Shaykh Syed Abdul Qadir Gillani

Na puch un Allah walo ki iradat hou tou dekh un ko

Yad-e-beza liye bethay hein apni asteeno mein

(Friends of Allah are really Wonderful, don’t underestimate them)

Got his name by his parents, Abdul Qadir, the people called him “Mohiuddin”, The Saint of Saints, Ghous-ul-Azam: a key figure in the history of Islam, a great scholar, honesty personified, reformer, beacon of knowledge, murshid-e-kamil.

After the Companions of Holy Prophet(PBUH), taba-tab’iyeen, and many other walis (saints)  of Allah, his name is listed on the top.

He was born on 1st Ramzan, 470 Hijri, to Abu Saleh Moosa Jangi Dost in the famous town “Gilan” of then Iran, and now Russia.

His mother, Hazrat Syeda Umm-ul-Khair Fatima was 60 at the time of his birth. He was Syed on both his father’s as well as his mother’s side. He was a saint by birth. He lost his father when he was still a child. His mother took the responsibility of his education, learning, and growth. His mother was also a saint. When he turned eighteen, his mother sent him to Baghdad to seek knowledge. At that time Baghdad was regarded highly for knowledge and educational facilities. Jamia Nizamia, Baghdad and Madrassa Ahnaf were popular in all the world. In 488 Hijri, he went to Baghdad, and joined the company of Hazrat Shaykh Hammad Bin Muslim Dabbas and got enrolled in Madrassa Bab-ul-Izj under the supervision of Qazi Abu Saeed al-Mubarak. Later, he learned various academic disciplines like, tafseer, hadith, fiqah, nehv, ilm-ul-adaab from Abu Zakariya Tabrezi, Abul Ghanayim Muhhammad Bin Ali Memoon, and Abul Khattab Mehfooz Al-Kauthani. After the completion of his education program, taught in the same institute. Madrassa Bab-ul-Izj got more recognition because of his unique teaching method, honesty and charismatic nature. The madrassa expanded, and soon was known as Madrassa Qadiriya and later turned into a university.

Since his childhood he preferred solitude, and wisdom. For days he would turn to jungles to meditate, and worship Allah. In his journal, Ghaniyat-ul-Talibeen, he states;

“Persian was my mother language, and Baghdad was the hub for linguists and verbalists of Arabic language, and I got hesitant speaking Arabic before them. Hence, one day I cried before Allah. I saw Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Hazrat Ali (RA) in my dream, both of them blessed me and ordered me to learn Arabic. One viable solution that this dream presented was, that it directed me to an elder of the Naqshbandi Silsila, Shaykh-e-Tareeqat Shaykh Yousef Hamdan, he gave me extra-attention, blessed me, and prayed for me and guided me, and gave me good news of success. Hence, my tongue unfolded, and I got applause from everywhere as I delivered my sermon in Arabic. My audience grew in numbers to the extent that I had to re-establish my minbar from the local mosque to Jamia Masjid to Eidgah”.

The famous historian and the writer of Kitab-al-Mughni, Shaykh Moqif-ud-Din Ibne-Qadamah writes:

“When it comes to deen, I haven’t seen anyone more humbler than him. Kings, ministers, and leaders attended his sermons with great dedication and sat very respectfully. Scholars and academicians also attended in a large number. More than 400 inkpots were reserved to transcribe his sermons.”

Hazrat Shah Waliullah Muhadith Dehelvi in his book Akhyaar-ul-Akhyaar:

“When he explained ayaat (verse), everyone got emotional, and cried. Hearts got diluted with astaghfar and repentance. And filled everyone with joy and ecstasy whenever he explained about the mercy of Allah, and heaven’s blessings”.

Hazrat Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gillani’s era was the era of many trials and tribulations. After Banu Umayya, it was the era of decline of Banu Abbas, and the time when Crusades started. Al-Mustansir Billah was just a puppet leader. Lust for power, world affairs, apostasy and atheism were at peak. For power, leaders would not mind killing people. Chopping off heads of Muslims was a norm for the power-lusty leaders. Deception, treachery, tyranny, and oppression were quite a routine. Though, sultanate of Banu Abbas spread to 15 nations and 78 states, civil wars and adultery had dismantled their rule.

In these regressive times, Hazrat Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gillani took the charge of knowledge and progress. Called out the leaders, scolded the elites, and blessed the ummah. In one of his sermons, some government officials were present, he said:

“O oppressors, scholars, saints! You refrain from diffusing your thirst in Ramzan, and break your fast with the blood of Muslims, and then feast on their wealth. Shame upon you, fear God!”

To the people (Muslims), he said:

“O people! You fill your hunger when your neighbors starve, and then you claim yourself as Momin. Truth be told, your belief lacks faith.”

His stance towards the ulemas and sultans of the royal court was aggressive. He was very vocal and called them out for their non-Islamic preaching and unjust behavior. On one such occasion, he said:

“O scholars! O religious folk! O kings! O sultans! When will you stop with your hypocrisy! You’re always eager to loot, and exploit. You and other rulers of today are traitors towards Allah and His subjects”.

On another account, he said:

“Once over 70000 people used to attend my sermon. They could be seen from far off as there were so many attendees who used to attend at Eidgah”.

Anyone who would attend his sermons, would repent from sinning, and whole-heartedly submitted before Allah. As Allama Iqbal said:

Na masjid se na maktab se, na college se dar se peda

Deen hota hai, buzurgo ki nazar se peda

(Sight of a saint is more beneficial than mosque an college cemented buildings)

Tamanna dard e dil ki hou tou kar khidmat faqeero ki

Nahi milta ye gohar baadshaho ke khazeeno main

(Be alternative to seers ig you wish to achieve kingdom of pure heart)

To sum it up, The Saint of Saints spent his whole life for services of Islam. The whole world got light from his beacon. He illuminated many beacons of sharia and tariqa. The spiritual patron of Silsila-e-Chishtiya Hazrat Khawaja Moeenuddin Chishti Ajmeri, the imam of Silsila-e-Suhrawardiya: Hazrat Shaykh Syed Shahabuddin Suharwardi, Hazrat Shaykh Saadi Sherazi, Hazrat Shaykh Jalaluddin Tabrezi, his spiritual successors, successors, and disciples are spreading the message of Silsila-e-Qadiriya across the borders. And all the flowers of Islam that bloomed, are due to the efforts of these Sufis, scholars and saints, and not by sword, oppression, cohesion. Today, there’s a need to revitalize Ghous-ul-Azam’s vision and will.

Na Daulat se na dunia se na ghar abad karney se

Tasalli dil ko hoti hai Khuda ko yaad karney se

(Remembrance of Allah gives light hearts more than wealth and worldly gains)

May guide us all to the path of truth. May Allah give us the opportunity to walk on the footsteps of His saints.