Abdul Qadir Gilani · Lablypedia

Gilani spent most of his adult life in Baghdad, where he studied Islamic jurisprudence and hadith, taught at a madrasa, and became known for his sermons on religious observances, ethical conduct and spiritual discipline. His reputation as a religious authority grew during the later part of his life, while accounts of his spiritual powers and elevated spiritual status became prominent in later hagiographical literature.

Early life

Gilani was born around c. 1077 or 1078 in Gilan, a region on the southwestern shore of the Caspian Sea in present-day Iran. Some sources identify his birthplace more specifically as Na'if near present-day Rezvanshahr. According to the 15th-century historian Ibn Taghribirdi (d. 1470), Gilani was born in Jil in Iraq, but this account is questioned by French historian Jacqueline Chabbi. Modern historians (including Lawrence) consider Gilan to be his birth place. The region was then politically semi-independent and divided between local chieftains from different clans.

His nisba, indicates an association with Gilan, while the epithet Baghdadi, refers to his residence and burial in Baghdad. During his stay in Baghdad, Gilani was called ajamii, a term that denote a non-Arab, which according to Bruce Lawrence may be because he spoke Persian alongside Arabic.

Family background

Information of Gilani's family are uncertain, some sources indicate that his father or grandfather was known by the nickname Jangi Dust, suggesting a Persian lineage.

Hagiographical sources claim Gilani to be a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through Muhammad's grandson Hasan ibn Ali. this lineage is widely accepted among many Muslims, including followers of the Qadiriyya order. Some modern scholars, including Lawrence, consider this claim inconsistent with Gilani's apparent Persian background, and suggest that it may have been emphasized or constructed by the later Hagiographers.

Education

Gilani travelled to Baghdad in 1095, where he studied Islamic jurisprudence, Hadith and other religious sciences. He studied Hanbali jurisprudence under Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi and Ibn Aqil, and studied hadith with Abu Muhammad Ja'far al-Sarraj. He was also associated with the Sufi teacher Abu'l-Khair Hammad al-Dabbas, who is described in later sources as one of his spiritual instructors.

After completing his formal studies, Gilani is said to have withdrawn from public life for an extended period, described as approximately twenty-five years of Ascetic wandering and retreat in the desserts and wilderness of Iraq.

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Teaching and preaching

In 1127, Gilani returned to Baghdad and began preaching publicly. He joined the teaching staff of the school established by his teacher, al-Makhzoomi, and developed a substantial following. His teaching encompassed several branches of Islamic learning. He taught Hadith, Tafsir (exegesis of Quran), and jurisprudence, while also delivering sermons concerning spiritual discipline, repentance, ethical conduct and the virtues of the Quran.

He was reported to be an effective preacher who attracted followers from diverse backgrounds, including Jews and Christians, and integrated Sufi mysticism with Islamic law. According to hagiographical sources, Gilani is reported to have converted many people to Islam through his emphasis on inner purification, ethical conduct and devotion. He established the Madrasa al-Qadiriyya in Baghdad, which became a center for Islamic learning and spirituality, offering instruction in the Quran, Hadith, Fiqh (jurisprudence), and Tasawwuf (Sufism), attracting students from various regions.

His teachings reportedly influenced political and military leaders, such as Nur ad-Din Zangi and Salahuddin Ayyubi, who respected his guidance.

Religious thought

Jurisprudence

Gilani adhered to the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence. He is reported to have treated Shafi'i school of jurisprudence on an equal footing with the Hanbali school, issuing fatwas according to both schools of jurisprudence. Al-Nawawi, in his book Bustan al-'Arifin (transl. Garden of the Spiritual Masters), praised Gilani for this approach, noting that "we have never known anyone more dignified than Baghdad's Sheikh Muhyi al-Din 'Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani, the Sheikh of Shafi'is and Hanbalis in Baghdad."

Theology

In al-Ghunya li-Talibi Tariq al-Haqq, a work attributed to him, Gilani presented a conception of God that emphasized divine transcendence. He described God as existing beyond time and space and rejected the attribution of corporeality, substance, accident, or physical limitation to God. These formulations reflect the theological concern with divine transcendence found in medieval Islamic discussions of God's attributes.

Spiritual discipline and ethics

The central feature of Gilani's teaching was the integration of religious law and spiritual purification (tazkiyah) of the individual from excessive attachment to worldly desires. His sermons emphasized repentance, self-discipline, sincerity, and reliance upon God.

Sufi descriptions of his teaching frequently portray the struggle against the lower self and worldly desire as a form of spiritual striving. Rather than separating mystical practice from religious law. Gilani presented spiritual development as dependent upon adherence to religious obligations.

Criticism of political authority

Hagiographical sources portray Gilani as willing to admonish political authorities. One account, transmitted by Ibn Kathir, describes his criticism of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Muqtafi li-Amr Allah after the appointment of Abu'l Wafa' Yahya, who was accused of oppressive conduct, to a judicial position. According to the account, Gilani publicly rebuked the caliph over the appointment, after which the official was removed.

Such accounts from part of the broader depiction of Gilani as a preacher who regarded the duty of enjoining good and forbidding wrong from the Quran as applying to rulers as well as ordinary Muslims. The sources similarly attributed to him criticism of scholars and religious figures who became dependent upon the rulers or pursued wealth and status. His sermon portrayed excessive attachment to political power, wealth and luxury as threats to religious integrity.

Sufism

Qadiriyyah

Later accounts describe Gilani's relationship with his disciples through bay'ah an oath of allegiance or commitment to a spiritual guide (murshid). Within Sufi tradition, such an arrangement was understood as establishing a continuing relationship between teacher and disciple, through which the disciple received instruction in religious practice, ethical conduct and spiritual discipline.

Gilani is regarded as the eponym and traditional founding figure of the Qadiriyyah Sufi order. The later Qadiri tradition traced its spiritual lineage through him. The institutional development of Qadiriyya occurred over time and was substantially shaped by his descendants and disciples.

Hagiographical tradition

Gilani's reputation developed considerably after his death. Hagiographical works attributed to him an exceptional spiritual rank and numerous miracles.

In Sufi tradition he is described as a wali (saint) who attained the highest spiritual station of the a succour (ghawth), in the saintly hierarchy. His honorific Muḥyi d-Dīn likewise came to be associated with the belief that he was a reviver of Islam.

Death

Gilani died in Baghdad in 1166 CE, corresponding to 561 AH. Traditional biographical sources differ on the precise date of his death, variously placing it on the night preceding 8 or 10 Rabi' al-thani. He was buried at night in the precincts of his schoolhouse near Bab al-Azaj in Baghdad.

His urs (death anniversary) is traditionally observed annually on 11 Rabi' al-Thani.

Shrine

Gilani's tomb in Baghdad became and important site of pilgrimage. During the reign of the Safavid Shah Ismail I, the shrine was destroyed in 1508. However, in 1535, Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned the construction of a new shrine over the grave, which remains in existence today.