Origins & Early Life

Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani (c. 1077 or 1078 – c. 1166), was a Persian Hanbali jurist, preacher, and Sufi mystic leader based in Baghdad. He is regarded as the eponym and founding figure of the Qadiriyya, one of the oldest Sufi orders.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He is also known by the honorific Muhyi al-Dīn (Reviver of the Faith), and in later Sufi tradition, by the titles including Gawth al-Azam (the Greatest Succour) denoting his higher status among the Sufi saints. Gilani spent most of his adult life in Baghdad, where he studied Islamic jurisprudence and hadith, taught at a madrasa, and became known for his sermons on religious observances, ethical conduct and spiritual discipline. His reputation as a religious authority grew during the later part of his life, while accounts of his spiritual powers and elevated spiritual status became prominent in later hagiographical literature. Gilani was born around c. 1077 or 1078 in Gilan, a region on the southwestern shore of the Caspian Sea in present-day Iran.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Some sources identify his birthplace more specifically as Na'if near present-day Rezvanshahr. According to the 15th-century historian Ibn Taghribirdi (d. 1470), Gilani was born in Jil in Iraq, but...

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