The Grand Gnostic

The Grand Gnostic
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir

Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir s/o Abū Ṣāliḥ Mūsā Jangī Dost s/o Abū ʿAbd-Allāh s/o Yaḥyā al-Zāhidī s/o Muḥammad s/o Dāwūd s/o Mūsā s/o ʿAbd-Allāh s/o Mūsā al-Jawn s/o ʿAbd-Allāh al-Maḥḍ s/o Ḥasan al-Muthanna s/o Imām Ḥasan s/o Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib

Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir is referred to by the saints and scholars as, inter alia, The Sulṭān of the Awliya, The Mighty Succour and The Reviver of the Religion. He was born in the year 470 H. (circa 1077 CE) in Jilān (or Gilan), and spent his entire life preaching the religion and inspiring others. He is considered to be the chief saint, and the saints of Allāh have bowed their heads before him in acknowledgement of and surrender to his lofty rank bestowed upon him by Allāh. He was a great Ṣūfī who was firm upon the Sharīʿah and followed the Ḥanbalī Madhhab. He delivered discourses from his madrasa, which were attended by not only the general public but also the leading scholars of the time. The Shaykh left this mundane world in the year 562 H. (1166 CE) at the age of 90 and he was laid to rest in his madrasa in Baghdad. He left behind a number of books, which include some of his awe-inspiring discourses that have inspired many around the world for centuries.

His name is ʿAbd al-Qādir (Servant of the Omnipotent), his Appellation is Muḥyi’d-Dīn (Reviver of the Religion) and his agnomen is Abū Muḥammad (Father of Muḥammad).

He is of Ḥasanī descent from his father’s side and Ḥusaynī descent from his mother’s side. His respectable father’s name is Abū Sāliḥ Jangī Dost and his honourable mother’s name is Umm al-Khayr Fāṭimah, daughter of ʿAbd-Allāh al-Sawmā’ī.

He was extremely pious even during his childhood, to the extent that he would not play with the other young children. He left for Baghdad in pursuit of knowledge at the age of 18 but was not permitted to enter Baghdad by Sayyidunā Khiḍr, who said to him that he cannot enter the city for seven years. Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir therefore stayed on the outskirts of the city and ate only leaves, until seven years had passed. He was then permitted to enter the city. He faced many hardships and troubles while in the pursuit of knowledge, which he endured for the sake of Allāh. He studied the religion under reputable scholars and stayed in the company of Abū al-Khayr Ḥammād al-Dabbās and he pledged allegiance on the hands of Shaykh Abū Saʿīd al-Makhzūmī.

Shaykh Abū Saʿīd al-Makhzūmī gifted his madrasa (Bāb al-Azj) to Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir, which became the centre from where he would preach the religion. He delivered lectures on various subjects and also taught students in this madrasa. He would deliver a lecture three days a week: twice on Friday mornings in his madrasa, once on Tuesday evenings and once on Wednesday mornings in his guest house. These lectures were not only attended by laymen but also the leading scholars of the time. He was famous for his awe-inspiring and spiritually-uplifting lectures, which mesmerised even the eminent scholars.

He continued this service of delivering lectures frequently and providing guidance for over 40 years, which he started in the year 521 H. and ending in the year 561 H. He also served the religion by teaching students, issuing verdicts and writing books, which lasted 33 years, starting in the year 528 H. and ending in the year 561 H.

He was an embodiment of marvellous traits and characteristics. Thousands of people accepted Islam on his hands and countless sinful Muslims repented. He proclaimed, as ordered to, that his feet are on the necks of every Walī of Allah to which all in attendance, all the saints alive at the time and other saints not present bowed their heads.

Some of his most notable works include:

• Tuḥfat al-Muttaqīn wa Sabīl al-ʿĀrifīn
• Futūḥ al-Ghayb
• Al-Fuyūḍāt al-Rabbānīyyah fī al-Awrād al-Qadirīyyah
• Marātib al-Wujūd
• Yawāqīt al-Ḥukm
• Sirr al-Asrār
• Al-Fatḥ al-Rabbānī
• Al-Gunyah li Ṭālibī Ṭarīq al-Ḥaqq

Many biographies and words have been written about Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir, from which the following two are the most notable:

• Qalāid al-Jawāhir by Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Yahyā al-Tādifī al-Ḥanbalī
• Bahjat al-Asrār by Imām Abū al-Ḥasan Shantūfī al-Shafi’ī.

By Muhammad Kalim (Preston, UK)