Gaws al A'zam 'Abd al Qadir Jilani(qs) :Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth [Al-Ghunya li-Talibi Tariq al-Haqq]
Al Malibari
Praise be to Allah for His gracious favor, and
blessings and peace be upon the Prince of His Prophets and upon his
family and his friends.
The following are the words of our Supreme
Helper [Ghawthuna'l-A'zam], the Mainstay of the Arabs and the non-Arabs
[Sanad al-'Arab wa'l-'Ajam], the Light of Mankind and the Jinn [Nur
ath-Thaqalain], the Axis of East and West [Qutb al-Khafiqain], the
Reviver of the Prophetic Example [Muhyi's-Sunna], Abu Muhammad 'Abd
al-Qadir al-Hasani al-Husaini al-Jilani (may Allah the Exalted sanctify
his innermost being, and may He pour His gracious blessings in abundance
upon those who follow his lofty example):
Praise be to Allah,
for every book must begin with the declaration of His praise, as every
speech must start with the mention of His name. The people of bliss will
take delight in praising Him [hereafter] in the abode of requital and
reward. By His name is every sickness healed, and with it every grief
and tribulation is removed. Toward Him hands are raised in earnest
entreaty and supplication, in hardship and in ease, in good times and in
bad. He is Attentive [Sami'] to all voices, with all their various
forms of speech in different languages, and He is Responsive [Mujib] to
those who feel the need to appeal [to Him].
Praise be to Him,
therefore, for all that is best and finest, and thanks be to Him for all
the favors He has bestowed, for all the gifts He has granted, and for
the evidence and guidance He has clearly shown. May His blessings be
upon His chosen friend [safi] and Messenger [Rasul], Muhammad, through
whom He has guided us out of error, and on his family, his companions,
his brother Envoys [Mursalun] and the angels brought near [mala'ika
muqarrabun], and may He grant them peace.
Now to address the
subject of the present work: One of my friends had been pressing me,
urging me in very emphatic terms to compose this book, because of his
excellent appreciation of what is right and proper. Of course, Allah is
the One who protects from harm ['Asim] in words and deeds, the One who
has insight [Muttali'] into consciences [dama'ir] and intentions
[niyyat], and the Benefactor [Mun'im] who graciously condescends to
facilitate whatever He wishes. Refuge with Him (Almighty and Glorious is
He) must be sought through cleansing hearts of pretense [riya'] and
hypocrisy [nifaq], and replacing bad deeds with good. He is Forgiving
[Ghafir] of sins and mistakes, and Accepting [Qabil] of repentance from
His servants.
I came to recognize the sincerity of his [my
friend's] wish to acquire real knowledge [ma'rifa] of modes of behavior
consistent with the sacred law [adab shar'iyya], namely obligatory
religious duties [fara'id], recommended practices [sunan] and formal
refinements [hai'at]; real knowledge of the Maker [Sani'] (Almighty and
Glorious is He) through signs [ayat] and indications ['alamat]; then
instruction in the Qur'an and Prophetic utterances [alfaz nabawiyya], in
discourses [majalis] we shall mention later; and real knowledge of the
morals and ethics of the righteous [salihun], which we shall review in
the course of the book, so that it may serve as a helper to him in
following the path of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), in carrying
out His commandments and observing His prohibitions.
I found
that he had a sincere intention [niyya sadiqa], which I experienced
within me among the revelations of the Unseen [futuh al-ghaib], so I
gave him a positive response in this matter.
Promptly and
eagerly, counting on the reward, hoping for salvation on the Day of
Reckoning, I set about the work of compiling this book, with the helpful
guidance of the Lord of lords [Rabb al-arbab], the Inspirer of what is
right [Mulhim as-sawab], and I have given it the title: Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth [Al-Ghunya li-Talibi Tariq al-Haqq
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SOME CONSIDERATIONS:
At first sight, a reading of the Aqīdah of Shaykh Abdul Qādir al-Jīlānī as set forth in the Ghunyah, with its seemingly anthropomorphic references and criticism of the Asharite school might appear problematic from the standpoint of this school. How do we reconcile these apparent views of the Shaykh with his immense standing throughout the Sunni world, a world steeped in Asharite ‘aqīdah?” However, as we will argue here there is no conflict between the authenticated teachings of the Shaykh and the Asharite school. This argument rests on certain prior considerations that need to be addressed in approaching the text- considerations which are of vital importance in interpreting the statements or alleged statements made there.
(1) Firstly, the authenticity of the text as it has reached us in the Damascus edition- from which the translation is taken- has been questioned. Jibril Haddad writes: “ Al-Dhahabī quotes the S.ūfī master and H.anbalī imām, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Gīlānī, as saying in al-Ghunya:
”He is established (mustawin) over the Throne which comprises all His dominion while His knowledge encompasses all things. (Unto Him the good word as*cends, and the good deed raises it) (35:10). It is impermissible to describe Him as being in every place. Rather, let one say that He is in the heaven, over the Throne (fī al-samā’ ‘alā al-‘arsh) just as He said (The Merciful established Him*self over the Throne) (20:5). This [verse] must be stated in abso*lute terms and without interpretation. As for His being over the Throne, it is mentioned in every book that was ever revealed to every Prophet that was ever sent, without specifying “how."
This quotation shows that the words bi dhātihi mentioned in certain editions of the same passage of al-Ghunya are interpolations –…. Al-Kawtharī called for a new, more thorough edition of the Ghunya than those currently in circulation and cited the Ulema who questioned its textual integrity and its reliability in h.adīth narrations and doctrinal issues such as al-Haytamī in his Fatāwā H.adīthiyya, al-Yāfi‘ī in Nashr al-Mah.āsin, and al-Najm al-As.fahānī.”
Haddad then quotes ibn Ḥajar al Haytamī(rah), the great Shāfi’ī scholar as follows:
On the issue of the words interpolated and introduced (madsūsa) into Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir’s book al-Ghunya – Allāh sanctify his secret by loath*some people (mamqūtīn):
Beware! lest you slip away and be misguided by those (doubtful) things that are present in the book al-Ghunya by the imām of the knowers of Allāh, the spritual pole of islam and Muslims, the venerable Teacher, ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Gīlānī, for they were interpolated by someone else – Allāh will punish him, and he is answerable to Allāh. Whatever be the case, the Shaykh himself is innocent from such a slander on his exalted person.
And how is it possible that he would circulate such a base*less, worthless position? He was a well-versed and erudite scholar of the Qur’ān, the H.adīth and both the Shāfi‘i fiqh and the H.anbalī. He was so conversant with both Schools and such an authority that he issued fatwā according to both! And these base things are attributed to one upon whom Allāh bestowed the treasures of unfathomable types of knowledge (ma‘ārif) and miracles – both the patent obvious and the subtle! …
Moreover, he [Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Gīlānī] was fully aware of al-Qushayrī’s Risāla and so he must have agreed with what is reported in it from one of the Imāms of the Muslims in this respect, namely:
Abū ‘Uthmān al-Maghribī said: “I used to believe in the doctrine of the direction of Allāh I, but when I came to Baghdād this went away from my heart, whereupon I wrote to my companions in Makka that I had embraced Islām anew.” At that time everyone who followed him renounced their belief in the direction.
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2)There is a consequently a need to look at issues raised in the text in the light of other, works containing the teachings of the the Shaykh such as the al-Fuyūdāt al-Rabbānīyyah. This work contains a clear rejection of anthropomorphism and is in total agreement with the Asharite position:
The Creed [‘aqida] of ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani
(may Allah sanctify his innermost secret)
Extracted from “Al Fuyūdāt al-Rabbānnīyah”
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
Praise be to Allah, the One who modeled the mode [kayyafa’l kaif], though He is completely free from modality [kaifiyya];
And has localized locality [ayyana ‘l-ain], though He utterly transcends location [ainiyya];
And exists [wujida] in every place, though He is far removed from circumstantiality [zarfiyya];
And makes Himself present with [hadara ‘inda] every thing, though He is far exalted above “withness” [‘indiyya].
He is the First of everything, and there is no posteriority [akhiriyya] applicable to Him.
If you say “where [aina]? ”, you are imposing location [ainiyya] on Him.
If you say: “how [kaifa]?”, you seek Him through modality [kaifiyya].
If you say: “when [mataa]? ”, you are besetting Him with temporality [waqtiyya].
If you say “He is not [laisa],” you are excluding Him from being [kawniyya].
If you say “if [law]”, you are confronting Him with deficiency [naqsiyya].
If you say “why [lima]?”, you are disputing with Him over sovereignty [malakutiyya].
Glory be to Him and Exalted is He!
He is not preceded by precedence [qabliyya]. He is not superseded by subsequence [ba’diyya]. He cannot be compared by likeness [mithliyya]. He cannot be matched by comparability [shakliyya]. He is not flawed by matrimonial conjugality [zawjiyya]. He is not known by corporeality [jismiyya].
Glory be to Him and Exalted is He!
If He were a tangible object [shakhs], He would be known in terms of quantity [kammiyya].
If He were a physical body (jism), He would consist of elements combined in structure [binya], but He is Singular [Wahid], in refutation of structurality [banawiyya].
He is Eternal [Samad], in refutation of idolatry [wathaniyya].
There is nothing similar to Him, in rejection of [the anthropomorphism] of the Hashwiyya.
There is nothing comparable to Him, in refutation of those who maintain the heresy of characterization [wasfiyya].
No mover moves, in good or evil, in private or in public, on land or at sea, except by His Will, in refutation of the Qadariyya.
His Power [Qudra] admits no comparison, and His Wisdom [Hikma] has no final limit, in denial of the Hudhaliyya.
His rights are those that are obligatory [huququ-hu ‘l wajiba], and His proof is that which is effective [hujjatu-hu ‘l baligha]. No one is entitled to claim any right over Him, contrary to the precept of the Nazzamiyya.
He is Just [‘Adil] and does no injustice in His judgments. He is Truthful [Sadiq] and does no injustice in His judgments. He is Truthful [Sadiq] and does not go back on what He makes known.
He is a speaker [Mutakallim] who utters a speech that is infinitely pre-existent, sempiternal [kalam qadim azali], not as one who creates his speech.
The gift of love had come to be crystal clear. How well it deserves to be celebrated in brilliant rhymes [qawafi], and in a splendid creed [‘aqida], based on the principles of the Hanafi, Shafi’i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools [usul madhahib al-Hanafiyya wa’sh-Shafi’iyya wa’l-Malikyya wa’l-Hanbaliyya]!
CONCLUSION: a
The text of the Ghunyah as we have received it in this translation must be treated very cautiously. There is good evidence that it has been tampered with. The aqidah of Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani must be seen in accordance with the totality of his thought and spiritual influence which are contained in his other books as well as in the living tradition of the Qadiri order and the continuing impact it has on leading figures in Islam. It is clear that this thought is in total agreement with the principles of Asharite thought and the Shaykh’s spiritual influence has had, and continues to have, an enormous impact on scholars and revivers associated with the Asharite tradition.