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The Qadri Order
The Qadri Order is named after ShaykhAbdul Qadir Jilani (1077-1166),
who figures prominently in Islamic spiritual history. For the first fifty years
after the Shaykh’s death, there was no formal organization to speak of.
However, the Shaykh’s teachings strongly influenced the thinking and conduct
of a considerable number of Muslims during his lifetime. Later on, his disciples
and followers perpetuated his teachings and saw to their dissemination.The
Shaykh eventually came to be regarded as a great saint endowed with
miraculous powers, and an embodiment of perfection.
Shaykh Abdul Qadir had a highly persuasive way of encouraging people
to distance themselves from an obsession withmaterial things and turn instead
to matters of the spirit. Having awakened the spiritual side of their nature,
he dedicated himself to instilling in them a profound reverence for moral
and spiritual values. His religiosity and earnestness made a great impression
on men who flocked to his side. He asked his followers to maintain the same
strict standard of adherence to all the ramifications of Islamic Law, or
shariah,
as he did himself, for he looked upon the
shariah
as the mainspring of all
spiritual progress. Insistence upon this point not only forged a bond between
the jurists and the mystics (Sufis), but also ensured that there would be a
just equilibrium between the varying interpretations of the letter and the
spirit of the Qur’an.
In his works and sermons, Abdul Qadir Jilani makes frequent mention
of Imam Ahmad ibn Hambal (d. 855), and on many issues of religious
