Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrah

Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi, affectionately known as Sheikh Muzaffer Effendi, was born in 1916 in Istanbul, Turkey. His father was an Islamic scholar and a teacher in the court of Sultan Abdul Hamid. His mother, Ayesha Hanum, was a member of the Ozak family, believed to have descended from the Prophet’s grandson. When Sheikh Effendi was six years old, his father died, and a family friend and Sufi sheikh took over his spiritual education. Eventually, Sheikh Effendi became an imam, preaching in 42 mosques in Istanbul, including the famous Sultan Ahmed Blue Mosque. He joined the dervishes of the 400-yearold Pir Nureddin Jerrahi lineage, and became its head in 1965. He made many trips to Europe, and visited America 13 times, starting in 1978, when he was interviewed on “In the Spirit.” Sheikh Effendi wrote many books in Turkish and English. His first book in English was The Unveiling of Love (1981). He died in 1985.