The Status and Rank of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah sanctify his secret)

Brothers in Islam! The existence of the esteemed saints (May Allah sanctify his secret) is a source of good and blessing for the entire universe. In every era, the presence of these esteemed personalities is nothing less than a great blessing. The status and rank of these personalities, accepted in the Divine Court, are very high and exalted. These springs of knowledge and wisdom, by Divine bestowal, quench the thirst of the seekers of truth, fill their hearts and minds with the love of Allah, and bring them out from the darkness of ignorance and misguidance into the light of guidance. These venerable personalities teach love, affection, and harmony. Peace, security, brotherhood, and tolerance are their fundamental teachings. These sacred personages are far removed from the allurements of the world and the battles of personal interests. Their reliance upon the Lord of the Universe ﷻ and their status in the Divine Court is such that the Creator of the Universe ﷻ Himself, stating their grandeur, says: “Unquestionably, [for] the allies of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.” (Surah Yunus, 10:62)

My respected brothers! These are the ones accepted in the Divine Court, whose hearts are perpetually immersed in the remembrance of Allah. Their days and nights are spent in glorification and praise. The love and devotion for Allah and His Messenger in their hearts reach the peak of perfection, and their sole purpose in life is to attain the pleasure of Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

Among such chosen personalities is a perfect and prominent figure: the presence of the Greatest Helper, “His Eminence our Master Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah sanctify his secret).” Allah Almighty granted him a very high status, rank, and magnificent grandeur. He (May Allah sanctify his secret) was born in the holy month of Ramadan in 470 or 471 AH, in a town called “Jilan” near the Tigris river, close to the noble city of Baghdad. His honorable father’s name was “His Eminence Abu Saleh Musa Janghi Dost (May Allah sanctify his secret).” Through his father, he was a Hasani Sayyid, and through his honorable mother, he was a Husayni Sayyid.

Presence of the Greatest Helper and Continuously Transmitted Lineage (Siyadat al-Mutawatirah)

Respected beloved ones! Some Shi’a people do not accept him(May Allah sanctify his secret) as a Sayyid. They should know well that “Our Master, the Greatest Helper, is indeed and absolutely from the most noble of the esteemed Sayyids. The Sayyid status of the Presence is continuously transmitted (Mutawatir). Refer to the trusted works of the greatest authorities such as Bahjat al-Asrar by His Eminence my Master Imam al-Ahad Abu al-Hasan Lakhami (May Allah sanctify his secret), Asna al-Mafakhir by the illustrious Imam Abdullah bin As’ad Yafi’i Shafi’i, Nuzhat al-Nawazir by Allamah Ali al-Qari, Nafahat al-Uns by Mawlana Nur al-Din Jami, and Zubdat al-Athar by the verifying scholar Shaykh Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlawi, and others… For the Rafidah (a term often used for certain Shi’a groups), the criterion for being a Sayyid is Rafd (rejection of the first three Caliphs). No matter how great a Sunni Sayyid is, they will never consider him a Sayyid. And no matter how lowly a person from a base community becomes a Rafidi, [for them] he immediately becomes a Mir Sahib (a title for Sayyids).”

Our Master the Greatest Helper (May Allah sanctify his secret) and the Signs of Sainthood (Wilayah)

Respected attendees! Once, someone asked the Beloved of the Divine, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah sanctify his secret), “When did you come to know that you were a Wali (saint)?” He (May Allah sanctify his secret) said, “I was ten years old. At that time, I used to go to the Maktab (school) to study, and I would see that upon my arrival, the angels would tell the children, ‘Make room for the son of the Wali of Allah to sit!'”

Worship, Devotional Practices, and Regular Routines

Respected dignitaries! The state of worship, spiritual striving, and regular routines of the Pir of Pirs (Master of Masters), His Eminence Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah sanctify his secret), was such that he (May Allah sanctify his secret) would remain engaged all night in the worship of Allah ﷻ, reciting the Holy Quran and performing supererogatory prayers. For fifteen years, he (May Allah sanctify his secret) completed one recitation of the Holy Quran every night.”

Regarding his worship, spiritual exercises, and routines, Shaykh Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Abi al-Fath Harawi (May Allah sanctify his secret) states: “I spent forty years in the service of His Eminence Shaykh Muhiy al-Din Sayyid Abdul Qadir Jilani. During this period, he would perform the Fajr prayer with the ablution (Wudu) of Isha. And it was his regular practice that whenever he became ritually impure, he would immediately perform ablution and offer two Rak’ahs of supererogatory prayer.”

My respected brothers! On one hand, this is the state of Allah’s true chosen servants. But on the other hand, the condition of today’s so-called Pirs and Faqirs is that most do not adhere to the injunctions of the Shari’ah; their outward appearance is not in accordance with the Shari’ah; they do not properly fulfill the obligatory and necessary duties; most are ignorant and openly sinful; they even commit sins openly. Instead of providing Shari’ah-based guidance to their disciples, their favorite pastime is going to their houses for feasts and building their own properties by collecting offerings. Such incompetent people should reflect deeply on their days and nights! And keeping the life and teachings of the Greatest Helper (May Allah sanctify his secret) before them, they should reform their outer and inner selves!!
How long will you call me, the bad one, good? What is your instruction for me, O Ghawth!

The Teachings of Our Master the Greatest Helper (May Allah sanctify his secret)

Respected esteemed attendees! Today is the era of materialism. Every person is contending with humanity and moral values. In such turbulent and adverse conditions, only those whose hearts and minds are acquainted with the spirit of the Quran and Sunnah can fill them with love and self-sacrifice and the spirit of sincerity, removing hatred and enmity, greed and selfishness, and the obsession for wealth and possessions. The sacred being of the Pole of the Divine, His Eminence Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah sanctify his secret), is one such epoch-making and life-giving personality. Every page of his pure life and book of existence is worthy of emulation for the Muslim Ummah and a cause for the reformation of society. His (May Allah sanctify his secret) teachings are like a pleasant gust of the spring breeze for an autumn-stricken garden. Believe me! If we start acting upon these teachings, success and triumph in this world and the hereafter will kiss our feet.

Adherence to Obligatory and Necessary Duties (Fara’id wa Wajibat)

Respected honorable dignitaries! It has never been the teachings or beliefs and views of the right creed, Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah, and the Greatest Helper (May Allah sanctify his secret), to focus on Sunnahs by abandoning the Fara’id (obligatory acts), or to busy oneself with performing Nawafil (supererogatory acts) by leaving the Sunan. In our view, those who do so are fools and astray. Unfortunately, today, some imposters, unfamiliar with the injunctions of the Shari’ah, are creating doubts and suspicions among the common people in the name of “Piri-Fakiri.” Taking the name of the Greatest Helper (May Allah sanctify his secret) and claiming to be his followers, they are propagating certain non-Shari’ beliefs and ideas that have no connection with the pure Shari’ah and the true teachings of the esteemed saints (May Allah sanctify his secret). The Greatest Helper (May Allah sanctify his secret) adhered to the pure Shari’ah all his life and always emphasized acting upon the Fara’id and Wajibat.

He (May Allah sanctify his secret) instructed his disciples, devotees, and every believing lover: “A believer should first fulfill the Fara’id (obligatory duties). After completing them, he should pay attention to the Sunan (practices of the Prophet). Then he should engage in Nawafil and virtues. To busy oneself with Sunan without completing the Fara’id is foolishness and ignorance. If a person engages in Sunan and Nawafil instead of performing the obligatory duty, they will never be accepted; rather, they will be thrown in his face! His example is like that of a person whom the king calls for his service, but he does not present himself there and remains in the service of the king’s slave.”

My beloved ones! The essence of the statement of the Greatest Helper (May Allah sanctify his secret) is that the injunctions of the Shari’ah should be followed, and fulfilling the Fara’id and Wajibat should be ensured before engaging in Nawafil and recommended acts. One should protect oneself from base desires and subjugate them to the pure Shari’ah.

Emphasis on Following the Shari’ah

Respected beloved dignitaries! The Greatest Helper (May Allah sanctify his secret) was extremely adherent to the Shari’ah. In his view, the criterion for love and enmity, liking and disliking, was solely the Shari’ah. He would weigh everything in the scale of the Shari’ah. Whatever met the standard of the Shari’ah, he would adopt, and whatever did not, he would abandon. Emphasizing the following of the Shari’ah, he (May Allah sanctify his secret) said: “When you find in your heart enmity or love for someone, then present his actions to the Quran and Sunnah. If they are praiseworthy, then love him; and if they are blameworthy, then feel aversion—so that you do not make a friend or an enemy based on your own desire. The declaration of Allah the Exalted is: ‘And do not follow [your own] desire, as it will lead you astray from the path of Allah.’ (Surah Sad, 38:26)”

Alerting about adhering to the commands and limits of the pure Shari’ah, His Eminence Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah sanctify his secret) further said: “The pure Muhammadan Shari’ah is the fruit of the tree of the religion of Islam. The Shari’ah is that sun whose radiance makes the darkness of the entire world illuminate. Following the Shari’ah has bestowed happiness in both worlds. Beware! Do not go outside its circle. Beware! Do not separate from the group of the people of the Shari’ah.”

Belief in Divine Decree (Taqdir)

My dear friends, brothers, and elders! Allah, the Lord of the worlds, has appointed a time for everything. No task in the world can ever occur before its appointed time! Therefore, a person should always remain content with the will of his Lord ﷻ and should never display ingratitude or impatience. Teaching the lesson of contentment with Allah’s will, the Imam of the Gnostics, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah sanctify his secret), said: “When Allah the Exalted accepts the prayer of His servant and grants him what he asked for, it does not cause any change in Allah’s will, nor does it contradict what has been written in the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh al-Mahfuz); because the servant’s request, at its appointed time, is in accordance with the will of the Lord, so it is accepted, and what has been in his destiny from the Eternal Day, he receives it when the time comes.”

The Interrelation between Shari’ah and Tariqah (Spiritual Path)

Respected attendees! Some people consider “Shari’ah” to be separate from the “Path of Spiritual Journey (Suluk),” and they think that without acting upon the injunctions of the Shari’ah, they will attain the station of “Reality and Gnosis” (Haqiqah wa Ma’rifah) through “Chilla Kashī (40-day seclusion) and Khalwat (seclusion).” They are seriously mistaken. Warning such people, the Presence of the Pure Helper (May Allah sanctify his secret) said: “Learn Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence)! After that, become a dweller in seclusion! Whoever worships Allah without knowledge, he will spoil more than he rectifies. Therefore, take the lamp of the Shari’ah with you!”

Considering Our Master the Greatest Helper (May Allah sanctify his secret) as the Bestower of Benefit and Harm

Respected attendees! Some people, in their devotion, consider the Beloved of the Divine, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah sanctify his secret), to be the bestower of benefit and harm, while some declare this belief to be Shirk (polytheism). When a query regarding this was presented in the court of the Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (May Allah sanctify his secret) , he, clarifying the “Belief of Ahl al-Sunnah,” said: “There is no problem in saying that our Master the Greatest Helper is, by Divine bestowal, the bestower of benefit and harm. When a Muslim says such a word, his intention is only this, and not that (God forbid) he considers him to be inherently, without Divine bestowal, the bestower of benefit and harm—for that is pure disbelief, and no Muslim says it with that intention.”
The Reviver of the Faith is the Ghawth, and Khwaja Mu’in al-Din is [as well]. O Beauty, why should your belief not be protected!

Respected esteemed attendees! Today, we count ourselves among the followers of the Greatest Helper (May Allah sanctify his secret). We declare him to be the Pir of Pirs, the luminous-hearted. If anyone uses inappropriate words about his status, we do not hesitate to confront them. But unfortunately, in practical terms, our condition is that we are still not properly acquainted with his teachings. Apart from referring to him as “Bade Pir Saheb” (The Great Master) as an introduction, we are not familiar with his personality. Although he (May Allah sanctify his secret) remained engaged in propagating the religion throughout his life and kept advising God’s creation, today we are not ready to give him a status greater than a “Pir Saheb.” We arrange a “Khatam” (recitation) for his “Isal-e-Thawab” (conveying rewards) on the “11th Sharf,” eat Biryani and other offerings (Niyaz), and think that we have fulfilled the entire right of love and devotion.

My brothers! This is not the case at all. The true right of devotion can only be fulfilled if we study the blessed biography of His Eminence and his books, become aware of his teachings, and strive wholeheartedly to act upon them.

The Demise (Wisaal) of the Presence of the Pure Helper (May Allah sanctify his secret)

My dear friends, brothers, and elders! The illustrious Imam of the time, the scholar, the Ghawth, and the spiritual giant, His Eminence our Master Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah sanctify his secret), passed away on the 9th of Rabi’ al-Thani, 561 AH. At the time of his demise, his blessed age was approximately ninety years.

Dua (Supplication)

O Allah! Grant us the ability to act upon the pure life of His Eminence our Master Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah sanctify his secret). Grant us a full share of his spiritual grace, and bestow upon us Your friendship (Wilayah) along with Your love and obedience.

O Allah! Keep us steadfast in our loyalty to the religion of Islam. Make us true, steadfast, practicing lovers of the Prophet. Create an atmosphere of unity in our ranks. Make us regular in performing the five daily prayers in congregation; protect us from laziness and slackness in this. Grant us the wealth of sincerity in every good deed. Also grant us the ability to perform all obligatory and necessary duties in the best manner. Protect us from stinginess and miserliness. Grant us the ability to help the poor and needy cheerfully.

Grant us the good fortune to serve and protect our country and nation. Strengthen mutual unity, harmony, love, and affection further. Grant us the ability to act correctly upon the injunctions of the Shari’ah. Accept our prayers in Your court of the Protector of the helpless. We ask You for Your mercies, we seek Your forgiveness, we seek safety and deliverance from every sin. We ask You for all good things. Remove our sorrows, pay off our debts, cure our sick, and fulfill our needs!

O Lord! Put blessings in our lawful sustenance; always protect us from the need of the creation. Grant us the ability for true worship along with Your love and obedience. Make our hearts expansive and soft for God’s creation. O Divine! Make our character good and our works excellent. Accept our good deeds. Protect us from all sins. Grant freedom to our Kashmiri Muslim brothers and sisters. Protect the life, wealth, honor, and dignity of the Muslims of India. Resolve their problems for them with goodness and blessing.

And may Allah the Exalted send blessings upon the best of His creation and the light of His Throne, our Master, our Prophet, our Beloved, and the apple of our eyes, Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions, and may He send down bounty and peace. And all praise is for Allah, the Lord of the worlds.