Q3 :Would you please give us a short
biography of Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani and his contribution to
Islam. In our country, people believe that he memorized the
Qur’an when he was still a fetus. Is this true?
A3 : Much is said about Abdul Qadir
Al-Jilani who is still revered by millions of Muslims
throughout the world. However, much of what is being said about
him is absolutely nonsense. As a scholar and dedicated worker
of Islam, Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani would not approve of anything
extraordinary being said about him. An example of which is that
which has been provided by the questioner. That Abdul Qadir
Al-Jilani had memorized the Qur’an while still a fetus is a
claim that cannot stand to the shortest of serious
examinations. Nevertheless, we know that Allah is powerful to
acnetplish any purpose. If he wanted Abdul Qadir to memorize
the Qur’an before he was born, He would certainly have enabled
him to do so. But Allah has a purpose and a wisdom behind any
action He takes. What purpose would be served by giving Abdul
Qadir Al-Jilani, or indeed any other human being, that
acnetplishment before birth? Besides, how can one prove such a
claim? Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani himself did not make it. Then how
can anyone say that this was the case? And then why would this
be needed? Would Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani have been able to talk
to other fetuses in their mothers’ wombs and explain to them
the Qur’an? The fact is that such nonsense reflects badly on
anyone who repeats it, and indeed on the man himself. Many
people who are aware of the true concepts of Islam adopt a very
suspicious attitude to anyone around whom such myth is woven.
No one does Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani any good service by claiming
for him any of the miraculous acts that he is said to have
acnetplished. Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani was not a Prophet. If a
miracle is worked out by Allah through him, he had no choice in
it and he could not have determined its happening. Such
miracles are worked by Allah when He chooses and for a purpose
He determines. Therefore, before we begin to read about Abdul
Qadir Al-Jilani, we have to put out of our minds any notion
about his being a human being of a superior type. To do justice
to Sheikh Abdul Qadir, I have referred to the invaluable work
of Sheikh Abu Al-Hassan Ali Al-Hassani Nadwi which is given the
title of Saviors of Islamic Spirits. He devotes a chapter in
the first volume to the life and work of Sheikh Abdul Qadir
Al-Jilani. Here is a brief summary of what Sheikh Abu Al-Hassan
has written. Abdul Qadir was born in Jilan, which is also
known as Vailam, in the North-West of Iran, south of the
Caspian Sea. He was an Arab by descent, but belonged to Iran by
migration of his ancestors. In the year 488 A. H., when he was
still 18, he went to Baghdad. Although inclined to penance and
cultivation of religious observances from an early age, Abdul
Qadir addressed himself whole-heartedly to the acquisition of
education under the most reputed teachers of the time such as
Ibn Aqeel, Al-Baqillani and At-Tabrizi, turned to mysticism and
was guided in its tenets and practices by Sheikh Abu Al-Kheir
Al-Dabas and Mubarak ibn Ali. After netpleting his education
of religious sciences, Abdul Qadir began his career as a
teacher in the seminary of his teacher Mubarak ibn Ali
Al-Makhrami. He soon acquired great fame and people flocked
from all areas of Baghdad to listen to his sermons. Ibn Qudama,
a famous Hanbali scholar, records that he had not seen a man
more reverent for his piety and religious learning than Abdul
Qadir. The king and his ministers attended his sermons along
with the rank and file. Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani himself was
always modest, humble and unpretentious. He often left his work
to attend to the needs of a child, a destitute or a slave girl.
Never evading the netpany of the poor, he even washed their
clothes or performed similar personal services for them. He
never stood up in the honor of any person of high rank. If he
got information that the Caliph would be visiting him, he
deliberately went inside his house so that he might not have to
stand up to welnete him. He used to nete out of the house after
the Caliph had seated himself in the mosque. Abdul Qadir never
paid back such a courtesy call. Those who have seen Abdul
Qadir Al-Jilani have paid a glowing tribute to his moral
excellence and large-heartedness, modesty and hospitality,
generosity and goodness of the heart. Held in such high esteem
by the people, Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani showed great respect to
his elders, met the youngsters with a good grace, was always
the first to salute those whom he met, and hailed the poor
courteously. Two great scholars, each of whom came later to be
known as Sheikh Al-Islam, Izzuddin ibn Abdul Salan and Ibn
Taimiyah are of the view that Abdul Qadir’s work was
miraculous, but his miracle of miracles was filling the hearts
of the despaired and the broken-hearted with faith, hope and
enthusiasm. He infused a breath of new life, zeal and
self-confidence into countless persons through his power of
speech and the spiritual power of his heart. He was, in truth,
a blessing for the world of Islam for he renovated and revived
the true content of the faith and tapped the sources of moral
spiritual strength for a religious renaissance. Abdul Qadir
Al-Jilani was a follower of the Hanbali school of thought and
he endeavored to root out innovations and deviations from the
orthodox faith and practices. Because of his forceful defense
of the need to follow the Sunnah strictly, scholars of Hadith
and their disciples came to be held in high esteem by the
masses. Abdul Qadir used to hold classes on daily basis
teaching the Qur’an, the Hadith and Fiqh, and explaining the
differences between various schools of thought in Islam. The
classes were held in the morning and evening, while Abdul Qadir
Al-Jilani recited or listened to the recitation of the Qur’an
after the mid-day prayers. Thereafter, he dictated his rulings
on religious or legal questions referred to him. His rulings,
or fatwas, generally followed the Shaf’ie and Hanbali schools
of thought. Following the example of the Prophet, his
netpanions and successors and great past scholars, Abdul Qadir
Al-Jilani touched on the current problems of his days, analyzed
the reasons for the miseries and maladies of the people and
provided answers to their doubts and deficiencies. Along with
this, his sincerity and earnest zeal for the welfare of the
people fired his enthusiasm and enhanced his appeal to people’s
hearts. The forces of worldliness had benete so strong during
Abdul Qadir’s time and the entire social and economical life of
the netmunity appeared to be woven into the context of the
prevailing political situation that people had developed a
tendency to rely on kings and the noble elite for the
realization of their worldly ends. Abdul Qadir tried hard to
drive it home to the people that only Allah could bring them
benefit and spare them harm. He stressed that all worship
should be addressed to Allah alone. No false object of worship
could be entertained. In one of his speeches, he explained this
meaning by saying: “You put your trust in your own self, in
others, in your wealth, in your rites and customs, in your
trade and business, or in your rulers; but in whatever object
you place your reliance, it benetes, to say the truth, your
object of worship. If you fear someone or expect harm or favor
from him, or else you deem him as your intercessor with Allah,
then he is the object of worship for you.” Abdul Qadir
Al-Jilani did not preserve his admonition to ordinary people
alone. He fearlessly performed the duty of enjoining what is
right and forbidding what is wrong. This is a duty incumbent on
all the Muslims, particular their scholars. Therefore, whenever
Abdul Qadir considered it necessary, he publicly denounced
actions of even the highest government officials. He bitterly
criticized faults of the great ones without the slightest
consideration for their power or position. Ibn Katheer, the
highly renowned netmentator on the Qur’an, highlights this
fact, saying of Abdul Qadir: “He admonished all – the caliphs,
viziers, kings, jurists, elite and the laity – to adopt the
righteous course and to forsake what Allah has forbidden. He
openly and unsparingly criticized everyone to his face. He used
to denounce the authorities sternly if they appointed anyone to
public office who was known for his cruelty, heavy-handiness or
tyranny. He never cared for anyone if he saw the netmands of
Allah being overstepped.” He also criticized other scholars
and jurists for paying too much attention to the concerns of
this world and who were prepared to accept office or be in the
entourage of the rulers. He held such scholars and jurists
responsible for the waywardness of the kings and ruling chiefs.
The moral and spiritual excellence of Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani,
his unflinching devotion to Allah’s cause, the effectiveness of
his sermons, the inspiring and regenerating influence exercised
by him over the people in his own time, and the upright
character and moral rectitude of those who have had an
opportunity to be instructed by him, mark him as one of the
most eminent workers for the Islamic cause. His greatest
achievement was brought about by his inspiring and impressive
teachings which made thousands of people turn away from the
lust of power and wealth and his ability to inculcate the true
spirit of faith through self-correction and purification of the
soul. In short, his was a striking example of the innate power
of Islam to produce a true spirit of religion, love of Allah
and moral righteousness in an age of crass materialism. Abdul
Qadir Al-Jilani died at the age of 90, in the year 561 A. H.
This brief account of the life and work of Abdul Qadir
Al-Jilani gives a totally different picture of this eminent
scholar from that held by numerous people who think of him as a
man of physical miracles. I even heard from some people that
Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani used to fly over the heads of those
attending his circle in the mosque. Such stories are absolute
rubbish and they do not do any service to Sheikh Abdul Qadir or
his cause. Sheikh Abdul Qadir was a dedicated worker for the
cause of Islam and we would do well if we follow his example by
purging all traces of impurity of faith and mistaken concepts
from our hearts and minds. May Allah have mercy on Abdul Qadir
and reward him for his dedicated efforts.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )