Sheikh Seyda

Sheikh Muhammed Said Seyda el-Cezerî was a great scholar and Sufi born in Cizre in 1890 into a Naqshbandi-Khalidi family. After his uncle's death in 1924 he succeeded to the spiritual leadership of the order; following the events of 1925 he spent time in Mosul and Damascus before returning to Cizre in 1928, where he devoted the rest of his life to teaching and spiritual guidance. He wrote works such as Kitâb Ahkâm al-awtâr, ed-Dâbıta fi'r-râbıta and et-Tasavvuf, and trained many deputies (khalifa). He died in Cizre on 7 January 1968 and was buried in the family cemetery, over which a dome was built; his tomb stands beside the Şeyh Seyda Mosque and lodge. (Sources: TDV Encyclopaedia of Islam, 'Seyda, Muhammed Said' entry; Evliyalar Ansiklopedisi, ehlisunnetbuyukleri.com, 'Şeyh Seydâ'.)