Ömer Tuğrul Inançer, the prominent leader of the Cerrahi (Jerrahi) Sufi lodge founded in Ottoman-era Istanbul, died of complications after a gall bladder surgery on Sunday, at the age of 76. A funeral is scheduled to be held on Monday after elaborate religious rituals held earlier at the headquarters of the lodge in Istanbul’s Fatih district.
Inançer has been heading the order since 1999, after the death of Safer Dal, the previous postnişin (head of the order).
A lawyer by profession, Inançer was a renowned figure, appearing on television programs on Sufi mysticism. He was also serving as head of a foundation working for the preservation of Turkish Sufi music based in the lodge’s building in Istanbul. He was also a prolific author who penned books on Sufi philosopher Mevlana Jalaladdin Rumi and the Prophet Muhammad. An accomplished musician himself, Inançer once served as director of the Istanbul Historical Turkish Music Society.
Condolences poured in for Inançer, with politicians, writers and intellectuals paying tribute. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his condolences to Inançer's family in a social media post, describing him as “a very precious mystic and a man of heart.” The president was scheduled to attend a funeral prayer for Inançer in Istanbul.
On Sunday, members of the order brought the body of Inançer to Nureddin Cerrahi Lodge where they recited verses from Quran, religious hymns and prayers. A large crowd attended the rituals. Mustafa Hakan Alvan, a member of the order who served in the Sufi music foundation with Inançer, told reporters there that Inançer was a great thinker who contributed greatly to Turkish cultural history. “He devoted his life to revival of Turkish culture and civilization,” he said.
The Cerrahi order traces its roots to Pir Muhammet Nureddin el-Cerrahi, who lived in Istanbul in the 17th and 18th centuries. The order spread through the country and later to the Balkans in the following centuries. Over time, it reached as far as the United States, Australia, South Africa and South America.
Cerrahis are known for their elaborate zikr ceremonies, a form of Islamic meditation involving repeated chants praising Allah and prominent members including famed Turkish singers and composers Mazhar Alanson and Ahmet Özhan.
