Reshat Bardhi
Encyclopedia
Reshat Bardhi or Kryegjshi Baba Haxhi Dede Reshat Bardhi (March 4, 1935 - April 2, 2011) was an Albanian
religious leader and the former leader (Kryegjysh) of the Bektashi Order
, an Islamic Sufi order based in Albania
and other country.
, in the region of the northern town of Kukës
. In 1944, as the destruction of war raged around him, Dede Reshat moved to Tirana with his family. It was there that he received both his secular as well as Islamic religion education.
When he was fourteen years old, Dede Reshat visited the Mother Tekke of the Bektashi Sufi Order (asitâne-i madhe) and from that time took up residence there. Four years later, at the age of eighteen, he was initiated as a dervish, and served as rehber in the ceremonies that took place on the sacred premises of the Mother Tekke.
Between 1957 and 1967, Dede Reshat placed under house arrest by the communist government along with Dedebaba Ahmed Myftar in a small tekke near Drizar, Mallakastra. In the ten years of exile, this tekke served as the unofficial Mother Tekke of the Bektashi community. Believers would come here illegally from all over Albania
, as well as Kosova
, FYROM
and Montenegro
.
With the closure of all houses of worship and the prohibition of religion by the communists in 1967 (which lasted until 1990), Dede Reshat was forcibly assigned work on a state-run farm, where he was continually harassed, both psychologically and physically, by state security officers. Meanwhile, his residence in Tirana was turned into an illegal center for keeping Bektashism alive.
Along with a group of devout Bektashi believers Dede Reshat reopened the Mother Tekke of the Bektashi Sufi Order on March 22, 1991, the day of the festival of Sultan Nevruz
. During the communist period, the building had been used as state-run home for the elderly.
In November 1991, Dede Reshat made the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca together with the first Albanian pilgrims to go in a generation. There he was received by senior Saudi religious authorities and having made the pilgrimage took the title al-Hajj (or Haxhi).
In February of 1992 Dede Reshat travelled to the USA to visit the Bektashi community of Detroit, where he was received by Baba Rexheb and senior clerics of other faiths.Baba Rexheb was responsible for establishing the first Bektashi Tekke in America in 1954 and for keeping Bektashism alive during the dark days of communism.
In May 1993 Dede Reshat was received by the late head of Turkey's Bektashi community Bedri Noyan Dede,who organized meetings with senior Bektashi religious leaders in Istanbul
and Izmir
.
The 6th World Bektashi Congress that was held in 1993 unanimously elected Dede Reshat to the head the Mother Tekke of the Bektashi Sufi Order, and thus he was given the title Dedebaba.
In August of that same year Dede Reshat visited the tekke/museum of Haji Bektash Veli in Turkey, where thousands of believers from the Asian parts of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkestan, and the Middle East came to greet him. The mayor of the town of Hacıbektaş
received Dede Reshat with a special lunch of honor.
On every religious holiday from 1991 and until his passing Dede Reshat received Albanian’s presidents, prime ministers, speakers of the parliament,as well as ministers and ambassadors of foreign states.
In 1994 and 1995 Dede Reshat visited the Islamic Republic of Iran, where he was received by the highest leader of the Ahl al-Bayt Foundation, Mr. Mir Hosseini and senior religious leaders from Iran
, India
and Kuwait
.
In March of 2001 Dede Reshat was invited to a special audience with Pope John Paul II
at the Vatican
, where both men discussed their resistance to communism.
In August of 2002, Dede Reshat again travelled to Haji Bektashi in Turkey, where he met with the then Prime Minister of Turkey, Bulent Ecevit, who congratulated him on his role in preserving the Bektash way.
In October of 2002 Dede Reshat took part in the International Conference of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which was held in Azerbaijan
. Dede Reshat spoke on behalf of Bektashis worldwide.
In October of 2003 Dede Reshat was invited to the Vatican to take part in the consecration ceremony for Mother Teresa, along with other religious leaders from around the world. Dede Reshat was again by Pope John Paul II
and other high Catholic religious authorities.
In February of 2004 Dede Reshat also took part in the World Conference for Peace and Tolerance which was organized by Partiarkati Ekumenal and the Apel Ndërgjegjes Foundation. His words on their work received a standing ovation.
In April of 2004 Dede Reshat took part in a symposium held in Germany on Alevis and Bektashis in Germany. There he greeted participants on behalf of the Bektashi community.
On the occasion of the 7th World Bektashi Congress that was held in October of 2005 in Tirana, Dede Reshat hosted the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, Atilla Koç
, as well as the mayors of the Turkish towns of Nevşehir andHacıbektaş.
In December of 2005 Dede Reshat was welcomed in Prishtina at thecongress of the Albanian World League.He was received by Kosovo’s Minister of Culture, Mr. Astrit Haraçia.
In May of 2006 Dede Reshat received the President of the Governorate of Vatican
City State, Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo
, at the Mother Tekke in Tirana
. Among other things the Cardinal said, “Your excellency is the Bektashi Pope!”
In June of 2006 Dede Reshat hosted Turkey's Parliament Speaker, Mr. Bülent Arınç at the Mother Tekke in Tirana. He presented Dede Reshat with a plaque from the Turkish Parliament honoring his outstanding service in spreading peace and goodwill.
In August of 2006, Dede Reshat participated in the eighth World Conference of Religions for Peace held in Kyoto, Japan
. There he met with some of the most prominent religious personalities in the world.
In July of 2007, Dede Reshat was received in Prishtina by Bernard Kouchner
, the French minister of foreign affairs. ON the occasion of the rebuilding of the Bektashi tekke in GjakovaDede Reshat was hosted by the Head of UN Acting Administration in Kosovo
, Joachim Rücker
.
In October of 2007, at the head a Bektashi delegation, Dede Reshat was received in Istanbul
by the highest Islamic authority in Turkey
, Imam Ali Bardakoğlu
, as well as the mufti of Istanbul
, Imam Mustafa Çağrıcı
.
In November of 2007 Dede Reshat participated in the World Conference on Inter-Religious and Inter-Civilization Dialogue held in Ohrid, Macedonia. He was heartily welcomed to this conference and received there by Nikola Gruevski
, Prime Minister of the FYROM
.
In June of 2008, Dede Reshat was invited to Ankara by the supreme mufti of the Republic of Turkey
, Imam Ali Bardakoğlu
. There he attended the artistic ceremony of the Sufi music ensemble and prayer in the various mosques of Ankara. He was also received by leading Islamic theologians.
Dede Reshat was decorated with the “Beacon of Democracy” medal and Golden Naim Frasheri award by the presidents of the Republic of Albania
, and was an honorary resident of the cities of Tirana
, Kruja, Kukës
, Berat
, Kavaja, Bulqiza, Gjirokastra, Mallakastra and so on.
In September of 2008 Dede Reshat hosted a visit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
.
On October 13, 2009, Dede Reshat hosted a visit to the Mother Tekke by Noël Kinsella
, Speaker of the Canadian Senate, during a visit to Tirana
.
In addition to all of these public appearances Dede Reshat was a spiritual guide to thousands of Bektashis around the world. His kind ways and gentle demeanor have left an everlasting mark upon the hearts of all those spiritual seekers who had the honor of siting in his presence. We pray that Allah Almighty allows him to an honored place under the flag of the Prophet and to be counted as one of the lovers of the Ahl ul-Bayt and the Awliyullah.
Bardhi underwent two heart surgeries in the United States
, the first in 2000 and the second in 2004.
After months of battling illness and exhaustion, al-Hajj Dedebaba Reshat Bardhi, head of the Worldwide Bektashi Community, parted from this life shortly after 2:00pm on the 2nd of April, 2011 in Tirana
, at the age of 76.
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
religious leader and the former leader (Kryegjysh) of the Bektashi Order
Bektashi
Bektashi Order or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi order founded in the 13th century by the Persian saint Haji Bektash Veli. In addition to the spiritual teachings of Haji Bektash Veli the order was significantly influenced during its formative period by both the Hurufis as well as the...
, an Islamic Sufi order based in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and other country.
Life
Dede Reshat was born on the 4th of March 1935 in village of LusënLüsen
Lüsen is a comune in South Tyrol, located about 90 km northeast of the city of Trento and about 40 km northeast of the city of Bolzano.-Geography:As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 1,543 and an area of 74.2 km²....
, in the region of the northern town of Kukës
Kukës
Kukës is a town in Albania located at 42.09°N, 20.43°E in the district and county with the same name. It has a population of about 16,000 . The town is set among the mountains of northern Albania. It is famous for its role during the Kosovo conflict for taking in 450,000 refugees from Kosovo...
. In 1944, as the destruction of war raged around him, Dede Reshat moved to Tirana with his family. It was there that he received both his secular as well as Islamic religion education.
When he was fourteen years old, Dede Reshat visited the Mother Tekke of the Bektashi Sufi Order (asitâne-i madhe) and from that time took up residence there. Four years later, at the age of eighteen, he was initiated as a dervish, and served as rehber in the ceremonies that took place on the sacred premises of the Mother Tekke.
Between 1957 and 1967, Dede Reshat placed under house arrest by the communist government along with Dedebaba Ahmed Myftar in a small tekke near Drizar, Mallakastra. In the ten years of exile, this tekke served as the unofficial Mother Tekke of the Bektashi community. Believers would come here illegally from all over Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, as well as Kosova
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, FYROM
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
and Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
.
With the closure of all houses of worship and the prohibition of religion by the communists in 1967 (which lasted until 1990), Dede Reshat was forcibly assigned work on a state-run farm, where he was continually harassed, both psychologically and physically, by state security officers. Meanwhile, his residence in Tirana was turned into an illegal center for keeping Bektashism alive.
Along with a group of devout Bektashi believers Dede Reshat reopened the Mother Tekke of the Bektashi Sufi Order on March 22, 1991, the day of the festival of Sultan Nevruz
Nowruz
Nowrūz is the name of the Iranian New Year in Iranian calendars and the corresponding traditional celebrations. Nowruz is also widely referred to as the Persian New Year....
. During the communist period, the building had been used as state-run home for the elderly.
In November 1991, Dede Reshat made the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca together with the first Albanian pilgrims to go in a generation. There he was received by senior Saudi religious authorities and having made the pilgrimage took the title al-Hajj (or Haxhi).
In February of 1992 Dede Reshat travelled to the USA to visit the Bektashi community of Detroit, where he was received by Baba Rexheb and senior clerics of other faiths.Baba Rexheb was responsible for establishing the first Bektashi Tekke in America in 1954 and for keeping Bektashism alive during the dark days of communism.
In May 1993 Dede Reshat was received by the late head of Turkey's Bektashi community Bedri Noyan Dede,who organized meetings with senior Bektashi religious leaders in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and Izmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
.
The 6th World Bektashi Congress that was held in 1993 unanimously elected Dede Reshat to the head the Mother Tekke of the Bektashi Sufi Order, and thus he was given the title Dedebaba.
In August of that same year Dede Reshat visited the tekke/museum of Haji Bektash Veli in Turkey, where thousands of believers from the Asian parts of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkestan, and the Middle East came to greet him. The mayor of the town of Hacıbektaş
Hacibektas
Hacıbektaş, formerly Karahüyük, is a town and district of Nevşehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 11,929 of which 5,169 live in the town of Hacıbektaş. Located in Cappadocia, the district covers an area of , and the average...
received Dede Reshat with a special lunch of honor.
On every religious holiday from 1991 and until his passing Dede Reshat received Albanian’s presidents, prime ministers, speakers of the parliament,as well as ministers and ambassadors of foreign states.
In 1994 and 1995 Dede Reshat visited the Islamic Republic of Iran, where he was received by the highest leader of the Ahl al-Bayt Foundation, Mr. Mir Hosseini and senior religious leaders from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
.
In March of 2001 Dede Reshat was invited to a special audience with Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
at the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, where both men discussed their resistance to communism.
In August of 2002, Dede Reshat again travelled to Haji Bektashi in Turkey, where he met with the then Prime Minister of Turkey, Bulent Ecevit, who congratulated him on his role in preserving the Bektash way.
In October of 2002 Dede Reshat took part in the International Conference of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which was held in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. Dede Reshat spoke on behalf of Bektashis worldwide.
In October of 2003 Dede Reshat was invited to the Vatican to take part in the consecration ceremony for Mother Teresa, along with other religious leaders from around the world. Dede Reshat was again by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
and other high Catholic religious authorities.
In February of 2004 Dede Reshat also took part in the World Conference for Peace and Tolerance which was organized by Partiarkati Ekumenal and the Apel Ndërgjegjes Foundation. His words on their work received a standing ovation.
In April of 2004 Dede Reshat took part in a symposium held in Germany on Alevis and Bektashis in Germany. There he greeted participants on behalf of the Bektashi community.
On the occasion of the 7th World Bektashi Congress that was held in October of 2005 in Tirana, Dede Reshat hosted the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, Atilla Koç
Atilla Koç
Atilla Koç , is a Turkish politician of the Justice and Development Party. He was the Minister of Culture and Tourism in the first cabinet of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.He graduated from Ankara University.- External links :...
, as well as the mayors of the Turkish towns of Nevşehir andHacıbektaş.
In December of 2005 Dede Reshat was welcomed in Prishtina at thecongress of the Albanian World League.He was received by Kosovo’s Minister of Culture, Mr. Astrit Haraçia.
In May of 2006 Dede Reshat received the President of the Governorate of Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
City State, Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo
Giovanni Lajolo
Giovanni Lajolo is the Cardinal emeritus President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and emeritus President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.-Early life and ordination:...
, at the Mother Tekke in Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
. Among other things the Cardinal said, “Your excellency is the Bektashi Pope!”
In June of 2006 Dede Reshat hosted Turkey's Parliament Speaker, Mr. Bülent Arınç at the Mother Tekke in Tirana. He presented Dede Reshat with a plaque from the Turkish Parliament honoring his outstanding service in spreading peace and goodwill.
In August of 2006, Dede Reshat participated in the eighth World Conference of Religions for Peace held in Kyoto, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. There he met with some of the most prominent religious personalities in the world.
In July of 2007, Dede Reshat was received in Prishtina by Bernard Kouchner
Bernard Kouchner
Bernard Kouchner is a French politician, diplomat, and doctor. He is co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins du Monde...
, the French minister of foreign affairs. ON the occasion of the rebuilding of the Bektashi tekke in GjakovaDede Reshat was hosted by the Head of UN Acting Administration in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, Joachim Rücker
Joachim Rücker
Joachim Rücker is a German international civil servant, since November 2008 serving as the German ambassador to Sweden. He was named Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Kosovo and head of UNMIK from 1 September 2006 to 20 June 2008...
.
In October of 2007, at the head a Bektashi delegation, Dede Reshat was received in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
by the highest Islamic authority in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Imam Ali Bardakoğlu
Ali Bardakoglu
Ali Bardakoğlu is the former president of Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı and as such the highest Islamic authority in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.-Background:...
, as well as the mufti of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Imam Mustafa Çağrıcı
Mustafa Çagrici
Mustafa Çağrıcı is a Turkish professor for Islamic theology and currently mufti of Istanbul. Çağrıcı was born in Sivas. He guided Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul on November 30, 2006.-External links:* *...
.
In November of 2007 Dede Reshat participated in the World Conference on Inter-Religious and Inter-Civilization Dialogue held in Ohrid, Macedonia. He was heartily welcomed to this conference and received there by Nikola Gruevski
Nikola Gruevski
Nikola Gruevski has been Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia since 27 August 2006. He has led VMRO-DPMNE since May 2003. He was Minister of Finance in the VMRO-DPMNE government led by Ljubčo Georgievski until September 2002.- Personal life :...
, Prime Minister of the FYROM
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
In June of 2008, Dede Reshat was invited to Ankara by the supreme mufti of the Republic of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Imam Ali Bardakoğlu
Ali Bardakoglu
Ali Bardakoğlu is the former president of Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı and as such the highest Islamic authority in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.-Background:...
. There he attended the artistic ceremony of the Sufi music ensemble and prayer in the various mosques of Ankara. He was also received by leading Islamic theologians.
Dede Reshat was decorated with the “Beacon of Democracy” medal and Golden Naim Frasheri award by the presidents of the Republic of Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, and was an honorary resident of the cities of Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
, Kruja, Kukës
Kukës
Kukës is a town in Albania located at 42.09°N, 20.43°E in the district and county with the same name. It has a population of about 16,000 . The town is set among the mountains of northern Albania. It is famous for its role during the Kosovo conflict for taking in 450,000 refugees from Kosovo...
, Berat
Berat
Berat is a town located in south-central Albania. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of around 71,000 people. It is the capital of both the District of Berat and the larger County of Berat...
, Kavaja, Bulqiza, Gjirokastra, Mallakastra and so on.
In September of 2008 Dede Reshat hosted a visit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
.
On October 13, 2009, Dede Reshat hosted a visit to the Mother Tekke by Noël Kinsella
Noël Kinsella
Noël A. Kinsella is a Canadian politician and Speaker of the Canadian Senate.-Education:Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, he received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from University College in Dublin, Ireland. He received an L.Ph. and a Ph.D. degree from Pontifical University of St. Thomas...
, Speaker of the Canadian Senate, during a visit to Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
.
In addition to all of these public appearances Dede Reshat was a spiritual guide to thousands of Bektashis around the world. His kind ways and gentle demeanor have left an everlasting mark upon the hearts of all those spiritual seekers who had the honor of siting in his presence. We pray that Allah Almighty allows him to an honored place under the flag of the Prophet and to be counted as one of the lovers of the Ahl ul-Bayt and the Awliyullah.
Bardhi underwent two heart surgeries in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the first in 2000 and the second in 2004.
After months of battling illness and exhaustion, al-Hajj Dedebaba Reshat Bardhi, head of the Worldwide Bektashi Community, parted from this life shortly after 2:00pm on the 2nd of April, 2011 in Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
, at the age of 76.