Circles of Remembrance: The Halveti-Jerrahis of Toronto, in Sufism in Canada, eds. G. Mercier-Dalphond and M. S. Xavier (University of British Columbia Press, 2025) – Atif Khalil

Every Saturday in Toronto, members of the Halveti-Jerrahi Order gather at the Canadian Sufi Cultural Centre on 270 Birmingham Street for an evening of remembrance (dhikr), prayer, spiritual instruction, and communion. 2 Although the main nucleus of attendees is made up of first- and second-generation Canadians of Turkish descent, the lodge, or dargah as they prefer to call it, 3 is also home to regular visitors of various other ethnic and cultural backgrounds, from countries as diverse as Ethiopia, Bosnia, Pakistan, China, and Morocco. The diversity is due not only to the heterogeneous, cosmopolitan nature of the city, but also to the universal appeal of a tariqa (Sufi order) that now operates as a transnational spiritual organization, thanks in large part to the pioneering eorts of Muzaer Ozak (d. 1985), who was known respectfully as Muzaer “Efendi.” Along with Euro- and Afro-Canadian converts, the center is also frequently visited by curious non-Muslims, drawn by everything ranging from a love of Rumi, the allure of Sufism, the music of Islam, a school project, to the hospitality of the community.

The doors of the dargah open at 7:00 p.m. The evening begins with socializing, catching up on the week, and, if there are new visitors, with introductions to the order. Since many families participate, the lodge is typically bustling with children, who usually have the bottom floor set aside for them as a play area. The night ocially opens with what is known as the usul, about twenty minutes of dhikr, which includes the istighfar, a formulaic expression in which the individual petitions divine forgiveness.