Description

LINEAGE

Hazrat Syed Abu Muhammad Abdul Qadir (R.A) was born in Naif in the district of Jilani in Persia in the month of Ramadan in the year 470 corresponding to 1077 of the Christian eras. His father’s name was Abu Salih, a God-fearing man and a direct descendant of Hazrat Imam Hasan, the eldest son of Hazrat Ali (R.A). His mother was the daughter of a saintly person, Abdullah Sawmai who was a direct descendant of Imam Hussain, the younger son of Hazrat Ali and Bibi Fatima. Thus, Syed Abdul Qadir (R.A) was both Hasani and Husaini.

 

LIFE

He was born on 29 Sha’ban 470 AH (March 23, 1078) in the town of Na’if in Gilan, Iran, and veiled himself from this world on Monday, February 21, 1166 (11 Rabi’ al-Thani 561 AH), in Baghdad. He was a Persian Hanbali Sunni jurist and Sufi based in Baghdad. The Qadiriyya tariqa is named after him.

After the death of his father, his grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah Sauma’ee (R.A) took care of him. He moulded Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) from childhood into the personality that he was to be. He blessed Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) with gems of spiritualism. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) was still a student at the Madrassa in Baghdad when his grandfather passed away. After the demise of his grandfather, the responsibility for his education fell upon his mother. She fulfilled this responsibility with great patience, sincerity, and dedication.

In 1096, at the age of eighteen, he went to Baghdad. There, he pursued the study of Hanbali law under Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi and ibn Aqil.  He studied Hadith with Abu Muhammad Ja’far al-Sarraj. His Sufi spiritual instructor was Abu’l-Khair Hammad ibn Muslim al-Dabbas.  After completing his education, he left Baghdad. He spent 25 years wandering in the deserts of Iraq. Al-Jilani (R.A) belonged to the Shafi’i and Hanbali schools of law. He placed Shafi’i jurisprudence (fiqh) on an equal footing with the Hanbali school (madhhab) and used to give fatwa according to both of them simultaneously.

In 1127, he returned to Baghdad and began to preach to the public. He joined the teaching staff of the school belonging to his own teacher, al-Mazkhzoomi, and was popular with students. In the morning he taught hadith and tafsir, and in the afternoon he held discourse on the science of the heart and the virtues of the Quran. He was said to have been a convincing preacher and converted numerous Jews and Christians. He was able to reconcile the mystical nature of Sufism with the sober demands of Islamic Law.

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A), arrived in Baghdad during the reign of the Abbasid Caliphate in 488 AH (1095 AD) at a time where there was chaos and disunity in the Islamic world. The Muslim rulers had lost all sense of duty and paid no heed to Islamic teachings.

When he arrived in Baghdad, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) began to spend his days in hunger and poverty as he had no money. While travelling, he met a traveller from Gilan. When he heard that Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) was from Gilan, he asked him if he knew a young man by the name of “Abdul Qadir”. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) informed him that he was Abdul Qadir. The traveller then handed a block of gold to Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) saying that it had been sent to him by his mother. When Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) heard this, he immediately made the Shukr of Almighty Allah. He then returned to the Arcade of Chosroes where he presented most of the gold to the Awliya Allah who was in search of food. He then took a little for himself and returned to Baghdad.

On his return to Baghdad, he prepared meals and fed the poor and then shared this meal with them. This alone shows the character of the great Ghaus that even though he was without food, he first gave most of his gold to the Awliya Allah, then fed the poor before eating the food himself. Without a doubt, this is the sign of a true servant of Allah.

It was in this manner that the life of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) commenced in the holy city of Baghdad.

 

TEACHING

It was at the end of this period (i.e A.H 522) that he began to impart his knowledge to others. In this year, he was given a madrassa to teach students, but now he was inwardly prepared for the task and had besides an inner commandment. In the beginning, as was to be expected, he had a few students, but very soon his fame for learning, piety, inner illumination, veracity, and his strict adherence to the sharia spread far and wide and people from all over the world began to flock around him to reap the benefits of his lectures and sermons which covered all the aspects of life.

He used to deliver sermons thrice a week. Even non-Muslims attended these sermons and many of them embraced Islam at his hands. The Muslim sinners would suddenly change their course of life if they happened to listen to his discourses, such was the spiritual force at the back of his sermons.

 

MIRACLES

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) was not like other children who spent their time in play and amusement. From a tender age, he spent his time in the remembrance of Almighty Allah. If he at any time ever intended to join the other children, then a Voice from the Unseen would be heard to say, “Come towards Me, O blessed one.” At first, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) would become afraid when he heard this voice. He would go to his mother and sit on her lap. As time passed, he became accustomed to this voice. Instead of going to his mother, he would abandon the thought of playing and occupy himself in the remembrance of Almighty Allah.

When Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) was four and a half years old, his mother enrolled him into a local Madrassa in Gilan. He studied at this Madrassa until the age of ten. During this period, a certain amazing event occurred. Whenever Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) would enter the Madrassa, he would see bright figures walking ahead of him saying, “Give way to the Friend of Allah.” His son, Sayyidi Abdur Razzaq (R.A), reports that once Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) was asked when he first came to know of his Wilayah the great Ghaus (R.A) replied: “When I was ten years old, I found Angels walking beside me on my way to the Madrassa. When we reached the Madrassa, I would hear them say, ‘Give way to the Wali Allah, Give way to the Wali Allah.’ It was when this continued that I knew that I had been blessed with Wilayah”.

One day, he left his home for a walk. As he walked along the streets of Gilan he saw an ox in front of him. He walked behind it for some time. The ox then turned around and spoke to him in the language of humans. It said: “You have not been created for this and you have not been commanded to do this.” He immediately returned home and explained this incident to his mother. He requested permission from his mother to journey to Baghdad in order to complete his academic studies and seek more spiritual knowledge. His mother, who was now 78 years old, acceded to this noble request without a second thought.

One day, the Great Ghawth (R.A) was studying in the jungle when he heard a voice from the Unseen call to him: “O Abdul Qadir! You have not eaten in days and most of your time is being spent in studies. Go to someone and get something on credit. It is the Sunnah of the Ambiya.”

When Al-Ghawth al-A’zam (R.A) heard this, he replied that he could not take anything on credit, as he had no means of repaying this credit. The voice answered: Do not worry about this. Repaying your credit is Our responsibility.”

After receiving this message, he went to a shop and requested the shopkeeper for some food on credit. He said: “I would like for you to give me one and a half rotis daily on credit, which I will repay when I have the means, and if I die before this, then you should pardon my credit.”

The shopkeeper, being a pious servant of Allah, began to cry when he heard these words and replied: “Take anything that you wish to take from my shop and whenever you wish to do so.” From that day onwards, he used to take one and a half rotis (bread) daily.

Once while delivering a lecture, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) said: “For 25 years, I roamed the jungles of Iraq. For 40 years, I performed my Fajr Salaah with the Wudhu of Esha and for 15 years I used to stand on one foot until Fajr and complete (recitation of) the entire Quran.”

 

LEGACY

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) veiled himself from this world on 21 February 1166 (11 Rabi’ al-Thani 561 AH) at the age of 89. His body was entombed in a shrine within his madrasa in Babul-Sheikh, Rusafa on the east bank of the Tigris in Baghdad, Iraq.

During the reign of the Safavid Shah Ismail I, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) shrine was destroyed. However, in 1535, the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent had a dome built over the shrine, which still exists.

1^st Ramadan is celebrated as Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani’s (R.A) birthday while his death anniversary is on 11 Rabi’ al-Thani, although some scholars give 29 Sha’ban and 17 Rabi’ al-Thani as his birth and death days. In the Indian subcontinent, his Urs (death anniversary), is called “Giyarwee Shareef”.

 

LOCATION