Abdul Qadir Gilani

{{Short description|Muslim preacher, mystic and theologian (1078–1166)}}

{{Multiple issues|{{Tone|date=February 2025}}{{Copyediting|date=February 2025}}}}

{{Infobox religious biography

| religion = Sunni Islam

| region =

| era =

| image = Shaykh 'Abd al Qadir Jalani.jpg

| caption = Portrait of Abdul Qadir Gilani. Created in Mughal India in {{circa|1680}}

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Abdul Qadir Gilani
{{lang|ar|عبد القادر الجيلاني}}

| native_name =

| birth_date = 1077 or 1078 (1 Ramadan 470 AH)

| birth_place = Gilan, Seljuk Empire

| death_date = 1166 CE (11 Rabi' al-Thani 561 AH)

| death_place = Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate

| resting_place = Abdul Qadir Gilani Mosque, Baghdad

| children = Abdul Razzaq Gilani

| Sufi_order = Qadiriyya {{small|(founder)}}

| main_interests = Fiqh, Sufism

| title =

| denomination = Sunni

| jurisprudence = Hanbali

| creed =

| works =

| disciples = Abdul Razzaq Gilani, Sheikh Qadib al-Ban

| disciple_of = Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi

}}

Abdul Qadir Gilani ({{langx|fa|عبدالقادر گیلانی|translit='Abdul Qādir Gīlānī}}; {{langx|ar|عبد القادر الجيلاني|translit=ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī}}; c. 1077/78 – 1166) was a Hanbali scholar, preacher, and Sufi leader who was the eponym of the Qadiriyya, one of the oldest Sufi orders.{{sfn|Chabbi|2009}}

He was born c. 1077/78 in the town of Na'if, Rezvanshahr in Gilan, Persia, and died in 1166 in Baghdad.W. Braune, Abd al-Kadir al-Djilani, The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. I, ed. H.A.R Gibb, J.H.Kramers, E. Levi-Provencal, J. Schacht, (Brill, 1986), 69; "authorities are unanimous in stating that he was a Persian from Nayf (Nif) in Djilan, south of the Caspian Sea."{{Britannica|693|'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani}} Gilani (Arabic: al-Jilani) refers to his place of birth, Gilan. He also carried the epithet Baghdadi, referring to his residence and burial in Baghdad.Encyclopaedia of religion and ethics: volume 1. (A – Art). Part 1. (A – Algonquins) pg 10. Hastings, James and Selbie, John A. Adamant Media corporation. (2001), "and he was probably of Persian origin."The Sufi orders in Islam, 2nd edition, pg 32. Triingham, J. Spencer and Voll, John O. Oxford University Press US, (1998), "The Hanafi Qadirriya is also included since 'Abd al-Qadir, of Persian origin was contemporary of the other two."

Titles

He had the honorific title of Muḥi al-Dīn, denoting his status according to many Sufis as a reviver of Islam.Mihr-e-munīr: biography of Hadrat Syed Pīr Meher Alī Shāh pg 21, Muhammad Fādil Khān, Faid Ahmad. Sajjadah Nashinan of Golra Sharif, Islamabad (1998).

Abdul Qadir Gilani held the highest position in the hierarchy of Sufi saints (Awliya) having achieved the rank (Maqam) of the succour (Ghawth).Devotional Islam and politics in British India: [Ahmad Riza Khan] Barelwi and his movement, 1870–1920, pg 144, Sanyal, Usha Oxford University Press US, 19 August 1999. {{ISBN|0-19-564862-5}} {{ISBN|978-0-19-564862-1}}.Indo-iranica pg 7. The Iran Society, Calcutta, India. (1985). He famously declared that: "My foot is raised over the neck of every saint of Allah", in reference to his station of Ghawth al-Azam.Fuyudat 'al-Rabbaniya (Emanations of Lordly Grace), pages 289-294. In Arabic: [https://archive.org/details/fudat/page/n288/mode/1up الفيوضات الفيوضات الربانيه]

Family background

Gilani was born in 1077 or 1078. Despite his popularity, his background is uncertain.{{sfn|Chabbi|2009}} His father (or perhaps grandfather) had the Iranian name of Jangi Dust,{{sfn|Chabbi|2009}}{{sfn|Lawrence|1982|pp=132–133}} which indicates that Gilani was of Persian stock.{{sfn|Lawrence|1982|pp=132–133}} His nisba means "from Gilan", an Iranian region located on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea.{{sfn|Chabbi|2009}}

During his stay in Baghdad, Gilani was called ajami (non-Arab), which according to Bruce Lawrence may be because he spoke Persian alongside Arabic.{{sfn|Lawrence|1982|pp=132–133}} According to the al-Nujūm al-ẓāhira by the 15th-century historian Ibn Taghribirdi (d. 1470), Gilani was born in Jil in Iraq, but this account is questioned by French historian Jacqueline Chabbi.{{sfn|Chabbi|2009}} Modern historians (including Lawrence) consider Gilani to have been born in Gilan.{{sfn|Lawrence|1982|pp=132–133}}{{sfn|Anwar|2009}}{{sfn|Jonathan|Karamustafa|2014}} The region was then politically semi-independent and divided between local chieftains from different clans.{{sfn|Madelung|2001|pp=634–635}}

Gilani is claimed to have been a descendant of Muhammad's grandson Hasan ibn Ali; this claim is generally considered genuine by the Muslim community, including the Qadiriyya.{{sfn|Chabbi|2009}} Lawrence finds this claim inconsistent with Gilani's apparent Persian background, and considers it to have been "traced by overzealous hagiographers."{{sfn|Lawrence|1982|pp=132–133}}

Education

Gilani spent his early life in Gilan, the province of his birth. In 1095, he went to Baghdad where he studied Hanbali law under Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi and ibn Aqil.{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Campo |first=Juan Eduardo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OZbyz_Hr-eIC |entry=Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani |title=Encyclopedia of Islam |date=2009 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=9781438126968 |page=4 |language=en}}{{Cite encyclopedia |last1=Gibb |first1=H.A.R. |entry= |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam |last2=Kramers |first2=J.H. |last3=Levi-Provencal |first3=E. |last4=Schacht |first4=J. |date=1986 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-9004081147 |edition=New |volume=I (A-B) |location=Leiden, Netherlands |page=69}} He studied hadith with Abu Muhammad Ja'far al-Sarraj. His Sufi spiritual instructor was Abu'l-Khair Hammad ibn Muslim al-Dabbas.Malise Ruthven, Islam in the World, p 243. {{ISBN|0195305035}} After completing his education, Gilani left Baghdad and spent twenty-five years wandering in the deserts of Iraq.Esposito J. L. The Oxford dictionary of Islam. p160. {{ISBN|0199757267}}

School of law

Gilani belonged to the Hanbali school 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. This is why al-Nawawi praised him in his book entitled Bustan al-'Arifin (Garden of the Spiritual Masters), saying: {{quote|We have never known anyone more dignified than Baghdad's Sheikh Muhyi al-Din 'Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani, may Allah be pleased with him, the Sheikh of Shafi'is and Hanbalis in Baghdad.{{Cite book |last='Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani |date=20 January 2019 |editor-last=Jamal al-Din Faleh al-Kilani |editor-link=:ar:جمال الدين فالح الكيلاني |title=Futuh al-Ghayb ("Revelations of the Unseen") |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVqEDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA8 |language=ar}}}}

Influence

File:ETH-BIB-Bagdad - grosse Moschee aus 200 m Höhe-Persienflug 1924-1925-LBS MH02-02-0036-AL-FL.tif in Baghdad in 1925]]

In 1127, Gilani returned to Baghdad and began to preach to the public. He joined the teaching staff of the school belonging to his teacher, al-Makhzoomi, and was popular with students. In the morning he taught Hadith and Tafsir, and in the afternoon he discoursed on the science of the heart and the virtues of the Quran. He was said to have been a convincing preacher who converted numerous Jews and Christians and who integrated Sufi mysticism with Islamic Law.

Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani converted thousands of people to Islam through his compassionate and inclusive approach to inner purification and devotion towards Allah. His emphasis on inner purification, divine love, and ethical living resonated deeply with many, attracting followers from diverse backgrounds.{{Cite book |last=Renard |first=John |title=Knowledge of God in Classical Sufism: Foundations of Islamic Mystical Theology |publisher=Paulist Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0809140305 |publication-date=July 1, 2004 |pages=202–205 |language=English}} One of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani's most significant contributions was the establishment of the Madrasah al-Qadiriyya in Baghdad. This institution became a center for Islamic learning and spirituality, attracting students from various regions. The curriculum included the study of the Quran, Hadith, Fiqh (jurisprudence), and Tasawwuf (Sufism), providing a comprehensive religious education.{{Cite book |last=Algar |first=Hamid |title=Sufism: Principles & Practice |publisher=Islamic Pubns Intl |year=1999 |isbn=978-1889999029 |publication-date=January 1, 1999 |pages=103–106 |language=English}} The influence of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani extended to political and military leaders of his time. His teachings inspired rulers to adopt more just and ethical governance. Prominent figures such as Nur ad-Din Zangi and Salahuddin Ayyubi were known to respect and follow the principles advocated by the Shaykh, which contributed to their own reforms and successes.{{Cite book |last=W. Ernst |first=Carl |title=The Shambhala Guide to Sufism |publisher=Shambhala |year=1997 |isbn=978-1570621802 |publication-date=September 23, 1997 |pages=124–126 |language=English}}

Death and burial

File:gauspak.jpg

Al-Gilani died in 1166 and was buried in Baghdad. His urs (death anniversary of a Sufi saint) is traditionally celebrated on 11 Rabi' al-Thani.{{sfn|Lawrence|1982|pp=132–133}}

During the reign of the Safavid Shah Ismail I, Gilani's shrine was destroyed.A.A. Duri, Baghdad, The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. I, 903. However, in 1535, the Ottoman emperor Suleiman the Magnificent constructed a new shrine over his grave, which still exists.W. Braune, Abd al-Kadir al-Djilani, The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. I, 70.

Books

File:The Vision of Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-Jilani (CBL T 474, f.276a).jpg (1595) manuscript of "Nafahat al-uns" (Breaths of Fellowship) of Jami. Chester Beatty Library]]

Kitab Sirr al-Asrar wa Mazhar al-Anwar (The Book of the Secret of Secrets and the Manifestation of Light)
Futuh al ghaib (Secrets of the Unseen)
Jila' al-Khatir (The Purification of heart)
Ghunyat al-Ṭalibeen (Treasure for Seekers){{Cite book |last=Al-Qahtani |first=Sheik Saeed bin Misfer |title=Sheikh Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani and his Belief and Sufi views |publisher=Library of Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah |year=1997 |pages=133 |language=ar}}
Al-Fuyudat al-Rabbaniya (Emanations of Lordly Grace)
Fifteen Letters: Khamsata 'Ashara Maktuban
Kibriyat e Ahmar
A Concise Description of Jannah & Jahannam{{Cite web |title=A concise description of Jannah & Jahannam, the garden of paradise and the fire of hell: excerpted from 'Sufficient provision for seekers of the Path of Truth (Al-Ghunya li-Tālibi al-Ḥaqq) |website= WorldCat.org |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/1158643778 |access-date=2022-11-03 |language=en}}
The Sublime Revelation (al-Fatḥ ar-Rabbānī)

References

Sources

{{cite journal|last1=Anwar|first1=E.|title=Jīlānī, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-.|year=2009|journal=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195305135.001.0001/acref-9780195305135-e-1183}}
{{EI3|last=Chabbi|first=Jacqueline|authorlink=Jacqueline Chabbi|year=2009|title=ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-3/abd-al-qadir-al-jilani-COM_22592}}
{{Encyclopædia Iranica |volume=1 |fascicle=2 |title=ʿAbd-al-Qāder Jīlānī |last=Lawrence |first=Bruce |author-link=Bruce Lawrence |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/abd-al-qader-jilani |pages=132–133}}
{{cite journal|last1=Jonathan|first1=Allen|last2=Karamustafa|first2=Ahmet T.|title='Abd al-Qadir al Jilani (Gilani)|year=2014|journal=Oxford Bibliographies|doi=10.1093/OBO/9780195390155-0100}}
{{Encyclopædia Iranica | volume = 10 | fascicle = 6 | title = Gīlān iv. History in the Early Islamic Period | last = Madelung | first = Wilferd | url = https://iranicaonline.org/articles/gilan-iv | pages = 634–635 }}

External links

Internet Archive: [https://archive.org/details/tariqat-al-qadiriyya-the-method-of-shaykh-abd-al-qadir-al-jilani The Sufi Order of Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani]

Category:Iranian Sunni Muslims

Category:Iranian Sufi religious leaders

Category:12th-century Muslim scholars of Islam

Category:Hanbalis

Category:Sunni Sufis

Category:Hashemite people

Category:1078 births

Category:1166 deaths

Category:Iranian emigrants to Iraq

Category:People from Gilan province

Category:People from Amol

Category:11th-century Iranian people