In other words, his blessings became apparent as soon as he was born.

The Shaykh’s appearance

Describing the Shaykh’s physical appearance, Shaykh Abū ꜤAbdullāh b. Aḥmad b. Qudāmah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه  writes:

Shaykh al-Islam, Sulṭān al-Awliyāˈ, Muḥy al-Dīn, Sayyid ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه  was slim in build, medium in height, and broad chested. His beard was thick and his complexion brown. His eyebrows were joined, and his voice was powerful. Alongside being exceedingly handsome, he was very intelligent.^[1]

Early education

Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was but a small child when his father passed away. He was then raised by his righteous grandfather, ꜤAbdullāh ṢawmaꜤī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, one of the leading Islamic figures of Jīlān. He oversaw the Shaykh’s initial education.

In 488 AH, the Shaykh moved to Baghdad at 18 years of age to further his Islamic studies. In that time, Baghdad was the academic and political hub of the Muslim world.

An indication to gain Islamic knowledge

Shaykh Muhammad b. Qāˈid al-Awānīرَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه  mentioned he was once with Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, asking him various questions. One of them was, “What do you use as a criterion when dealing with your matters?”