Tosun Bayrak

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Tosun Bayrak
Born
Tosun Bekir Bayraktaroğlu[1]

(1926-01-21)January 21, 1926[2]
Istanbul, Turkey
DiedFebruary 15, 2018(2018-02-15) (aged 92), New York, United States
Occupation(s)Sufi sheikh, writer, translator, artist
SpouseJean Linder Bayrak
Websitejerrahi.org
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Sheikh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti (January 21, 1926 – 15 February 2018) was an author, artist, translator and

Sufi. He served as a government official in Ankara, Honorary Consul of Turkey in Morocco and was the Sheikh of the Jerrahi Order in America.[3] He died on February 15, 2018.[4]

Biography

Early life

Bayrak was born in

Biological Sciences at Robert College, graduating in 1945.[5] It was during his time in college that he first became exposed to Islam as a living practice, lodging on weekends with his aunt who prayed five times a day and fasted during Ramadan.[6]

Bayrak later went on to study

History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London. While in London, he was an associate of poet Can Yücel and former Prime Minister of Turkey Bülent Ecevit.[6] He received a Masters in Fine Arts from Rutgers University.[5]

Sufism

In 1970 Bayrak met

2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt.[6]

“Service should be from the moment you are born until the moment you give your last breath, but you have to find out in what way. That's what's most important. We have to find out in what manner we are supposed to serve.” [10]

In response to the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks, which ended as Bayrak was planning a Friday sermon, he declared that the perpetrators were insane, not Muslims, and opposed the key teachings of Islam.[11] Bayrak died in New York on 15 February 2018 at the age of 92.[5]

Works

Artistry

Bayrak taught art and art history at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he helped to establish the Fine Arts Division.[6] His work was exhibited widely in the United States,[3] and he became a Guggenheim fellow in 1965.[6][12] He retired from the art world in the 1970s and devoted his life to the study and teaching of Islam and Sufism.

“Both my wife and I were artists, and we felt very strongly that it was feeding our egos. Art, art exhibitions, and the consequences of being accepted and successful are incredible food for your ego, which is the Sufi's enemy. The final straw was when we went to Rome to visit a friend, a sculptor, and there was a very pretty young girl there whom my friend introduced me to. And she was so adoring to me. She said, "Ohhh, I know you. I love your art." She was completely praising me, and I saw the ego suddenly rise up and say, "Aha! This beautiful, spiritual girl is telling you that you are a great artist." So I said, "Oh, my God! That's it. It's over." I hit the ego on the head and decided I was finished with it all.[10]

Translation

Bayrak translated dozens of books on Islamic spirituality, but he was particularly known for his efforts on the works of the Sufi mystic

Imam Birgivi's The Path of Muhammad.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sufi". timas.com.tr.
  2. ^ Amerika'da Bir Türk [1], p.19
  3. ^ a b "The Tree of Being". Archived from the original on May 16, 2008.
  4. ^ US, Alaturka (February 21, 2018). "Obituary: Sufi leader Tosun Bayraktaroglu".
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Ahmet Sait Akcay, Obituary: Sufi leader Tosun Bayraktaroglu. Andalou Agency, 21 February 2018. Accessed 28 October 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Matt Hanson, The moth and the flame: In memory of Tosun Bayrak. Daily Sabah, 31 August 2018. Accessed 28 October 2018.
  7. ISBN 9781438457581
  8. ^ "The Most Beautiful Names".
  9. ^ The Meaning of Age Archived 2004-06-26 at archive.today
  10. ^ a b "The World is Beautiful" An interview with Sheikh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi [2]
  11. ^ Jane Lerner and Richard Liebson, Local Muslims, Jews horrified by terror in Paris. The Journal News, 9 January 2015. Accessed 1 November 2018.
  12. ^ "Tosun Bayrak".

External links

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