Shaykha Fariha Fatima al-Jerrahi is the spiritual guide of the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order in New York City. She conducts spiritual and educational meetings for her dervishes in 16 circles around the world. Shaykha Fariha was born in 1947 into a socially committed, eclectic Catholic family in Houston, Texas. Her parents were French-American art collectors and philanthropists Dominique de Menil, and John de Menil, both of whom established respective art foundations: the International Foundation for Art Research, and the Menil Collection. In 1974, Shaykha Fariha, along with then-husband art dealer Heiner Friedrich, and Helen Winkler, established the Dia Art Foundation nonprofit to provide funding to artistic endeavors reminiscent of patronage systems from the Renaissance era. At the age of 29, she met her teacher, Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak of Istanbul, and received direct transmission from him in 1980. Shaykh Muzaffer also gave direct transmission to Lex Hixon (Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi), who envisioned a radical and illumined path of the heart which he called Universal Islam. When Shaykh Nur passed away in 1995, Shaykha Fariha took on the guidance of the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order. This lineage offers the nectar of teachings of the Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him, which guide the seeker to self-knowledge and immersion in God. The sacred practices of zikr, prayer, charitable living, fasting and retreat are all embraced. Shaykha Fariha leads devotional prayers, ceremonies of divine remembrance, and provides spiritual guidance to initiates from her seat at the Dergah al-Farah, a Sufi lodge in NYC. While fostering bonds with the greater Sufi & Muslim American communities, the role of women in Islam and spiritual ecology have been of special importance to her message. "Love, intimacy, and constant remembrance are the glorious way. Essentially, love, love, and more love." - Shaykha Fariha al Jerrahi Sources “Invitation to Union.” Nur Ashki Jerrahi Community. (Accessed January 8, 2024). “Shaykha Fariha al Jerrahi.” Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE). (Accessed January 8, 2024). “Fariha al Jerrahi.” Wikipedia. (Accessed January 8, 2024).

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