ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has expressed sorrow over the demise of renowned Turkish religious scholar and preacher Sheikh Mahmud Effendi.

Sheikh Effendi, the leader of the influential İsmailağa jamia of the Naqshbandi-Khalidiyya Ṭarīqah centred in Çarşamba, Istanbul, passed away on Wednesday aged 92.

In a tweet, Imran Khan said Sheikh Effendi revivived Islam and Sunnah at a challenging time and inspired millions of people in Turkey and around the world. He said the demise is a great loss for the Muslim Ummah.

Innā li-Llāhi wa inna ilayhi rāji’ūn.
Saddened to learn of the passing of Shaykh Mahmud Effendi of Turkey. He revived Islam & Sunnah at a challenging time, inspiring millions of people in #Turkey & around the World.
A great loss for the Ummah.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 23, 2022

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also express condolence over the demise of the religious scholar.

In a statement, Maulana Fazl said that the demise of Sheikh Mahmud Effendi was a huge loss for Turkey and the entire Islamic world.

He said that the Sheikh was the soul of the Naqshbandi order and the symbol of the revival of Islamic education in Turkey after the end of the Ottoman Empire.

Pakistani religious scholars and citizens have also mourned the death of the Turkish Islamic scholar.

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Who was Sheikh Mahmud Effendi?

Sheikh Mahmud Ustaosmanoglu, also known as Sheikh Mahmud Effendi, was one of the most popular Islamic teachers in Turkey

He emphasized the Sunnah and is well-known for having revived many of the Sunnah practices.

Sheikh Effendi became a hafiz at the tender age of 6. He then started studying Arabic and Persian at first, and then went on to study the Islamic Sciences.

Sheikh Effendi was appointed imam of the Ismail Agha mosque in Istanbul in 1954, where he remained until he retired in 1996.

He began delivering spiritual and ethical guidance from 1960 following the death of his mentor Shaikh Ali Haydar Effendi. He had a Quran tafsir (commentary) named Ruhu’l Furkan in Turkish.

He had millions of followers and has established various religious, social and charity organisations.

His followers are easily recognised by their traditional dress. He emphasized service to humanity on the basis of sincerity.

Despite being confined to a wheelchair and unable to give talks, he was still sought out for his blessings by people.