Shems Friedlander

Shems Friedlander (January 8, 1940 - November 22, 2022) was an American Islamic scholar, Sufi master,
visual artist, filmmaker, author and an emeritus professor of practice at the American University in Cairo.[1]
He is best known for his works on mystical traditions of Islam, especially the Mevlevi Sufi tradition
founded after the name of Mevlana Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī.[2][3] Friedlander died in Istanbul on 22
November 2022 at the age of 82.[4]

Biography
Friedlander received his education from the Massachusetts College of Art and graduated in 1963. He began
his career as a graphic designer. In his early years, he learned about Sufism from Vilayet Inayet Khan, son
of the Sufi Sheikh Inayet Khan. This led him to Muzaffer Ozak Efendi and, through conversion, ultimately
to Islam in early 1970s.[5] Later, he became a member of the Mevlevi Sufi order. Joining as a lecturer,
Friedlander has served as a professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the
American University in Cairo since 1994. In 2012, he was named as one of the 500 most influential
Muslims in the world.[6]

Works
Apart from photography and paintings, Friedlander has authored ten books on Sufism and Mevlana Rumi
and has made few documentary films. His works have been translated into many different languages
including Arabic and Turkish.

Books
The Whirling Dervishes, Being an Account of the Sufi Order Known as the Mevlevis and Its
Founder the Poet and Mystic Mevlana Jalalu'ddin Rumi, Macmillan (New York, NY, 1975)
Submission: Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, hadith notations by Al-Hajj Shaikh
Muzaffereddin, Harper and Row (New York, NY, 1977)
Ninety-Nine Names of Allah, Harper and Row (New York, NY, 1978)
When You Hear Hoofbeats, Think of a Zebra: Talks on Sufism, Perennial Library (New York,
NY, 1987)
Sunlight, Poems, and Other Words, Safina Books (Cairo, Egypt, 1997)
Rumi: The Hidden Treasure, Fons Vitae (Louisville, KY, 2001)
Winter Harvest, a Memoir (2015)
The Forgotten Message of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi (2017)

Documentary films
Rumi: The Wings of Love (2002)
The Circles of Remembrance (2005)
 Faisal: Legacy of a King (2011)

References
1. "Shems Friedlander" (https://www.themuslim500.com/profiles/shems-friedlander/). The
Muslim 500. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
2. "Sufi Ramadan traditions" (https://www.dailynewssegypt.com/2006/10/04/sufi-ramadan-tradit
ions/). Daily News Egypt. 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
3. "New photography exhibition portrays essence of Sufism" (https://gulfnews.com/entertainme
nt/arts-culture/new-photography-exhibition-portrays-essence-of-sufism-1.630240).
gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
4. Merkezi, Haber (2022-11-24). "US Muslim writer Shems Friedlander laid to rest in Türkiye"
(https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/us-muslim-writer-shems-friedlander-laid-to-rest-in-turki
ye-3656080). Yeni Şafak. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
5. Şafak, Yeni (2017-06-11). "Ramazan'da sokakta yemek Türklere mahsus" (https://www.yeni
safak.com/gundem/ramazandasokakta-yemekturklere-mahsus-2712416). Yeni Şafak (in
Turkish). Retrieved 2019-12-07.
6. "Dünyadaki en etkin 500 Müslüman'ı arasındaki Şems Frıedlander konuştu - Timeturk:
Haber, Timeturk Haber, HABER, Günün haberleri, yorum, spor, ekonomi, politika, sanat,
sinema" (https://www.timeturk.com/tr/2013/04/21/dunyadaki-en-etkin-500-musluman-i-arasin
daki-sems-friedlander-konustu.html). www.timeturk.com. Retrieved 2019-12-07.

External links
Official Web page at American University in Cairo (https://www.aucegypt.edu/fac/shemsfriedl
ander)

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