Grand Urs of Sh. Abdal Qadir Jilani 11th Rabil Thani - thats monday night 9th May 06.

Inshallah for all those that would like to take part simply Read Surah Ya-sin's and Durood Shareef - Salawat ala Rasul and dedicate it to the Shaykh or forward it the Offering to me! as i'll be performing a Qadiri Khatam for the Shaykh at my house 9th Monday evening Inshallah!


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Tonights Dhikrs will be:
Qadiri Khatam
Ikhas 11 times
Qasidah Ghausia

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Ism Ghaus' Azam- The names of our master, ‘Abd al- Qadir al-Gilani

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salawat ala rasul - Durood shareef
Surah Yasin's

any one that would like to taken part can read Durood shareef, Surah Yasin/s or Ikhas 11 times and send that barakah to the Shaykh

or text 07748 65 20 27 - UK so all the reward will be sent in Grand Qadiri Khatam dua this evening please also have a dua in your Hearts that you would like answered or have an intention for a Dua to be answered by the Barakah and Maqam of the the crown of all Sufis the Master of Masters of Qutbs Ghawth-al-Azam Shaykh Abdal-Qadiri Jilani...!
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Hadith reported by Hadrat Anas bin Malikthat he asked the Most Beloved Prophet : "Oh Messenger of Allah, when we give charity on behalf of our dead and perform Hajj on their behalf, do they receive the reward of these actions?" The Beloved Prophet replied: "Without doubt they do receive their rewards. Not only
that, but they become very happy, just as any one of you would become happy on receiving gifts."

Hadith says: "Anyone who recites Surah Ikhlas 11 times and then conveys its reward to the departed souls, Allah Ta Aala will shower rewards on such a person equal to the number of these souls..

These AHadiths serve as ample proof that the deceased souls do benefit from the good deeds and charities of the living. This is an opportune moment to relate to you the saying of Shaykh Sayyadina Abd'al-Qadir al Jilani Ghawth al-A'zam said that, "Whosoever in his distress cries to me for help, he will be relieved of his distress; whosoever in his difficulty calls by my name, his difficulty will be solved;whosoever in his time of need-makes me as his intermediary to Allah Ta Aala , his needs will be fulfilled.

So read and ask help from the Shaykh with these words :-
IMDAAD KUN AZBADE GHUM AZAD KUN.DARDEENO DUNYA SHAAD KUN YA GHAUS AZAM DASTAGEER.(HELP! HELP! FREE ME FROM MY DUFFICULTIES,MAKE MY DEEN AND MY WORLD AN ABODE OFF HAPPINESS O GHAUS AZAM DASTAGEER)

YA HADRAT SULTAAN SHAIKH SAYYID SHAH ABDUL QAADIR JILANI SHAY'AN LILLAH AL MADAD.

master of the foot raised over the neck of every saint of Allah!
ya sahiba ’l-qadami ’l-’ali ‘ala raqabati kulli waliyyin li’llah.

O Supreme Helper, help me in all my states,
ya Ghawthu ’l-A’zamu aghith-ni fi kulli ahwali
and support me in all my hopes, and direct me in your path,
wa ’nsur-ni fi kulli amali wa taqallab-ni fi tariqi-ka
in honor of your forefather Muhammad
bi-hurmati jaddi-ka Muhammadin
(Allah bless him and give him peace),
(salla ’llahu ‘alai-hi wa sallam)
and through his intercession,
his spirit and his innermost being.
wa bi-shifa’ati-hi wa ruhi-hi wa sirri-h.


Asking “Ya Shaykh Madad!” – Istighatha/Isti`ana by Dr. G.F. Haddad - for those who have a problem with it.!

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also read Surah 112 Ikhas 11 times.

the Barakah of sending a Offering to the Crown of all Sufi's Master please read stories on next thread!


some Duas for this night are:

Its called Qasidah Ghausia

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more about the Qasidah

Qasidah Ghauthiyah Flight of the White Hawk

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Salawat Ghawthi

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The wooden clogs

We were together in the company of Shaikh Abdal-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him), at his schoolhouse, on Sunday the 3rd of Safar in the year [A.H.] 555. While we were there, the Shaikh got up and performed the ablution for the ritual prayer a wearing high wooden clogs [to keep his feet from getting muddy].

He performed two cycles of prayer and then, as soon as he had pronounced the final salutation, he uttered a tremendous shout. He grabbed one of the clogs, and hurled into the air, so far that we lost sight of it. Then he uttered another shout, and threw the other clog, so that it also disappeared from our view. Then he sat down, but neither of us dared ask him what that was all about.

"Twenty-three days later, a caravan arrived from Persia, and the newcomers said: 'We have brought with us an votive offering for the Shaikh.' At their request, we asked the Shaikh to receive them, and he permitted them to present their offering. 'Accept it from them,' he told us, so they gave us a gown made of silk, or of silk and fur, some gold—and the pair of clogs that the Shaikh had thrown away! When we asked them: 'Where on earth did you find these clogs' they said:

'While we were traveling along, on Sunday the 3rd of safar, some Arabs launched a raid against us, led by two chieftains. They plundered our goods, and killed several of our number. Then they went down into a valley, where they divided our goods amongst them.

'"At that point, we said to one another: "Suppose we were to dedicate some part of our goods, right here and now, as an offering to Shaikh "Abdal-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him), if he would rescue us...."We had scarcely finished speaking these words, remembering him, and dedicating something to him, when we heard two tremendous shouts, echoing throughout the valley.

We could see that those Arabs were terrified, and we thought that someone had come to arrest them. Some of them approached us, and said: "Come and take your goods, and see what has alarmed us!' They led us to their chieftains, and we discovered that both of them were dead.

Next to each of the corpses, we noticed one of a pair of clogs, wet with water. Then they returned all our goods to us, and told us: "This affair has enormous significance for us!"

The blessed state of Shaikh Abdal-Qadir’s pupils and of his pupils pupils, through seven stages of succession.

As for his pupils , they are too many to be counted. They are the blissfully happy ones in this world and the Hereafter. Not one of them will die without being in a state of repentance-tawba. His pupils' pupils, through seven stages of succession, will enter the Garden of Paradise."

It was Shaikh 'All al-Gharthani (may Allah be well pleased with him) who said: "Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him) once told me: (! asked Malik, the custodian of the Fire of Hell: "Do you have any single one of my companions in your custody?" Malik said: "No, by Allah's Might and Glory!"' The Shaikh went on to say: 'My hand over my pupils is like the sky over the earth. If one of my pupils is not perfectly fine, whereas I am perfectly fine—by the Might and Glory of my Lord!—my feet will not move from standing in the presence of my Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), until He transports me, and all of you, to the Garden of Paradise!'"

"Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him) was once asked: 'What view would you take of a man who called himself a Qadiri, though without receiving instruction from you, and with- out wearing a tattered robe-khirqa conferred by you? Would he actually be counted as one of your companions?'

To this the Shaikh replied: 'If someone adopts my name [by calling himself a Qadiri], or otherwise professes his affiliation to me, Allah (Exalted is He) will accept him, even if he happens to be on a reprehensible course, for he is a member of the troop of my companions.'



Muhammad Sajad Ali Qadiri-Noshahi
( i've adopted that name Allahu-akbar)

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) appears to Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir, and spits seven times into his mouth, then 'Ali (may Allah be well pleased with him) does likewise, but he spits only six times.

[According to Shaikh Abu Muhammad al-Jubba'i]: "Our teacher [ustadh], Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him) also said: 'I once saw Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) before the time of the midday prayer [zuhr], and he said to me: "O my dear son, why do you not speak out?" So I replied: "O dear father, I am a non-Arab man. How can I speak fluently in the classical Arabic language of Baghdad?" He then told me: "Just open your mouth!" So I opened it wide, and he spat into it seven times. Then he told me: "You must speak to the people, and summon them to the way of your Lord, with wisdom and good counsel." I then performed the midday prayer [zuhr], and remained seated after it. Many people gathered in my company, but I was at a loss for words.

"'I was then that I caught sight of 'Ali (may Allah be well pleased with him), and he said: "Open your mouth!" So I opened it wide, and he spat into it six times. "Why do you not complete the full seven spits?" I asked him, and he explained: "As a matter of good manners, in relation to the Messenger of Allah." Then he vanished from my sight. I said to myself: "The diver of the mind dives deep into the ocean of the heart, to gather the pearls of those insights that can only be obtained by direct experience [durar al-ma'arif]. Then, when he has brought them out onto the shore of the breast, a commercial agent [simsar] summons the tongue's translator [tarjuman] to interpret their worth, and so they come to be traded for extremely precious and costly items. How excellent is worshipful obedience in houses which Allah has allowed to be constructed!"' He also recited the poetic verse:

For the like of Layla, a man could kill himself, and to him the bitter pills of death would taste delightfully sweet."

In some of the manuscript texts at my disposal, I have noticed that the Shaikh is quoted as saying:

"In the depth of my innermost being [sirr], I received the instruction: 'O 'Abd al-Qadir, you must enter Baghdad and speak to the people there!' I therefore entered Baghdad, where I saw the people in a condition that did not appeal to me at all, so I went back out from amongst them. Again I heard the call: 'O 'Abd al-Qadir, you must enter the city and speak to the people there, for they will derive great benefit from your presence!' This time I responded by saying: 'What have I to do with the people? The integrity of my religion [din] is what is really important to me.' I was then told: 'Go back there, and the integrity of your religion will be guaranteed.'

"I received seventy firm assurances from my Lord, to the effect that He would not subject me to cunning devices, and that no pupil [murid] of mine would die, except in a state of repentance. I then returned to Baghdad, where I delivered speeches to the people. I saw lights ablaze, and they were moving toward me, so I said: 'What spiritual state is this, and what is the story behind it?' I was given the explanation: 'Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) is coming toward you, for the purpose of congratulating you on that which Allah has bestowed upon you.' Then the lights become more numerous and shone even brighter, and the spiritual state came upon me, so I staggered and swayed to and fro in a rapture of sheer delight.

Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir is examined by al-Khidr (peace be upon him), to whom he gives a surprising response.

"Abu 'l-'Abbas al-Khidr (peace be upon him) came to put me through an examination, as he had examined the saints [awliya'] before me. He disclosed to me the secret content [sarira] of his being, as he provided me with insights into the subjects I raised with him. Then I said to him, while he bowed his head in silence: 'O Khidr, if it is true that you used to say to Moses: "You will never be able to have patience with me," I can tell you, O Khidr, that you will never be able to have patience with me! You are an Israelite [Isra'ili], whereas I am a Muhammadan [Muhammadi]. Here we are, you and I, and this is the polo-ball, and this is the arena. This is Muhammad, and this is the All-Merciful [ar-Rahman]. This is my horse, all saddled and bridled. My bow is strung tight, and my sword is unsheathed.'

"May Allah be well pleased with him!"



In the course of delivering a public lecture, Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir suddenly strides through the air.

It was al-Khattab, the personal servant of our master, Shaikh Muhyi 'd-Din'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him) would said: "One day, while the Shaikh was giving a talk to the people, he suddenly took several steps through the air, and he exclaimed: 'O Israelite [ya Isra'ili], stop and listen to the speech of the Muhammadan [Muhammadi] !' Then he returned to his place. When asked to explain what had happened, he said: 'Abu 'l-'Abbas al-Khidr (peace be upon him) was up there, about to pass us by, so I stepped up toward him, and said to him what you heard me say, and he came to a halt.'

Merciful relief from torment after death, for any Muslim who ever crossed the threshold of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir's schoolhouse door.

"Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him) also said: 'For any Muslim who steps across the threshold of my schoolhouse door, the torment of the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyama] will be alleviated.'

"A man from among the people of Baghdad once came and said to him: 'O my master, my father is dead and gone, but I saw him last night in my dream, and he mentioned to me that he was suffering dreadful torment in his grave. "O my dear son," he said to me, "you must go to Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir and ask him to offer a prayer of supplication [du'a'] on my behalf."' On hearing this, the Shaikh said to the man: 'Did your father ever cross the threshold of my schoolhouse door?' The answer was yes, and nothing more was said. Then the man paid him a second visit, the very next day, and told him: 'O my master, I saw my father again last night, but this time he was laughing merrily, and he was dressed in a fine green outfit. He said to me: "The agonizing torment has been lifted from me, through the blessed grace of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir, and, as you can see, I now have a fine suit of clothes to wear! So, my son, you must make sure that you stay very close to him from now on."'

"The Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him) then said: 'My Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) has promised me that He will alleviate the torment for everyone, from among the Muslims, who has ever stepped across the threshold of my schoolhouse door.'

"He was told that the shrieks and screams of a dead man could be heard from a grave, in the burial ground by the Portico Gate [Bab al-Azaj], so he said: 'Did he ever wear a tattered robe [khirqa], conferred on him by me?' The answer was: 'We do not know,' so he went on to ask: 'Did he ever attend my session [majlis]?' Again they said: 'That we do not know,' so he said: 'Did he ever perform the ritual prayer behind me?' Yet again, they told him: 'We do not know,' so he said: 'The negligent is more deserving of loss!' He bowed his head in silence for a while, for a sense of awe had alighted upon him, and a feeling of gravity had overwhelmed him. Then he raised his head, and declared: 'The angels (peace be upon them all) have just told me: "[That man in the grave] did once see your face, and he formed a good opinion of you, and Allah (Exalted is He) has bestowed His mercy upon him because of you" (or, "because of that").' No more shrieking and screaming was heard from him after that, through the blessed grace of the Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him)."

The companions of Shaikh Hammad ad-Dabbas are puzzled by the droning sound he makes during the night, so they ask Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir to seek an explanation from him.

It was Shaikh Abu 'n-Najib 'Abd al-Qahir as-Suhrawardi (may Allah bestow His mercy upon him) who said: "A droning sound, like the droning of bees, could be heard every night, in the vicinity of Shaikh Hammad ad-Dabbas. His companions said to Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir, one day in the year [A.H.] 580, when he was present in his company: 'Ask him about that!' So he asked him, and Shaikh Hammad told him: 'I have twelve thousand pupils, and I mention them all by their names every night. I beg Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) to attend to the need of each and every one of them. If a pupil of mine is smitten so hard by a sin, that the appetite for it will not become exhausted, I ask Him to relent toward him, and to tolerate with compassion his persistence in that condition.'

"On hearing this, Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir said: 'If Allah (Exalted is He) grants me a station of honor in His sight, I shall obtain from my Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He) a covenant on behalf of my pupils, binding until the Day of Resurrection, to the effect that not one of them will die without being in a state of repentance, and that I must be a guarantor for them in that regard.' Shaikh Hammad then said: 'I bear witness that Allah will surely grant him that commitment, and that he will spread the shade of his noble dignity over them. May Allah be well pleased with them all.'"

How seasoned highway robbers were moved to repentance at the hands of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir.

"'I traveled with a small caravan, bound for Baghdad. When we had reached the vicinity of Hamadhan, and found ourselves in a stretch of rugged terrain, sixty men on horseback suddenly attacked us from an ambush, and seized the caravan. None of them took the slightest notice of me personally, until one of the brigands turned to me in passing, and said: "Hey there, poor beggar, what do you have with you?" So I told him: "Forty dinars," and he said: "Where are they?" "Stitched in the lining of my coat," I replied, "underneath my armpit." He assumed that I was testing his sense of humor, so he left me alone and moved elsewhere. Then a second brigand passed by me, and when he asked me the same question, exactly as the first had asked it, I repeated the answer I had given the first time, and so he also left me alone.

"'Then the pair of them got together in the presence of their leader, and they told him what they had heard from me. "Bring him here to me," said the leader, so they brought me to him. They were up on a hill, sharing out the goods they had robbed from the caravan. "What do you have with you?" he asked me, so I said: "Forty dinars." He then asked: "Where are they?" and I told him: "Stitched in the lining of my coat, underneath my armpit." So he commandeered my coat, ripped the stitching apart, and discovered that it did indeed have forty dinars inside the lining. "Whatever prompted you to make this confession?" he wanted to know, so I told him: "My mother made me promise to commit myself to truthfulness, and I would never betray my binding covenant with her."

"'As soon as he heard these words, the chief brigand began to weep, and he said through his tears: "You did not betray your mother's covenant, whereas I, for so many years up to this present day, have been betraying the covenant of my Lord!" He thereupon repented at my hands, and his fellow brigands said to him: "You have been our leader in highway robbery [qat' at-tariq], and now you shall be our leader in repentance [tawba]." So they all repented at my hands, and they restored to the caravan whatever items they had seized from the travelers. They were thus the very first of all those sinners who have by now repented at my hands."'



Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir's answer to the question: "When did you first become aware that you were the saintly friend of Allah (Exalted is He)?"

"Another question put to the Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him) was this: 'When did you first become aware that you were the saintly friend [wali] of Allah (Exalted is He)?' To this he responded by saying: 'I was just a ten-year-old boy at the time, still in our home country [of Jilan]. I used to leave our house to go to the elementary school, and I could see the angels (peace be upon them) walking along all around me. Then, when I arrived at the school, I heard the angels say: "Clear a space for the saintly friend [wali] of Allah, so that he can sit himself down!" One day, a man passed by us on the road, someone I did not recognize on that occasion, and I heard the angels saying something of that sort to him. The man asked one of them: "Who is this boy?" So one of them told him: "This is a member of the House of the Nobles," and he said: "A role of tremendous importance lies in store for this young fellow. This is someone who will give and not withhold, who will enable and not raise obstacles, who will be close [to the Truth] and not prone to being cheated or deceived." Not till forty years later did I finally recognize that man, and then I realized that he was one of the spiritual deputies [abdal] of that historical time.'

"The Shaikh also said (may Allah be well pleased with him): 'I was a youngster in my family, and whenever I went outside, intending to play with the other boys in the neighborhood, I would hear a voice telling me: "[Come] toward Me, O blessed one [ilayya ya mubarak] !" I would run away in a panic from that sound, and hurl myself into my mother's lap. How should I not hear this now, in my moments of private retreat?'"

The Shaikh's Genealogy

I turn to Allah for help, for He is all I need, and how excellent is the Helper! Then I go on to say [concerning the subject of this book]:

He is our Master, the Shaikh of Islam, the exemplar of the splendid saints [awliya'], the signpost to right guidance. Those who trace their spiritual affiliation to him are among the blissfully fortunate. He is the Lordly Cardinal Pole [al-Qutb ar-Rabbani], the incomparable, the universal, the everlasting, the pure foundation, Muhyi 'd-din Abu Muhammad 'Abd al-Qadir, the son of Abu Salih Jangi Dost (some say Janga Dost) Musa, the son of Abu 'Abdi'llah, the son of Yahya az-Zahid, the son of Muhammad, the son of Dawud, the son of Musa, the son of 'Abdu'llah, the son of Musa al-Jawn, the son of 'Abdu'llah al-Mahd (also known by the epithet al-Mujall [the Venerable], derived from the term ijlal [veneration]), the son of al-Hasan al-Muthanna, the son of the Commander of the Believers [Amir al-Mu'minin], Abu Muhammad al-Hasan, the son of the Commander of the Believers, 'Ali (may Allah be well pleased with him), the son of Abu Talib, the son of 'Abd al-Muttalib, the son of Hashim, the son of 'abd Manaf, the son of Qusayy, the son of Kilab, the son of Murra, the son of Ka'b, the son of Lu'ayy, the son of Ghalib, the son of Qahr, the son of Malik, the son of an-Nadr. the son of Kinana, the son of Khuzaima, the son of Mudrika, the son of Ilyas, the son of Mudar, the son of Nadhdhar, the son of Ma'd, the son of 'Adnan. [His surnames are] al-Qurashi al-Hashimi al-'Alawi al-Hasani al-Jili al-Hanbali.

He is the grandson [on his mother's side] of our master, the famous 'Abdu'llah as-Sawma'i az-Zahid [the Ascetic Hermit], who was one of the Shaikhs of Jilan and one of their leading ascetics. Shaikh 'Abdu'llah was endowed with lofty spiritual states [ahwal] and conspicuous charismatic talents [karamat]. He met with a group of the the outstanding Shaikhs of the Persians [al-'Ajam] (may Allah be well pleased with them). It was Shaikh Abu 'Abdi'llah Muhammad al-Qazwini who said: "Shaikh 'Abdu'llah as-Sawma'i was one whose supplication was always answered. When he was angry [with someone], Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) was Swift in exacting retaliation, and when some business was to his liking, Allah (Exalted is He) would carry it out as he preferred. In spite of his physical weakness and his advanced age, he performed many acts of supererogatory devotion [nawafil], and constantly practiced remembrance [dhikr]. He was noticeably humble, and patient in preserving his spiritual state, while paying careful attention to his moments of opportunity. He used to give notice of something before it occurred, and it would happen just as he had said it would."

Shaikh Abu 'Abdi'llah Muhammad al-Qazwini went on to say: "One of our companions told us how they once set out as traders in a caravan, and were attacked by horsemen in the desert of Samarqand. He said: 'So we cried out to Shaikh 'Abdu'llah as-Sawma'i, and there he was, standing in our midst. He uttered the call: "All-Glorious, All-Holy [Subbuh Quddus] is our Lord, Allah! Be gone from us, O you horsemen!" He thereby scattered them up onto the mountains peaks and down into the valleys, making us safe from their assault. But when we looked for the Shaikh amongst us, we could not find him, and we did not see where he had gone. Then, when we returned to Jilan and told the people there about it, they said: "By Allah, the Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him) has never been away from here!"'"



The Birth of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir

According to the two Qur'an-memorizers [hafizan], adh-Dhahabi and Ibn Rajab, Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir's father was Abu Salih 'Abdu'llah, the son of Jangi Dost. Allah knows best! The name Jangi Dost is a Persian expression, meaning "he who loves fighting." Anyway, Allah (Glory be to Him and Exalted is He) is indeed the One who knows best!

His mother was Umm al-Khair [Mother of Goodness] Amat al-Jabbar [Maidservant of the All-Compelling One] Fatima, the daughter of Shaikh 'Abdu'llah as-Sawma'i al-Husaini az-Zahid. She had an abundant share of goodness and righteousness. It is related of her that she used to say: "When I gave birth to my son, 'Abd al-Qadir, he would not suck my breast during the daytime of Ramadan. The new moon of Ramadan was hidden by clouds, so people came and asked me about him, and I told them: 'He has not sipped a breast today.' It thus became obvious that the day was the first of Ramadan." The word then spread throughout the towns of Jilan, that a son had been born to the nobles, and that this was a child who refused to be suckled during the daytime in Ramadan. It was also said that his mother had become pregnant with him when she was sixty years of age. It is said that no woman of sixty carries a child, unless she be a woman of Quraish, and no woman of fifty carries a child, unless she be an Arab woman.

When she gave birth to him (may Allah be well pleased with him), he was received by the hand of gracious favor, and he was surrounded by enabling guidance, behind him and in front of him. He never ceased to be nurtured (may Allah be well pleased with him) in the lap of noble kindness, nourished with the milk of blessings, guarded in safekeeping, watched over with providential care.


Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir leaves home and sets out for Baghdad

His upbringing continued thus, until he set out for Baghdad, in the year when at-Tamimi died. That was the year [A.H.] 488, when he had reached the age of eighteen. At that time, the Caliph in Baghdad was al-Mustazhir bi'llah Abu 'l-'Abbas Ahmad ibn al-Muqtadi bi-Amri 'llah Abu 'l-Qasim 'Abdu'llah, the 'Abbasid (may Allah the Exalted bestow His mercy upon him).

According to Shaikh Imam Taqiyyu 'd-din Muhammad al-Wa'iz al-Lubnani [the Lebanese] (may Allah bestow His pardon upon him), in his book entitled "The Garden of the Pious and the Virtues of the Excellent" [Rawdat al-Abrar wa Mahasin al-Akhyar], this is what happened then: When he [Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir] was about to enter Baghdad, he was stopped by al-Khidr (peace be upon him), who prevented him from entering the city, and told him: "I have no instruction to allow you to enter for the next seven years." He therefore settled on the bank [of the River Tigris] for seven years, gathering vegetables of the kind permissible to eat, to the point where his neck was becoming tinged with the color green. Then he got up one night and heard a voice addressing him with the words: "O 'Abd al-Qadir, enter Baghdad!"

He thereupon entered the city. The night was rainy and cold, so he approached the convent [zawiya] of Shaikh Hammad ibn Muslim ad-Dabbas, but the Shaikh said: "Lock the door of the convent, and put out the light!" Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir just sat down by the door, and Allah (Exalted is He) cast sleep upon him, so he fell asleep. When he awoke, he was in a state of major ritual impurity [due to the emission of semen], so he performed a total ablution. Then Allah (Exalted is He) cast sleep upon him again, and again he lost his state of ritual purity. This same experience was repeated seventeen times, and he performed a complete ablution in the wake of each occurrence. Finally, when the dawn was at hand, the door was opened and Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir stepped inside.



Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir meets Shaikh Hammad ad-Dabbas.

Shaikh Hammad came forward to welcome him, embraced him and gave him a hug. There were tears in his eyes as he said to him: "O my son, 'Abd al-Qadir, today it is our turn to be in charge here, but tomorrow it will be your turn. So, when you have taken charge, deal fairly with this old head of gray hair!"

(This concludes the excerpt from "The Garden of the Pious and the Virtues of the Excellent" [Rawdat al-Abrar wa Mahasin al-Akhyar].)

The following is a quotation from "The Splendor of the Mysteries" [Bahjat al-Asrar], by Shaikh Imam al-Awhad Nur ad-Din Abu 'l-Hasan 'Ali ibn Jarir ibn Mi'dad ibn Fadl ash-Shafi'i al-Lakhmi:

All hail to a newcomer, upon whose arrival the first showers of blissful good fortune began to arrive, for a land in whose towns he alighted, and where the clouds of mercy came in succession, to the general benefit of its modern and its ancient districts, and right guidance was multiplied therein, so that light was shed by its spiritual deputies [abdal] and its mainstays [awtad], and the delegations of good tidings arrived there on one another's heels, so that all its propitious times and festivals [a'yad] dawned brightly, and the heart of 'Iraq began to glow with the light of his love, ecstatic with joy, while the tongue of its frontier access-road responded to the advent of his countenance by uttering encomiums in praise of Allah.

[In the words of a poet]:

Upon his arrival the clouds gave forth refreshing rain, and green grass covered the whole of 'Iraq.

Sinful transgression passed away, and the right direction was made quite clear.

Its palm trees flourished, its desert became a haven, its pebbles turned into pearls, and its lights shone plain to see.

Because of him, the bosom of 'Iraq swelled with an ardent longing, and in the heart of Najd his virtues were the cause of ecstasy.

In the East the sparks of his light were seen as lightning flashes, and in the West the mention of his splendor was heard as the clap of thunder.

(This concludes the excerpt from "The Splendor of the Mysteries" [Bahjat al-Asrar], quoted here in abridged form.)



Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir embarks on the quest for knowledge.

Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him) had come to understand that the pursuit of knowledge ['ilm] is an obligatory religious duty [farida], incumbent on every Muslim, and that it is the cure for sick souls, since it is the most explicit route to true devotion, the most effective evidence thereof, the clearest guidance thereto, the highest of all the ladders of certainty, the loftiest of all the degrees of conviction, the most magnificent of all the ranks of religion, and the most splendid of all the stations held by those who are rightly guided. Because he undertood this well, he rolled up the sleeve of earnestness and serious endeavor in the effort to acquire it, and wasted no time in the pursuit of its branches and its roots. He sought out the leading Shaikhs, the signposts of right guidance, the scholars of the Islamic community ['ulma' al-umma]. He embarked on the study of Islamic jurisprudence [fiqh], after reading the Glorious Qur'an until he was thoroughly familiar with it.

In studying both the inner content and the obvious meaning of Islamic legal doctine, he derived benefit from the wise instruction of Abu 'l-Wafa 'Ali ibn 'Uqail al-Hanbali, Abu 'l-Khattab Mahfuz al-Kaludhani al-Hanbali, Abu 'l-Hasan Muhammad ibn al-Qadi Abu Ya'li Muhammad ibn ibn al-Husain ibn Muhammad al-Farra' al-Hanbali, the Qadi [Judge] Abu Sa'id, and also, according to some accounts, Abu Sa'id al-Mubarak ibn 'Ali al-Mukharrimi al-Hanbali. He learned to recognize the established doctrine of a school of law [madhhab], as well as areas where expert opinions differ, and he mastered both the branches and the roots of the subject.

He studied customary good manners [adab] under Abu Zakariyya' Yahya ibn 'Ali at-Tabrizi, and heard the Prophetic Tradition [Hadith] from a number of experts, including Abu Ghalib Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Baqilani, Abu Sa'id Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Karim ibn Khashisha, Abu 'l-Ghana'im Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Maimun al-Farsi, Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Muzaffar, Abu Ja'far ibn Ahmad ibn al-Husain al-Qari as-Sarraj, Abu 'l-Qasim 'Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Bannan al-Karkhi, Abu Talib 'Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf, his paternal cousin 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad, Abu 'l-Barakat Hibatu'llah ibn al-Mubarak, Abu 'l-'Izz Muhammad ibn al-Mukhtar, Abu Nasr Muhammad, Abu Ghalib Ahmad and Abu 'Abdi'llah Yahya ([these last three being] the sons of al-Banna'), Abu 'l-Hasan ibn Mubarak ibn at-Tuyuri, Abu Mansur 'abd ar-Rahman al-Qazzaz, Abu 'l-Barakat Talha al-'Aquli, and yet others besides.



Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir embarks on the Spiritual Path [Tariqa].

Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him) became the pupil of Abu 'l-Khair Hammad ibn Muslim ibn Duruh ad-Dabbas, and from him he acquired knowledge of the Spiritual Path [Tariqa]. From him he received his basic training, and with his help he set out on the spiritual journey. May Allah be well pleased with them both.

Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him) took to wearing the noble patched cloak [khirqa], which he received from al-Qadi [the Judge] Abu Sa'id al-Mubarak al-Mukharrimi, to whom mention has previously been made. Al-Mukharrimi had worn it after receiving it from Shaikh Abu 'l-Hasan 'Ali ibn Muhammad al-Qurashi, and al-Qurashi had acquired it from Abu 'l-Faraj at-Tarsusi, to whom it was handed down by Abu 'l-Fadl 'Abd al-Wahid at-Tamimi, who had received it from the hand of his own Shaikh, Shaikh Abu Bakr ash-Shibli. Ash-Shibli had acquired it from Shaikh Abu 'l-Qasim al-Junaid, and al-Junaid had received it from his maternal uncle, as-Sari as-Saqati, who upon whom it had been bestowed by Shaikh Ma'ruf al-Karkhi. Al-Karkhi had received it from Dawud at-Ta'i, who had obtained it from my master, Habib al-'Ajami. It had been given to Habib al-'Ajami by Shaikh al-Hasan al-Basri, and al-Basri had received it from our patron, the Commander of the Believers [Amir al-Mu'minin], 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah ennoble his countenance and be well pleased with him), who had received it from the Chieftain of the Messengers, the Beloved of the Lord of All the Worlds, Muhammad (on him be the most excellent blessing, and the most perfect greeting of peace). As for Muhammad himself (Allah bless him and give him peace), he had received it from Gabriel (peace be upon him), and Gabriel had received it from the Lord of Truth (Magnificent is His Majesty, and Sanctified be His Names).

Someone asked my master, Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir what he had received from the Lord of Truth (Glorious and Exalted is He), and he replied: "Knowledge ['ilm] and good manners [adab]."

With regard to the patched cloak [khirqa], its transmission is also traced by another route, going back to 'Ali ibn Musa ar-Radi. (In the case of the patched cloak, it should be explained, transmission is not verified by reference to an isnad [chain of reliable verbal reports], as required in the case of Prophetic Tradition [Hadith]. The only factor to be considered is the existence of companionship [suhba] between the Shaikhs concerned.)

The Salawaat of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani
Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani Rday Allahu ‘Anhu has composed so many salawaat on the beloved holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam that their compilation would fill a volume. His three most well-known salawaat are:


As-Salaat u’l Gawthiyya, named after him as it is the most famous.


As-Salaatu Kibriti’l Ahmar which means red sulphur or “the Philosopher’s Stone”, or something that is very rare to come by.


As-Salaat u’l Kubra or the “big salaat”. This looks like a bouquet of flowers straight from Paradise consisting of 33 salawaat, and du’a (supplication), all richly interspersed together with 25 verses of the Holy Qur’an.

Muslims love these salawaat so much that they make them their wazifa (regular voluntary devotion). For this reason, spiritual masters as well as spiritual seekers include them in their books of salawaat. Two such great Muslim luminaries who have included As-Salaat u’l Gawthiyya in their compilations of salawaat are Imam Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Jazuli (passed away 870 A.H/1465 C.E) in Dalaail u’l Khayraat (Proofs of Good Deeds), and Hadrat Mulla ‘Ali al-Qaari (passed away 1014 A.H/1606 C.E) in Hizb u’l A’zam (The Exalted Supplication).

Some of the kutub (books) that contain all three of these salawaat (and more) are:


Al-Fuyudaat u’r Rabbaniyya (Emanations of Lorldly Grace) of al-Hajj Isma’il ibn as-Sayyid Muhammad Sa’id al-Qadiri,


Awraad u’l Qadiriyya (Regular Voluntary Invocations of the Qadiriyya) of Muhammad Salim Bawwab, and


As-Salawaat li’l Awliya wa’s Salihin (Invocations of Blessings by the Saints and the Pious), published by Iqra Islamic Publications in Toronto.

At this juncture, let us seize the opportunity of reciting his most famous salaat, that is, As-Salaat u’l Gawthiyya.

Allahumma Salli ‘alaa Sayyidina Muhammad-in
as-Saabiqi li’l khalqi nuruhu
wa Rahmatulli’l ‘aalamina zuhuruhu
‘adada man madaa min khalqiqa wa man baqiya
wa man sa’ida minhum wa man shaqiya
Salaatan tastaghriqu’l ‘adda wa tuhitu bi’l haddi
Salaatan laa ghaayata lahaa wa laa muntahaa wa lanqidaa’a
Salaatan daaimatan bi-Dawaamika? ?
wa ‘alaa aalihi wa sahbihi
wa sallim tasleeman mithla dhaalik.

O Allah! Bestow blessings on our master Muhammad
whose light was created first,
and whose appearance is a mercy for all the worlds,
as many times as the number of Your creations past and yet to come
among those that are blessed and those that are unfortunate;
such blessings that are unlimited and unbounded,
countless, endless, never finishing;
such blessings that are permanent by virtue of Your permanence,
and on his family and companions,
and in the same manner complete salutations as well.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

Barak'Allahu Fikum for posting this. While I am not a faqir of this Tariqa, Shaikh Abdul Qadir, rahmatullahi alaihi, deserves the barakah from this, as do all of the true Shayukh.

Wa Salam
Asadullah