Murshid Allaudin Ottinger

Allaudin OttingerKansas City, KS

Allaudin was born in Kansas City, Missouri. A lifelong dedication to music, gathering people together and pursuit of the miraculous, led him to a study of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. This in turn led him to find "Sufi Dancing" in the college town of Lawrence, Kansas circa 1976. More experiences in Sufism followed, which led to a deep darshan with Murshid Moineddin Jablonski in the spring of 1978. Later that summer he again had the experience of darshan with Murshid Moineddin at the Mendocino camp. At this camp Allaudin met many of the mureeds of Murshid SAM and one of his music mentors, Hamza El Din.

Knowing now he wanted to take initiation into the Ruhaniat, he went back to San Francisco for the closing of Winterland and to take Bayat with Wali Ali Meyer. He couldn't find him at that time, but would later. By the way of two dreams, Allaudin found himself taking initiation with Kansas City Center Leader Firdousi Wyrick, who was preparing to move to the Virgin Islands. A short time later Allaudin found himself the leader of the Kansas City Sufi Center. It was 1979, he was 22 years old and he had a burning in his soul that this was important work to continue forward. 

In 1980, Allaudin was made a Cherag in the Universal Worship by Murshida Fatima Lassar. With this mantle he has officiated at the marriage of many couples in the Midwest, and across the nation. Throughout the next decade Allaudin led hundreds of Dance and Sufi meetings in Kansas City, worked closely with the Sufi Order Center in Lawrence in sponsoring Pir Vilayat and many other traveling teachers, took teachings with Korean Zen Master Soen Sa Nim and had an intense personal encounter with Sheikh Muzaffer Effendi in Chicago. In 1982 Allaudin along with Midwest dervish brothers and sisters, would begin the still continuing Ozark Sufi Camp, where thousands have learned about the path of Sufism, especially as practiced in the Sufi Ruhaniat International. His career as a traveling musician was blossoming through all these years as he played drums in every kind of ensemble but especially the internationally recognized jazz and world music collective, BCR Band. Allaudin met his life partner Yasmin Scott around this time and a few years later they would produce two beautiful (now adult) children. The whole family had a loving and deep friendship with Murshida Vera Corda through these growing -up years. In 1989 Murshid Wali Ali made Allaudin a Sheikh in the SIRS. Allaudin’s work life includes the field of education, museum exhibit and design, and a 14 year small business love affair with the coffee industry.

These days Allaudin spends a lot of time with an award winning children’s music group, working for an event production group and traveling worldwide for the Sufi work. Three Sufi inspired CDs produced by Allaudin in the last few years include the Two Niles for Imam Bilal Hyde, his own well loved collection of Dances, Zikrs and Tavern Songs called, In The Everywhere and Always and Saladin, the epic poem by Murshid Samuel Lewis, as read by Wali Ali. Current projects include working to make his Kansas City home and land a green oasis in the city.