One
day a very pious and humble man was making Ibaadat by a river. He was
very hungry, as he had not eaten for three days and three nights. Just
then he noticed an apple floating in the river, in his direction. He
reached out and took this apple and ate it. After he had eaten the
apple, this pious man whose name was Sayyidi Abu Saaleh, realised that
he had ate someone else’s apple for it did not belong to him. He decided
to go in search of the owner of this apple. He walked alongside the
river for a long time until he reached an orchard that had an apple
tree. He immediately knew that the apple had come from this orchard.
Sayyidi
Abu Saaleh asked to see the owner. He explained what had happened and
asked him for forgiveness for eating his apple without permission. The
owner listened and realised that this was a chosen servant of Allah. The
owner agreed to forgive Sayyidi Abu Saaleh under one condition – that
he must work in the orchard for ten years. Sayyidi Abu Saaleh agreed to
this and after ten years had passed he went to the owner and asked to be
excused but the owner asked him to work for another two years. Sayyidi
Abu Saaleh agreed to do this without complaint. After two years had
passed, the owner had agreed to let Sayyidi Abu Saaleh leave under one
final condition – that he must marry his daughter.
Sayyidi
Abu Saaleh married the owner’s daughter, Sayyida Ummul Khair Faathima
and they bore a son by the name of Sayyiduna Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jilaani
(radi Allahu anhu) who is most commonly referred to as Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam.
Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam was indeed a blessed child. He was born when his mother
was sixty years old. Many miracles surrounded his birth.
On
the eve of his birth, his father saw the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallal
laahu alaihi wasallam) who told him: “O Abu Saaleh! Almighty Allah has
blessed you with a pious son. He is my beloved and the beloved of
Almighty Allah. He is the most exalted amongst the Awliya and Aqtaab”.
When
he was born, Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam had the impression of the footprint of
the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) on his
shoulder.
Also
on the eve of his birth, approximately eleven hundred males were born
in the city of Jilaan and every one of them was a Wali Allah (a saint).
Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam was born in Ramadaan and during the entire month, he never
drank milk after Sehri and before Ifthaar. His mother said that he
would not even cry for milk during the entire day and would only drink
after Ifthaar. The blessed saint kept fast from the day he was born!
Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam had lost his father when he was very young. He was not
like other children who would choose to play instead of remembering
Allah. He would spend him time remembering Allah. From a young age, when
he wanted to join the other children to play, he would hear an unseen
voice tell him, “Come towards Me O’ Blessed one”. This unseen
voice frightened Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam at first but he began to get used
to it and instead of playing, he would remember Allah.
Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam was five years old when he first attended a madressah in
Jilaan. He spent five years in this madressah in which an amazing
incident occurred. Every day whenever Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam would enter
the madressah, he would see bright figures walking before him saying,
“Give way to the friend of Allah”.
When
Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam was eighteen years old, his mother sewed forty
dinars under the arm of his coat before he left to study in Baghdad, a
city in Iraq. She bid him farewell and advised him to always speak the
truth in his life, no matter what happens. He promised her that he would
do exactly that. Then he set off for Baghdad.
Now
in those days, people used to travel in caravans by camels. The roads
were dangerous and people were always getting robbed and killed. People
travelled in groups so that they were safer. Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam’s
caravan reached the city of Hamdaan safely but when they left Hamdaan
and passed through the forest, they were attacked by a band of robbers.
The leader of this band was a well-known robber, Ahmad Badwi.
The
travellers were forced to give up all their belongings to the robbers,
who shared it amongst each other. One of the robbers came to Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam and asked him if he had any valuables on him. Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam replied that he had forty dinars with him. The robbers did
not believe him but the leader Ahmad Badwi asked to see Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam.
When
Ahmad Badwi asked Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam if he had any valuables on him,
he gave the same answer he gave before, that he had forty dinars on him.
The leader of the band of robbers asked for the forty dinars. Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam calmly showed him where his mother had hidden the money for
him. Ahmad Badwi and his robbers were shocked at Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam.
Ahmad Badwi asked him, “If none of us knew you had the money, why did
you show us where it was hidden?” Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam replied, “When I
left for Baghdad, I promised my mother that I will never speak a lie
under any circumstance so I could not break my promise to my mother.”
Upon
hearing this, Ahmad Badwi felt extreme shame and began to weep. He
asked for forgiveness from Allah immediately and returned all the
belongings to the people. The rest of his gang did the same.
When
Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam reached Baghdad, he enrolled at the Jaamia
Nizaamia. At the Jaamia Nizaamia, there were many pious and learned
teachers. Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam learned Qirat, Tafseer, Hadith, Fiqh,
Shariah and Tareeqat amongst other subjects. He excelled in every single
subject that he studied. When Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam qualified from Jaamia
Nizaamia, he was the most knowledgeable and pious Aalim present in his
time.
Allah
had tested Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam during his stay in Baghdad. He went for
days without food or water. After classes everyday, he used to go into
the jungles and forests of Baghdad where he used to spend the entire
night making Zikr of Almighty Allah. He did this even if the weather was
bad. When he used to make Zikr, he would become hungry so he used to go
to the river Euphrates and eat whatever vegetables he could find beside
the river. Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam got closer to Almighty Allah during
these difficult times.
After
Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam completed his studies he learnt from very pious and
spiritual leaders, Sheikh Ham’maad bin Muslim Ad Dab’baas (radi Allahu
anhu) and Sheikh Abu Saeed Mubaarak Makhzoomi (radi Allahu anhu).
Thereafter for twenty five years of his life, he used to go to the
jungles of Iraq. For forty years Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam performed his Fajr
Salaah with his Wudhu from his Esha Salaah and for fifteen years he used
to read the entire Qur’an, standing on one foot right until Fajr. He
used to go without even eating a crumb of food for three to forty days.
One
day Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam was remembering Allah in the jungles of Iraq
when he met a man with a very bright and pious face. The person asked
him if he would like to stay with him. Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam said that he
would. The person then told him that he could stay with him only if he
promises to be obedient to his commands, and to never question his
sayings or actions. Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam immediately agreed to this.
The
man then asked Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam to sit in one spot and not to move
from there until he returned. Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam did exactly this and
only one year later did the man return. He spent a few moments with
Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam and then left again before asking him not to move
from that same spot again. One year later, the man returned once again
and did the exact same thing for the third time, leaving Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam in that spot until he returned.
The third time, when the man returned, he came with milk and bread and told Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam, “I am Hadrat Khidr (alaihis salaam) and I have been asked to share this meal with you.” Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam and Hazrat Khidr (alaihis salaam) sat and ate together.
Then Hazrat Khidr (alaihis salaam) asked Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam, “O Abdul Qadir, what did you eat for three years while you sat at this one spot?” Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam replied, “I ate whatever the people had thrown away.”
Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam managed to fight the Shaitaan during his life and always
won. The first time that Shaitaan came to Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam, he came
in a very ugly form and he had an extremely bad smell on him. Shaitaan
told Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam that he wants to become his servant as he can
no longer try and mislead Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam for it never worked.
Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam told Shaitaan to leave him at once but Shaitaan
refused to leave. Then suddenly, an unseen hand came and hit Shaitaan so
hard that it caused him to fall and sink to the ground.
Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam became the mureed of the pious Sheikh Abu Saeed Mubaarak
Makhzoomi (radi Allahu anhu). His Peer taught him everything he knew
with love and care. One day, his Peer asked him to fetch something for
him. When Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam had left the room, his Peer told the rest
of the students in the class, “One day, the foot of that young man
will be on the shoulders of all the Awliya Allah and all the Awliya of
his time will humble themselves before him”.
At
that time in the city of Baghdad, the people were very mislead and
corrupt. Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam lectured the people and managed to change
them, making them better Muslims. Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam performed numerous
miracles too. Once a thief came to steal from his house. When the thief
entered Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam’s house, he became blind. He could not see
anything and therefore could not even find his way out of the house. So
he sat in one corner of the house. In the morning, he was caught and
brought before Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam. He placed his blessed hands on the
thief’s eyes and the thief got back his eyesight. Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam
then said, “He came to steal worldly wealth but I will bless him with such a treasure that it will remain with him forever.”
Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam had to just look at the thief once and this caused the thief to become a Wali!
Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam married for the first time when he was fifty-one years
old. He had married four wives who bore him forty-nine children – twenty
seven sons and twenty two daughters. His eldest son’s name was Sayyidi
Sheikh Abdul Wahab (radi Allahu anhu) and he was also very pious. Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam always advised his children to fear no one but Almighty
Allah and not to turn to anyone accept Allah.
Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam delivered thousands of lectures in his lifetime to
ordinary people, learned scholars and great saints. People enjoyed his
lectures very much and some people even recorded his lectures down.
Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam also wrote many books in his life. He was like a
father to his thousands of followers. He knew each of them by name and
cared for them. He helped them and saved them from disasters, even if
they were at the other end of the world.
One
day, in a city called Ceylon, a man went to attack a young girl who
was all alone. She was a follower of Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam. She shouted, “Save me, O my sheikh Abdul Qadir!” At
that moment, Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam was making ablution in the city of
Baghdad. The people around him noticed that he stopped angrily and
removed his wooden shoe and threw it in the air. They did not see the
shoe fall down. The shoe fell on the head of the man in Ceylon who was
attacking the young girl, and killed him. Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam performed
hundreds of miracles in his lifetime.
Huzoor
Ghaus-e-Azam was ninety-one years old when he passed away. Just before
he could leave this world, he raised his hands and said, “There is no
god but Allah and Muhammad (sallahu alaihi wa salam) is his Prophet.
Glory be to Allah, the Exalted, the Ever-living, glory be to him, the
All-Powerful, Who overpowers His servants by death.”
He
had given all of himself to Allah. He did not care for worldly things
at all. His nights passed with little or no sleep at all but constant
prayer. He spent his life following the Beloved Prophet Muhammad
(sallahu alaihi wasalam) truly and served humanity. Three times a week
he would lecture thousands of people. He gave lessons in various
subjects every morning and afternoon. After Zuhr salaah, he would spend
his time giving advice to all those who came to him whether they were
beggars of kings. Before Maghrib salaah, he would distribute food to the
poor every day regardless of the weather conditions.
His
blessed tomb lies at the madressah of Baab al-Daraja in Baghdad and is
visited by thousands of Sufis and Muslims. May Almighty Allah’s pleasure
be upon his soul.
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