World of Tasawwuf

The Nasiha [advice] of Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu

Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu taught Muslims and preached to non-Muslims in Baghdad. His nasiha (advices) and mawa'iza (sermons, discourses) were written down by scribes as he delivered them and they have been compiled and handed down through centuries as classics of Muslim spirituality. One of the beauties of his discourses is that you feel he is addressing you directly.

His major spiritual works, that is, the kutub (books) he wrote, as well as collections of his discourses are:

1. Al-Ghunya Li Talibi Tariqi'l Haqq (Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth)

   This kitab (book) is a comprehensive explanation of Arkan al-Iman (Pillars of Faith), Arkan al-Islam (Pillars of Islam), and Ihsan (Spiritual Excellence). It is a kitab (book) on Hanbali fiqh (jurisprudence) with special emphasis on salaah (obligatory five times daily prayer). It is indispensable for those who want to do tabligh (propagate Islam) as it deals with amr bi'l ma'ruf wa nahi anil munkar (enjoining good and forbidding evil).??
   
   

2. Futuh al-Ghaib (Revelations of the Unseen), a collection of 78 discourses.
   
   
   
3. Al-Fath ur Rabbani (The Endowment of Divine Grace).

   This a collection of 72 discourses, the main message of which is to raise yourself up to such spiritual heights as to devote your whole life in worshipful service of Allah, purely to earn His Rida (Pleasure) and His Qurb (Nearness) without hoping for any other reward in the Hereafter. In these discourses, he admonishes the munafiqin (hypocrites) who forget their religion and who cringe before kings and princes for worldly gain.
   
   

4. Jila al-Khatir (Purification of the Mind), a collection of 45 discourses.
   
   
   
5. Sirr al-Asrar (The Secret of Secrets).

   This kitab (book) explains matters related to shari'a (sacred law), tariqa (spiritual path), haqiqi ma'rifa (knowledge of spiritual realities) and tasawwuf (spiritual culture).
   
   

6. Malfuzat (Talks & Sayings).
   
   
   
7. Khamsata 'Ashara Maktuban (Fifteen Letters).

These were written in Persian and translated into Arabic by 'Ali ibn Husam ud-Din al-Muttaqi, Rahmatullahi 'alayh (passed away 977 A.H/1569 C.E).

Besides the Qur'an al-Karim and Hadith shareef, these can be considered to be required minimum reading for someone who aspires to be an 'aalim (scholar).

To catch a glimpse of his nasiha (advice), perhaps the best place to begin is to see how he advises his own son Shaykh 'Abdur Razzaq, Rahmatullahi 'alayh. He advised him to acquire eight character traits that are basic to tasawwuf (spiritual culture). These are:

1. Sakha (generosity) of Nabi (Prophet) Ibrahim, 'alayhis salam (peace be upon him)
   
   
2. Rida (joyful contentment with whatever Allah ordains) of Nabi Is-haq, 'alayhis salam
   
   
3. Sabr (patience) of Nabi Ayyub, 'alayhis salam
   
   
4. Ishara (symbolic instruction) of Nabi Zakariyya, 'alayhis salam
   
   
5. Ghurba (life as a stranger in far-off lands) of Nabi Yusuf, 'alayhis salam
   
   
6. Lubs us suf (the wearing of Sufi clothes) of Nabi Yahya, 'alayhis salam
   
   
7. Siyaha (wandering travel) of Nabi 'Isa, 'alayhissalam
   
   
8. Faqr (worldly poverty with spiritual riches) of Nabiyyuna wa Habibuna wa Shafi’una Muhammad Mustafa, (Salla allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam).

(cited by Al-Hajj Isma’il ibn as-Sayyad Muhammad Sa'id al-Qadiri, in al-Fuyudaat ur Rabbaniyya, Emanations of Lordly Grace, p. 40).

His mawa'iza (exhortations, discourses) deal with various subjects. For example, the first few discourses in Futuh al-Ghaib (Revelations of the Unseen) are on "The essential tasks of every believer", "Sharing good advice", "Being tried and tested", "Spiritual death", "The nature of this world, detachment from which is strongly advised", "Passing beyond the creation", "Removing the cares of the heart", "Drawing near to Allah", "Disclosure and contemplation", "The self and its states", and "Controlling carnal desire".

The theme of each discourse is supported with verses of the Qur’an al-Karim and Hadith Shareef. For example, in the First Discourse of Al-Fath ur Rabbani (The Endowment of Divine Grace), he quotes the following verse of the Qur’an al-Karim:

Surely, Allah is with those who are patient. (2:153)

And in the Sixth Discourse of Futuh al-Ghaib (Revelations of the Unseen, p. 17-18), he quotes this Hadith Qudsi which is dear to the heart of every Muslim (translation is by Shaykh Muhtar Holland).

In a sacred tradition (hadith qudsi) the blessed Prophet Salla allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam related that Allah (Exalted is He) says, "My servant constantly approaches Me through supererogatory acts of worship until I love him, and when I love him, I become his eyes with which he sees, his hands with which he holds, and his legs with which he walks." In another version, the wording is: "So through Me he hears, through Me he sees, and through Me he understands."

This Hadith Qudsi has been narrated by Hadrat Abu Hurayra, Radi Allahu ta'ala 'anhu and reported by Imam Bukhari, Rahmatullahi 'alayh (194-256 A.H, 810-870 C.E).?

The essence of his teaching is to achieve qurb Ilallah (nearness to Allah) in the sense of achieving His love, as He is our Khaliq (Creator) and the Musabbib ul Asbab (the Original Cause of all the causes). The description of someone who has attained nearness to Allah is succinctly summarised in Futuh al-Ghaib (Revelations of the Unseen, p. 12, translation is by Shaykh Muhtar Holland).

"Gone forth from his own self out into his Master's work, he now sees nothing but that Master and His work, and neither hears nor comprehends from any other source. If he perceives at all, if he does hear and learn, His speech is what he listens to, and His knowledge is what he comes to know. His favour he enjoys, through His nearness he prospers, through His proximity he is graced and honoured, by His promise he is pleased and reassured. With Him he feels at peace, and in His discourse he takes delight, while from all others he recoils and shrinks away. In remembrance of Him he finds refuge and support. In Him, the Almighty and Glorious, he puts his faith and in Him he places his trust. By the light of His awareness he is guided as he wraps and clothes himself therein. Strange marvels of His science he discovers, and of the secrets of His power he is apprised. To Him he listens and from Him he learns, then for all this he offers praise, gives thanks, and turns to prayer."

The next step to take is perhaps to open another of the compilations of his mawa'iza (discourses). This is a suggested interpretation of the opening of his first discourse in Al-Fath ur Rabbani (The Endowment of Divine Grace).

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
O Allah! O You Who know my inability to praise You,
I ask of You – for the sake of the most perfect of all those who praise You,
(that is, Sayyidina Muhammad),
to whom You unveiled the realities of Your Names and Your Attributes,
and the subtleties of the emanations of Your Essence,
so that he came to know You in a manner befitting Your Perfection,
and whom You thereupon inspired with Your praises
as You inspired none other than him,
as You will inspire him many times more
on the Day when his uniqueness will be manifested,
(that is, on the Day of Judgement),
when his glorious character will be manifested in all its glory,
(I ask of You, O Allah!)
to bestow upon him,
who is more precious than any other being,
such blessings and salutations that befit Your most Sanctified Perfection,
and let the noble blessings and peace You confer upon him,
encompass the whole of his physical being as well as his essence,
as well as everything that pertains to him
in the world of creation and in the world of the Divine Command,
so that, O our Lord, You leave out none of
Your Prophets, Your Messengers, Your Angels and Your righteous servants,
but include them all
within the compass of Your Tremendous Grace.

Sallu 'ala'r Rasul
Allahumma Salli wa Sallim 'alayh.

We find that Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu ta'ala 'anhu begins his discourse with an exalted, inspiring and comprehensive salaat (invocation of blessings on Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) in which he manifests his deep love for him. In one breath he tells us that the Beloved Prophet Muhammad, Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, praised Allah as no one else did, that he knew Allah as no one else did and that he was inspired by Allah as no one else was. He reminds us that the grandeur of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has already been manifested in this world and is yet to be revealed in all its glory on the Day of Judgement.

The salaat begins with the Name of Allah and uses the wasila (means) of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad,  Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. In the same breath, it breathes in the Asma and Sifat of Allah, the Most Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah, Wahdahu laa sharika lahu. The salaat is on the reality and essence of Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, well as everything that pertains to him or is connected with him in the world of creation and in the world of Allah's Commad. And all the Prophets, as well as the Messengers of Allah, the angels and the pious people are connected with him. So the salaat is on all of them as well. In one sweep, both the reality and the essence of Prophet Muhammad  Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, have been linked to the two worlds of Allah’s creation and Allah’s Command. When you have completed reciting this salaat, you know for sure that you are in the presence of a shaykh, a man of Allah, and you want to establish ta'alluq (connection) with him, as you know that following his teaching and obtaining his baraka (blessings), coming as they do from the pure fount of his blessed ancestor, will lead you to salvation. Aameen.

As we read his masterpieces, we are struck by the fact that his style of expression is different from that of any other shaykh, 'aalim or wali. He is so much saturated with the spiritual power of Tawhid (monotheism) that his exposition and its flow has a spiritually confident personality all its own so that anyone who reads his nasiha spontaneously admits that he is the Qutb-al-aqtaab (the centre of all spiritual pillars), the Shaykh al-Mashaykh (the spiritual master of all spiritual masters), the Ghawth al A'zam (the greatest helper) and much more.... a Shaykh who epitomised mujaddidiyyah (faith revival) and wilayah (sainthood), Qaddas Allahu sirrahu'l 'aziz (may Allah sanctify his sublime innermost being)

Hadrat Abu Sa'id Mubarak bin 'Ali Makhrami Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu

Hadrat Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu was blessed with the allegiance (ba'yah) from his father, Hadrat Sayyadina Abu Saleh Musa Jangi Dost Rahmatullahi ta'ala alayh.


After pledging to such an allegiance, it was one year after which his Beloved father passed away on the Thursday 11th of Dhul Qa'dah, 489H. After this sad event, Sayyadina Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu only remained in Jilan for a further 6 months. He then travelled to acquire knowledge, and set out to visit the Ka'bah. He dwelled in the deserts of Iraq, and there he remained in seclusion at such a mountain, where the feet of any other saint had not yet touched.

It was after a period of 6 years when he had completed the 1.25 million recitations of the Names of the Essence, and it was for a period of 18 years where he made iftar of his fasts, but only with water melon.

When he had completed this seclusion, he vowed that I shall not eat until such a time, until my creator himself feeds me with His own hand. It was at this stage where he did not eat anything, nor did he drink, for a period of 1 whole year. He remained in a state of meditation (muraqibah). As he was passing this level of struggle (mujahidah), and act of pleasure for the Almighty (riyadhah), it was then when his Shaykh of his robe (Shaykh-e-khirqah), Hadrat Abu Sa'id Mubarak bin 'Ali Makhrami Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu had a Divine Inspiration (ilham), as he states:

When the Shaykh tasted some of the rice pudding, he thought that this was a deception by the satanic self (nafs), and prevented himself from eating any of it, but again he heard a voice that said : 'Oh 'Abd al-Qadir! This is no deception from the devil, until you do not consume some of it, your vow with me will not be fulfilled. When the Shaykh recited 'Bismillahir Rahamanir Rahim' and opened his eyes to consume some of the pudding, he saw the face of Abu Sa'id Makhrami Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu, and suddenly he disappeared from the Shaykh's eyes.


The success which was gained from this inward struggle, and act, solely for the pleasure of Allah (mujahidah wa riyadhah), and how he achieved his purpose through the means of Hadrat Abu Sa'id Makhrami Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu, the Shaykh mentions in his own words:

When this blessed event took place, the author of 'Haqiqat-e-Gulzar-e-Sabri' states in the following words:

This was the same robe which had been presented to Hadrat 'Ali  Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu, by the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, and through His means was presented to Hadrat Khawaja Hasan Basri Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu, and then to the many 'Great Masha'ikh', and then to al-Ghawth-al-A'zam Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu.


The details of the passing of the robe has been given in summary by the author of 'Mir'at-uz-Zaman', in the following words:

(Mir'at-al-Zaman, vol-1, p-266)

The Salawaat of Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani radi'Allahu ta'ala anhu

Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani radi'Allahu ta'ala anhu has composed so many salawaat on the Beloved Prophet Muhammad Mustafa Salla Allahu ta'ala alayhi wa Sallam that their compilation would fill a volume. His three most well-known salawaat are:

1. As-Salaat al-Ghawthiyya, named after him as it is the most famous.
   
   
   

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

3. As-Salaat al-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 Qur’an al-Kareem.

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 al-Ghawthiyya 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 IMAM MULLA ALI AL QARI (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:

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

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

3. 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 Ghawthiyya.

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.

Yaa Hayyu' Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyum
Yaa Hayyu' Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyum

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The Qasaaid of Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu ta'ala‘Anhu

In fulfilment of this Command, Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu ta'ala 'anhu has invoked Him in both prose and in verse, using the wasila (means) of the Asma Allah al-Husna. His emphasis in immersing yourself in the Asma Allah al-Husna until they run through your veins is breathtaking. He has composed a nazm (didactic poem) in which the Asma al-Husna appear in the same sequence as they do in the hadith shareef. His nazm is a laamiyya: all its 63 verses end and rhyme in the letters "laam-alif ". Each verse invokes Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala with one or more of His Names in such a way that the true meanings of these Names of Allah are also conveyed and understood. The opening verses of this nazm are:

Shara'tu bi Tawhidi'l Ilaahi mubasmilaa
Sa akhtimu bi-dh-dhikri'l Hamidi Mujammilaa

Wa Ash-hadu Annallaha laa Rabba Ghayruhu
Tanazzaha 'an hasri'l 'uquli Takammulaa

I begin to expound on monotheism with the Name of Allah
I will end with the Praiseworthy and beautiful remembrance of Allah

And I bear witness that there is no Lord but He
Transcendant is He, completely beyond human understanding

Next, we come to Qasida Ghawthiyya which is universally popular. It is an exposition on some of the spiritual powers that Allah has granted him so that people may be educated about spiritual matters and Muslims may gain confidence in themselves. It is chanted from Rabat to Lahore and from Mombasa to Toronto, that is world-wide. Some of the kutub (books) which contain this qasida are:

1. Hadaaiqi Bakhshish (The Gardens of Gifts), with a poetic translation in Urdu by A'la Hadrat Shah Imam AHMAD RAZA KHAN, Rahmatullahi 'alayh.
   
   
   
2. Al-Fuyudaat u'r Rabbaniyya (Emanations of Lordly Grace), translated by Shaykh Muhtar Holland.
   
   
   
3. 'Abd'al-Qadir Fee Iydaah-it-Tasawwuf (Shaykh 'Abd 'al-Qadir in Clarifying the Subject of Spiritual Culture), of Nur-ud-Din ibn ash-Shaykh Husayn Mahmud al-Ghasani.
   
   
   
4. Majmu'ah Mushtamila (A Compendium of Writings), of Shaykh 'Abdur Rahman ibn Ahmad al-Qadiri az-Zayla’i, Rahmatullahi 'alayh of Somalia.
   
   
   
5. Majmu'ah Wazaaif (A Compendium of Regular Voluntary Invocations), compiled by Women Islamic Mission, Karachi, with an Urdu translation.
   
   
   
6. Majmu'ah Wazaaif, compiled by Qari Ridaa al-Mustafa A'zami, with an Urdu translation.
   
   
   
7. Qadiri Ridwi Majmu’ah Wazaaif (A Compendium of Regular Voluntary Invocations of the Qadiriya), compiled by Iqbal Ahmad Nuri and Anis Ahmad Nuri, with an Urdu translation by 'Allama Shams Barelwi.
   
   
   
8. Khatam Shareef Sarwari Ghawthi Qadiri (The Completion of the Noble Dhikr Among The Sarwari Qadiriya).
   
   

There are various refrains or congregational responses when this qasida is recited. A popular response in Arabic is:

Mawaali yaa mawaali yaa mawaali
Wa Muhyiddin-i Sultan ur rijaali

O' freed men emancipated from (the) slavery (of your passions)
The reviver of the faith (Shaykh Jilani) is the Sultan of men

A well-known refrain in Urdu is:

As-salaam ay Nur-e chashmay Anbiya
As-salaam ay Baadshah-e Awliya

Salaams to you, O' fountain of the lights of the Prophets
Salaams to you, O' Sultan of the saints

One of the qasaaid of Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani is a mathnawi A mathnawi is a poem in which the two hemistich (half verses) of a verse rhyme, and the rhyme keeps on changing from one verse to the next. Shaykh 'ABD 'AL GHANI NABULSI Rahmatullahi 'alayh (1641-1731 C.E) has composed a takhmis of this Qasida. A takhmis is the augmentation of a couplet to a quintent, in other words the quintification of a couplet!

So far, we have talked about his qasaaid from 'Al-Fuyudaat ur Rabbaniyya' which are very popular. Now we come to an appreciation of much shorter pieces of a few verses each from 'Qalaid al-Jawahir' (Necklaces of Gems).

It is a tradition among the mashayikh (spiritual masters) to explain about matters pertaining to the religion of Islam in both prose and poetry. For example, when Shaykh 'Abd 'al-Qadiral-Jilani Radi Allahu ta'ala 'anhu was asked to explain the meaning of the word faqir (poor, needy before Allah), he said that the word faqir is formed with four letters, "faa", "qaaf ", "yaa", and "raa", as cited in Qalaid al Jawahir (Necklaces of Gems). Then he explained the significance of each of these letters in four verses to convey the meaning and the essence of the word faqir.

faa-u'l faqiri fanaa-u-hu fee Dhaatihi
wa faraaghu-hu min na'tihi wa sifaatih
wa'l qaafu quwwatu qalbihi bi-Habibihi
wa qiyaamuhu Lillahi fee Mardaatih
wa'l yaayu yarju bihi wa yakhaafuhu
wa yaqumu bi't taqwa bi-haqqi tuqaatih
wa'r raa'u riqqatu qalbihi wa safaauhu
wa ruju'uhu ‘an shahawaatih

The letter faa in the word faqir stands for his annihilation for the sake of Allah
and getting rid of his own description and attributes

The qaaf stands for the strength of his heart that is with his Beloved Allah
and his standing up for the sake of Allah is purely for His Good Pleasure

The yaa stands for his hope in Him and his reverential awe of Him
and he performs his duty as true devotion demands

The raa stands for the softness of his heart and its purity
and its return to Allah from its carnal desires.

Allahu Akbar!

Yaa Hayyu Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyum
Yaa Hayyu Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyum

How Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi'Allahu ta'ala anhu Spread Islam

Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani, (Radi Allahu ta'ala'Anhu) as the model of a Sufi saint, through his nasiha, azkaar and salawaat, through giving a living reality to Islam, in his complete surrender to the Will of Allah (Subhanhu wa ta'ala) and in his showing of tawakkul (trust in Allah) and through his teaching and preaching converted more than five thousand Jews and Christians to Islam while more than a hundred thousand ruffians, outlaws, murderers, thieves and bandits repented and became devout Muslims and gentle dervishes, explains Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti in his "Introduction" to the translation of 'Sirr al-Asrar' (The Secret of Secrets, p XXXI). Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu ta'ala'Anhu says in the 35^th Discourse (khutba) in 'Al-Fath-ur-Rabbani' (The Endowment of Divine Grace) that this was among the blessings of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani, Radi Allahu ta'ala 'anhu had four wives, each a model of virtue, and devoted to him. He had forty-nine children, twenty-seven sons and twenty-two daughters. Four of his sons, Shaykh 'Abdul Wahhab, Shaykh 'Isa, Shaykh 'Abdul Razzaq and Shaykh Musa became famous for their education and learning, and they and their descendants spread Islam in other parts of the world.

Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu ta'ala' anhu passed away with the dhikr of Allah Subhanhu wa ta'ala on his lips on 11 Rabi'al-Akhir 561 A.H, 1166 C.E, at the age of 91. A special dhikr session is held that night. It is variously known as Khatm Ghawthiya, Ziyara Shaykh 'Abdul Qadir Jilani, 'Urs Shareef, or Ghiyarwee Shareef. In Eastern Africa, a whole night dhikr session is held in congregation ending with Fajar salaah after which breakfast is served. In some places, dhikr sessions continue for days. These dhikr sessions draw murideen (spiritual seekers) in their thousands who come out spiritually rejuvenated, with their characters transformed and refined, ready to sacrifice everything they have for the sake of Allah. And these halaqa (gatherings) of dhikr in Tariqat al-Qadiriya have continued to attract millions of people to Islam through centuries and will continue to do so, Insha-Allah, till the Day of Judgement, Aameen.

Besides this annual dhikr congregation, dhikr sessions are also held on the eleventh of every month (hence called Ghiyarwee Shareef in Urdu), as well as every Thursday night, as the night before Jumu'ah is considered auspicious. The murideen (spiritual seekers) also do dhikr everyday individually in a mosque or at home. This then is one of the enduring legacies of Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani, Radi Allahu ta'ala 'anhu.

Other mashaykh (spiritual masters) came who continued with the work of Shaykh 'Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani  Radi Allahu ta'ala 'anhu. A few examples suffice to illustrate this. The first example is that of