Nimatullah Khoja, the Preacher Who Devoted His Life to Spreading Islam

At the age of ninety, and after a life full of work, preaching, and efforts to spread Islam, the Sheikh Nimatullah Khalil Ibrahim Yurt died in the Turkish City of Istanbul 31 July, 2021. 

Thousands participated in his funeral that started from Al-Fateh Mosque, eastern Istanbul, and moved on towards the Eyup Sultan area, where he was buried in the local cemetery.

He spent his life spreading  Islam in many countries of the world, especially Japan, where more than 100,000 people embraced Islam.

 

According to a report by Anadolu Agency, Nematullah, who died at the age of 90 due to heart failure while receiving treatment in an Istanbul hospital, contributed through his advocacy and guidance activities to the conversion of thousands of people to the Islamic religion in Europe and Japan.

 

Who is Nimatullah?

Nimatullah Ibrahim Yurt, known as “Nimatullah Khoja,” was born in 1931 in the Tashuva region of the Turkish state of Amasya (northern), with hisTurkish parents, Ibrahim and Hatun Yurt.

At an early age, Nematullah began participating with his father in the scholars' sessions, while his sister Fatima began teaching the Qur'an in courses organized for this purpose in the state of Amasya.

He worked as a muezzin at the "Sultan Ahmed" Mosque in Istanbul in 1955 and served as a deputy for the famous imams Muhammed Okotje (Kunnli Muhammed Effendi) and Seyyed Shafik Arwasi, before moving to Mecca with his father, who at that time retired from the Presidency of Religious Affairs in Turkey.

He resided in Mecca for 33 years, where he taught in the Ashraf neighborhood mosque, which is located near Jabal Al-Nour, before he later went to Japan as he was invited to  become the first imam of the Japanese Islamic Center.

 

Six Languages

Nimatullah Khoja, who spoke 6 languages, managed to distribute 20,000 copies of the Qur’an in China in 1981, and visited more than 50 countries during his life, which he devoted to spreading Islam. He also opened hundreds of mosques in different parts of the world.

Omar Farooq Ojaqzadeh, a friend of Nematullah Khoja, told Anadolu Agency that the late preacher spoke Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Japanese and English, so that he was able to call to Islam and communicate with its speakers easily.

He added, “Nimatullah Khoja wanted to communicate Islam to the greatest extent, and to deliver this call to all people in the world. He was feeling sad and said: How will I look at the Prophet's face on the Day of Resurrection? I had to convey the call of Islam to all the peoples of the world.”

The preacher had cards on which he wrote “ Ashhadou an la ileha illa allah ashhado ana Mohamed rassoul allah “, as he translated it into nine languages. He gave these cards to everyone he met.

When reading the card, the journey of inquiry, research and discovery of Islam begins. This was one of the Sheikh's ways to encourage people to convert to Islam.

 

Good Deeds

Ujaqzadeh explained that Nimatullah Khoja managed to build 401 mosques and prayer halls in Japan through exceptional efforts he made in this country. He also managed to appear on some television channels in Japan and was the cause for more than 100,000 people to convert to Islam.

He also managed to give Islamic preaching sessions wherever he went, and hundreds of scholars used to travel to the country where he stayed so that they could attend those sessions.

The preacher had small cards on which he wrote “la ilaha illa allah Mohamed rasoul Allah,“ as he translated it into nine languages. He gave these cards to everyone he met.

When reading the card, people will ask about what was written and the journey of inquiry, research and discovery of Islam begins. This was one of the Sheikh's ways to encourage people to convert to Islam.

 

His Death

Nematullah Khoja underwent surgery at the Umraniye Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul, due to heart failure, but despite the seriousness of his health condition, he did not stop providing lessons to his students at the Sari Yer Mosque in Istanbul.

Six months ago, his health deteriorated, and he was transferred to the Günkelkoy Hospital in Istanbul, where he underwent a long stage of treatment, before he passed away in the hospital on Saturday, July 31.

Last Sunday, the funeral prayer was held over his body in the Al-Fateh Mosque, 

before his funeral in the Eyup Sultan cemetery.

The Islamic World has lost a great preacher who devoted his whole life converting people to Islam from all over the World. His call to Islam and his words will remain forever.