Al-Sayyid Abdul Qadir al-Gilani

THE VOICE a true story of a guardian angel

BY SAAD RAMZI ISMAIL , august 30 ,2020

At the end of a quiet road, behind a veil of twisted old palm trees, there was an old house. A woman lived there with her 3 children; her husband was in the political prison in Baghdad Iraq.

On bitter nights, she sat by the ala aldeen kerosene heater in her old house. She was making some home bread as it is cheaper for her, and she was washing clothes and ironing them as her side job to make money to survive in the unkind city of Baghdad at that time in the communist Shia backed government, just like the one we have now.

She did all her work and sent the kid to deliver the washed and ironed clothes to the neighbors and they can bring the money they gave, for them it was cheaper than the actual professional iron and laundry store, and to help this lady. She grew tired enough for sleep. The children were fed lentil soup and fresh bread as they couldn’t afford meat or fruit. But on this night, as her eyes grew heavy, she was startled by a sound. Sound that she hadn’t heard before despite that she saw many phantoms and entities in her life. The sound was calling her name, Fatima, Fatima is enchanting voice 

 Who could be calling her name, she wondered?  She rose from her old bed, and walked toward the sound in the dark part of the small house, and said in Arabic language, meno enta and shetreed? Who are you and what you want in this hour, and started praying and saying grace, with her long beads rosary.

Where are you, she asked?

“I’m here,” a deep well mannered voice said.

She was terrified and started calling God names and praying more, WHY, and “Who is this?” she asked angrily

while her hands were shaking to start the lantern as she didn’t have a flashlight, and the only electric light that were in the house was near the front door .she run to the kitchen and hold a knife in one hand and the lantern in other hand   screaming for help as loud as she could so hoping that someone outside can hear her as she was scared to go close to the door. The children woke up and started to cry so she put them in the corner of the room and each hold a kitchen knife whatever they could find to help their mother and they put a second lantern to brighten the place, the little child 5 years old sneak slowly to the front door and turn on the light and ran back to his mother.

I turned on the light mom, now can we see who is this intruder? he said to his mom. That child was me.

My brother Samir was 9 years and my other brother Raad was 4. Our house was an old house and part of other houses beside it that the landlord gave to my mother with very low rent as goodwill as he used to know my father.

My mother started to walk slowly around the place toward the door to make sure if the front door was closed

She asked again, I am going to call the neighbors, who is it? But there was no answer.

Samir my older brother called someone from the neighborhood; they came and checked the place for any intruder

but there was no one in the place.

But we heard a man’s voice too, we told the neighbor.

Maybe you were dreaming or something, no worry no one is here, the man told us

Then the man asked his son to bring us dinner, he thought maybe we were hungry and we saw things!

It was nice of them, they brought us rise and chicken with fruits and it was so nice.

Mother, maybe we should call the neighbor every night and tell them we saw a ghost so they can send us some food. I told my mom

My mother laughed, no son that’s not nice and it will be a lie, she replied.

“That doesn’t make sense,” she said. “How could we hear the voice inside our place?”

Maybe a ghost mother, Samir told my mom.

“Oh yeah, I guess that is possible.” My mother has many encounters in her life that she told us about later in life.

We went back to sleep, and my mom told us the day after that she woke up again to the same voice calling her name , still inside the house. My mother put the holy book on a small box. She lit a candle and put salt in front of the bedroom where all of us slept and was praying all night, that was Friday night.

My mother was tired in the morning, 

Next Friday the voice came back again, my mother was stronger and started to ask him if he could see us?

Yes I can see all of you, the voice reply?

Why us? We are very poor and love God, my mom said

That’s right I can feel that and I am very happy to hear that, he said.

Why are you here? My mother asked 

“There’s a bad spirit in your house.” The voice said to my mom

You mean you are the spirit, the ghost? how can I trust someone I can’t see? Mother answered

“No I’m very serious, and I wasn’t mad at you or the kids but I was trying to get rid of this spirit of darkness away from this place , as he always torments poor people to give them despair , fear, and anxiety and to drive them crazy and away from God. He told my mother

You mean like the devil, she asked?

One of his followers and I want you to do the Roqeya prayers. He said

The Roqeya prayer is a special prayer from the holy book designed to get rid of evil entities and drive away any bad spirit, and burn any evil spirit after the reading is done and it has to be done multiple times.

My mother knows the prayers very well so every day we all read after my mother it takes about one hour or more.

We do that after school, and sometimes 3 times a day.

After one week the voice came back and was so happy and told my mother that the bad spirit flue and left the house, since that time my mother always cleaned and cleansed the house with prayers.

Before the voice left my mother asked him how he knew, how long and how this evil spirit came to our house.

The answer given was that the evil spirit came with some clothing that my mother was contracted to clean and iron, Clothing? How can evil come with this? She asked.

The clothing belong to a man who killed his partner to take over the company that they were sharing and some 

of the dead man blood splashed on his clothes . The voice said.

Yes I remember a shirt and trouser that I was washing and I had to wash them over and over again to get rid of the stain then did the ironing. Mother said with an intriguing voice.

Am I in any danger? And how do you know that? Mother asked

Nothing to worry about just keep praying the evil entity was the one who could hurt you ,the killer will meet his fate 

He answered back.

I am Shikh Abdelqader, he answered

My mother was follower of his sect they call tarika and he was buried about one hour walk from our house, she was surprised, the answer was given to her as she said that because once a month she go to his grave , clean wash and sweep the inside of his grave and pray for him because he was pious imam , man of faith that lived over 854 years ago, he was well known of the qadiriyya tariqa school of Sufism. He was descended from the children of Prophet Mohammed. 

My mother was so happy when she heard that and continued to go to his grave and the large mosques in a well known area in Baghdad, clean and was his grave and she was one of few who had permission to do so at that time.

My mother told the neighbors that she is sick and she can’t wash clothes again , she was afraid of other evil attachments . After few years the police managed to capture the killer after sending an undercover police that worked in his company and collected many evidence to the case and he was convicted and later committed suicide as he was waiting for his trial. 

My dad was later released from prison and the new government took over and our life changed for the better , we moved to a new house and lived as a normal family. My mother passed away 1997 in Baghdad while I was working In Brunei in the Brunei royal jerudong park medical centre. My father passed away in 2003 while I was working in North Alberta and both were buried in Baghdad .My brother Samir (Sam) passed away in the US -Las Vegas city as he used to work, 2001. The country now is taken by the Iranians thugs, killers and murderers along with the Iraqi Shia communists and hateful people who destroyed the country, killed and raped millions and helped all the terrorists, under the USA nose. The result is the killing of another brother in Baghdad by those thugs for no reason at all just because we don’t believe in their cult.

Since that time I believe that guardian angels don’t have to be an angel but it could be a person, life person, spirit of a dead person, a pet, or any other good spirit that you helped or pay attention to during your lifetime, and that Karma will always win in the end.

THE END

Thank you so much

SAAD RAMZI ISMAIL  ( Steve Ramsey)- Canada.

BY SAAD RAMZI ISMAIL- BAGHDAD 

 Al-Gilani was born around 1077 in Persia Al-Gilani’s father, Abu Salih Musa al-Hasani, was a descendant of Hassan ibn Ali , (Imam Hasan). Hasan was the eldest son of Ali and Fatima. Ali was Muhammad’s son-in-law and also cousin and Fatimah was Muhammad’s daughter. Al-Gilani’s mother was the daughter of Abdullah Sawmai , a descendant of Husayn ibn Ali, the younger son of Ali and Fatima. Thus, Al-Gilani was both a Hasani and Hussaini Sayyid.

Within Al-Gilani full name is , al-Sayyid Muhiyudin Abu Muhammad Abdul Qadir al-Gilani al-Hasani wal-Hussaini, the word Sayid denotes his descent from Muhammad.

 The name Muhiyudin describes him as a “revive of religion”. The phrase, al-Jilani refers to Al Gilani’s place of birth. However, Al-Gilani also carried the epithet, al-Baghdadi. referring to his residence and burial in Baghdad. My mother used to take me and volunteer to clean the grave site with rose water as part of respect and we pray for him and give food to the poor and come home , our home is only 10 minutes walk from his place.

Al Gilani’s father was a Sayyid. He was respected as a saint by the people of his day, and was known as “Jangi Dost”, (one who loves God), thus “Jangi Dost” was his sobriquet.

 Al Gilani spent his early life in Na’if, the town of his birth. In 1095, at the age of eighteen years, he went to Baghdad . There, he pursued the study of Hanbali law under Qadi Abu Sa’d al-Mubarak al-Mukharrimi and ibn aqil.

 He was given lessons on Hadith  by Abu Muhammad Ja’far al-Sarraj. In Sufizm, his spiritual instructor was Abu’l-Khair Hammad bin Muslim al-Dabbas. (A detailed description of his various teachers and subjects are included below). After completing his education, Gilani left Baghdad. He spent twenty-five years as a reclusive wanderer in the desert regions of Iraq.

 While sending him to Baghdad, his mother sewed 40 gold coins in his quilt. The dacoits struck the caravan on the way, and looted all the travelers of their belongings.

They asked him what he had. He told them about the coins. They considered it a joke and took him to their chief, who asked him the same question and he again replied that he had 40 gold coins. He asked him to show the coins, upon whom he tore away, the quilt and produced the gold coins. He was surprised and asked him why he had given the hidden gold coins when he could have kept them hidden. Young Abdul Qadir Jilani replied that he was travelling to Baghdad to receive education and his mother had instructed him to speak the truth. This left a deep effect on the chief of the dacoits and he gave up looting.

In 1127, Al Gilani returned to Baghdad and began to preach to the public. He joined the teaching staff of the school belonging to his own teacher, al-Mukharrimii, 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 people to follow God. His strength came in the reconciling of the mystical nature of the Sufi and strict nature of the Qur’an.

 Al Gilani died in the evening of Monday 14 February 1166 C.E ( 11th Rabi Al-Akhar 561 AH) at the age of 91/ 92 years. His body was entombed in a shrine within his school in Babul-Sheikh, Resafa (East bank of the Tigris) in Baghdad , Iraq. During the reign of the Safavid Shah Ismail, Gilani’s shrine was destroyed by the Shia Safawi,  and the Khawarij from Iran who hated the faithful, and they destroyed so many other mosques and churches .

However in 1535 the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman  got rid of the Iranians and protected the minorities including the Sufis,and he  had a turba (dome) built over the shrine, which exists to this day.

Some of the Prominent Sufis and saints are; 

Sheikh Abu Bakr Bin Haw’waar (ra): He lived before the time of al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) and was amongst the distinguished Mashaa’ikh of Baghdad. Once, while he was sitting in his majlis, he said, “There are seven Aqtaab (High-Ranking Awliya) of Iraq:

1. Sheikh Ma’roof Karkhi (ra)
2. Sheikh Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (ra)
3. Sheikh Bishr Haafi (ra)
4. Sheikh Mansoor bin Ammar (ra)
5. Sayyiduna Junaid al-Baghdadi (ra)
6. Sheikh Sahl bin Abdullah Tastari (ra)
7. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra)

When he heard this, Sayyidi Abu Muhammad (ra), who was a mureed of Sheikh Abu Bakr (ra) asked, “We have heard and know six of these names, but the seventh, we have not heard of. O Sheikh! Who is Abdul Qadir Jilani?” Sheikh Abu Bakr (ra) replied by saying: “Abdul Qadir (ra) will be a non-Arab (and a) pious man. He will be born towards the end of the fifth century Hijri and he will reside in Baghdad.” (Bahjatul Asrar)

Sheikh Khaleel Balkhi (ra): He was a great Wali-Allah and had passed away before the time of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra). Once while he was seated with his disciples, he said: “A pure servant of Allah will become apparent in Iraq towards the end of the fifth century. The world will gain brightness from his presence. He will be the Ghaus of his time. The creation of Allah will be obedient to him, and he will be the Leader of the Awliya Allah.” (Azkar Al Abraar)

Imam Muhammad Bin Sa’eed Zanjani (ra): He stated as follows in his distinguished work, “Nuzhatul Khawatir”: “From the era of Sheikh Abu Ali Hassan Yasaarajuwi (ra) up to the era of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra), every Wali that passed this earth, foretold the coming and the excellence of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra).” (Nuzhatul Khawatir)

Miracles Surrounding his Birth

• At the time of his birth his mother was nearly 60 years old, an age when women are usually unable to have children.
• On the night of the Mi’raj (Ascension), the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ blessed foot stepped on the neck of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) to mount al-Buraq. When he was born, the impression of the footprint of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was present on Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra). This alone was proof of his Sainthood.
• On the eve of his birth, approximately eleven hundred males were born in Jilan and every one of them became a Wali of Allah.
• Hazrat Abu Saleh Moosa (ra), Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra)’s father, had a dream in which he saw our Beloved Prophet ﷺ, who said to him:

“

O my son Abu Saleh, Allah, Most High has given you a child who is my beloved son and also the beloved of Allah. His ranking among the Awliya is akin to my rank among the Prophets.

”

• Almighty Allah gave glad tidings to his parents in their dream that their son would be the Sultan al-Awliya and those who oppose him would be Gumrah (misled).
• During Ramadan, news had spread that the infant refused to take milk from dawn until sunset, thereby implying that the newborn child was observing the fast. During the following year, when the moon could not be sighted due to heavy clouds, the people decided to observe Ramadan on the basis of whether Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) had accepted milk during the day or not.

Early Life

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) 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 (ra) 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.

Passing on of Sheikh Abu Saleh Moosa (ra)

After the passing on of his father, his grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah Sauma’ee (ra) took care of him. It was his grandfather that was responsible for the marriage of the parents of the great Saint. He moulded Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) from childhood into the personality that he was to be. He blessed Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) with gems of spiritualism. He nurtured him with gentleness and showered him with words of wisdom.

Commencement of Academic Studies

When Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) was four and a half years old, and according to certain narrations, five years old, his mother enrolled him into a local Madrassa in Jilan. He studied at this Madrassa until the age of ten. During this period, a certain amazing event occurred. Whenever Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) 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 (ra), reports that once Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) was asked when he first came to know of his Wilayah the great Ghawth (ra) replied: “When I was ten years old, I found Angels walking beside me on my way to the Madrassa. When we reached the school 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”.

Passing on of Sheikh Abdullah Sauma’ee (ra)

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) was still a student at the school in Baghdad when his grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah Sauma’ee (ra) 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. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) was about 18 years old when this incident took place.

Extraordinary Incident

One day, he left his home for a walk. As he walked along the streets of Jilan 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.

Mother’s Advice

It was such a time where parents in their old age usually depend on their children for moral and financial support, but this pious and pure servant of Allah only wanted the pleasure of Almighty Allah and His Rasool ﷺ. Whilst she was very attached to Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra), she did not let her personal feelings come before the pleasure of Allah. She wanted her son to be a man of knowledge and wisdom. In those days, people used to travel either by foot or by camel or another animal. The roads passed through dense forests and jungles and there was always the danger of travellers being robbed and killed by bandits. Sayyida Ummul Khair Fatima (ra) knew of the dangers but still supported her son’s. She wished him well with her Du’as. She said: “O my dear son! I have now become very old and I do not think I will ever get to see you again, but my Du’as will always be with you. May Almighty Allah grant you success in your quest for academic and spiritual knowledge.”

She then said: “Your deceased father left eighty Dinars from which I am giving you forty Dinars for your journey and forty Dinars I will keep for your younger brother, Sayyid Abu Ahmad Abdullah.” She took the forty Dinars and sewed them under the arm of his coat. She once again made Du’a for him. On bidding him farewell, she gave him the following advice: “O’ my beloved son! Let this advice, which I am about to give you be an important part of your life. Always speak the truth! Do not even think of lies.” The young Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) said, “My dear mother! I promise from my heart that I will always act upon your advice.” Sayyida Fatima (ra) then embraced the apple of her eye with love and motherly gentleness for the last time, and with the words, “Go! May Allah be with you. It is He who is your Helper and Protector”. The journey to Baghdad began.

A famous incident which illustrates his obedience to his mother occurred shortly after him leaving for Baghdad when his caravan (Qafila) was attacked by a sixty man band of highwaymen.

Arrival in Baghdad & Education

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra), 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 (ra) already spent the forty Dirhams given to him by his mother. Without any money, he began to spend his days in hunger and poverty. Due to immense poverty, he went towards the Arcade of Chosroes in search of Halal food. When he reached the Arcade, he found that there were already seventy Awliya Allah in search of Halal food. Since he did not wish to be in their way, he returned to Baghdad.

On his way back, he met a traveller from Jilan. When he heard that Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) was from Jilan, he asked him if he knew a young man by the name of “Abdul Qadir”. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) informed him that he was Abdul Qadir. The traveller then handed a block of gold to Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) saying that it had been sent to him by his mother. When Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) 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 were 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 doubt, this is the sign of a true servant of Allah.

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

Attaining Academic Knowledge

In Baghdad, he took admission in Nizamiyya school , which was the most prestigious and world-renowned educational institution of its time. Under the tutelage of some of the best teachers in the Islamic word, he reached an outstanding level of understanding in the following sciences:

1. Fiqh (Jurisprudence)
2. Tafsir (Commentary of the Holy Qur’an)
3. Sunnah of the Holy Prophet
4. Hadith (Traditions of the Holy Prophet(saw))
5. Arab Literature

Hardships Faced During Studies

While studying in Baghdad, he faced many hardships and was tested severely by the life of Baghdad. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) himself used to say: “The hardship and difficulties that I faced in Baghdad during my studies were so severe that if they had to be placed on a mountain, then even the mountain would split in two.”

He also used to say: “When the hardships and difficulties would become unbearable, then I would lie on the road and continuously recite the Ayah of the Holy Quran:

By making takraar (repetition) of this Ayah I used to find great tranquility and peace.”

After adjourning from classes, he used to wander into the jungles and forests of Baghdad where he used to spend the entire night in the Zikr of Almighty Allah. He did this regardless of the weather conditions or season. If he become tired and weak, he would rest for a while making the ground his bed and a boulder his pillow. During these nights of Zikr, he would dress in a small turban and a thin cloak. If he became hungry, he used to go towards the river Euphrates and eat whatever vegetables he could find beside the river. He always said that he gained much pleasure in this way of life and it caused him to gain closeness to Almighty Allah.

Patience During a Severe Drought

Once, while he was studying, the city of Baghdad experienced a severe drought. The conditions in Baghdad became so desperate that people became dependant on every grain that they could find. When there was no more grain, people began to eat plants and leaves from trees. During this time, al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) used to also go out in search for food. But when he saw others in search of food, he would return to the city empty-handed, as he did not feel it appropriate to impose by disturbing others whom he thought needed food more than he did. Many days had passed by without him eating.

Due to intense hunger, he was compelled to go out in search of food towards a market in Baghdad known as Sooq Al Raihaanun. As he entered the market, his hunger had made him so weak and tired, that be could not stand anymore. He saw a Masjid nearby and slowly dragged himself towards it. He entered the Masjid and sat against one of the walls of the Masjid to support his tired and weak body. He sat there for a while. Then he saw a person enter the Masjid. The person sat in one corner and opened a parcel which contained fried meat and bread. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) reported this incident that the person then began to have this meal. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) says: “The intensity of my hunger was so great that every time the person lifted a morsel of food to his mouth, my mouth would uncontrollably open with his and I wished that I also had something to eat.”

When this continued happening, al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) turned to his nafs and said, “Do not be impatient. Have trust and faith in Almighty Allah.” After uttering these words he did not feel this way anymore. After a little while, this person came to Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) uninvited and offered him some food. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) kindly declined, but the person insisted. Upon such insistence, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) joined him in his meal.

Whilst eating, the person asked al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) about himself. He explained to him that he was from Jilan and that he was in Baghdad to attain knowledge. The person then said that he was also from Jilan and asked if he knew any person named Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra). Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) answered by saying, ‘My name is Abdul Qadir Jilani.”

When the man heard this, with tears in his eyes, he stood before Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) and said, “Please forgive me for I have misused that which was given to me in trust.” Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) asked the stranger to explain what he meant. The stranger then said:

“

When I was leaving Jilan, I met an old woman, who gave me eight Dirhams in trust that I should give them to her son, Abdul Qadir, who is studying in Baghdad. O Abdul Qadir! The food that I was eating was from the eight Dirhams that your mother had given for you. I had been searching for you but could not find you and due to this, my stay in Baghdad was extended. This caused my money to run out and out of extreme hunger, I used some of your money to purchase this food that we ate. O Abdul Qadir! It is not I that fed you, but it is you that fed me. Please forgive me for abusing that which was given to me in trust (Amaanah).

”

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra), with great gentleness and affection, held the stranger to his heart and praised him for his honesty and his sincerity. He then gave the remainder of the food and a portion of the eight Dirhams to the stranger and bid him farewell.

This incident indicates in clear terms that Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) was concerned more with the needs of others than those of his own. Notwithstanding his dire need in the circumstances, he remained sensitive to the plight of this stranger. This act of selflessness alone is a lesson in the behaviour that one should adopt.

Sheikh Abdullah Salmi (ra) states that he heard the following astonishing incident from Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) The Great Ghawth said:

“

Once during my studies in Baghdad, I had nothing to eat for many days. One day, in this condition, I was on my way to a small street called ‘Qat’eeya Sharafiya’. Here, there was a Masjid, which used to be empty. I used to sit there by myself and revise my lessons for the next day. On my way to Mohalla Qat’eeya, I met a stranger who gave me a piece of paper and asked me to take it to a certain shop. Very surprised, I did as he asked. When I got to the shop, I gave the piece of paper to the owner, who in turn kept this piece of paper and gave me roti (bread) and halwa (sweets). I took this roti and halwa and went into the Masjid where I used to revise my lessons. I sat down for a while and decided to eat a piece of bread and some halwa when I saw a piece of paper beside the wall. I picked it up and saw the following words written on it, ‘Almighty Allah has stated in one of the past Books, that the Lions of Allah have no desire for the pleasures of this world. Desires and pleasure (in food) are for the old and weak who depend on this to gain strength for Ibadah. When I read this my entire body began to tremble in the fear of Allah causing all the hair on my body to stand on end. I immediately removed the desire of eating from my mind and read two Rakaats of Salaah and then left the Masjid without eating.

”

Encounter with a Pious Servant of Allah

It was a common practice during harvesting season in Baghdad Shareef for students to get together at a nearby village called “Baquba” and to ask the farmers for some grain from their annual harvest. In those days, the people showed great respect to students and happily gave them grain.

On one occasion, the students, who were in the class of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra), insisted that he accompany them to the village of Baquba. Since he did not want to disappoint them, he accompanied them to the village. When they reached there, Al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) heard that a pious servant of Allah, by the name of Shareef Baaqoobi lived in this village. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) decided to meet this pious servant to obtain his blessings. When Shareef Baaqoobi saw Al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra), he immediately recognised that this was the Qutub-e-Zaman. He told him:

“

O my son! Those who strive in the path of Allah do not sketch their hands out to anyone but Allah. You seem to be amongst the chosen servants of Allah. For you to ask for grain (from the people of Baquba) is contrary to your status.

”

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) states: “From that day onwards, I never accompanied anyone on such trips and I never asked anything from anyone again.”

Assistance from the Unseen

One day, the Great Ghawth (ra) 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 (ra) 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 (slices of bread) 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 of Al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) He 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. The days passed by rapidly and Al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) began to worry about the money that he owed. One day, he was engrossed in this thought when the same Voice from the Unseen called to him and said: “O Abdul Qadir! Go to a certain place and whatever you find there, give it to the shopkeeper”.

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) went to that spot that he was commanded to go to. There, he found a piece of gold. He took this piece of gold and gave it to the shopkeeper thus paying off his credit.

After completing his academic studies, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) did not stop in his quest for in-depth spiritual knowledge. To quench this spiritual thirst, he was presented with the opportunity of gaining spiritual knowledge under the guidance of Sheikh Hamad bin Muslim Ad Dabbas (ra) who was amongst the greatest Sheikhs of Baghdad.

There came a time in Baghdad when there was abundance of trouble. Since he did not want any part of this, he decided to leave Baghdad for a more peaceful environment. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) said,

“

I made my intention to leave Baghdad due to the unsuitable conditions and was on my way out of Baghdad, when from the unseen, some great strength pushed me so hard that I fell to the ground. Then from the unseen I heard a voice say, ‘Do not leave here. The creation of Allah will gain benefit via you.’ On hearing this I said, ‘What do I have to do with the people? All I want is to protect my Deen (Imaan).’ The voice then said, ‘No, it is of utmost importance for you to remain here. No harm will come to your Imaan. I then immediately changed my mind and for the pleasure of Allah, I remained in Baghdad. The very next day as I was passing through a street, a man opened the door of his house and called to me. He said, ‘O Abdul Qadir, what did you ask from your Creator yesterday?’ With these words, he closed the door of his house. I walked for some time and then realised that I had made a grave error, this person was a Wali, if not, he would have not known of what had happened the previous day. I went in search of his door, but was unsuccessful. After this, I would look for him wherever I went, until one day I saw him in a gathering and from then on I stayed in his company. This personality was Sayyid Hammad bin Muslim Al Dabbas.

”

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) gained deep spiritual knowledge from Sheikh Hammad (ra), who was originally from Syria. He was born in a village near Damascus. He travelled to Baghdad and lived in a place called Muzaffariyyab until his demise in 525 AH. His Mazaar is in the Shawneezia Cemetery in Baghdad Shareef.

Apart from Sayyidi Hammaad (ra), al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) also gained spiritual education from Sheikh Abu Saeed Al-Mukharrami (ra).

By the year 496 AH, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) had completed his academic and spiritual studies. Between 496 AH and 521 AH, he underwent a period of deep reflection and seclusion during which he distanced himself from all worldly affairs. His twenty-five year long spiritual journey saw him travel across the barren desert and ruins in the area around Baghdad living in complete seclusion where he would experience extreme physical hardships. During this time he would be in constant remembrance of Almighty Allah.

During these 25 years, he engrossed himself in such intense spiritual exercises that just by reading about them one can only but marvel at the dedication of this Great Saint. His sincerity and dedication in controlling his nafs took him swiftly to the levels of “Fana-fi Rasool” and “Fanna Fi Allah”. He was now totally drowned in the sea of love of Allah and His Rasool {s}. He turned himself into a strong mountain of patience and firmness that could not be moved. The notable events that took place during this part of his life are numerous. If they are recorded, then this alone would fill volumes. To give us some appreciation of his spiritual condition during these 25 years, a few incidents are quoted.

Suppressing his Nafs

Once while delivering a lecture, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) 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. During this time, I sometimes spent between three and 40 days without eating even a morsel.

”

Sheikh Abul Mas’ood bin Abu Bakr Hareemi reports that Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) once said to him,

“

Year after year, I spent struggling with my nafs by putting myself through various strenuous and intense tests. For one year, I ate only vegetables and drank no water. The following year I only drank water and ate nothing and the year after that, I did not eat and drink for the entire year. There were times when I did not sleep a wink. During this time I used to put myself through various spiritual exercises. There were times when I would be so drowned in struggling against my nafs that I used to roll on thorns until my entire body would be severely bruised and cut and I would become unconscious. People would pick me up and take me to the physician. He would certify me dead. Thinking that I was dead, they would prepare for my ghusal and kaffan. When they used to place me on the bathing board to give me ghusl, I used to awake from this spiritual condition and walk away.

”

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) states regarding his experiences:

“

During the early stages of my Mujahida I used to, on many occasions, be unaware of my own condition. I never used to even know where I was and how I got there. Once, in a village close to Baghdad, I entered into such a spiritual condition, which caused me to be totally unaware of my physical self. In this condition, I began to run. When I regained my normal senses, then only did I realize that I had been running for 12 days without stopping. I was amazed at what had happened to me. Then a woman passed by me and said, “You are Sheikh Abdul Qadir. You should not be astonished when something like this happens to you.

”

 Hajj

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) performed his first Hajj in the prime of his youth. It is recorded in the distinguished book “Azkar Al Abraar” that al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) stated:

“

I performed my first Hajj in the prime of my youth. On my journey for Hajj, I came to the ‘Tower of Quroon’, where I met Sheikh Adi bin Musafir (ra). He was also very young during this time. He asked me if he could accompany me on my journey. I happily agreed. Thus, we both began to travel together. After some time, I saw an Abyssinian woman in a veil standing in front of me and looking at me very attentively. She then asked my name and origin. I replied by giving her my name and old her that I was from Jilan. She then said, ‘O Young man! You have made me tired searching for you. I was in Abyssinia when I was spiritually informed that Almighty Allah has filled your heart with His Noor (Light) and has blessed you with such excellence that no other Wali Allah has ever received. After I was informed of this, I left in search of you. Now that I have seen you, my heart desires that I should travel with you today and make Iftar with you. When evening came, I saw that a tray descend from the skies. On this tray were six rotis, gravy and vegetables. When the Abyssinian woman saw this she said, ‘O Allah! You have protected my respect. Usually You send two rotis for me every night, but today You sent enough for all three of us. After we had eaten, the tray ascended into the skies, and another tray descended with three containers of water. This water was sweet and delicious and I have never before nor since tasted such water. After this, the lady left. Sheikh Musafir and myself continued our journey till we reached Makkah al-Mukarramah. Once, while making Tawaaf in the Haram, the Noor of Allah descended on Adi ibn Musafir causing him to fall unconscious. By looking at him, it seemed as if he had passed away. I was still going towards him when I saw the same pious Abyssinian woman beside him. She shook him and said, ‘That Allah Who caused you to die, is the same Allah Who will bring you back to life; that Allah before Whose Noor, none is equal. The world would have not come into existence and cannot exist without His Command. All this never was before He created it. Now, the Light and Power of Allah has filled the hearts and minds of the People of Intelligence and knowledge and this has caused their eyes to close’. Just as she said these words, Sheikh Adi came back to his senses and stood up. “Then, while making Tawaaf Almighty Allah sent his blessed rays of light on me and I heard a voice from the Unseen which said, ‘O Abdul Qadir, forget the physical world and remember your Creator. We will show you signs from amongst Our wonders. Do not join your worldly thoughts with Our thoughts. Remain steadfast. Do not look for the pleasure of none other than that of Mine. Be prepared to be of benefit to the creation of Allah, since they are certain chosen servants of Mine who will reach Me through your Wasila’. When this happened, I heard the voice of the Abyssinian woman saying, ‘O Abdul Qadir! You have been blessed with a great gift today. I see an umbrella of light above your head and I see Angels all around you. Today, all the Awliya Allah are looking towards you’. After saying these words, she disappeared and was never to be seen again.”

”

Encounters with evil spirits to tempt him

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) states that during his life he had encountered various attacks from Shaytaan and his partners. Through the assistance of Almighty Allah he was always victorious over Satan. Almighty Allah always protected him from this even when his nafs would try and force him into certain desires. When the Shayateen would attempt with vigour to sway the great al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra), he would hear a voice saying, “O Abdul Qadir! Stand firm and challenge them. Our help is with you.”

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) states that when he used to hear this, then he would stand firmly and challenge the Shayateen and become victorious over them. He says that at times the Shayateen would take daring and frightening forms and come towards him, and he would say in Jalaal, “La Hawla walaa Quwwata Illa billahil Aliyil Azeem” and firmly strike the face of the Shaytaan, who would then disappear.

His First Encounter with evil spirit

He says that once Shaytaan came to him in a very ugly form and with a foul odour emanating from that cursed presence. Shaytaan said, “I am Iblees. You have exhausted my students and me in our attempts to mislead you. I would now like to become your servant”. On hearing this, the great Ghawth said, “O Cursed One! Leave here at once.” After this command of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) Shaytaan still refused to leave. until a great force vanished the evil one to the ground.

His Second Encounter with Shaytaan

Sheikh Ghaus-e¬A’zam (ra) states. “Once Shaytaan came to me and in his hand he had balls of fire, which he threw towards me. While this was happening, a veiled person on a white horse appeared and gave a sword in my hand. The moment I took the sword in my hand, Shaytaan turned and began to run.”

His Third Encounter with Shaytaan

The great Saint (ra) states: “Once again I saw Shaytaan, but this time in a very sad state. I saw him sitting on the ground putting sand on his head. When he saw me he said, ‘O Abdul Qadir, you have made me very sad and disillusioned.’ I then said, ‘O Cursed One! Go away. I am always asking protection from you (in Allah).’ On hearing this, he said, ‘These words hurt me even more.’ He then spread enormous amounts of traps around me. I asked what this was and he said, ‘These are the traps and nets of this world in which we trap people like you.’ After this, for one year, I gave thought to these traps of the world until I broke every one of them”.

His Steadfastness on Shari’ah

After gaining in-depth academic and spiritual knowledge, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) was not only the most pious and knowledgeable personality, but he was a guiding light to the misguided and a firm mountain when it came to speaking against that which was incorrect. He always said that even until Qiyamah, none can change the Shari’ah. Any person who goes against the command of the Shari’ah is an evil person (Shaytaan). His son, Sheikh Ziauddeen Abu Nasr Moosa (ra) states the following regarding his father’s encounter with evil spirit during his time in seclusion:

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) usually visited the secluded fields of Karkh which were located on one side of Baghdad. This was an ideal place for prayers and devotional practices.

For eleven years Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) lived in Shushtar, a place twelve days journey from Baghdad. Here, the Sheikh spent his time in prayer and devotional exercises. It was here that Shaytaan attempted to fool the Sheikh, but to no avail.

“

Once the Sheikh, talking about the days of his spiritual exercise, revealed: “I once had nothing to eat for 20 days. During this period, I proceeded to the ruins of the palace of Aiwan Kasra in search of fruit or something permitted. There I found 70 saints already searching for some food.” Having seen this, I returned to Baghdad. On my way I met a person who gave me some money and revealed that it was sent by my mother. I took the money and went straight to those 70 saints whom I had previously seen. I kept a little with me and distributed the rest among them. With the rest of the money that I had kept, I purchased some food and shared it with the poor and hungry.”

”

Initiation into the Spiritual Order

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) gained his spiritual training in Baghdad from two of the greatest Mystics of their time – Sheikh Hamad bin Muslim Ad Dabbas (ra) and Sheikh Abu Saeed Al-Mukharrami (ra). Although he had gained many blessings from both these personalities, he had not yet pledged his spiritual allegiance to a spiritual guide (Peer-o-Murshid).

Finally, the time had come and according to the Will of Almighty Allah, he presented himself in the court of Sheikh Abu Saeed Al-Mukharrami (ra) and became his disciple (Mureed) thus joining his Halqa and spiritual order. Sheikh Abu Saeed (ra) showed much love and attention to this unique disciple and blessed him with gems of spiritualism and mysticism.

Once while Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) and others were seated in front of the Sheikh, he asked Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) to fetch something. While he was gone, Sheikh Al-Mukharrami (ra) addressing those present said, “One day, the foot of that young man will be on the shoulders of all the Awliya Allah and all the Awliya of his time will humble themselves before him”.

After Sheikh Abu Saeed Al-Mukharrami (ra) admitted Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) into the spiritual order, he fed him a meal with his own hands. Concerning this, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) says, “For every morsel of food that my Sheikh-e-Tariqat put into my mouth, my heart began to fill with the light of Marifah.”

Sheikh Abu Saeed Al-Mukharrami (ra) then dressed Al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) in the Garb of Sainthood (Khirqa) and said: “This Khirqa was given to Sayyiduna Ali-e-MurtaDA by the Holy Prophet ﷺ. He in turn gave it to Khwaja Hassan Basri (ra) and from him through generations it reached me”. Once Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) had been dressed in this Garb, the rays of Noor could be seen descending upon him. The Khirqa (Saintly Garb) that was bestowed upon the great Saint had been handed down from generation to generation. A tree depicting how the Khirqa Mubarak reached Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) is shown below:

Spiritual Chain

His silsila (spiritual chain) is traced back to the Beloved Prophet ﷺ as follows:

• Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra), disciple of
• Sheikh Abu Saeed Al-Mukharrami (ra), disciple of
• Sheikh Abu’l Hasan Ali bin Muhammad Al-Quraishi (ra), disciple of
• Sheikh Abu’l Farah Tartoosi (ra), disciple of
• Sheikh Abu’l Fazal Abdul Wahid Tamimi (ra), disciple of
• Sheikh Abu Bakr Abdullah Shibli (ra), disciple of
• Sheikh Junaid Al-Baghdadi (ra), disciple of
• Sheikh Abu’l Hasan Sari al-Saqati (ra), disciple of
• Sheikh Maruf al-Karkhi (ra), disciple of
• Sheikh Dawood Taa’ee (ra), disciple of
• Sheikh Habib al-Ajami (ra), disciple of
• Sheikh Hasan al-Basri (ra), disciple of
• Sayyadina Ali ibn Abi Talib Khalifa of
• Sayyidina Muhammad ibn Abdillah ﷺ

Return to Baghdad

Before his return, he saw in a vision that he was walking along a street in Baghdad, where a sick and emaciated man lying on the roadside greeted him. When the Sheikh answered the salutation, the man asked him to help him to sit up. On the Saint’s giving him the help asked for, the man sat up and began to grow miraculously big in stature. Seeing the Saint frightened at the phenomenon, the stranger allayed his fear saying, “I am the religion of your grandfather. I became diseased and miserable, but God has revived me through your help. This event fore-shadowed the future career of the Sheikh in terms of reviving the religion of Islam.

Falsehood and cults were beginning to spread at an alarming rate. The respect for knowledge and for the people of knowledge was wearing thin in the hearts of the people of Baghdad. It was a time of great deterioration in the following of the Sunnah. It was a time when there was a dire need for a Reformer of the ways of the people and a Reviver of the true Faith. This Reformer and Reviver was none other than Imam-ul-Awliya Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra). He entered the arena at this time of corruption and conflict and within a short space of time; he once again turned the blessed city of Baghdad into the center of learning and spiritualism.

He was over fifty years old by the time he returned to Baghdad, in 521 AH/ 1127 AD, where he began to preach in public. Sheikh Abu Saeed Al-Mukharrami (ra) appointed Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) his successor as Principal of the School of Hanbalite Law (Madrasa Babul Ajaz), a post which he held for over thirty years.

The Rose of Baghdad

On returning to Baghdad from his spiritual journey Sheikh Abdul Qadir (ra) faced a tribulation which was overcome with majestic wisdom. Many of the Islamic elite of Baghdad were perturbed by the return of Sheikh Abdul Qadir (ra) who, due to his great reputation and spiritual status, had amassed a large following of disciples. The scholars gathered and devised a way by which they could send a clear message to Sheikh Abdul Qadir indicating their displeasure at his presence in Baghdad.

They ordered a large vessel be filled to the brim and sent it to the quarters of Sheikh Abdul Qadir (ra). The container represented Baghdad and the water represented the scholars in Baghdad. This indicated that Baghdad hadn’t any more room for a new Sheikh.

With an ingenious stroke of wisdom and demonstrating his extraordinary powers, the Sheikh plucked a rose which he placed on top of the water. He then ordered the vessel be taken back to the senders who on seeing it, immediately acknowledged the great spiritual wisdom of the Sheikh and assigned him the title ‘The Rose of Baghdad’.

As it has been stated earlier, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) had come to Baghdad when it was a city full of corruption and misled persons. It was also during this time that the misled sought to “debate” their contention that the Holy Quran was allegedly “a creation”. It was a very testing time for Muslims all over the world, since the Crusades had begun, where the entire Christian world was bent on destroying the Muslim Empire. The passage of time during which al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) had completed his studies and undertaken twenty-five years of spiritual exercises, had resulted in the condition in Baghdad becoming even worse.

Lectures

During the month of Shawwal, 521 AH, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) saw Allah’s Messenger ﷺ in his dream advising him to make a speech in order to impart his knowledge to others.

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) asked to be blessed with the eloquence of an Arab, as he was an Ajmi (non-Arab). Allah’s Messenger ﷺ recited the following verse seven times and blew on the face of the Sheikh:

Yusuf Ali: Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.
QURAN 16-25

The same day after Zuhr prayer, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) mounted the pulpit and addressed the people with a sermon. The audience was entranced by his words. When Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) spoke he was prompted by the Grace of Allah causing the miraculous and revolutionary impact of his words.

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) usually delivered lectures 3 times a week – on Wednesday evenings, Fridays and on Sunday mornings. This blessed practice continued for forty years, from 521 AH. to 561 AH. At first, he began delivering lectures and teaching people in the school.

The people of Baghdad and neighbouring cities began flocking to the lectures of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) in such great numbers that the school became too small for these gatherings. There would often be no place inside the school, forcing people to sit out on the streets to listen to his lectures and advice. In 568 AH a few houses around the school were purchased and incorporated to make the school bigger. After some time, even this proved to be too small. The Mimbar of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) was then carried and placed in a massive open area (Eid Gaah) where more than 70,000 people would present themselves in each of his lectures. In each of his gatherings, there would be four people recording his lectures in writing and two Qaris, who recited the Holy Quran. His lectures became so famous in a very short space of time that it attracted people from all parts of the world, thus making Baghdad Shareef the centre of learning and spiritualism once again.

His lectures were full of knowledge and wisdom. They were so influential and powerful that listeners would go into spiritual ecstasy. Some of them would tear their clothes. Others would fall unconscious. On some occasions, certain listeners would become so lost in the gems of love for Allah and His Rasool ﷺ that the great Saint presented in his lectures, that they would even pass away in this condition. On various occasions, even non-Muslims came to his lectures. After listening to his lectures they would find that they could not refute anything he said and they would willingly accept Islam. In addition to the ordinary members of the public, Rijal-ul-Ghaib and Jinns also frequented his blessed gatherings. Akaabireen and Mashaikh also frequented his gatherings. It was a training school for the young, a place to repent for the sinful, a place of guidance for the misguided, and a bank of spiritualism for the spiritually bankrupt.

His voice was very stern and sharp. One of the miracles of his Majlis was that each and every person sitting there heard him alike, even though in those times, there was no means of voice amplification, such as microphones and the like. Al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) close student, Sayyidi Abdullah Jabaa’ee (ra), states that during this era of his lectures, more than 100,000 sinners repented at the blessed hands of al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra). 

On one occasion, a monk named “Sanaan” presented himself in the gathering of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) and accepted Islam on the hands of the great Saint. After bringing Imaan, he stood up in the gathering and said: “O people! I am a citizen of Yemen and for many years I lived in seclusion as a Christian Monk. For some time now, I have realised the truth of Islam, but after looking at the ways of the present Muslims, I delayed my acceptance of Islam and made a vow that I will accept Islam on the hands of a person who is the most pious amongst people. After making this vow, one night, I dreamt of Sayyiduna Esa- JESUS (as) who said, ‘O Sanaan! Go to Baghdad and accept Islam on his hands. At the present moment, there is none on this earth that is more pious and firm on religion than he is, and there is none more exalted than him in this time.’ After this dream, I came here today and accepted Islam and I have found him to be as I have heard.

Al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) lectures were inspiring to all who frequented his Majlis. His words were kind but firm. He was not swayed by the power or status of anyone. If they were wrong, he did not hesitate to correct them in his Majlis or anywhere else. He feared none but Allah and made those who were in his Majlis aware of this. Once, one of the close ministers of the Khalifa Azeezuddin came to the Majlis of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra). When he saw him, the great Saint said, “The condition of those like you is such, that one man is lost in the slave ship of another. Who then is the true slave of Allah?” He then addressed Azeezuddin directly and said, “Stand up! Keep your hand on my hand so that you may distance yourself from this mundane world and run towards your Creator.” Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) delivered thousands of lectures in his lifetime on various topics. His gatherings were frequented by thousands of ordinary people, learned scholars and great Saints. It has been stated in authentic sources that during his lectures there would be approximately four hundred scribes who recorded his lectures in writing. Two such lectures, which were then recorded, are being presented below for your perusal.

Besides giving sermons, every day in the morning and afternoon the Sheikh gave lessons in Quran Tafsir, Hadith, principles of Islamic law and other allied subjects. After midday prayers he was seen issuing fatwas or verdicts on legal questions presented to him from all parts of the world. Every evening before Maghrib prayers, he would distribute bread among the poor. After the evening prayers it was his habit to sit for dinner because usually he fasted during the day throughout the year.

Before every such meal it was his practice to have it proclaimed that anybody who needed food in the neighbourhood could come and join him. After Isha prayers, in the manner of all saintly persons, he would retire to his chamber and spend the greater part of the night in the worship of God, a practice recommended by the Holy Quran for all who would claim to be in close spiritual relationship with the Holy Prophet ﷺ. As a true follower of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, he used to serve humanity during the day and serve his Creator during the greater part of the night.

Wives & Children

Up until 521 AH, at age of fifty-one, he never thought of marriage. He even regarded it as a sort of impediment in the path of spiritual efforts. But as he came to establish contact with the people, in obedience to the commandment of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and in deference to his example, he married four wives, all of whom were models of virtue and devoted to him:

• Sayyida Bibi Madina (ra)
• Sayyida Bibi Sadiqa (ra)
• Sayyida Bibi Mu’minah (ra)
• Sayyida Bibi Mahboobah (ra)

Once someone asked Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) why he had made Nikah in his unique and elevated spiritual condition. The great Ghawth (ra) replied:

“

I would not have married but my beloved forefather, Nabi Muhammad {s} has commanded me to marry. It is on this basis that I have made Nikah. I was, in reality, afraid of making Nikah, for this reason that my time may be lost in other things rather than in the love of my Creator, but when the time came, then My Creator blessed me with four wives, and each one of them loved me dearly.”When my mother would enter a dark place, it would immediately become bright. Once my father Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) entered one such place where my mother was, and on his entrance, the light caused by her presence disappeared. On seeing this, my blessed father said, ‘This light is not enough. It has disappeared in my light. Let me make it more powerful’. From this day onwards, when my mother entered a dark place, then her light was like that of the full moon.

He had forty-nine children; twenty-seven sons and twenty-two daughters. Many of his sons became famous for their education and learning, and they and their descendants spread Islam in other parts of the world:

 

• Sheikh Musa (ra)
• Sheikh Abul Fazl Muhammad (ra)
• Sheikh Abu Ishaq Ibrahim (ra)
• Sheikh Abdullah (ra)
• Sheikh Abdur Rehman (ra)
• Sheikh Abu Nasser Musa (ra)
•  

When the Sheikh was suffering from illness, his son Abdul Wahab asked him: “Give me a parting admonition on which I should act after you have left this world.” The Sheikh replied:

“

Fear Almighty Allah. Fear none but Allah. Always turn towards Him. Ask all your wishes from Allah. Do not turn to any besides Allah. Do not have faith in any but in Allah. Remain firm on Tawheed (belief in One Allah). There is no salvation without Tauheed. When the heart becomes linked with Allah then nothing else seems to look good to him. I have reached the level of True Love. It is a domain where worldly love has no place.

”

Presence of Other Beings

Just before his demise, he turned to the rest of his sons and said,

“

Move away from me. Right now, you seem to be before me, but in reality you are not the only ones here. With the exception of yourselves, there are other creations of Allah here as well. Give enough space for them. Show respect to them. Give way. This is now a place of exalted pardon and forgiveness. Do not crowd this place.

”

After saying these words, he would continue saying, “And may there be peace, blessings and Allah’s Mercy upon you. May Allah forgive us all and may He bestow His Mercy upon us.” This was his reply to the greetings of the Angels that had presented themselves before him. It is stated that he replied to their greetings for a full twenty-four hours.

Allegiance to Ahle Sunnat

Sheikh Abdur Razzaq (ra) and Sheikh Moosa (ra), both sons of al-Ghawth al-A’zam (ra) state:

“

Sheikh lifted both his hands towards the sky and said, ‘May there be peace, blessings and Allah’s Mercy upon you. Repent sincerely from your hearts and join the Sawad-e-A’zam (Huge Jamaat or Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat). It was for this reason that I was sent. In other words, I was sent to command you to follow and be obedient to our Beloved Nabi Muhammad ﷺ. Always be gentle. He then said, ‘The distance between you, I and all the creation is like the distance between the skies and the earth. Thus, you should not think of anyone equal to me, or think of me equal to any other.

”

His Illness

It is further reported that his son, Sheikh Abdul Aziz (ra) asked him about his disease. On this he said:

“

Surely no one, neither any man nor any jinn, nor any angel knows or understands my disease. The knowledge of God is not diminished by the command of God. The command changes but the knowledge does not change. The command may be abrogated but not knowledge. God causes to pass away and establishes what He pleases, and with Him is the basis of the Book: Yusuf Ali: He cannot be questioned for His acts, but they will be questioned (for theirs). Quran ; 21-23.

”

It has also been reported that his son Sheikh Abdul Jabbar (ra) asked him: “Which part of your body gives you pain?” He replied :

“

All my organs are hurting me except my heart. There is no pain there, for it is with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He).

”

His Last Moments

Then death came to him, as he was saying:

“

Seek help in the words: There is none worthy of worship but Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, the Ever-Living, Who has no fear of passing away. Glory be to Him Who exults in His omnipotence, and subdues His servants with death. There is none worthy of worship but Allah. Muhammad ﷺ is Allah’s Messenger.

”

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) passed away in 561 AH (1166 AD), at the age of ninety-one (or ninety-two according to another narrative). It has been reported that such a large number of people had gathered for his funeral procession that his family members had to bury him during the night.

The day was the 11th of Rabi’ al-Thani. This date is commemorated by his admirers up to this day and is known as Giarwin Sharif in the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent.

Abdel Qadir al Gilani ( Qaddas A saraho), wrote so many books ,among them ;

 Futuh al-Ghaib(Revelations of the Unseen) – 78 discourses, fairly short and to the point but very powerful.

• Al-Fath ar-Rabbani(The Sublime Revelation) – 62 discourses, definitely longer, given in the Ribaat and Madrasa in Baghdad AH 545–546.
• Jala’ al-Khawatir(The Removal of Cares) – 45 discourses, also in the same locations, given in the year AH 546.
• Malfuzat(Utterances of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir) – This is a collection of quotes from the Shaikh. Generally, it is found at the end of the hand-copied, Arabic manuscripts of Fath ar-Rabbani.
• Al-Ghunya li-Talibi Tariq al-Haqq(Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth, also known in the Indian sub-continent as Al-Ghunya li-Talibin). These five volumes, written by the Shaikh at the request of one of his murids, is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of Islam, both the inward and the outward.
• Khamsata ‘Ashara Maktuban(Fifteen Letters) – These are 15 letters originally written in Persian by Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir to one of his murids.
• Al-Fuyudat al-Rabbaniyya(Emanations of Lordly Grace)
• Bashair al-Khairat(Glad Tidings of Good Things) – A Salawat by Shaykh Abd al-Qadir by way of inspiration from Allah.
• Kitab Sirr al-Asrar wa Mazhar al-Anwar (The Book of the Secret of Secrets and the Manifestation of Light.
• Thank you for reading.
• Saad Ramzi Ismail Al Hassani.
• Canada, Calgary, 
• SAAD RAMZI ISMAIL