Niyâzî-i Mısrî (9 March 1618, Malatya – 16 March 1694, Limni) was a Sufi mystic and poet and patron saint of the Niyâziye or Mısriyye branch of the Khalwati order of dervishes, known variously as Niyâzî Mısrî, Mısrî Nıyâzî, Skheyh Mısrî, and as Mehmed ü’l- Mısrî.Heath W. Lowry, Historical Vestiges of Niyâzî Misrî’s presence on the Island of Limnos/Niyazi Misri'nin Limni Adasında Bulunan Tarihi İzleri (bilingual edition), trns. Kıvanç Tanrıyar, Istanbul:Bogazici University Press, 2011, p.5
He is the author of several mystical poems and is also known for his commentaries on earlier Turkish mystical verses, such as those of Yunus Emre whose works are still preserved in Turkey today.
Biography Niyâzî-i Mısrî's real name is Mehmed and he was born on March 9, 1618, in the town of Aspozi, now called Soğanlı, in Malatya.Mustafa Aşkar, "Niyâzî-i Mısrî" in İslam Ansiklopedisi, 2007, Vol.33, p.166 His father is Sogancizâde Ali Chelebi al-Nakshibandiyya, an as his name suggests, his father was a member of the Nakshibandi sect and therefore Niyazi Misri was born and raised in a Sufi environment.Mustafa Aşkan, Niyazi Mısri ve Tasavvuf Anlayışı, Ankara:Kültür Bakanlığı, 1998, p.62 Niyâzî and Mısrî are their pseudonyms. His pseudonym Mısrî is because he received his education in Egypt.Mustafa Aşkan, Niyazi Mısri ve Tasavvuf Anlayışı, Ankara:Kültür Bakanlığı, 1998, p.61 He was educated in various madrasahs and developed his knowledge of Sufism in different places. In 1655, he received the caliphate from the sheikh of Halveti, Sinan-ı Ümmî, and was graduated in guidance.Mısri Niyazi Divanı Şerhi, Yazan: Seyyid Muhammed Nur, Haz.: M. S. Bilginer
He died at dawn on a Wednesday in 1694 on the island of Lemnos,Mustafa Aşkar, "Niyâzî-i Mısrî" in İslam Ansiklopedisi, 2007, Vol.33, p.167 where he was exiled by the Ottoman sultan, and was buried in his tomb on the same island. He has more than ten volumes of works in Turkish and Arabic, both in verse and prose.
Teaching Niyazi Misri adopted the views of the famous Sufi Ibn Arabi who is the founder of the Sufi Wahdat ul-Wujud school (Unity of Being) Ekrem Demirli, Niyazi Misri-Tasavvufi Görüşleri, İslam Ansiklopedisi, 2007, Vol.33., p.169 but did not write a systematic work on this subject. However, he processed this view deeply in his prose and poems. According to him, everything in the universe is a reflection of God's attributes. Niyazi Misri attracted the reaction of both the ulema and some figures from the Sufi circles with some of his views. One of the views that received criticism is the view that prophethood continued after Muhammad. Misri considers Muhammad's two grandsons Hasan and Husayn as prophets.Mustafa Aşkar, Mehmed Niyazi Mısri el-Malati, Hayatı, Eserleri ve Tasavvuf Anlayışı, (PhD.Thesis) Ankara, 1997, p.208-210
Poems Niyazi Misri was also an important poet whose poems were composed and sung as hymns in Sufi circles. Like Yunus Emre, Niyazî Misrî was able to express subtle mystical insights using very simple language.
Works Turkish Divân Tuhfetü'l-uşşâk Süleymaniye Küt. Reşid Ef. 1218 numaradaki mecmua. Mecmua-i Kelimât-ı Kudsiyye Risâle fi’t-tasavvuf Risâle-i Devriyye Ta‘bîrâtü’l-vâkıât Risâle‐i Devriyye Risâle‐i Es’ile ve Ecvibe‐i Mutasavvufâne Risâle‐i Eşrâtü's‐Sâat Tabirnâme Risâle‐i Haseneyn Risâle‐i Hızriyye Risâle‐i Arşiyye Vahdetnâme Risâle‐i İade Risâle‐i Nokta Akîdetü’l‐Mısrî Risale fî Devrân‐ı Sofiye Etvâr‐ı Seb’a Şerh‐i Esmâ‐i Hüsnâ Şerh‐i Nutk‐ı Yûnus Emre
Arabic Mevâidü’l‐irfân Devre‐i Arşiyye Tesbî‐i Kasîde‐i Bür’e (Bürde) Tefsîr‐i Fâtihatü’l‐Kitâb Mecâlis
See also Sufism Khalwati order Waḥdat ul-Wujūd Ibn Arabi Yunus Emre 73 Sects (Hadith)
References
Further reading Heath W. Lowry, Historical Vestiges of Niyâzî Misrî's presence on the Island of Limnos/Niyazi Misri'nin Limni Adasında Bulunan Tarihi İzleri (bilingual edition), trns. Kıvanç Tanrıyar, Istanbul:Bogazici University Press, 2011. Paul Ballanfat, ‘Niyâzî Misrî: l’Égypte, station mystique pour un soufi turc du XVIIe siècle’, in Le soufisme à l’époque ottomane, Cahiers des Annales islamologiques 29 (Cairo, 2010), pp. 252–3. Mustafa Aşkan, Niyazi Mısri ve Tasavvuf Anlayışı,[Niyazi Misri and His Sufi Perspective] Ankara:Kültür Bakanlığı, 1998. Niyazi Mısri, Niyazi Misri: Life & Poems, trans. Paul Smith, Introduction to Sufi Poets Series Paperback, 2020 Niyazi Misri, Beş Risale (Five Epistles), Oguzhan Donmez (trans.Ed.), BuyuyenAy Yayinlari, 2022 Kenan Erdoğan: Niyazî-i Mısrî: Hayatı, Edebî Kişiliği, Eserleri ve Divani [Niyazî-i Mısrî: His Life, Literary Persona, Works and Divan] Ankara (Akçağ Basım Yayım Pazarlama, A.Ş.), 1998. Derin Terzioğlu: Sui and the Dissident in the Ottoman Empire: Niyazi-i Mısri (1618–1694). Harvard University (Unpublished PhD Dissertation), 1999. Mustafa Kara: “Şemseddin Mısrî’nin Limni Yolculukları,” in Bursa Araştırmaları, No.29. Bursa, 2010. pp. 12–17. Mustafa Tatcı: Limni’de Sürgün Bir Velî: Niyâzî Mısrî’nin Hâtiraları, [An Exiled Saint in Lemnos:Memoirs of Niyazi Misri], İstanbul (H Yayınları), March, 2010. Mustafa Kara & Yusuf Kabakçı (Compilers & Editors): Niyazi-i Mısri’nin İzinde Bir Ömür Seyahat, [A Lifetime Travel in the Footsteps of Niyazi-i Mısri], İstanbul (Dergah), November, 2010 Stephen Hirtenstein - From Ibn Arabi to Niyazi Misri
External links My Heart Became a Nightingale (Can Yine Bülbül Oldu) was written by Muhammad Niyazi al-Misri Britannica - Niyazi Misri