The King of Saints

8/9/2019 The King of Saints

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THE KING OF SAINTS

THE KING OF SAINTSAL-GHAWTH AL-AZAM SULTAAN AL-AWLIYA SAYYIDUNA SHAIKH MUHYID-DINABD AL-QAADIR AL-JILANI AL-HASANI AL-HUSAINI R.A.

by Maulana Mohammed Afthab Cassim Razvi

CONTENTSILLUSTRIOUS FAMILY HISTORYPREDICTIONS OF HIS BIRTHEVENTS RELATING TO HIS BIRTHHIS EARLY CHILDHOODATTAINING & COMPLETION OF EDUCATIONHARDSHIPS FACED DURING STUDIESENCOUNTER WITH A PIOUS SERVANT OF ALLAHATTAINMENT OF SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE

HIS STRIVING AND ENDURANCEMEETING WITH HADRAT KHIDR a.s.THE COURT OF HIS PEER-O-MURSHIDREFORMING THE MUSLIMS OF BAGHDADHIS KARAMAAT (MIRACLES)HIS WIVES AND CHILDRENHIS ENLIGHTENING LECTURES

FIRST LECTURESECOND LECTURE

HIS BOOKS AND TREATIESINCIDENTS RELATING TO HIS DEMISE

HIS GENEALOGY

HIS FAMILY HISTORY OF HIS BIRTHRELATING TO HIS BIRTH EARLY CHILDHOOD COMPLETION OF EDUCATIONSTRIVING AND ENDURANCE THE COURT OF HIS PIR-O-MURSHID THE MUSLIMS OF

BAGHDAD HIS KARAMAAT (MIRACLES) HIS WIVES AND CHILDREN HISENLIGHTENING LECTURES INCIDENTS RELATING TO HIS DEMISE GENEALOGYHIS NAME: His name was Abd al-Qaadir. His title was Abu Muhammad(father of Muhammad) s.a.w.s. He is famously known as Muhyid-Din,al-Ghawth al-Azam, Sultan al-Awliya, Ghaus-e-Paak,etc. He was adescendant of the Holy Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.s. from both hismothers (al-Husaini) and fathers side (al-Hasani). (Imam Hasan andImam Husain r.a. being the grandsons of the Holy Prophet Muhammad

s.a.w.s. ). Sayyid Abu Saleh Moosa r.a. was his father and SayyidahUmmul Khair Faatima r.a. was his mother.PLACE OF BIRTH: According to authentic narrations, Sayyidunaal-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. was born in aplace called Neef, which is situated in Gilan (Persia). According to

Imam Yaaqoot Hamwi r.a., Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. wasborn in a place called Bashteer. Most historians agree that Neef and

Bashteer were differrent names for the same place. Since he was born

in Gilan, al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir r.a. is known asal-Jilani. Concerning his birth, al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. personally

states the following in his Qasida-e-Ghausia: I am a citizen ofJeel and my name is Muhyid-Din and the flag of my exaltedness isplanted firm on mountains.


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HIS FAMILY TREE: His family tree reaches the Caliph, Sayyiduna Alial-Murtadha r.a. from his father through fourteen generations andthrough his mother by twelve generations. Shaikh Sayyiduna AbdurRahman Jaami r.a. said the following concerning the geneology ofal-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. : He is an exalted King, who is known asal-Ghwath al-Azam. He is Sayyid from both his parents. Hasani fromhis father and Husaini from his mother. His family tree is as

follows: SAYYIDUNA RASOOLULLAH, s.a.w.s.A. SAYYIDATUN NISA FATHIMATU ZAHRAB. SAYYIDUNA ALI-E-MURTAZA r.a.A1. SHAHEED-E-KARBALA IMAM HUSAIN r.a.B1. SAYYIDUNA IMAM HASSANA2. SAYYIDUNA IMAM ZAINUL ABEDEEN r.a.B2. SAYYID HASSAN MATHNIA3. IMAM MUHAMMAD BAAQIR r.a.B3. SAYYID ABDUL MAHDHA4. SAYYIDUNA IMAM JAAFAR SAADIQ r.a.B4. SAYYID MOOSA AL JAWNA5. SAYYIDUNA IMAM MOOSA KAAZIM r.a.

A5. SAYYID ABDULLAH THAANIA6. SAYYIDUNA SHAIKH ALI RAZA r.a.B6. SAYYID MOOSA THAANIA7. SAYYID ABOO ALAUDDEEN r.a.B7. SAYYID DAWOODA8. SAYYID KAMAALUDDEEN ESA r.a.B8. SAYYID MUHAMMADA9. SAYYID ABUL ATAA ABDULLAH r.a.B9. SAYYID YAHYA AZ ZAAHIDA10. SHAIKH SAYYID MAHMOOD r.a.B10. SAYYID ABI ABDILLAIA11. SAYYID MUHAMMADB11. SAYYID ABU SAMEH MOOSA (father)

SAYYID ABOO JAMAALSAYYID ABDULLAH SOOMEESAYYIDAH UMMUL KHAIR FAATIMA (Mother)SAYYIDUNA MUHIYYUDDEEN ABU MUHAMMAD ABDUL QAADIR JILANI

ILLUSTRIOUS FAMILY HISTORYSAYYIDI ABDULLAH SOOMEE: He was the maternal grandfather ofal-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. He was a verypatient, humble, kind and sincere person. His home served as a place

of refuge for the poor, needy and the orphaned. He was amongst thegrand Mashaaikh of Jilan. He was known as a greatSahib-e-Karamah, meaning that he performed many miracles that wereseen by thousands of people; from amongst whom many became hisdisciples by joining his spiritual order. Once, a few of hisdisciples (mureeds) were on a business expedition to Samarkand.Bandits stopped them. They immediately called out his name forassistance. Suddenly, they found him standing besides them saying,in a state of Jalaal, to the bandits: Our Allah is Pure and freefrom defects. Bandits! Stay away (from my disciples). When thebandits heard these words, they dispersed leaving the Mureeds safeand unharmed. When the mureeds searched for Sayyidi Abdullah Soomeer.a. after this incident, he was nowhere to be seen. When theydisciples returned to Jilan, they informed the people there of thisincident only to be told that the great Saint (Wali) of Allah hadnot been seen to leave the city of Jilan during that particular time

period!SAYYIDAH AISHA ZAAHIDA r.a. : She was the paternal aunt of al-Ghawth


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al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. She was a very kind andpious woman. Her entire life was spent in the remembrance ofAlmighty Allah. The people of Jilan were very familiar with herpiety and her sincerity in Ibadah. They used to always go to her intimes of need and hardship and request her to make Dua. Once, therewas a very lengthy drought in Jilan, which resulted in a severe

shortage of food and water. The people of Jilan prayed to AlmightyAllah for rain, but to no avail. Finally, they turned to SayyidahAisha Zaahida r.a. and requested her to pray for rain. Afterlistening to their request she went into the courtyard of her humble

home and began to sweep the dust into one corner. When she wasfinished sweeping, she said with great sincerity: OAllah! My jobwas to sweep up the dust. All that is left now is for You to do isthe sprinkling. She just completed saying these words, when darkclouds began to gather and it began to rain, thus breaking thelenghty drought in Jilan. She lived in the city of Jilan until herdemise. May Allah shower His Mercy upon her.

SAYYIDI ABU SAALEH SAYYYIDAH UMMUL KHAIR FAATIMA r.a. : They werethe blessed parents of Al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a. Shaikh Abu Saaleh r.a. was a very pious and humbleperson. He was also a master in the tactics of Jihad and it was dueto this that he was given the title of Jangi Dost. Sayyidah UmmulKhair Faatima r.a. was also a great Aabida and Zaahida r.a. Afterreading the incident which led to the marriage (Nikah) of these twogreat personalities and the birth of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilanir.a., not only will the torch of Imaanbe rekindled in our hearts,but we would be able to understand the lofty status of Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. through the greatness and pureness of hisparents. It has been narrated that when Sayyidi Abu Saaleh r.a. wasin the prime of his youth he would spend most of his time in

Mujahida (Striving in the path of Allah).Once, he was making Ibadah beside a river, he felt the need to eatas he had not eaten for three days and three nights. Whilst in thisthought, he saw an apple floating down the river towards him. Hereached into the river and took the apple. After he had eaten theapple, a thought crossed his mind concerning the origin of the fruit

that he had eaten. He reasoned that although the apple flowed in the

river, it had to belong to someone and that he had eaten this applewithout the permission of the owner. He immediately began to walkalong the bank of the river looking for the source of the apple, hewalked for a long time until he came to an orchard. There he saw anapple tree. The branches of the tree were hanging over the river.The apples from the tree were falling into the river and were beingcarried downstream.When he observed this he immediately realised that the apple, whichhe had eaten, had come from this very tree. He entered the orchardand queried concerning the owner of the orchard. He was informedthat the owner was Sayyidi Abdullah Soomee r.a. He went to theowner and explained to him the incident concerning him eating theapple. He then asked Sayyidi Abdullah Soomee r.a. to forgive himfor his mishap.After listening to Sayyiduna Abu Saaleh r.a., Sayyidi AbdullahSoomee r.a. immediately realised that this was no ordinary young

man. Without [a] doubt, he knew that he was a chosen servant ofAlmighty Allah. Shaikh Abdullah Soomee r.a. agreed to forgive himfor eating the apple. But this, he told him, was subject to a


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condition. The condition being that Sayyidi Abu Saaleh r.a. wouldhave to take care of the orchard, and make Mujahida there for tenyears. Shaikh Abu Saaleh r.a. accepted this condition with greatpleasure.He served in the orchard for ten years and also made Mujahida. After

ten years had passed, he went to Sayyiduna Abdullah Soomee r.a. to

be pardoned. Shaikh Abdullah Soomee r.a. asked him to serve foranother two years, which he accepted again without complaint. Afterthese two years had passed, he went back to Sayyiduna AbdullahSoomee r.a. and asked to be pardoned. Shaikh Abdullah Soomee r.a.agreed to pardon him on one last condition.He said, O Abu Saaleh! I have a daughter whose feet are paralysed,her hands are crippled,and she is deaf and blind. I would like foryou to marry her.When most persons would have rejected such a condition, Sayyidi AbuSaaleh r.a. even accepted this condition. After the Nikah, he wentinto his room to see his bride for the very first time. To hisamazement, he saw a beautiful normal woman sitting in his room. He

thought that there had been some mistake and that the wrong womanwas in his room. He rushed out of the room and presented himselfbefore Shaikh Abdullah Soomee r.a. On seeing him. Shaikh AbdullahSoomee r.a. smiled and then said, Do not fear. It is she that ismy daughter. All the qualities that I had explained to youconcerning her are true. I said she was paralysed, because she hasnever taken even one step out of this house. I said she wascrippled, because she has never done anything against Shariah. Isaid she was blind because she has never seen a Ghair Mahram and Isaid that she was deaf because she has never heard a single wordagainst the Shariah.When Sayyidi Abu Saaleh r.a. heard these words, he knew that not one

moment in twelve years was wasted, and every moment spent in theservice of Sayyidi Abdullah Soomee r.a. was worth more than hecould imagine. It was from these two pious servants of AlmightyAllah and devotees of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.s. that al-Ghawthal-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. was born.PREDICTIONS OF HIS BIRTHSHAIKH-UL-MASHAAIKH, SAYYIDUNA JUNAID AL-BAGHDADI r.a. : He livedtwo hundred years before al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a. and foretold his coming in the following manner: r.a.

Once, while Shaikh Junaid al-Baghdadi r.a. was in a state ofspiritual ecstacy, he stated: His foot is on my shoulders, his footis on my shoulders. After he had come out of this spiritualcondition, his disciples questioned him concerning these words. Hesaid, I have been informed that a great Saint will be born towardsthe end of the fifth century. His name shall be Abdul Qaadir and his

title will be Muhyid-Din. He will be born in Jilan and he willreside in Baghdad. One day, on the Command of Allah, he will say,My foot is on the shoulders of all the Awliya Allah. While in myspiritual condition, I saw his excellence and these words wereuttered by me without my control.IMAM HASSAN ASKARI r.a. : Shaikh Abu Muhammad r.a. states thatbefore his demise, Imam Hassan Askari r.a. handed over hisJubba(Cloak) to Sayyiduna Imam Maroof Karki r.a. and asked him to

pass it over to al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilanir.a. Shaikh Imam Maroof Karki r.a. passed over this cloak toSayyiduna Junaid al-Baghdadi r.a., who in turn passed it over to


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Shaikh Danoori r.a. . From here it was then passed down until itreached Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. in the year 497 A.H.(Makhzanul Qaaderiah)SHAIKH ABU BAKR BIN HAWWAAR r.a. : He lived before the time ofal-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. and was amongst the distinguished Mashaaikhof Baghdad. Once, while he was sitting in his majlis, he said,There are seven Aqtaab (High-Ranking Awliya) of Iraq:

1. Shaikh Maroof Karki r.a.2. Shaikh Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal r.a.3. Shaikh Bishr Haafi r.a.4. Shaikh Mansoor bin Amaar r.a.5. Sayyiduna Junaid al-Baghdadi r.a.6. Shaikh Sahl bin Abdullah Tastari r.a.7. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir Jeeli r.a.When he heard this, Sayyidi Abu Muhammad r.a., who was a mureed ofShaikh Abu Bakr r.a. asked, We have heard and know six of thesenames, but the seventh, we have not heard of. O Shaikh! Who is Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani? Shaikh Abu Bakr r.a. replied by saying: Abdal-Qaadir r.a. 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 inBaghdad. (Bahjatul Asraar)SHAIKH KHALEEL BALKHI r.a. : He was a great Wali-Allah and hadpassed away before the time of al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. Once while he was seated with hisdisciples, he said: A pure servant of Allah will become apparent inIraq towards the end of the fifth century. The world will gainbrightness from his presence. He will be the Ghaus of his time. Thecreation of Allah will be obedient to him, and he will be the Leader

of the Awliya Allah. (Azkaarul Abraar)IMAM MUHAMMAD BIN SAEED ZANJANI r.a. : He stated as follows in his

distinguished work, Nuzhatul Khawatir: From the era of Shaikh AbiAli Hassan Yasaarajuwi r.a. up to the era of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a., every Wali that passed this earth, foretold thecoming and the excellence of al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a. (Nuzhatul Khawatir)EVENTS RELATING TO HIS BIRTHThere are two narrations concerning the date of birth of al-Ghawthal-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. The first narration isthat he was born on the 1st of Ramadaan 470 A.H.. The secondnarration is that he was born on the eve of the 2nd of Ramadaan 470A.H. The second narration seems to be the one more favoured amongstthe learned scholars. The birth of al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. was a great blessing to the Ummah. It wasthe arrival of the Sultaanul Awliya (King of the Awliya), which hadbeen foretold for centuries before his birth. Sayyidah Ummul KhairFaatima r.a. was 60 years old when Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilanir.a. was born. It is widely known that women at this age are usually

incapable of having children. This alone was one of the astoundingfacts relating to the birth of the great Saint.MIRACULOUS EVENTS SURROUNDING HIS BIRTH: Apart from this, there were

many other miraculous events surrounding the birth of Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. Shaikh Sayyiduna Shahabud-Din Suharwardir.a. quoted the following five miracles (Karamahs) relating to the

birth of al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. in his distinguished book,Manaqib-e-Ghausia: (1). On the eve his birth, his father saw theHoly Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s. ) in his dream. The Holy Prophet


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Muhammad (s.a.w.s. ) gave him the following glad tidings: O AbuSaaleh! Almighty Allah has blessed you with a pious son. He is mybeloved and the beloved of Almighty Allah. He is the most exaltedamongst the Awliya and Aqtaab. (2). When he was born, he had theimpression of the footprint of Rasoolullah, s.a.w.s. on hisshoulder. This alone was the proof of his Wilayah (Sainthood). (3).Almighty Allah gave glad tidings to his parents in their dream that

their son would be the Sultaanul Awilyahand those who oppose himwould be Gumrah (misled). (4). On the eve of his birth,approximately eleven hundred males were born in Jilan. Every one ofthem was a Wali Allah. (5). He was born on the eve of Ramadaan andduring the entire month of Ramadaan he never drank milk after thetime of Sehri and before the time of Iftaar. In other words, he kept

fast from the day he was born. His mother said that he never criedfor milk for the entire day and he would only drink milk at the time

of Iftaar!HIS EARLY CHILDHOOD

DEMISE OF HIS FATHER: After the demise of his father, hisgrandfather, Shaikh Abdullah Soomee, r.a., took care of him. It washis grandfather that was responsible for the marriage of the parents

of the great Saint. He moulded Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.from childhood into the personality that he was to be. He blessedShaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. with gems of spiritualism. Henurtured him with gentleness and showered him with words of wisdom.VOICE FROM THE UNSEEN: Al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a. was not like other children who spent their time inplay and amusement. From a tender age he spent his time in theremembrance of Almighty Allah. If he at any time ever intended tojoin the other children, then a Voice from the Unseen would be heard

to say, Come towards Me, O blessed one. At first, Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. would become afraid when he heard thisvoice. 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 theremembrance of Almighty Allah.COMMENCEMENT OF ACADEMIC STUDIES: When al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. was four and a half years old, andaccording to certain narrations, five years old, his mother enrolled

him into a local Madrassa in Jilan. He studied at this Madrassahuntil the age of ten. During this period, a certain amazing eventoccurred. Whenever Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. would enterthe Madrassa he would see bright figures walking ahead of himsaying, Give way to the Friend of Allah. His son, Sayyidi AbdurRazzaq r.a., reports that once Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.was asked when he first came to know of his Wilayahand the greatGhaus r.a. replied: When I was ten years old, I found Angelswalking beside me on my way to the Madrassa. When we reached theMadrassa I would hear them say, Give way to the Wali Allah, Giveway to the Wali Allah. It was when this continued that I knew thatI had been blessed with Wilayah.DEMISE OF SAYYIDI ABDULLAH SOOMEE r.a. : Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir

al-Jilani r.a. was still a student at the Madrassa in Baghdad whenhis grandfather, Shaikh Abdullah Soomee r.a. passed away. After thedemise of his grandfather, the responsibility for his education fell


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upon his mother. She fulfilled this responsibility with greatpatience, sincerity and dedication. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilanir.a. was about 18 years old when this incident took place. 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 beencommanded to do this. He immediately returned home and explainedthis incident to his mother. He requested permission from his mother

to journey to Baghdad in order to complete his academic studies andseek more spiritual knowledge. His mother, who was now 78 years old,

acceded to this noble request without a second thought.HIS MOTHERS ADVICE: It was such a time where parents in their old

age usually depend on their children for moral and financialsupport, but this pious and pure servant of Allah only wanted thepleasure of Almighty Allah and His Rasool (s.a.w.s.). Whilst she was

very attached to Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a., she did notlet her personal feelings come before the pleasure of Allah. Shewanted 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 wasalways the danger of travellers being robbed and killed by bandits.Sayyidah Ummul Khair Faatima r.a. knew of the dangers but stillsupported her sons. She wished him well with her Duas. 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 Duas will always be with you. MayAlmighty Allah grant you success in your quest for academic andspiritual knowledge.She then said: Your deceased father left eighty Dinars from which Iam giving you forty Dinars for your journey and forty Dinars I willkeep for your younger brother, Sayyid Abu Ahmad Abdullah. She tookthe forty Dinars and sewed them under the arm of his coat. She onceagain made Dua for him. On bidding him farewell, she gave him thefollowing advice: O my beloved son! Let this advice, which I amabout to give you be an important part of your life. Always speakthe truth! Do not even think of lies. The young Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. said, My dear mother! I promise from myheart that I will always act upon your advise. Sayyidah Faatimar.a. then embraced the apple of her eye with love and motherlygentleness for the last time, and with the words, Go! May Allah bewith you. It is He who is your Helper and Protector. The journey toBaghdad began.ADHERENCE TO HIS MOTHERS ADVICE: After bidding farewell to hismother, Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. joined a caravan, whichwas on its way to Baghdad. In those days, people travelled in groups

for the sake of safety. The caravan of al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a.reached the city of Hamdaan without incident. After leaving Hamdaan,

they journeyed further. The journey took them into a vast forest

wherein they were attacked by sixty bandits. The leader of this band

of robbers was a very notorious person called Ahmad Badwi. The


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travellers did not have the means to defend themselves against thebandits and were forced to surrender their belongings and valuablesto them. After raiding the travellers, the bandits gathered together

all the loot and began to distribute it amongst themselves. Whilstall this was happening, al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. was standing verycalmly amongst the travellers. None of the bandits approached him as

he was regarded as just a young boy, until one of them decided toapproach him. He went up to Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. andasked him if he had any valuables. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilanir.a. said that he had in his possession forty Dinars. When he heardthis, the robber laughed at the young Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani

r.a. and walked away, thinking that he was lying.After some time, another robber asked him the same question and hereceived the same answer. He too dismissed the reply of al-Ghawthal-Azam r.a. as a joke. When the bandits gathered together, thenboth these bandits began to joke about the young boy who said he had

forty Dinars. Their leader, Ahmed Badawi, asked them to bring theyoung Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. to him. When he wasbrought before Ahmed Badawi, the leader of the bandits asked him ifhe had any valuables in his possession. The young Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. replied that he had forty Dinars on him.Ahmed Badawi asked for the forty Dinars and Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a. showed him where he had hidden it. When they toreopen the coat of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. they found theforty Dinars sewn under the armpits. When they saw this, AhmedBadawi and his bandits were taken aback. Ahmed Badawi asked: Oyoung man, none of us knew that you had any money. Knowing that weare bandits, why did you still tell us where the money was hidden?

The young Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. replied by saying:When I had left on this journey, I had promised my elderly andpious mother that I would never lie. How then could I break thispromise just for the sake of sixty bandits? When Ahmed Badawi heardthis, he felt great shame and, in tears, said, Oh young boy! Youare so loyal in your promise to your mother. Shame on me, that foryears I have been disloyal to my promise with my Creator AlmightyAllah.After saying these words, the bandit cried bitterly and then fell to

the feet of al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.and repented for his sins. When his accomplices saw this, they toodid likewise and repented sincerely from all their sins. They thenreturned all the belongings of the travellers and escorted them outof the jungle.It has been stated that the tauba (repentance) of these bandits wasso sincere that they were blessed with Wilayah, through the Sadqa of

al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. Referring tothis incident, Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. stated: This wasthe first tauba (repentance) that a group of misled persons had made

at my hands.Shaikh ABD AL-QAADIR AL-JILANI ENTERS BAGHDAD: The city of Baghdadwas blessed with the presence al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd

al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. in the year 488 A.H. When he arrived inBaghdad, Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. already spent the forty


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Dirhams given to him by his mother. Without any money, he began tospend his days in hunger and poverty. Due to immense poverty, hewent towards the Arcade of Chosroes in search of Halaal food. Whenhe reached the Arcade, he found that there were already seventyAwliya Allah in search of Halaal food. Since he did not wish to bein their way, he returned to Baghdad.On his way back, he met a traveller from Jilan. When he heard that

Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. was from Jilan, he asked him ifhe knew a young man by the name of Abd al-Qaadir. Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. informed him that he was Abd al-Qaadir. The

traveller then handed a block of gold to Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a. saying that it had been sent to him by his mother.When Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. heard this, he immediatelymade 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 andthen shared this meal with them. This alone shows the character ofthe great Ghaus that even though he was without food, he first gavemost of his gold to the Awliya Allah, then fed the poor beforeeating the the food himself. Without doubt, this is the sign of atrue servant of Allah.It was in this manner that the life of al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. commenced in the holy city of Baghdad.ATTAINING AND COMPLETION OF ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGEAfter a few days in Baghdad Shareef, al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. enrolled for academic studies at the famous

Jamia Nizamia, which was the centre of learning and spiritualism inthe Islamic world. Teachers of great calibre and piety tutored here.

Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. studied with great sincerity and

dedication.Amongst his teachers were: Abul Wafa Ali bin Aqeel, Abu ZakariyahYahyaa bin Ali Tabrezi, Abu Saeed bin Abdul Kareem, Abul AnaaimMuhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad, Abu Saeed bin Mubaarak Makhzoomi,and Abul Khair Hamaad bin Muslim Al Dabbas r.a. He attained theknowledge of Qirah, Tafseer, Hadith, Fiqh, Shariah and Tareeqahfrom the above-mentioned Ulama.He also excelled in all these subjects. In the field of Adab, histeacher was Allama Abu Zakariyah Tabrezi r.a. who was a great Aalimof his time. He was also the author of various Kitaabs such asTafseerul Quraan Wal Eraab, Sharah Qasaaidul AshraSharahDiwaan Abi Tamaam. In the field of Fiqh and Usool-e-Fiqh, histeachers were: Shaikh Abul Wafa bin Aqeel Hambali, Abul HassanMuhammad bin Qaazi Abul Ulaa and Shaikh Abul Khataab MahfoozHambali, and Qaazi Abu Saeed Mubaarak bin Ali Makhzoomi Hambalir.a.In the field of Hadith, he attained knowledge from the followingUlama: Sayyidi Abul Barkaat Talhaa Al Aaqooli, Abul Anaim Muhammadbin Ali bin Maimoon Al Farsi, Abu Uthmaan Ismaeel bin Muhammad Al

Isbihaani, Abu Ghaalib Muhammad bin Hassan Al Baaqilaani, AbuMuhammad Jaafar bin Ahmad binil Husaini, Sayyidi Muhammad MukhtaarAl Haashmi, Sayyidi Abu Mansoor Abdur Rahmaan Al Qazzaaz, Abul


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Qaasim Ali bin Ahmad Bannaan Al Karghi After intense studies,Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. qualified from Jamia Nizamia.During this period, there was no Aalim present on the earth who wasmore knowledgeable and pious than Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilanir.a.HARDSHIPS FACED DURING STUDIESWhile studying in Baghdad, he faced many hardships and was tested

severely by the life of Baghdad. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.

himself used to say: The hardship and difficulties that I faced inBaghdad during my studies were so severe that if they had to beplaced on a mountain, then even the mountain would split in two. Healso used to say: When the hardships and difficulties would becomeunbearable, then I would lay on the road and continuosly recite theAyah of the Holy Quran, Then without doubt there is easiness withshortages, without doubt there is easiness with shortages. Bymaking takraar of this Ayah I used to find great tranquillity andpeace.After adjourning from classes, he used to wander into the jungles

and forests of Baghdad where he used to spend the entire night inthe Zikr of Almighty Allah. He did this regardless of the weatherconditions or season. If he become tired and weak, he would rest for

a while making the ground his bed and a boulder his pillow. Duringthese nights of Zikr, he would dress in a small turban and a thincloak. If he became hungry, he used to go towards the riverEuphrates and eat whatever vegetables he could find beside theriver. He always said that he gained much pleasure in this way oflife and it caused him to gain closeness to Almighty Allah.PATIENCE DURING A SEVERE DROUGHT: Once, while he was studying, thecity of Baghdad experienced a severe drought. The conditions inBaghdad became so desperate that people became dependant on every

grain that they could find. When there was no more grain, peoplebegan to eat plants and leaves from trees. During this time,al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. used to also go out in search for food. Butwhen he saw others in search of food, he would return to the cityempty-handed, as he did not feel it appropriate to impose bydisturbing 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 foodtowards a market in Baghdad known as Sooqur Raihaanain. As heentered the market, his hunger had made him so weak and tired, thatbe could not stand anymore. He saw a Musjid nearby and slowlydragged himself towards it. He entered the Musjid and sat againstone of the walls of the Musjid to support his now tired and weakbody. He sat there for a while. Then he saw a person enter theMusjid. The person sat in one corner and opened a parcel in whichthere was fried meat and bread. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.reported this incident that the person then began to have this meal.

Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. says: The intensity of myhunger was so great that every time the person lifted a morsel offood to his mouth, my mouth would open uncontrollably with his andwould wish that I also had something to eat.When this continued happening, al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. turned to hisnafs and said, Do not be impatient. Have trust and faith in

Almighty Allah. After saying these words he did not feel this wayanymore. After a little while, this person came to Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. uninvited and offered him some food. Shaikh


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Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. kindly declined, but the personinsisted. Upon such insistence, Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.joined him in his meal.Whilst eating, the person asked al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. abouthimself. He explained to him that he was from Jilan and that he wasin Baghdad to attain knowledge. The person then said that he was

also from Jilan and asked if he knew the person of the name of Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.answered by saying, My name is Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani.When the man heard this, with tears in his eyes, he stood beforeShaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. and said, Please forgive me forI have misused that which was given to me in trust. Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. asked the stranger to explain what hemeant. The stranger then said: When I was leaving Jilan, I met anold woman, who gave me eight Dirhams in trust that I should give itto her son, Abd al-Qaadir, who is studying in Baghdad. O Abdal-Qaadir! The food that I was eating was from the eight Dirhamsthat 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 usedsome of your money to purchase this food that we ate. O Abdal-Qaadir! 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).Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a., with great gentleness andaffection, held the stranger to his heart and praised him for hishonesty and his sincerity. He then gave the remainder of the foodand a portion of the eight Dirhams to the stranger and bid himfarewell.

This incident indicates in clear terms that Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a. was concerned more with the needs of others thanthose of his own. Notwithstanding his dire need in thecircumstances, he remained sensitive to the plight of this stranger.

This act of selflessness alone is a lesson in the behaviour that one

should adopt.A LION OF ALLAH: Shaikh Abdullah Salmi r.a. states that he heard the

following astonishing incident from Al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. The Great Ghawth said: Once during mystudies in Baghdad, I had nothing to eat for many days. One day, inthis condition, I was on my way to a small street called QateeyaSharfiya. Here, there was a Musjid, which used to be empty. I usedto sit there by myself and revise my lessons for the next day. On my

way to Mohalla Qateeya, I met a stranger who gave me a piece ofpaper and asked me to take it to a certain shop. Very surprised, Idid as he asked. When I got to the shop, I gave the piece of paperto 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 Musjid 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 apiece of paper beside the wall.I picked it up and saw the following words written on it, Almighty


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Allah has stated in one of the past Books, that the Lions of Allahhave no desire for the pleasures of this world. Desires and pleasure

(in food) are for the old and weak who depend on this to gainstrength for Ibadah. When I read this my entire body began totremble in the fear of Allah causing all the hair on my body tostand on end. I immediately removed the desire of eating from my

mind and read two Rakahs of Salaah and then left the Musjid withouteating.ENCOUNTER WITH A PIOUS SERVANT OF ALLAHIt was a common practice during harvesting season in Baghdad Shareef

for students to get together at a nearby village called Baaqoobaand to ask the farmers for some grain from their annual harvest. Inthose days, the people showed great respect to students and happilygave them grain. On one occasion, the students, who were in theclass of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a., insisted that heaccompany them to the village of Baaqooba. Since he did not want todisappoint them, he accompanied them to the village. When they

reached there, Al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. heard that a pious servant ofAllah, by the name of Shareef Baaqoobi lived in this village. Shaikh

Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. decided to meet this pious servant toobtain his blessings. When Shareef Baaqoobi saw Al-Ghawth al-Azamr.a. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a., he immediately recognisedthat this was the Qutb-e-Zaman. He told him: 0 my son! Those whostrive in the path of Allah do not sketch their hands out to anyonebut Allah. You seem to be amongst the chosen servants of Allah. Foryou to ask for grain (from the people of Baaqooba) is contrary toyour status.Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. 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 r.a. wasstudying in the jungle when he heard a voice from the Unseen call to

him: O Abd al-Qaadir! You have not eaten in days and most of yourtime is being spent in studies. Go to someone and get something oncredit. It is the Sunnah of the Ambiya.When Al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. heard this, he replied that he couldnot take anything on credit, as he had no means of repaying thiscredit. The voice answered: Do not worry about this. Repaying yourcredit is Our responsibility.After receiving this message, he went to a shop and requested theshopkeeper for some food on credit. He said: "I would like for youto 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-Azam r.a. He repled: Takeanything 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-Azam r.a. beganto 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 andsaid: O Abd al-Qaadir! Go to a certain place and whatever you findthere, give it to the shopkeeper.


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Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. went to that spot that he wascommanded to go to. There, he found a piece of gold. He took thispiece of gold and gave it to the shopkeeper thus paying off hiscredit.ATTAINMENT OF SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGEAfter the completion of his academic studies, Al-Ghawth al-Azamr.a. did not cease in his quest for in-depth spiritual knowledge. To

quench this spiritual thirst, Almighty Allah presented him with theopportunity of coming under the guidance of Shaikh Hammaad binMuslim Ad Dabbaas r.a. He was amongst the superior Mashaaikh ofBaghdad Shareef.Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. states that there came a time in

Baghdad when there was an abundance of fitna (fighting) and fasaad(trouble). Since he did not want any part of this, he decided toleave Baghdad Shareef for a more peaceful environment. Al-Ghawthal-Azam r.a. says: I made my intention to leave Baghdad due to theunsuitable conditions and I was on my way out of Baghdad, when from

the Unseen, some great strength pushed me so hard that that I fellto the ground. Then, I heard a Voice from the Unseen say, Do notleave here. The creation of Allah will gain benefit through you. Onhearing this, I said, What do I have to do with the people? Allthat I want is to protect my Deen (Imaan). The Voice then said,

No, No, It is of utmost importance for you to remain here. No harmwill come to your Deen (Imaan).

I immediately changed my mind and I remained in Baghdad for thePleasure of Allah. The very next day, as I was passing through astreet, a man opened the door of his house and called to me. Hesaid: O Abd al-Qaadir! What did you ask from your Creatoryesterday? With these words and in great Jalaal, he closed the doorof his house. I walked for some time and then realised that I had

made a grave error. This person was a Wali. If he wasnt then hewould not have known what had happened the previous day. I went insearch for his door but was unsuccessful. Thereafter, I looked forhim wherever I went, until one day I saw him in a Majlis. I stayedin his company from then onwards. This personality was SayyidiHammaad bin Muslim Ad Dabbaas r.a.Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. gained deep spiritual knowledgefrom Shaikh Hammaad r.a., who was originally from Syria. He wasborn in a village near Damascus. He travelled to Baghdad and livedin a place called Muzaffariyyab until his demise in 525 A.H. HisMazaar is in the Shawneezia Cemetery in Baghdad Shareef.Apart from Sayyidi Hammaad r.a., al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. alsogained spiritual education from Shaikh Abu Saeed Mubaarak Makhzoomir.a. This will be detailed a little later in this book.HIS STRIVING ENDURANCE IN THE PATH OF ALLAHBy the year 496 A.H., al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. completed his academicand spiritual studies. Thereafter he engaged in Mujahida andRiyazaat (spiritual exercises and endeavours in the path of Allah)from 496 A.H. until 592 A.H., a period of 25 years.During these 25 years, he engrossed himself in such intensespiritual exercises that just by reading about them one can only but

marvel at the dedication of this Great Saint. His sincerity anddedication in controlling his nafs took him swiftly to the levels of

Fana-fi Rasool and Fana Fi Allah.He was now totally drowned in the sea of love of Allah and HisRasool (s.a.w.s.) He turned himself into a strong mountain of


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patience and firmness that could not be moved. The notable eventsthat took place during this part of his life are numerous. If theyare recorded, then this alone would fill volumes. To give us someappreciation of his spiritual condition during these 25 years, a few

incidents are quoted hereinunder:SUPPRESSING HIS NAFS: Once while delivering a lecture, Shaikh Abd

al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. said, For 25 years, I roamed the junglesof Iraq. For 40 years, I performed my Fajr Salaah with the Wudhu ofEsha and for 15 years I used to stand on one foot until Fajr andcomplete (recitation of) the entire Quran.During this time, I sometimes spent between three and 40 dayswithout eating even a morsel. Shaikh Abul Masood bin Abu BakrHareemi r.a. reports that al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. once said to him.Year after year, I spent struggling with my nafs by putting myselfthrough various strenuous and intense tests. For one year, I ateonly vegetables and drank no water. The following year I only drankwater and ate nothing and the year after that, I did not eat anddrink for the entire year. There were times when I did not sleep a

wink.During this time I used to put myself through various spiritualexercises. There were times when I would be so drowned in struggling

against my nafs, that I used to roll on thorns until my entire bodywould be severely bruised and cut, and I would become unconscious.People would pick me up and take me to the Haakim. He would certifyme dead. Thinking that I was dead, they would prepare for my Ghusaland kaffan. When they used to place me on the bathing board to giveme Ghusl, I used to awake from this spiritual condition and walkaway.Once al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. stated:

During the early stages of my Mujaahida 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 toBaghdad, I entered into such a spiritual condition, which caused meto be totally unaware of my physical self. In this condition, Ibegan to run. When I regained my normal senses, then only did Irealise that I had been running for 12 days without stopping. I wasamazed at what had happened to me. Then a woman passed by me andsaid, You are Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir. You should not be astonishedwhen something like this happens to you.MEETING WITH HADRAT KHIDR a.s.Sayyiduna al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.states that when he had just commenced his spiritual exercises inthe jungles of Baghdad, he met a person who was very handsome, had a

pious and bright face. The person asked him if he would like to stay

with him. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. said that he would.The person then said that this could only be done if Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. promises to be obedient to his commands,and to never question his sayings or actions.Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. immediately agreed to this. This

person then commanded al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. to sit at a prescribedspot and not to move until he returned. The person left and only

returned after one year to find Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.still seated at the prescribed spot. He spent a few moments withal-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. and then asked him to sit there and wait for


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him to return once more. This person left and returned after another

year. He once again spent some time with the great Saint and thenleft again giving him the same command as he had done twice before.He returned after another year, this time bringing with him milk and

roti (bread). He then said, I am Hadrat Khidr a.s. and I have been

asked to share this meal with you. They sat together and ate thisblessed meal. Hadrat Khidr a.s. then asked, O Abd al-Qaadir! Whatdid you eat for the three years while sitting in one spot? Hereplied, Whatever the people had thrown away.HIS FIRST HAJJ: Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. performed hisfirst Hajj in the prime of his youth. It is recorded in thedistinguished book Azkaarul Abraar that al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a.stated: I performed my first Hajj in the prime of my youth. On myjourney for Hajj, I came to the Tower of Quroon, where I metShaikh Adi bin Musaafir r.a. He was also very young during thistime. He asked me if he could accompany me on my journey. I happilyagreed. Thus, we both began to travel together.After some time, I saw an Abyssinian woman in a veil standing infront 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 Iwas from Jilan. She then said, O Young man! You have made me tiredsearching for you. I was in Abyssinia when I was spirituallyinformed that Almighty Allah has filled your heart with His Noor(Light) and has blessed you with such excellence that no other WaliAllah has ever received. After I was informed of this, I left insearch of you. Now that I have seen you, my heart desires that Ishould travel with you today and make Iftaar with you. When eveningcame, I saw that a tray descend from the skies. On this tray weresix 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 withthree containers of water. This water was sweet and delicious and Ihave never before nor since tasted such water. After this, the ladyleft. Shaikh Musaafir and myself continued our journey till wereached Makkatul Mukarramah.Once, while making Tawaaf in the Haram, the Noor of Allah descendedon Adi bin Musaafir causing him to fall unconscious. By looking athim, it seemed as if he had passed away. I was still going towardshim 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 AllahWho will bring you back to life; that Allah before Whose Noor, noneis equal. The world would have not come into existence and cannotexist 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 theireyes to close.Just as she said these words, Shaikh Adi came back to his senses and

stood up. Then, while making Tawaaf Almighty Allah sent his blessedrays of light on me and I heard a voice from the Unseen which said,

O Abd al-Qaadir, forget the physical world and remember yourCreator. We will show you signs from amongst Our wonders. Do notjoin your worldly thoughts with Our thoughts. Remain steadfast. Do


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not look for the pleasure of none other than that of Mine. Beprepared to be of benefit to the creation of Allah, since they arecertain chosen servants of Mine who will reach Me through yourWasila. When this happened,I heard the voice of the Abyssinian woman saying, O Abd al-Qaadir!You have been blessed with a great gift today. I see an umbrella oflight 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.HIS BATTLES AGAINST EVIL FORCES: Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.

states that during his life he had encountered various attacks fromShaitaan and his partners. Through the assistance of Almighty Allahhe was always victorious over Shaitaan. Almighty Allah alwaysprotected him from this even when his nafs would try and force himinto certain desires. When the Shayateen would attempt with vigourto sway the great al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a., he would hear a voicesaying, O Abd al-Qaadir! Stand firm and challenge them. Our help iswith you.

Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. states that when he used to hearthis, then he would stand firmly and challenge the Shayateen andbecome victorious over them. He says that at times the Shayateenwould take daring and frightening forms and come towards him, and he

would say in Jalaal, La Howla walaa Quwatta Ilaa bil laahil AliyilAzeem and firmly strike the face of the Shaytaan, who would thendisappear.HIS FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH SHAITAAN: He says that once Shaitaan cameto him in a very ugly form and with a foul odour emanating from that

cursed presence. Shaitaan said, I am Iblees. You have exhausted my

students and me in our attempts to mislead you. I would now like tobecome your servant. On hearing this, the great Ghawth said, OCursed One! Leave here at once. After this command of Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. Shaytaan still refused to leave. A Handcame from the Unseen and hit Shaitaan on his head with such forcethat it caused him to sink into the ground.HIS SECOND ENCOUNTER WITH SHAITAAN: Shaikh Ghaus-eA'zam r.a.states. Once Shaytaan came to me and in his hand he had balls offire, which he threw towards me. While this was happening, a veiledperson on a white horse appeared and gave a sword in my hand. Themoment I took the sword in my hand, Shaytaan turned and began torun.HIS THIRD ENCOUNTER WITH SHAYTAAN: The great Saint r.a. states:Once again I saw Shaitaan, but this time in a very sad state. I sawhim sitting on the ground putting sand on his head. When he saw mehe said, O Abd al-Qaadir, you have made me very sad anddisillusioned. I then said, O Cursed One! Go away. I am alwaysasking protection from you (in Allah). On hearing this, he said,These words hurt me even more. He then spread enormous amounts oftraps around me. I asked what this was and he said, These are thetraps 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 SHARIAH: After gaining in-depth academic and

spiritual knowledge, Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. was notonly the most pious and knowledgeable personality, but he was aguiding light to the misguided and a firm mountain when it came to


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speaking against that which was incorrect. He always said that evenuntil Qiyamah, none can change the Shariah. Any person who goesagainst the command of the Shariah is an evil person (Shaitaan).His son, Shaikh Zia-ud-deen Abu Nasr Moosa r.a. states:My father, Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir Jilani r.a. once told me that he was

one day making Mujahida in the jungle when he began to feel very

thirsty. Suddenly, a cloud appeared above him and drops of coldrainwater fell over him. He drank and quenched his thirst, as thiswas the Mercy of Allah. He said that after some time another cloudappeared over him giving out light so powerful that the ends of thesky became lit up with the brightness. He said that he then saw afigure in the cloud which said, O Abd al-Qaadir! I am your Creator.I have made everything Halaal for you. He said that when he heardthis, he read the Taooz and the light disappeared immediately andturned into darkness. A voice then said, O Abd al-Qaadir! Allah hassaved you from me because of your knowledge and piety otherwise, Ihave misled many Mystics, with this trap. Al-Ghawth al-Azam ShaikhAbd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. answered by saying, Verily, it is the

Grace of my Creator, which is with me.

I then asked my father howhe had known that this was Shaitaan, and he replied, His sayingthat he has made that which is Haraam, Halaal upon me because Allahdoes not command wrong.FIRMNESS ON HIS WORD: After this incident with Shaitaan, Al-Ghawthal-Azam r.a. continued his striving in the path of Allah with evenmore faith and piety. He would sit in an old tower on the outskirtsof Baghdad where he would make Ibadah and engross himself in theZikr of Almighty Allah. Once while seated here, he entered into adeep spiritual condition in which the following incident took place.

Al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. himselfnarrates this incident. He says: While sitting in the tower outside

Baghdad, I once entered into a deep spiritual condition in which Imade a vow with Almighty Allah that I will not eat or drink anything

unless somebody puts a morsel of food or a drop of water into mymouth with their own hands. After taking this oath, forty days hadpassed without me eating or drinking anything. After forty days, astranger arrived with some curry and bread. He placed it in front of

me and left. Due to intense hunger, my nafs wanted to have the food,

but my soul stopped me and reminded me of my vow with Allah. Then, I

heard a huge noise inside me saying, I am hungry, I am hungry. Ipaid no attention towards this as it was my nafs, and I continuedmaking the Zikr of Almighty Allah.It was during this time that Shaikh Abu Saeed Makhzoomi r.a. waspassing by me. With his spiritual strength, he heard the noise frominside my stomach. He came close to me and said, O Abd al-Qaadir!What is this noise? I replied, This is the impatience of the nafs,otherwise, the soul is satisfied. He then said, Come to my houseand left. In my mind, I said that I would not go until I am made todo so. Just then Hadrat Khidr a.s. arrived and said, Stand up andgo to the house of Abu Saeed Makhzoomi r.a.Thus, I stood up and went to the house of Shaikh Abu Saeed Makhzoomi

r.a. and found him standing at the door of his house. On seeing mehe said, Abd al-Qaadir! Was my saying not sufficient that Khidra.s. had to command you. Saying this, he then took me into his


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house and fed me with his own hands until I had eaten and drankenough.THE COURT OF HIS PEER-O-MURSHID r.a.BAIAT (SPIRITUAL ALLEGIANCE): Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.gained his spiritual training in Baghdad from two of the greatestMystics of their time - Shaikh Sayyidi Abul Khair Hammaad binMuslim Ad Dabbaas r.a. and Shaikh Qaazi Abu Saeed Mubaarak Al

Makhzoomi r.a. Although he had gained many blessings from both these

personalities, he had not yet pledged his spiritual allegiance to aspiritual guide (Peer-o-Murshid).Finally, the time had come and according to the Will of AlmightyAllah, he presented himself in the court of Shaikh Qaazi Abu SaeedAl Makhzoomi r.a. and became his disciple (Mureed) thus joining hisHalqa and spiritual order. Shaikh Abu Saeed r.a. showed much loveand attention to this unique disciple and blessed him with gems ofspiritualism and mysticism.Once while Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. and others whereseated in front of the Shaikh, he asked Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir

al-Jilani r.a. to fetch something. While he was gone, ShaikhMakhzoomi r.a. addressing those present said, One day, the foot ofthat young man will be on the shoulders of all the Awliya Allah andall the Awliya of his time will humble themselves before him.INITIATION INTO THE SPIRITUAL ORDER: After Sayyidi Abu SaeedMakhzoomi r.a. admitted Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. into the

spiritual order, he fed him a meal with is own hands. Concerningthis, Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. says, For every morsel offood that my Shaikh-e-Tareeqat put into my mouth, my heart began tofill with the light of Marifah.Shaikh Abu Saeed Makhzoomi r.a. then dressed Al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a.in the Garb of Sainthood (Khirqa) and said: This Khirqa was given

to Sayyiduna Ali-e-Murtaza r.a. by Sarkaar-e-Do Aalam, s.a.w.s. Hein turn gave it to Khwaja Hassan Basri r.a. and from him throughgenerations it reached me. Once Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.had been dressed in this Garb, the rays of Noor could be seendescending upon him. The Khirqa (Saintly Garb) that was bestowedupon the great Saint had been handed down from generation togeneration. A tree depicting how the Khirqa Mubarak reached ShaikhAbd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. is shown below.SARWAR-E-KAUNAIN SAYYIDUNA RASOOLULLAH s.a.w.s.

ASADULLAH SAYYIDUNA ALI-E-MURTAZA r.a.KHWAJA HASSAN BASRI r.a.Shaikh HABEEB AJMI r.a.Shaikh DAWOOD TAEE r.a.Shaikh MAROOF KARGHI r.a.Shaikh SIRRI SAQTI r.a.Shaikh JUNAID-E-BAGHDADI r.a.Shaikh ABU BAKR SHIBLI r.a.Shaikh ABDUL WAAHID TAMEEMI r.a.Shaikh ABUL FARAH TARTOOSI r.a.Shaikh ABUL HASSAN ALl BIN MUHAMMAD AL QARSHI r.a.Shaikh ABU SAEED MUBAARAK BIN ALI MAKHZOOMI r.a.SAYYIDUNA Shaikh ABDUL QAADIR JILANI r.a.

REFORMING THE MUSLIMS OF BAGHDADAs it has been stated earlier in this book that Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir

al-Jilani r.a. had come to Baghdad when it was a city full ofcorruption and misled persons. It was also during this time that the


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misled sought to debate their contention that the Holy Quran wasallegedly a creation. It was a very testing time for Muslims allover the world, since the Crusades had begun, where the entireChristian world was bent on destroying the Muslim Empire. Thepassage of time during which al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. had completedhis studies and undertaken twenty-five years of spiritual exercises,

had resulted in the condition in Baghdad becoming even worse.Falsehood and cults were beginning to spread at an alarming rate.The respect for knowledge and for the people of knowledge waswearing thin in the hearts of the people of Baghdad. It was a timeof 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 peopleand a Reviver of the true Faith. This Reformer and Reviver was noneother that Imam-ul-Awliya Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. Heentered 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. Theenlightened event that led to Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilanis r.a.first lecture to the people of Baghdad is detailed below:ZIYARAH OF SAYYIDUNA RASOOLULLAH s.a.w.s.: On the 16th of Shawaal461 A.H. Hijri, close to midday, the King of the Awliya, al-Ghawthal-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. saw in his dream theKing of the Ambiya and Rasool, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah s.a.w.s. TheHoly Prophet s.a.w.s. said to him, O Abd al-Qaadir! Why do you notlecture and give advice to the people so you may save them frombeing misled?He replied: Ya Rasoolallah, s.a.w.s.! I am a non-Arab. What am Igoing to say in front of the fluent-speaking Arabs? The HolyProphet s.a.w.s. said, Open your mouth. He placed his blessed

Saliva seven times into the mouth of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilanir.a. and then said, Lecture and give advice to the people and bringthem towards the path of Almighty Allah.HIS FIRST LECTURE: After waking from this spiritually enlighteningdream, Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. performed his Zohr Salaah

and sat down to deliver his first lecture to the people of Baghdad.At once, people began to gather around him. When he saw this, hepaused. Just then he entered a spiritual condition in which he sawSher-e-Khuda Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtadha (Karamallahu taaalaWajhahul Kareem) standing in front of him and saying, Why are younot commencing your lecture? Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.said, I feel nervous. Sayyiduna Ali r.a. then said, Open yourmouth! and he placed his blessed saliva six times into the mouth ofShaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. Al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. thenasked. Why did you not place your blessed saliva seven times into my

mouth? Sayyiduna Ali r.a. answered, Out of respect for the HolyProphet, s.a.w.s. Saying these words, Sayyiduna Ali r.a.disappeared. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. then commenced hislecture in such pure and fluent Arabic that authorities of theArabic language seated in his lecture where astounded by hislecture. Thus, commenced Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilanis r.a.reformation of the people of Baghdad.HIS REFORMATION PROGRESSES: Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.

usually delivered lectures thrice a week - on Wednesday evenings,Fridays,and on Sunday mornings. This blessed practice continued forforty years, from 521 A.H. to 561 A.H. At first, he began delivering


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lectures and teaching people in the Madrassah belonging to SayyidiShaikh Aby Saeed Makhzoomi r.a.The people of Baghdad and neighbouring cities began flocking to thelectures of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. in such greatnumbers that the Madrassah became too small for these gatherings.There would often be no place inside the Madrassah, forcing people

to sit out on the streets to listen to his lectures and advice. In568 A.H. a few houses around the Madrassah were purchased andincorporated to make the Madrassah bigger. After some time, eventhis proved to be too small. The Mimbar of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a. 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 Qaaris, 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, thusmaking Baghdad Shareef the centre of learning and spiritualism onceagain.EFFECTS OF HIS LECTURES: His lectures were full of knowledge andwisdom. They were so influential and powerful that listeners wouldgo into spiritual ecstasy. Some of them would tear their clothes.Others would fall unconscious. On some occasions, certain listenerswould become so lost in the gems of love for Allah and His Rasools.a.w.s. that the great Saint presented in his lectures, that theywould even pass away in this condition. On various occasions, evennon-Muslims came to his lectures. After listening to his lecturesthey 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, Rijaal-ul-Ghaib and Jinns also frequented his blessedgatherings. Akaabireen and Mashaaikh also frequented hisgatherings. It was a training school for the young, a place torepent for the sinful, a place of guidance for the misguided, and abank of spiritualism for the spiritually bankrupt.His voice was very stern and sharp. One of the miracles of hisMajlis was that each and every person sitting there heard him alike,

even though in those times, there was no means of voiceamplification, such as microphones and the like. Al-Ghawthal-Azams r.a. close student, Sayyidi Abdullah Jabaaee r.a.,states that during this era of his lectures, more than 100,000sinners repented at the blessed hands of al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. andthousands of Jews and Christians accepted Islam at his hands.All the great scholars agree that during that era the majority ofthe people in Baghdad repented from their wrongs at the hands of the

great Saint and also became his disciples. Once, thirteen Christians

accepted Islam in the Majlis of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.When they were requested to explain their acceptance of Islam, theysaid that they heard of the religion of Islam and that their heartswere pleased with this Deen but they had been in search of a true

servant of Allah who would, by looking at them, dispel the darknessof their hearts. While they were in search of this true servant ofAllah, they heard a Voice from the Unseen saying, Go to Shaikh Abd


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al-Qaadir in Baghdad and bring Islam on his hands, for it is he whowill cleanse your hearts and fill it with light of Imaan (Faith).When the thirteen Christians received this message from the Unseen,they travelled to Baghdad and accepted Islam on the hands of ShaikhAbd al-Qaadir Jilani r.a.On one occasion, a monk named Sanaan presented himself in thegathering of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. and accepted Islam

on the hands of the great Saint. After bringing Imaan, he stood upin the gathering and said: O people! I am a citizen of Yemen andfor many years I lived in seclusion as a Christian Monk. For sometime now, I have realised the truth of Islam, but after looking atthe ways of the present Muslims, I delayed my acceptance of Islamand 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 Masih a.s. who said, O Sanaan! Go toBaqhdad and accept Islam on his hands. At the present moment, thereis none on this earth that is more pious and firm on religion thanhe 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 foundhim to be as I have heard.Al-Ghawth al-Azams r.a. lectures were inspiring to all whofrequented his Majlis. His words were kind but firm. He was notswayed by the power or status of anyone. If they were wrong, he didnot hesitate to correct them in his Majlis or anywhere else. Hefeared none but Allah and made those who were in his Majlis aware of

this. Once, one of the close ministers of the Khalifa Azeezuddeencame to the Majlis of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. When hesaw him, the great Saint said, The condition of those like you issuch, that one man is lost in the slaveship of another. Who then isthe true slave of Allah? He then addressed Azeezuddeen directly

and said, Stand up! Keep your hand on my hand so that you maydistance yourself from this mundane world and run towards yourCreator.HIS KARAMAH (MIRACLES)THE MONTHS OF THE YEAR PRESENTING THEMSELVES TO AL-GHAWTH AL-AZAM:Hadrat Shaikh Abul Qaasim r.a. states that once Shaikh Abu Bakr,Shaikh Abul Khair, Shaikh Ibn Mahfooz, Shaikh Abu Hafs Umar, ShaikhAbul Aas Ahmad Imkaani, Shaikh Abdul Wahab r.a. and himself r.a.were all in the presence of the great al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. It wasa Friday, the 30th of Jamadi-ul-Aakhir 560 A.H. During this time,Shaikh Qaasim r.a. states that a young handsome youth came into theblessed court of the great Saint. He sat with great respect, andthen said: O Friend of Allah! May there be Salaams upon you. I amthe month of Rajab, and I have come to give you glad tiding thatthis is a good month for the people. They should thus do many gooddeeds in this month. Shaikh Qaasim r.a. states that on anotheroccasion, a youth again came to the Darbaar of al-Ghawth al-Azamr.a. and with great respect said, I am the month of Shabaan. I havenot brought any glad tidings, but have come to inform you that inthis month the people of Arabia will be in difficulty. There will be

wars fought in Khurasaan and there will be sickness in Iraq throughwhich many people will die. Shaikh Qaasim r.a. states that after afew days, news reached Baghdad of these happenings in Arabia andKhurasaan and he states that during that time a disease spread in

Iraq killing scores of people.HIS SIGHT ON LAUH-E-MAHFOOZ (THE PROTECTED TABLET): It is written in


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one narration that Shaikh Abul Hafs r.a. states: Our Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir Jilani r.a. used to fly in the air and would say, The sundoes not rise before presenting Salaams in my court. By the Wrathand Honour of Allah! All the good and bad persons are before mysight. My eyes are fixed firmly on Lauh-e-Mahfooz. Time and again, I

immerse myself in the sea of knowledge and wisdom blessed by Allah

and I am the Sign (Nishaan) of Allah to the people, and thespecially appointed representative of my forefather, Nabi Muhammad,s.a.w.s., and I am his viceroy on this earth.HIS POWER OVER JINNS: Shaikh Abu Futoob Muhammad bin Abil Aas Yusufbin Ismaeel bin Ahmad Ali Qarshi Tameemi Bakri Baghdadi r.a. reports

that once Shaikh Abu Saeed Abdullab bin Ahmad bin Ali bin MuhammadBaghdadi Azjaee r.a. came to Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.and complained to him about his sixteen-year old daughter, Faatima.Faatima, who was very beautiful, had gone onto the roof of the house

and she suddenly disappeared from there. When Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir

al-Jilani r.a. heard this he comforted him and told him not toworry.The great Saint then asked him to a certain jungle at night. Onentering this jungle, Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. told himthat he would see many sand heaps. He should sit on the fifth sandheap that he passed. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. then toldhim that he should draw a circle around him saying Bismillahandthat he should then say Abdul Qaadir.The great Saint then said: Towards the third portion of the night,you will find an army of Jinns passing by. They will look reallyfrightening and fierce, but you should not fear. You should remainseated and wait. Exactly at the time of the first light, the mostpowerful King of the Jinns will pass that way and he will personally

come to you and ask your problem. On his request, you should explain

to him your situation and then tell him that Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a. has sent you. You should then tell him about yourdaughters disappearance.Shaikh Muhammad Baghdadi r.a. states: I did as al-Ghawth al-AzamShaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. said. I sat on the sand heap,drew a circle around me and waited. After some time, I saw armies of

Jinns in frightening forms passing by. They were very upset with mesitting in their path, but they passed without saying a word, asthey did not have the courage to enter the circle. In the morning,the King passed and asked my request. When I explained my problem to

him and told him that Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. had sentme, he got off his horse and stood with respect listening to me. Hethen sent the Jinns to summon back a Jinn who had captured mydaughter. My daughter was brought back and the mischievous Jinn waspunished for his doing.A THIEF BECOMES AN ABDAAL (HIGH-RANKING SAINT): Once a thief entered

the house of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. with the intentionof stealing. On entering the house, he became blind and could notsee anything. He was unable to find his way out of the house and he

eventually sat in one corner of the house. In the morning, he wascaught and brought before Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. . When


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Al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. saw him, he placed his blessed hands on thethiefs eyes. The thiefs eyesight was immediately restored. ShaikhAbd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. then said, He came to stealmaterialistic (worldly wealth), I will bless him with such atreasure that it will remain with him forever. On saying thesewords, Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. placed his blessed sighton the thief once and elevated him to the status of Wilayat

(Sainthood). It was also during this time that one of the appointedAbdaals had passed away. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. tookthe thief, now a Wali, and sent him out as the replacement for theAbdaal that had passed away. Subhan-Allah!TRANSPORTATION FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER: Once whilst Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. was delivering one of his spirituallyenlightening lectures, a person by the name of Abul Muaali waspresent in this gathering. He was seated directly in front of thegreat Saint. During the course of the lecture, Abul Muaali foundthat he needed to answer the call of nature (relieve himself). Hetried to suppress this need because he found it disrespectful toleave the gathering of al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. He controlled the

urge to the best of his ability, but when he could not do so anylonger, he decided to leave. As he was about to stand, he saw thegreat Ghawth r.a. walking down the first stair of the pulpit(Mimbar) onto the second stair. As the Saint came to the secondstair, Abul Muaali saw an image of the great Saint on the mimbar.Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. came down to him and threw hisshawl over him.As this happened, Abul Muaali found that he was no longer in thegathering, but rather in a valley with beautiful lush vegetation. It

was beautified even more by a stream, which flowed through it. Heimmediately answered the call of nature, performed Wudhu and thenprayed two Rakaats Salaah. As he completed the Salaah, Shaikh Abd

al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. pulled the shawl off him. When Abul Muaalilooked, he found to his amazement that he was still in the gathering

of the great Saint r.a. and he had not even missed one word of thelecture of the great Saint. However, much later Abul Muaalidiscovered that he did not have his set of keys with him. He thenremembered that when he was transported to the valley by Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a., he had hung his key ring on the branch ofa tree beside the stream. Abul Muaali states that some time afterthis incident, he had the opportunity to go on a businessexpedition. During this journey, Abul Muaali reached a valley andrested there. He then noticed, that the valley was the exact sameplace where the great Saint had transported him during his lecture.When he went beside the tree, he found that his missing keys werestill hanging on the branch of the tree. Subhan-Allah! The businesstrip took fourteen days to complete. This miracle of al-Ghawthal-Azam r.a. shows that not only did he transport Abul Muaalispiritually, but also physically.SHIP PROTECTED FROM STORM: The students of the great Ghawth r.a.state that once he was delivering his lessons as usual to them whensuddenly his blessed face turned red and beads of perspirationcovered his blessed forehead. He then placed his hand into his cloak

and remained silent for a short time. The students state that afterhe removed his hand from inside his cloak, drops of water began to

drip from his sleeves. Due to his spiritual state, the students saythat they did not ask him any questions but rather, they recordedthe date, day and time of this astonishing event. The students say


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that two months after this incident, a group of traders, who hadcome by sea to Baghdad, arrived and presented various gifts toal-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. The students were very confused by this asthey had never seen these traders in Baghdad before. They asked thetraders the reason for them bringing the gifts. The traders saidthat two months previously, whilst they were sailing to Baghdad,their ship was caught in a fierce storm.

When they realised that there was a real danger of sinking, theycalled out the name of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. . Whenthey called out his name, they found that from the Unseen a handlifted their ship to safety. When the students compared thisnarration to the incident in the Madrassa, it was confirmed that itwas the same date, day and time in which the great Saint r.a. hadput his hand into his cloak. Suhban-Allah! This incident shows thatalthough Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. seemed to be placinghis hand into his cloak, but in reality, he was stretching his handinto the sea to assist those who called for his assistance!DISAPPEARING INTO THE SUN: The wet-nurse of al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a.states that when he was a child, she would carry him in her arms but

would suddenly find that he was no longer there. She reports thatshe noticed that he used to fly into the sky and hide behind therays of the sun. Once, when Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. wasmuch older, the wet-nurse s.a.w.s. went to him and asked if he still

did as he used to do when he was a child, in other words, hidebehind the sun. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. replied, Then Iwas a child, and it was a time of weakness, and I used to hide inthe rays of the sun. Now my strength and power is so immense, thatif a thousand suns have to come then they would all be hidden in merather than me being hidden by them.PROTECTION FROM ILLNESS: Shaikh Ali bin Idrees Yaqoobi r.a. states

that once his spiritual guide, Shaikh Ali bin Haiti r.a. took him to

al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. and presented him in the court of the greatSaint. Shaikh Ali bin Idrees r.a. states: Al-Ghawth al-Azam ShaikhAbd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. was wearing a shawl during this time.He removed the shawl and placed it over me and said, From now on,you will be protected from all illnesses. From that day on untilnow, and I am 65 years old, I have never been ill.A LION OVERPOWERED: Shaikh Abu Masood bin Abi Bakr Harimi r.a.reports that there was a very great Saint by the name of ShaikhAhmed Jaam r.a. He used to travel on a lion wherever he went. Inevery city that he visited, it was his habit to ask the people ofthe city to send one cow for his lions meal. Once, he went to acertain city and requested from the Saint of that city a cow for his

lion. The Saint sent the cow to him and said, If you ever go toBaghdad, your lion will receive a welcome invitation.Shaikh Ahmed Jaam r.a. then journeyed to Baghdad Shareef. Onarriving in Baghdad, he sent one of his disciples to al-Ghawthal-Azam r.a. and commanded that a cow be sent to him, as a meal forhis lion. The great Ghawth was already aware of his coming. He hadalready arranged for a cow to be kept for the lion. On the commandof Shaikh Ahmed Jaam r.a. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. sentone of his disciples with a cow to him. As the disciple took the cow

with him, a weak and old stray dog which used to sit outside thehome of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. followed the disciple.The disciple presented the cow to Shaikh Ahmed Jaam r.a. who in turn


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signalled the lion to commence feeding. As the lion ran towards thecow, this stray dog pounced on the lion. It caught the lion by itsthroat and killed the lion by tearing open its stomach. The dog then

dragged the lion and threw it before al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a.On seeing this, Shaikh Ahmed Jaam r.a. was very embarrassed. He

humbled himself before the great Ghawth and asked for forgivenessfor his arrogant behaviour. This incident shows the strength of adog that only sat outside the stoop of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a.This was due to its Nisbat to the blessed stoop of the great Saint.It also proves that even animals recognise and are loyal to the theAwliya Allah. Ala Hadrat, Shaikh Imam Ahmed Raza al-Qaadiri r.a.portrays the above-mentioned incident in one of his poetic stanzas.He says: Kya Dabbe Jis Pe Himayat Ka Ho Panja Tera, Sher Ko Khatreme Laata, Nahi Kutta TeraShaikh ALl BIN HAITIS DREAM: Once al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. was delivering a lecture. Shaikh Ali bin

Haiti r.a. was seated in front of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilanir.a. in this gathering. During the lecture of the great Ghawth,Shaikh Ali bin Haiti r.a. fell asleep. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a., who saw this, descended from the Mimbar and stood in

front of the sleeping Shaikh Ali bin Haiti r.a. with both his handsfolded in respect. After a while Shaikh Ali bin Haiti r.a. awoke tofind Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. standing in front of him.He immediately stood up in respect. Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilanir.a. smiled and said, The reason I am standing in front of him isbecause he was seeing the Holy Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w.s. in hisdream and I was seeing the Prophet, s.a.w.s. with my physical eyes.

MY FOOT IS ON THE SHOULDERS OF ALL THE SAINTS: Once whilst he wasdelivering a lecture, Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. entered aspiritual state and said, My foot is on the shoulders of all theAwliya Allah (Saints). When he uttered these words there were manyAwliya Allah in his presence. Each one of them immediately loweredtheir necks.Shaikh Ali bin Haiti r.a. who was also present in this gathering,immediately went to Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. andphysically placed the foot of the great Ghawth on his neck. ShaikhSayyidi Maajid r.a. states: When al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. said thesewords, then every Wali on earth bowed his neck. He also states,There were 300 Awliya Allah and 700 Rijaalul Ghaib (Men of theUnseen) present in that gathering, and every one of them loweredtheir necks before him.Shaikh Makaarim r.a. states: The day on which al-Ghawth al-Azamr.a. made this statement, every Saint knew that the flag of Kingship

was now planted before Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. . On this

day, all the Saints from East to West lowered their necks on hiscommand. Sayyidi Shaikh Khalifatul Akbar r.a. states: I saw theBeloved Rasool, s.a.w.s. in my dream and I asked him about thestatement of al-Ghawth al-Azam - My foot is on the shoulders ofall the Saints. He says that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s. )said,Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. has spoken the truth and why should he

not say this when he is the Qutb, and I am his Guardian.SULTANUL HIND KHWAJA MUEENUDDEEN CHISHTI: When Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a. said, My foot is on the shoulders of all the


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Saints, Shaikh Khwaja Mueenuddeen Chishti Hassani Sanjari Ajmerir.a. was at this moment in the prime of his youth. He was deep inthe remembrance of Allah on a mountain in Khurasaan. As soon asShaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. said these words, KhwajaMueenuddeen Chishti r.a. heard this and lowered his neck and said,But your blessed foot is on my eyes and on my head. It was throughthe blessing of this act of submission that r.a. Khwaja Mueenuddeen

Chishti r.a. was made the King of the Saints of India and is knownas Sultaanul Hind.MUFTI-E-AZAM HINDr.a.: Mufti-e-Azam Hind, Maulana Mustapha Razaal-Qaadiri r.a., the son of Imam Ahmed Raza al-Qaadiri r.a., says in

one of his Manqabats, which he wrote in praise of the great Ghawthas follows: r.a. Ye Dil Ye Jigar He Ye Aankhe Ye Sar He- My Heart,My liver, My eyes and My head are all here, Jahaa Chaaho RakhloQadam Ghawth-e-Azam - O Ghaus! You may keep your blessed footwherever you desire. This couplet of Mufti-e-A'zam r.a. shows thateven though he was not born when the great Saint made thisstatement, but even after coming to this physical world, he showed

his allegiance to al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. by accepting andconfirming the command of the great Ghawth. This, and his immense

love for Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. gained him the exaltedstatus of Ghaus-ul-Waqt meaning The Ghaus of the Time.IMAM AHMED BIN HAMBAL: Shaikh Sayyidi Baqaa r.a. states that once he

accompanied Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. to the tomb of ImamAhmed bin Hambal r.a. . He says: I saw Shaikh Imam Ahmed binHambals r.a. grave split open, and I saw him emerge from hisblessed grave. He embraced al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. and then said,

Even I am dependent on you in Tariqah.SHARIAH AND TARIQAH: Once Shaikh Bataaihi r.a. presented himselfin the court of Shaikh Ahmed Kabeer r.a. He states that Shaikh Ahmed

Kabeer r.a. said, Do you know anything about the condition ofal-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. ? Shaikh Ahmed r.a. states: On hearingthis, I began to praise al-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. and say what I knewconcerning him. I said as much as I knew and then remained silent.Shaikh Ahmed Kabeer ( r.a. ) then said: On his right is the Sea ofShariah and on his left is the Sea of Tariqah. From this, he giveswhom he desires. In this era, there is none equal to him.ONE HUNDRED JURISTS HUMBLED: It is well known that the lectures ofal-Ghawth al-Azam r.a. attracted scores of scholars to Baghdad fromall over the world. Once, a hundred Jurists formed a group and eachone chose a difficult question. They all decided to presentthemselves in the gathering of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.and each would ask his question during the lecture in an attempt tocause Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. to be confused. The onehundred Jurists chose what they thought to be the most difficultquestion and travelled to Baghdad. They sat in the gathering ofShaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. waiting for the appropriate time

to ask their questions. It was during this gathering that a brightray of light emerged from the blessed chest of al-Ghawth al-A'zamr.a. and travelled into the heart of each of the one hundredJurists. This light could only be seen by them and to those whomAlmighty Allah desired to see. As this light entered their hearts,each one of them entered a state of spiritual ecstasy. Each one of

them fell at the feet of al-Ghawth al-A'zam r.a. and repented fromtheir improper intentions. The great Saint, with great compassion,embraced each one of them, filling their hearts with Noor, and at


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the same time answering every one of their questions, even thoughthey had not asked.HIS WIVES AND CHILDRENHIS MARRIAGE AND WIVES: Once someone asked Shaikh Abd al-Qaadiral-Jilani r.a. why he had made Nikah in his unique and elevatedspiritual condition. The great Ghawth r.a. replied: I would nothave married but my beloved forefather, Nabi Muhammad s.a.w.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 mytime may be lost in other things rather than in the love of myCreator, but when the time came, then My Creator blessed me withfour wives, and each one of them loved me dearly. Due to his trueand pure intention of Nikah, he never found any time lost from hisIbadah and from his services to the Deen even after marriage. Allhis wives were blessed with piety and deep knowledge. Shaikh Sayyidi

Abdul Jabbar r.a., one of the sons of Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani

r.a., states concerning his mother,When my mother would enter adark place, it would immediately become bright. Once my father

Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. entered one such place where mymother was, and on his entrance, the light caused by her presencedisappeared. On seeing this, my blessed father said, This light isnot enough. It has disappeared in my light. Let me make it morepowerful. From this day onwards, when my mother entered a darkplace, then her light was like that of the full moon.HIS CHILDREN: Shaikh Sayyidi Abdur Razzaq r.a. [a son of] Ghawthal-A'zam r.a. states: My father had forty-nine children in all, ofwhich twenty-seven were boys and twenty-two were girls.BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO A FEW OF HIS CHILDRENSAYYIDI Shaikh ABDUL WAHAB: Sayyidi Shaikh Abdul Wahab r.a. was the

eldest son of al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a.He was born in the month of Shabaan in the year 523 A.H. in the

city of Baghdad. He passed away in the month of Shabaan 593 A.H. and

is buried in Baghdad. He attained proficiency in the fields ofHadith, Fiqh, etc. at his fathers feet. He also travelled abroad tostudy ancient medicine. At the age of twenty, he taught Islam underthe watchful eye of his father. After the demise of Shaikh Abdal-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. he continued lecturing and issuing Fatawa(Religious Decrees). Many people from far and wide gained benefitfrom his lectures and teachings. From all his brothers, he was themost pious and most learned. Indeed, he was the true successor ofthe great Ghawth. He wrote various books, including the subject ofTassawuf. He was also a very great and renowned Jurist of his time.Amongst the books written by him are also, Jawaahirul Asraar andLataaiful Anwaar.SAYYIDI Shaikh EESA: He was also a very blessed and pious person. He

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The King of Saints