Sheikh Abdul Qadir jilani
He was another prominent Sufi scholar. He was one of the early sufi scholars who introduced a sufi order that bears his name (Qadiriyya) Abdul Qadir jilani was born in the region of jilan in Persia in the year 470 A.H (1077 A.D) His father Abu Saleh was an extremely virtuous person, who was married to an equally saintly daughter of sayyeed Abdullah Sauni a well known Divine of his time. Abdul Qadir lost his father at an early age, He was therefore brought up and given elementary education by his venerable maternal grandfather and saintly mother. When he was 17 years old, he was sent to Baghdad for higher education. It was there that Abu Al- Qadir became the favourite pupil of Allama Abu Zakariyya Tabrezi, Principal of the Jama’ah Nizamiyya. He studied for 8 years and acquired mastery in all branches of learning. During his period, Abdul Qadir had to pass a life of trials and tribulations.Though languishing under starvation he disliked begging food from anyone. After completing his education, Abdul Qadir set out to acquire spiritual training. He spent many years undergoing the rigours of the spiritual life and passing his time in meditation and search for truth and God. He at last became a disciple of shekh Abu sa’ed Makhzumi, a renowned saint of his time.
Abdul Qadir specialized in the induction of the spiritual state called the the science of state. He was a disciple of Imam Ghazzali from whom he acquired a lot of spiritual knowledge. Abdul Qadir was attributed the Qadiriyya Sufi order which was supposed to be the mother of all the Sufi orders. He was given a very high position in the Sufi orders to the extent that he was called the Qutb (spiritual axis ) of his age and even Ghawthul Azam ( the greatest succour) because he promised to come out from the unseen to the spiritual aid of any disciple who called upon him. His contributions to Sufism Abdul Qadir contributed a lot to Sufism to the extent that the Qadiriyya Sufi order was named after him. He wrote on Sufism. One of the writings was called ” FATHUL GHAYB ‘ that’s ( revelation of the unseen)
Another contribution of Abdul Qadir to Sufism was that, it was from him time the tradition of looking and backing a particular teacher and considering him as a watershed in method and doctrine began in Sufism. Until then, sufis have looked directly to the prophet as the founder and considered their own spiritual Masters as his representatives. They still do so in principle but with awareness that has, in the individual been actualized. Jilani was a person whose virtues received full recognition of the jihadist of the sokoto caliphate. Abdullah B. Fodio has included poems elegizing his virtues in his book ( TAYZIN AL WARAQAT)
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