When describing our dear Cemalnur Hodja, suffice to say she focuses all her energy towards achieving a state of ‘nothingness’. One can live her, yet cannot describe her. Although she wishes to be remembered merely as a modest servant of Allah, we would like to offer a brief overview about the life of Cemalnur Hodja, as well as her studies and conferences she attended in several European Countries and the United States.

Born in Istanbul on November 3rd, 1952, Cemalnur, together with her sister Asuman, was under an ongoing spiritual training of her Mother Meşkure Sargut, along with her father, Ömer Faruk Sargut’s intellectual rigor and vast knowledge in various disciplines. After graduating from ‘Kadiköy High School for Girls’, Cemalnur studied Chemical Engineering at the National Academy of Architecture and Engineering in Istanbul. When she was in primary school, one of her spiritual teachers, Mother Nazli, -whose praying, Cemalnur says, is what she owes her existence in this world to - once said to her, “Dear child, you will be a teacher one day.” Following her words Cemalnur worked as a Chemistry teacher at ‘Güneş Private High School’ for 2 years and then at ‘Cumhuriyet High School’ for 18 years until her retirement. She trained numerous students in the light of the education she received, providing them with both spiritual and scientific knowledge with an attempt to teach them how scientific inquiry can lead one to ‘hakikat’ (the Divine Truth).

In addition to the spiritual education and ‘irshad’ (guidance) she received from her mother and her spiritual teacher, Mrs. Samiha Ayverdi, Cemalnur Hodja also studied the lives and philosophies of many eastern and western philosophers and sufi mystics, such as Socrates, Nietzsche, Shopenhauer, Pisagor and Budha. She took to heart what the hodja of all hodjas, Ken’an Rifai once declared: “There is a piece of ‘hakikat’ in all of these philosophers in the past, and thus we cannot neglect any of them. That is why we mention the Tasavvuf (Sufism) in past times.”1 Ultimately she made a decision to pursue Islamic Tasavvuf.
Cemalnur Sargut studied Kur’an and took lessons from Mr. Hayri Bilecik, while working on a comparative study of Mesnevi and Kur’an for many years with Mrs. Nermin Suner Pekin. She has been studying Muhyiddin Ibn-i Arabi, Mısri Niyazi, Şibli, Konevi and Cili for more than 25 years. She still carries out her studies and research on especially Ahmed-er Rifai, Ken’an Rifai, and Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, who have been among the golden pages in the History of Islam.

While working with an everlasting urge for the sake of Prophet Mohammed, who once declared: “Oh God, I cannot know you as I should.”, she has enlightened those who very sincerely opened themselves and their gönüls (knowing hearts) and said “Me, too!” 2. For the last 25 years she has been reflecting and sharing the true knowledge she learned and put into practice as her hal ( state), either during her Sohbets (intercourses of Tasavvuf), her speeches on the radio, or during seminars, panel discussions and festivals in Europe and the united States. Among those, of particular importance are the conferences and talks on Islam held at Duke University and University of North Carolina, USA and at Rumi Festivals in 2000 and 2002 in North Carolina, 2001 in New York as well as various national and international TV programs. It is important to mention at this point that she also gave a lecture to the doctoral students of Theology Department, on “Adam in Islam Tasavvuf’” at University of Frankfurt.

Her conferences particularly the ones in Europe can be considered to serve as a universal call for Islam, which embraces all religions and beliefs. The two conferences held in Frankfurt at Church Frau Liebe during 2002, one on ‘Hz. Yusuf’ (St. Joseph) and the other on ‘Hz. Meryem’ (St.Maria), enabled all the participants to take a deep breath in the atmosphere of unity which had been longed for. During her speech in Frankfurt entitled ‘Tasavvuf in Islam’, everybody agreed that this was an enchanting call for ‘Unity, Oneness’.  Even though she keeps saying, “My Efendi (Lord, Master)! If I am attributed any reverence at all on this earth, it is all because of you; if I have acquired any fame among lovers, it is all because of you.”, we know that in order to attain such unity we need the words of a teacher like her who has achieved perfection in nothingness and thus reflecting the words of wisdom of Kamil (Perfect) Human Being.

Cemalnur Sargut is currently working as the Head of the Istanbul Branch of Turkish Women’s Cultural Association. She still participates in radio and television programs and gives seminars and panel discussions in Turkey and abroad.

It seems almost impossible to adequately describe our dear hodja here in two pages.However, it is relieving to know the fact that she would follow the voice of her teacher Samiha Ayverdi who says, “Tell them I am nothing”, and that Cemalnur Sargut would say in the most humble way, “Don’t, don’t write so much about me. What I am compared to all those masters is nothing.”

1 : ‘Sohbetler', Ken'an Rifai, p.365, published by Kubbealtı, Istanbul
2: ‘Hancı, Samiha Ayverdi, published by Kubbealtı, İstanbul

- Deniz Karasan