al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه . In the Indian subcontinent, this event is known as Gyarhwīn Sharīf.

Let us now have the honour of discussing the acclaimed Shaykh, and in particular, his immense knowledge and scholarly status. After his passing, the Shaykh was buried in Baghdad, and is famously known across the world as Ghawth al-Aʿẓam. Allah blessed him with great status of sainthood, such that he is the leader of every saint.  

Beginning our discussion, let’s look at an amazing story detailing the profound knowledge of Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī.

Sea of knowledge

Ḥāfiẓ Abū al-ꜤAbbās Aḥmadرَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه  relates:

Ibn al-Jawzī and I once attended a gathering conducted by Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī.  After a qārī recited verses from the noble Quran, the Shaykh started his speech. He mentioned one of the verses that had been recited and explained one of its meanings. 

I asked Ibn al-Jawzī if he knew about the tafsīr the Shaykh had just presented. “Yes, I know this particular tafsīr of this verse,” he replied.

Afterward, Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī mentioned 11 further explanations, one by one. Upon my asking every time, Ibn al-Jawzī replied he knew of these interpretations. The Shaykh mentioned 40 interpretations of that verse along with the names of the scholars who held those viewpoints.

After the 11 initial explanations, Ibn al-Jawzī shook his head to indicate he was not aware of the other 29.^[1]