tafseer of the Qur’an in Turkish named Rouhul Furqaan. 

 

May Allah Ta’ala accept Sheikh Effendi’s efforts in the service of Islam and grant that his legacy of knowledge remains in perpetuity as a continuous reward for him. May Allah Ta’ala grant him the highest of stages in Jannatul Firdaus and admit him in the company of His chosen servants, Ameen.

 

Jamiatul Ulama (KZN)
Council of Muslim Theologians