Many years ago, my husband’s friend and Sufi Sheikh Imam Feisal Rauf introduced me to Sufi zikr (rememberance of our Creator) and other practices from a Moroccon Sufi order. I experimented with regular zikr and it helped me decide that I would learn and practice as much about Sufism as I could, as I came to believe that Sufism is the heart of Islam. Not the Islam the Western media selectively portrays, but the true Islam that I know from my childhood and my family upbringing.
And then my aunt Hafiz Butt told me about Jerrahi Mosque founded 40 years ago by Tosun “Baba” (father) as he is affectionately called by his followers, i.e. dervaishes, and even non-dervaishes like me. I could not believe that within a few miles of my house I would come to be near this noble teacher, who accomplished so much for Islam, for humanity, for his followers and for all of us that had the amazing opportunity to be around him. Not only was he a giant spiritual guide, but he had lived an amazing life as an artist, working and traveling all around the world, before devoting himself to Islam ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosun_Bayrak). Going to Friday prayers became a regular practice for me and my husband, and miraculously, I even got a job even closer to the mosque than my house for 8 years! During Ramadan we would go every day to join the Jerrahi community for iftar (fast-breaking) and late night prayers. It became my oasis of peace, and my place to remember what Islam truly is, and to learn how to practice it in my day-to-day life. Tosun Baba’s lectures were always worldly yet spiritual, human yet transcendent, and his devotion to Prophet Muhammad was deep and moving, something we can only aspire to.
I even tried to be a dervaish. What does it mean to be a dervaish? It means you work on serving others totally, and annihilating your “nafs” (ego). The dervaishes of Jerrahi mosque cook, serve, clean, organize, plan every prayer, every Saturday gathering, every Friday prayer, every Eid prayer and every single Ramadan iftar and prayer for 30 days, and much much more. They participate in local community services, e.g. feeding the homeless in that part of New York State, gathering funds and supplies for victims of natural and man-made disasters around the world. The Youth Group regulary makes trips to needy areas, such as Haiti, Iraq, etc. to organize relief, to build homes, etc.
This community was totally created by Tosun Baba guided by Jerrahi Order and its leadership. He taught until his last sermon about being humble and serving God by serving others. He wrote a letter 2 weeks before his death on Feb. 15, 2018, that I will not be with you, but do not forget to always be humble and to conquer your nafs. This is so in line with true Sufi teachings and practice as one could hear by listening to scholars like Omid Safi and others. And here I got to see it in practice day in day out. In the end, I found that I could not officially become a dervaish, due to my family and community activities, but my heart continues to admire, to support and to learn from these noble humans. The two key lessons that will always guide me is how to serve others and make your ego irrelevant, and how to build unity and community by connecting with others.
As Islam always teaches us, life is beautiful and making life beautiful is also a service, a form of thanks to God. In that spirit, the center itself is built simply, yet connected to nature and majestic at the same time. There are carpets from the East, beautiful tiles from Turkey, giant plants and greenery in the prayer space and the most amazing collection of books and calligraphy! I love the book case which I regularly raid to borrow a book or two, not just on Sufism, but Islam as a whole, Muslim countries and cultures, history, politics, etc. and of course many types of Qurans (with or without translation in different languages). The regular Saturday night zikr, preserved as it was in Ottoman times, is another beautiful experience and amazing display of “Adab” (manners and ritual) in rememberance of God.
We have been going to the mosque for 4 nights in a row ending in the noon prayer and funeral today, which laid him to rest on the grounds of the mosque itself- such a blessing for us all! The number of global visitors from Canada, Americas, Turkey astounded those of us who had seen large gatherings on Eid. Streams of white-capped men, green scarved women- a sign of being a dervaish, mixed in with peoples from all nations and races came to pay their respect. It was a beautiful farewell, on a sunny day after a night of snow, and as I saw the coffin lifted and led to the grave, I prayed for Tosun Bayrak and thanked God that I knew him and that he graced our community for so long. I also thanked God that I now know the Jerrahi Order and will always be part of it as the new sheikh leads this noble community. As Uder Baba reminded us, death is not an ending, it is a parting. Allah is great.
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