A
shaykh ʿabd al-qādir jīlānī
the teacher
The most elated of all saints, the ‘Great Helper’ with the permission
of Allāh, the one who assertively stated that ‘his foot is on the neck of
every friend of Allāh’, the perfect spiritual guide, the one could hear
the call of his devotee from the other side of the world, the ultimate
Sufi - these are just some of the affectionate titles we associate with
the great Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jilānī (d. 561 AH/1166 CE). This
paper will focus on one particular aspect of his countless qualities,
his role as a teacher. In many ways, this was his most important role.
After all, along with his character, it is imperative we learn today
about his teachings and guidance.
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jilānī formally began teaching in 521 AH,
when he was about fifty years old and continued to do so for the next
forty years. He would teach three times a week, Friday mornings,
Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings.
The judge Abū Sa’īd al-Mukharrimī had built an Islamic college (Dār
al-Ulūm) near al-Azajj gate in Baghdad. When he died, he gifted it
to Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir. Very soon, the college was too small to
accommodate all. The people began to purchase the adjacent land
and so the college was extended. Thousands began to attend his
session. Muhammad ibn al-Khidr al-Sinjārī reported that his father
said:
“One of the saintly miracles of al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir was that
despite the huge number of those who attended his assemblies,
he was clearly heard by all those present: the ones sitting in front
and the ones at the back.”1
1
The Onlooker’s Delight - Biography of Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jīlānī, Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-ʿAsqalani
He led the daily prayers too in the Dār al-Ulūm.
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jīlānī taught thirteen different Islamic
disciplines, including Qur’ānic exegesis, hadīth and Islamic Law. He
was totally focussed on teaching, though the sessions served other
religious purposes too. Observers note that in each session of his,
a Jew or a Christian would accept Islam or a Muslim would repent
sincerely to Allāh. There would also be religious decrees offered by
the Shaykh during these sessions. Once, a man from Persia came to
Baghdād with a legal question, but none of the scholars of Baghdād
were able to provide him with an answer. The question was as
follows: a man swore to divorce his wife three times irrevocably, if
he fails to worship Allāh in a way that no-one else could do while he
performs such an act of worship. When this question was brought to
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jīlānī, he wrote straightaway:
‘The Holy Sanctuary [of Makka] should be evacuated and this
man should be allowed to perform tawāf around the Ka’ba alone
for a week, and his oath would thus be vitiated.”2
When he received this answer, the man concerned did not remain in
Baghdād another night; he headed straight for Makka.
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jīlānī’s scholarly circles attracted people
from all walks of life. Even the scholars and Shuyūkh of the time
eagerly attended his lessons. In each lesson, four hundred scribes
would attend, who would write down everything he said. Sometimes
his lessons would attract the extraordinary too. Sālim ibn Ahmad
al-Khattab, the servant of al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir, related the
following:
“The Shaykh was once delivering a speech of admonition when
he suddenly rose a few steps in the air and said: ‘Stop, O Israelite,
(translated by M. Guezzou), HSBT Publications, 2016, p. 50.
2
Ibid, p. 18.
and listen to the words of the Muhammadan,’ and then returned
to his seat. When he was asked about his action, he said: ‘Khidr
was passing by my assembly in a hurry, and so I went up to him
and said what you have heard.’”3
Witnesses note that Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jīlānī’s lessons were a
spiritual experience like no other. People would die in his gatherings
due to the strong impact of his words. Once he sat on the lectern,
no-one present talked, spat, blew his nose or cleared his voice, out
of awe towards him. Upon taking his seat, the Shaykh used to say:
‘The talking is over and it is time for the state of the spirit.’
Observers would see many miracles during his sessions. On one
occasion, people gathered around the Shaykh to listen to his
admonition. However, when it started to rain and people began
dispersing, the Shaykh raised his head towards the heavens and
said: ‘What, I gather them and you disperse them.’ Upon saying this,
rain stopped falling inside the Shaykh’s college while continuing to
fall outside. On another occasion, Muhammad ibn Abī al-Fath al-
Harawī noted:
“I attended one day the gathering of al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir. I
heard him speak and when he was fully absorbed in his speech
he said: ‘If Allāh wished to send a green bird to listen to my
words, he would do so.’ He hardly finished his sentence when a
beautiful green bird came, got into the Shaykh’s sleeve and never
came out.”4
Though undoubtedly a large amount of time was dedicated to public
lecturing, Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jīlānī was a wonderful, personal
teacher too, able to offer tailor-made advice to eager disciples. He
was a personal teacher and guide too, not just a lecturer.
3
Ibid, p. 30.
4
Ibid, p. 67
Mansūr ibn al-Mubārak al-Wāsitī said:
“When I was young, I went to visit al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir and
had with me a book dealing with philosophy and occultism.
Without looking into the content of the book, the Shaykh said
to me: ‘O Mansūr, this book of yours is the worse companion
you can ever have. Go and wash it off.’ Since I could not bring
myself to wash the book off, I resolved to leave it at home and not
carry it with me anymore. I had further memorised some points
mentioned in the book. When I was about to get up to leave, the
Shaykh looked at me and I could no longer stand up. It was as if
I was tied up. Then the Shaykh said to me: ‘Hand me over your
book.’ When he opened it, all its pages became blank. He looked
into the pages for a while and then said: ‘This book’s title is The
Virtues of the Qur’ān,’ and he gave it to me. I flicked through its
pages, and it was indeed as he said, written in a most beautiful
manner. The Shaykh said to me: ‘Repent to Allāh for saying with
your tongue what is not in your heart.’ I stood up and left with
all that which I had memorised from that book erased from my
memory. It was as if I had never read that book.”5
This last report is a reminder for us too that our righteous teachers
decide what we learn, not us.
concluding remarks
Being a teacher is a role respected by all members of society, in all
ages. A teacher holds an immense position in Islam too. Prophet
Muhammad s wanted to be remembered as a teacher. In a beautiful
report6, the Messenger of Allāh s came to the mosque to find his
Companions gathered in two circles, one were reciting the Qur’ān
and supplicating to Allāh whereas the second were learning and
teaching. He complimented both sets of Companions, though he
5
Ibid, p. 32.
6
Sunan al-Darimi, the preface, chapter 32.
chose to sit with the latter. As he did so, he said:
انما بعثت معلما
“Verily I have only been sent as a teacher.”
We love teachers for their selfless dedication and their sincere desire
to inspire their students for the rest of their lives. No one forgets a
good teacher on this very basis. A thousand years have passed and
we still derive inspiration from Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jīlānī, which
certainly suggests his remarkable success as a teacher.
Perhaps one of the reasons for his lasting success was his pursuit
of self-perfection, before trying to perfect others. Observers will
undoubtedly note that Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jīlānī did not begin
teaching at an early age, like it has been the hallmark of many great
Islamic scholars, but rather he adopted this course quite late on in
his life. There is a reason for this; Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jīlānī spent
the early part of his life perfecting himself before turning to others.
Decades of hunger, thirst, struggle, loneliness and unbelievable
hardship ensured that when he did finally teach, his words had
weight and profound effect on his subjects. Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir
Jīlānī only addressed others when he first addressed himself. In this
is a poignant reminder for us all; that one cannot expect others to
accept our advice when we do not act upon it ourselves.
May Allāh shower His infinite mercy upon the final resting place of
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jīlānī, ameen.
Dr. Hafiz Ather Hussain al-Azhari
@hafiz_ather
BA Principles of Theology, al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
MA Arabic and Islamic Studies, Dar al-Ulum Muhammadia Ghawsia, Bhera,
Pakistan.
BA Political Science, MPhil Theology & PhD Theology, University of Birmingham.
