At this age of 51, he came back to Baghdad, to be among people again, and started preaching the message of Islam at the instigation of the Sufi, Yusuf Al-Hamadani. People started gathering around him in groups, and gradually in thousands. They accepted his leadership. Every Wednesday night, he used to give his addresses at a local open space, and people from all walks of life thronged to him. They would listen to him spellbound and correct themselves as he directed and prescribed. But the assembly gradually grew unmanageable. The open space had to be widened, and additional space was provided to accommodate the tens of thousands of his audience and disciples. A large guest house was built for visitors.
The name of Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani was on the tongues of all the people of Baghdad, and his discourses were the topic of their conversation. He portrayed the glory with new splendor in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah, in such convincing language and with such spirit, that people in thousands became his disciples. They gave him the title of Muhyiddin, that is, the Reviver of Islam. His tens of thousands of followers consisted of Sufis, fuqaha’, ‘ulama’, ministers, the Caliph, and common people. And they all used to get equal treatment from him. His dedication, his struggles, his self-purification, and his total submission to Allah attracted all people and earned him the nickname of Ghawth al-A’dham, that is, the Chief of the Sudis.
Abdul Qadir, in his ripe old age, married four wives and was blessed with twenty-seven sons and twenty-two daughters. His family life was very calm and peaceful. He used to fast the entire year except for the five days. He would give khutbahs and fatwas during the day and would meditate for the entire night. This was his usual practice. Only after the Maghrib prayer would he eat, together with all the beggars and destitute around him, joining in the same meal. In this way, he spent his life in the service of Islam and humanity, and he died at the age of ninety-one. Millions of his followers belonging to the Tariqa Qadariyah still actively remember him and celebrate the anniversary of his death.
From his khutbahs and messages, anthologists have collected a comprehensive anthology titled Futuh al-Ghayb or the Openings from the Unseen. Apart from this, another anthology of his khutbahs, Al-Fath ar-Rabbani, and an anthology of poems are said to be of very superior literary and spiritual merit. They speak of his deep insight into the spiritual world as well as of his profound sympathy for people and all the creatures of Allah. His knowledge of the spirit is unbounded. His scholarship of the Qur’an and Sunnah was both intensive and extensive, and his self-purification and sacrifices for the cause of his Lord were truly remarkable. It is for this that Allah has granted him the honor of the title of Ghawth al-A’dham and the title of Muhyiddin.
He was against worldly fame and the glitter of this world. He used to declare that those who said that they worshipped Allah, but were hankering after the wealth and fame of this world, were, in fact, worshippers of this world. They worshipped their qadis and governors; they worshipped their local chieftains; thus, in worshipping, they lost their entire life. They had no time to worship Allah. The fear of these semi-lords was always upper hand in their hearts. And this fear was caused by their greed for the fame and wealth of this world. Once greed for this world was gone, they would be in a fitting position to owe their total submission and unbounded allegiance to their Lord. He used to say there was no place for several lords on the Throne of Allah. A true Muslim must clear himself of all these semi-lords.
He also believed that a Muslim’s prayer, fasting, hajj, etc., were nothing if they did not help him come closer to his Lord. That is to say, he must do all these things with such devotion and obedience that his Lord would be pleased to raise him. He must feel that his Lord was pleased with him, and he must feel His presence everywhere. He must not be a beggar for fame; rather, he must be a beggar for His mercy, as he used to declare.
He also used to rebuke those who would sit in idleness and blame their fate. He said that only those who were idle would have time to refer to their fate. A Muslim should go on doing his duty, and the result would be up to Allah.
Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani, with his profound knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah and his limitless belief in Allah, and by his countless sacrifices and struggles, served his people and his Lord. Indeed, he deserved to be called the Ghauth-al-A’dham.
M. Atiqul Haque
