Nureddin Cerrahi (d. Istanbul 1721)
The Sufi poet Nureddin Cerrahi was born in 1678 in Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul. He received a madrasa education, practiced calligraphy, and became acquainted with the poet Nabi. In Üsküdar, at the Selimi Ali Efendi Lodge, he met Shaykh Ali Efendi and turned towards a Sufi way of life. His tomb is located at the Karagümrük Cerrahi Tekke.
The innovations that Nureddin Cerrahi introduced to the adab (proper conduct) and arkan (ritual practices) of the tariqa (Sufi path/order) were continued by the Sufis who succeeded him as postnişin (successor to the shaykh). The most comprehensive information about the principles and traditions of the tariqa is found in the work Envar-ı Hazreti Pir Nureddin el-Cerrahi by Muzaffer Ozak's (d. 1985) shaykh, Fahrettin Efendi.
In the Cerrahiye, which is based on concepts such as tawba (repentance), taslīmiyyat (submission), zuhd (asceticism), taqwa (God-consciousness), and qanāʿa (contentment), importance is also given to keeping secrets, speaking little in the presence of the shaykh, not removing him from one's heart, and looking upon creatures with tolerance.
At the central lodge, twelve people known as "the servants of the Noble Master" (Hz. Pirin hizmetleri) serve. The administration of the lodge is carried out by councils composed of four "courts" (meydan). There are twenty rules to be observed in the dhikr (remembrance of God) assemblies. Five of these (tawba, ritual bath, pleasant fragrance, silence, contemplation) are to be observed before dhikr, while the others are to be observed during dhikr (sitting, facing the qibla, placing the hands on the knees, wearing lawful clothing, muraqaba [spiritual vigilance], dhikr, detachment from all besides God, etc.).