You might wonder why a Sheikh’s book appears under the heading of ‘Christian Saints.’ “Blessed Virgin Mary” is quite simply an inspired song of praise to the mother of Jesus Christ in prose-poem form by this revered Sufi master. The book’s structure is non-linear, neither an academic nor a theological essay. Through the book’s words you find the seeds of spirituality that lie within the Islamic veneration of the Virgin Mary.
Sheikh Muzzafer Ozak Al-Jerrah knows his subject. He grew up in an Istanbul Sufi family who saw he was educated in both Sufism and Islam. For awhile Muzaffer Ozak served as Imam at a number of mosques. Later in life, Ozak ran a bookshop in Istanbul’s famous book market where he specialized in rare and antique books. He also spent some 20 years as a spiritual teacher or sheikh of the Halveti Jerrahis. So he knew whereof he speaks in his book honoring Hazreti Maryam as the Blessed Virgin Mary is called in the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran proclaims Mary is the supreme expression of womanhood, a paragon of purity and virtue, the most sanctified of women. In Muzaffer Ozak’s little book of prose-poems we discover the depths of veneration. He looks to foster the development of love between Christians and Muslims through honoring the blessed mother of Christ in a practical and spiritual fashion .The book ends with a prayer to the divine that will speak to all who read Blessed Virgin Mary. –
- Paperback, 112 pages.
- Published by PIR Publications, 1991.
- Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak is a Waliullah, as saints are called in Sufism.
- This Turkish author of many books and songs is well-respected for his religious Sufi hymns called “ilahis.”
- Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak was a frequent visitor to the U.S., especially between 1978-1984, and introduced Americans to the rich legacy of Sufism.