Sufism Qadir Al Jilani PDF
Sufism Qadir Al Jilani PDF
Sufism Qadir Al Jilani PDF
The great scholar of Muslim mysticism (Sūfism), Annemarie Schimmel, reported in 1975
that ‘Abdu’l-Qādir al-Jīlānī of Baghdad, Iraq is “probably the most popular saint in the Islamic
world, whose name is surrounded by innumerable legends… ‘Abdu’l-Qādir’s tomb in Baghdād
is still a place of pilgrimage for pious Muslims [“perhaps, after that of the Prophet and those of
certain members of his family, the most visited and venerated tomb in Islam”—Martin Lings],
mainly from the Indo-Pakistani Subcontinent, where the order [founded in his name, the Qādiriya
Sūfīs] was introduced in the late 14th century. [During his life, his] fame soon reached incredible
heights. He is called Muhyī ud-dīn, ‘the reviver of religion.’ … A number of sayings are attrib-
uted to him in which he claims the highest mystical rank possible…. A satisfactory explanation
of the transition from the sober Hanbalite preacher [the fundamentalist Hanbalis are the strictest,
most anti-mystical of Islām’s four legal schools of interpretation] … to the prototype of saintli-
ness venerated all over the Muslim world is still lacking. The poems in honor of ‘Abdu’l-Qādir,
which are sung at his anniversary in the fourth month of the Muslim lunar year, reveal the tre-
mendous admiration of the people for this mystical leader…. He is the ghauth-i a‘zam, the
‘Greatest Help,’ and the pīr-i dast-gīr, ‘the Pīr [Master] who keeps one’s hand’ for support….
Old Sindhi songs describe how his spiritual realm extends from Istanbul to Delhi, town by town,
country by country being blessed by him… In folk piety Gīlānī has become the master of the jinn
[subtle-plane beings], and many haunted caves and sacred places in the Maghreb are devoted to
his cult. He has also had a decisive influence in the Islamization of West Africa.” (Mystical Di-
mensions of Islam, Chapel Hill, NC: Univ. of North Carolina, 1978, pp. 247-8)
Scholar Terry Graham states: “Gilāni is an enigma to scholars, because there is little to be
gleaned from the biographies of him which indicates that he had the intention of creating a sys-
tem [the Qādiriya order] for spiritual realization. Rather, his approach seems to have been based
purely on adherence to his person.… The sense of personal association which present-day Qāderi
dervishes feel for their founder… is unique in Sūfī orders, where the common practice is to iden-
tify with one’s immediate initiating and training master alone.” (“‘Abdo’l-Qāder Gilāni [Persian
spelling] and the Qāderiya Order,” Sufi, Issue 3, Fall 1989, pp. 22-28) Elsewhere we read of
‘Abdu’l-Qādir: “He came to be recognized as the leading authority in the religious sciences, but
it was not until he was 50 years old that he first appeared in public as a preacher. His fame as an
orator attracted students from all over the Muslim world. It is said that his sermons converted
many Jews and Christians to Islam, and many Muslims to the spiritual life. Financial support
from his many followers enabled him to establish a ribāt (Sūfī center), where the poor and needy
were cared for. He served as muftī, teacher of Quranic exegesis, hadīth, and fiqh [religious law].
‘Abd al-Qādir’s Sūfī path consists in fighting the ‘greater jihād’ against the lower self, rather
than the ‘lesser jihād’ of the physical struggle against the enemies of Islam. His way is to erad-
icate the idolatry of the self, to recognize in all that happens, whether of good or of evil, the will
of God, and to live in submission to his will according to the Holy Law…. His sober Sufism [cf.
the more ecstatic, “intoxicated” Sufism] gained wide acceptance among the orthodox circles, and
therein lies the reason for the great spread of the Qādirīya order throughout the Muslim world.”
(J. Bowker [Ed.], The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, 1997, p. 4)
Surely you can see that if someone abstains from this world, so as not to be distracted by it from
seeking the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), he must likewise abstain from the
hereafter, so that it will not distract him from Allāh…. You are in isolation from the Lord of
Truth. When will you isolate your heart from creatures and seek the company of the Lord of
Truth, going from door to door until there is no door left, from town to town, from heaven to
heaven until there is no heaven left?
The believer [mu'min] must leave his natural inclination [tab'] behind, moving in the direction of
his Lord. As long as he is following this present course, he is exposed to harmful influences af-
fecting his person and his property. He is reverting to his sins, to his bad behavior and to infring-
ing the rules of the sacred law [shar'] of his Lord. He must not seek help through supplication
[du'a'], nor must he seek help from anyone other than his Lord. No, he must remember his sins
and practice self-criticism until, when he has done a thorough job of this, he can resort to accep-
tance of the decree of destiny [qadar], to surrender [taslim] and entrustment [tafwid] as far as his
[From the biography of the Shaikh, entitled Necklaces of Gems or Qala'id al-Jawahir, trans-
lated by Muhtar Holland. Here the Shaikh explains a long traditional list of Sūfī topics:]
When asked about love [mahabba], the Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him) said: It af-
fects the heart, inspired by the Beloved [Mahbub], by contrast with Whom this world comes to be
like … a funeral wake. Love is total devotion to the Beloved, in every respect, both in private and
in public, with a self-effacing predilection. It is a natural impulse, not an affectation. Love is
blindness to everything other than Beloved, due to solicitude for Him. It is also blindness to the
Beloved Himself, due to a profound respect for Him. It is therefore total blindness. Asked about
detachment [tajrid], the Shaikh explained: It is the detachment of the innermost being [sirr] …
by steadily restraining it from pursuit of the object of desire, by stripping it bare, then clothing its
nakedness with the assurance of freedom from restriction, and by returning from the creation
[khalq] to the Truth [Haqq], in a state of repentance. Asked about knowledge acquired by direct
experience [ma'rifa], he said: It is insight into the meanings of the secrets of the hiding places of
the mysteries, and recognition of the visible signs of the Lord of Truth [Haqq] in everything that
exists, by viewing every element thereof in the light of the meanings of His Uniqueness [Wah-
daniyya]. It is the acquisition of the knowledge of Reality [Haqiqa] in the extinction of every
transitory being, when the Everlasting [Baqi] points toward it with the sign of the awe-inspiring
The pious pretender [mura'i] wears clean clothes, but his heart is filthy…. His game may be hid-
den from the common folk ['awamm], but it is not concealed from the Elite [khawass] (the true
saints)…. Strip yourself bare of what you now have on, so that I may get for you from the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) an outfit that will never wear out. Get undressed so that
He may clothe you. Take off the garment of your indifference to the rights [huquq] of Allah.
Take off the garment of your attachment to creatures and your idolization [shirk] of them. Take
off the garment of lust, frivolity, conceit and hypocrisy, of your love of being acceptable to peo-
ple and having them approach you and bring you gifts. Take off the clothing of this world, and