Sufis adopted Qadri mystic ideals and took it upon themselves to disseminate
them. This led to the formation of the
silsila
or the chain of a spiritual
order, whose aim was a large-scale regeneration of the spiritual fabric of
society.At first the Qadri teachings were limited to Baghdad and its vicinity,
but subsequently their influence was also felt in Arabia, Morocco, Egypt,
Turkestan, and India, where people entered the fold in large numbers.
However, the social environment and religious background of these regions
being quite diverse in nature, the order had to solve a number of problems
relating to local conditions.
As the Qadri Order did not take its final shape during the Shaykh’s
lifetime, many of the spiritual exercises and litanies were standardized
later and did not originate from the Shaykh’s own teachings. Nevertheless,
it was precisely these spiritual exercises that were found to be the most
attractive to the later followers. Persian commentaries and translations of
his works certainly appeared in India and other countries, but the spiritual
standards set by the Shaykh and the doctrines preached by him were so
lofty that they could not be understood and scrupulously followed by ordinary
men and women. Moreover, the Shaykh’s books, being in Arabic, had a
limited impact on people of non-Arab regions. As a result, subsequent
generations set a greater store by the litanies of the Qadri order than the
actual teachings of the Shaykh.
The Organization and Dissemination of the Order
The Shaykh was both a mystic guide and a college teacher, but after
him these two functions were split and divided between his two sons.While
one son,Abd alWahhab (1151-1196), took over the
madrasa
, the other son,
Abdul Razzaq (1134-1206), who was also a known ascetic, dedicated himself
