Üsküdar Üniversitesi Institute for Sufi Studies and the Kerim Foundation, the traditional ‘In Memory of Meşkûre Sargut’ program was held online this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. An Annemarie Schimmel International Symposium was organized within the scope of the “In Memory of Meşkûre Sargut 2021” program, and participants showed significant interest in the program.
This year, Annemarie Schimmel was commemorated with an international symposium within the program, which is prepared annually with the aim of honoring important figures who have contributed to Sufi culture and literature and bringing them to the public's attention. The opening session of the program was moderated by Dr. Asuman Sargut Kulaksız, and the sessions of the International Annemarie Schimmel Symposium were moderated by Asst. Prof. Dr. H. Dilek Güldütuna.
Cemalnur Sargut: “My mother always used to say, ‘True intelligence is the art of being content with your environment.’”
The opening speech of the program was delivered by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Rector's Advisor Cemalnur Sargut. Sargut expressed her feelings about the program as follows: “Today is a very special day. We are coming together with you again, experiencing unity and solidarity, and keeping it alive on such platforms. My mother always used to say, ‘True intelligence is the art of being content with your environment.’ This state of being was a great example for us. I am grateful that she showed us the people of 'hal' (spiritual state).” she said.
Emine Bağlı : “She was our dear mother, nurtured by love and spirituality”
Emine Bağlı, President of the Turkish Women's Culture Association (Ankara), also shared her feelings about Meşkûre Sargut; “She had a motherhood that entrusted her children to Allah. She left valuable and beautiful imprints on my own life. This esteemed lady provided much material and spiritual assistance to our association. I am very happy to be on this path. She was our dear mother, nurtured by and nurturing with love and spirituality.” she stated.
Sevgi Özküzne : “She showed us how to turn our eyes inward”
Sevgi Özküzne, President of the Turkish Culture and Art Association (Izmir); “Meşkûre Hanım would converse with us like a friend. There is so much we learned, how fortunate, how valuable. We learned about the People of Hal and we are trying to follow that path; she showed us how to turn our eyes inward.” she said.
İnci Palsay : “She would explain to us the matter of being one with the Truth”
İnci Palsay, former Vice President of the Turkish Women's Culture Association, shared her memories with Meşkûre Sargut, stating; “We have valuable memories together. What a wonderful person she was, very precious and attentive to spirituality. She would explain to us the matter of being one with the Truth. She conveyed to us the consciousness that everything that happens to us is from Allah. In our difficult and troubled times, she would sympathize with us and turn calamity into honey. I respectfully offer my gratitude in her memory.”
Asst. Prof. Dr. Güldütuna: “Not only Islamic researchers read Schimmel”
Asst. Prof. Dr. Dilek Güldütuna of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Institute for Sufi Studies, who moderated the symposium, provided information about Annemarie Schimmel’s life. Güldütuna said; “In the West, not only Islamic researchers but everyone who wants to learn about Islam reads Annemarie Schimmel. Because she did not stay in theory and dry information. She experienced Islam and Sufism with deep feelings and tried to convey them to us. In her works, Schimmel especially tried to reveal the manifestations of divine love in Islamic Sufism. The subjects she covered in her works became a guide for her students, as Schimmel taught at various universities from Europe to America, spending her last 25 years at Harvard University. Schimmel, who also worked in Turkey, was appointed as a faculty member at Ankara University Faculty of Divinity in 1954 and penned her first Turkish work, titled 'History of Religions', in the same years. Schimmel knew 11 languages and authored scientific publications in many of them, including Turkish. Her years spent in Turkey and her 40-year friendship with Samiha Ayverdi deeply influenced her worldview as much as her views on Islamic studies. Many of her works have also been translated into Turkish, and Schimmel dedicated her German work titled 'My Soul is a Woman' to Samiha Ayverdi.”
Her Students Spoke About Annemarie Schimmel
The first speaker of the symposium was Prof. Dr. Carl Ernst. Ernst began his speech by explaining that his teacher Annemarie Schimmel was one of the leading scholars in Sufism, Indo-Muslim culture, many areas of Islamic studies, and calligraphy, and said, “Schimmel decided to learn Arabic at the age of fifteen through a hadith of Prophet Muhammad. Schimmel, who was proficient in Turkish, Persian, and Hindi, gained great admiration when she translated the poems of Rumi and Iqbal into German. Invited to the Seb-i Arus ceremonies in Konya in 1954, Schimmel became interested in the Ottoman Sufi heritage thanks to her friendship with Samiha Ayverdi. She revealed her deep respect for Prophet Muhammad with her work ‘And Muhammad Is His Messenger’.”
Schimmel’s Istanbul Memories Were Narrated
Semanur Bal, a PhD student at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Institute for Sufi Studies, delivered her speech titled ‘Dost Cemile’ (Friend Cemile), which focused on Annemarie Schimmel’s days in Turkey. Bal stated; “When Schimmel first arrived in Istanbul, she was met by Behçet Necatigil, whom she called ‘The Poet’s Companion’, and his wife. Schimmel, who was a guest at the home of her close friend Mustafa İnan and his wife Jale Hanım, stated that she closely got to know Turkish culture thanks to this family. Istanbul has always been a unique city intertwined with Sufism and literary culture for Schimmel. During her short stay in Istanbul, Schimmel met figures such as Behçet Necatigil, Salah Birsel, and Haldun Taner at Maçka Kahvesi and wrote essays using the name Cemile Kıratlı in Istanbul, Yeditepe, and Hayat magazines.”
Cangüzel Güner Zülfikar: “Carl Ernst and Cemalnur Sargut united East and West spiritually”
The third speaker of the symposium was Asst. Prof. Dr. Cangüzel Güner Zülfikar. In her speech titled ‘Schimmel: Sufism, the Common Language of East and West’, Zülfikar first read the message sent by Prof. Dr. Bruce Lawrence in memory of Annemarie Schimmel. Zülfikar said, “When Cemalnur Sargut read Schimmel’s poem at a program in America, a friendship was established between her and Carl Ernst. Here, Carl Ernst, Schimmel’s doctoral student from Harvard University, and Cemalnur Sargut, Samiha Ayverdi’s student, virtually came together in the language of Sufism, uniting East and West. The fruits of that meeting continued for years and are still ongoing.”
Mehmet Sait Hatipoğlu: “To truly read her works is such a luxury”
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Sait Hatipoğlu delivered his speech titled 'Schimmel's Turkish Son Mehmet', stating; “I am very lucky to have attended my professor's classes. She was a highly knowledgeable person, and her making me feel close to her made me very happy. The professor was very multifaceted towards the Islamic world. It was Rumi who attracted her. She read Rumi's Mathnawi in Persian. How she learned these languages is still a mystery to me. To truly read her works is such a luxury.”
Tanvir Anjum: “Annemarie Schimmel is a name known by almost everyone in Pakistan”
Prof. Dr. Tanvir Anjum, a faculty member in the History department at Quaid-i Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan, delivered his speech titled “Annemarie Schimmel in Pakistan”. Anjum stated; “The Pakistani government awarded her the Sitare-i Imtiyaz and Hilal-i Imtiyaz medals, the highest honors, for her academic services. She worked extensively on the cultural, religious, and literary works of this region. She will always be remembered with love and respect in Pakistan for her academic contributions. Her friendships with Muhammad Iqbal, the great scholar and poet raised in Pakistan, are noteworthy in the establishment of these bridges.”
Annemarie Schimmel’s Friends in Turkey Were Narrated
Dr. Mehmet Mıhoğlu delivered his speech titled “Annemarie Schimmel in My Memories: Aunt Cemile”. Mehmet Mıhoğlu stated that his father İsmail Mıhoğlu referred to his close friend Schimmel as ‘Aunt Cemile’. Mıhoğlu said: “The relationships between Kenan Rıfai Hazretleri and his mother, and between Samiha Anne and us, helped me understand the relations between mothers and children. Schimmel used to send letters about Mevlevi order.”
James Morris: “Schimmel was a role model of selflessness through her service to her students”
The final speech of the program was delivered by Prof. Dr. James Morris. In his speech titled ‘My Teacher Annemarie Schimmel’, Morris touched upon his personal communication with his teacher at Harvard University; “She had a very unique character. What we, as her students, observed from her was that she pioneered the essence of the field we call Religious Studies. Inspired by her, we began to study not only historical religious research but also all traditions of living and experienced religions. Social sciences and history came together in the field of Religious Studies on the path she opened.”