Niyazi Misri
Turkey (1616 - 1694) Timeline
Muslim / Sufi


Poems by Niyazi Misri
Books - Links

Muhammad Niyazi al-Misri was born in Malatya, Turkey, to a devout family. His father was a sheikh of the Naqshbandi Sufis.

In his early twenties, Misri began a spiritual search of his own, traveling quite a bit, and spending three years in Egypt. Following the guidance of his dreams, he returned to his homeland in the Ottoman Empire and became a disciple of the Sufi poet-saint Ummi Sinan of the Helveti Sufi order.

Niyazi Misri supported himself by working as a candle maker.

In the mid-1600s, Niyazi Misri became the spiritual leader of the Istanbul Tekke (or lodge) of the Helveti Sufis, and established another tekke in Bursa.

He was exiled from the region several times, accused of unorthodox practices and for his outspoken criticism of political corruption. With each exile, however, it seems he became even more popular with the general population, who pressured government officials for his return.

His enemies, determined to silence him, had him poisoned.

Niyazi Misri's poems and songs continue to be recited in Sufi tekkes to this day.

Poems by Niyazi Misri


Recommended Books: Niyazi Misri

Quarreling with God: Mystic Rebel Poems of the Dervishes of Turkey



Related Links

Feasts of Wisdom - Niyazi Misri
http://sufism.org/lineage/sufism/writings-on-sufism/feasts-of-wisdom-by-niyazi-misri-2

An excerpted chapter ("feast") from Niyazi Misri's "Feasts of Wisdom," translated by Refik Algan and Camille Helminski.
Niyazi Misri