Abdul-Qadir Gilani From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani[1][2] (Persian: عبد القادر گیلانی,Urdu: عبد القادر آملی گیلانی Abdolqāder Gilāni) (also spelled Abdulqadir Gaylani, Abdelkader, Abdul Qadir, Abdul Khadir - Jilani, Jeelani, Gailani, Gillani, Gilani, Al Gilani, Keilany) (470–561 AH) (1077–1166 CE) was a Persian[3]Islamic preacher who is highly esteemed by Sunni scholars. Among followers in Pakistan and India, he is also known as Ghaus-e-Azam. He was born on a Wednesday the 1st of ramadan in 470 AH, 1077 CE[4] south of the Caspian Sea in what is now the Mazandaran Province of Iran.
Lineage and biography
Al-Gilani was born in 1078 CE (471 AH)1st of ramadan and passed away 11 rabi usani in a small town of Gilan Province.[5][6]
| “ | Sayyid Abu Muhammad Abdul Qadir R.A was born in Naif in the District of Gilan in Persia (Iran) in the month of Ramadan.... His father's name was Abu Salih, a God-fearing man and a direct descendant of Hazrat Imam Hasan R.A., the eldest son of Ali R.A, the Holy Prophet's (SAW) first cousin, and husband of Fatima R.A his beloved daughter. His mother was the daughter of a saintly person- Abdullah Sawmai who was a direct descendant of Imam Husain R.A, the younger son of Ali R.A and Fatima R.A. Thus Sayyid Abdul Qadir was both a Hasani and Hussaini.[7] | ” |
His complete name al-Sayyid Muhiyudin Abu Muhammad Abdal Qadir al-Jilani al-Hasani wal-Hussaini,[1][2] Sayyid denoting his descent from Muhammad,[8] Muhiyudin the title "Reviver of Religion",[9] al-Jilani his home region,[10][11]although however he also had the epithet al-Baghdadi.[12][13][14] (denoting also the city of Baghdad where he was now residing in and therefore also geographically recognised through, eventually being buried there), and al-Hasani wal-Hussaini affirming his lineal descent from both Hasan ibn Ali and Hussein ibn Ali, the grandsons of Muhammad.[1][15]
His father, Abu Salih Musa al-Hasani[16] was a sayyid.[15][17] He was an acknowledged saint of his day "and was popularly known as Jangi Dost, because of his love for Jihad"[18] Jangidost thereby being his sobriquet[5][19]
His mother Umm al-Khair Fatima,[20] daughter of Sayyid Abdullah Sawmai az-Zaid[15][21] through Zain ul Abideen,[22] was known as a "great saint of his time and a direct descendant of Hazrat Imam Husain, the Great Martyr of Karbala"[23] He was known as the greatest Sufi scholar of all time as proved in Qaseedada-tul-Gausia where he states " I am Hassani and my abode is my cell, And my feet are on the neck of each Saint. Abdul Qdir is my famous name. And my ancestor is one possessed of an insight Perfect"
[edit]Education
He spent his early life in the town of his birth. At the age of eighteen he went to Baghdad (1095), where he pursued the study of Hanbali law under several teachers. The Shaikh received lessons on Fiqh from Abu Ali al-Mukharrimi, a hadith from Abu Bakr ibn Muzaffar and tafsir from the renowned commentator, Abu Muhammad Ja'far. In tasawwuf, his spiritual instructor was Abu'l-Khair Hammad ibn Muslim al-Dabbas. From him, he received his basic training, and with his help he set out on a spiritual journey.
After completion of education, Abd al-Qadir Gilani abandoned the city of Baghdad, and spent twenty-five years as a wanderer in the desert regions of Iraq as a recluse.[24] it is also notable that in Iraq or arb "sheikh" known as a saint and those saint or religious leader are syed they known as "sharif" like allama razi sharif etc. hence it is unstandable that how sheikh abdul qadir jillani is knowned as syed. please clarify
[edit]Later life
He was over fifty years old by the time he returned to Baghdad in 1127, and began to preach in public. He moved into the school belonging to his old teacher al-Mukharrimii; there he engaged himself in teaching. Soon he became popular with his pupils. In the morning he taught hadithand tafsir, and in the afternoon held discourse on science of the hearts and the virtues of the Qur'an.
He busied himself for forty years in the service of Islam from 521 to 561 AH. During this period hundreds of thousands of people converted to Islam because of him and organized several teams to go abroad for dawah purposes.
He was also the teacher of Ibn Qudamah whom he also designated as a Caliph of his Sufi order. Ibn Qudamah also later fought as a general in Sultan Saladin Ayyubi's army and conquered Jerusalem from the Christian dominance.
[edit]Death
He died on Saturday night 1166 (11 Rabi'us sani 561AH)[25] at the age of ninety one years (by the Islamic calendar), and was entombed in a shrine within his Madrassa in Baghdad.[26][27][28] His Shrine and Mosque are in what used to be the school he preached in, located in Babul-Sheikh, Resafa (East bank of the Tigris) in Baghdad, Iraq. Worldwide the Sufi orders celebrate Ghouse-al-azham day on 11th al-thani closest to his birthday not his death-date for respect and elevation of their Shaykh which is 10th of Rabi at-Thani in the Islamic calendar[25]
Al-Gilani succeeded the spiritual chain of Junayd Baghdadi. His contribution to thought in the Muslim world earned him the title Muhiyuddin(lit. "The reviver of the faith"), as he along with his students and associates laid the groundwork for the society which later produced stalwarts like Nur ad-Din and Saladin.
