الرحلةThe Journey

عبد القادر الجيلاني

'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (RH)

Also known as: Abdul Qadir Jilani, Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jailani, al-Gilani

c. 470–561 AH · c. 1077–1166 CE

Sufism & Theology Hanbali Sufism Fiqh

Hanbali jurist and preacher of Baghdad, after whom the Qadiriyya order is named.

'Abd al-Qadir came to Baghdad as a young man and studied Hanbali fiqh, hadith and Arabic, while following the Sufi path under Abu al-Khayr Hammad al-Dabbas. After years of discipline he began to preach publicly, and his gatherings at his madrasa near Bab al-Azaj drew huge crowds of every background.

His sermons, collected in al-Fath al-Rabbani and Futuh al-Ghayb, call for strict adherence to the Shari'ah together with sincerity and complete reliance on Allah. His legal-spiritual manual al-Ghunya remains widely read. The Qadiriyya, named after him, became one of the most widespread Sufi orders, reaching from West Africa to the Malay world.

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Life journey

  1. c. 1077 CE Gilan جيلان
    Most sources say Gilan, south of the Caspian; some argue for Jil near al-Mada'in in Iraq.
  2. 1095 CE Baghdad بغداد
    Died 1166 CE · 561 AH
    Came to Baghdad at about eighteen and remained there the rest of his life.

Students

  • Ibn Qudamah (RH) 1147–1223 CE
    Ibn Qudamah studied with al-Jilani in Baghdad in the last weeks of al-Jilani's life.

Key works

  • al-Ghunya الغنية لطالبي طريق الحق
    Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth
    A manual of law, belief, ethics and spiritual practice.
  • al-Fath al-Rabbani الفتح الرباني
    The Sublime Revelation
    A collection of his sermons delivered in Baghdad.

Places in their life

al-Mustansiriyyah, an Abbasid college of 1233, Baghdad
al-Mustansiriyyah, an Abbasid college of 1233, Baghdad
Photo: Taisir Mahdi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

  • al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'
  • Ibn Rajab, al-Dhayl 'ala Tabaqat al-Hanabila
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.
Birth year reported as 470 or 471 AH.