Abdul Qadir Gilani

Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani was a Hanbali scholar, preacher, and Sufi leader who was the eponym of the Qadiriyya, one of the oldest Sufi orders. He was born on March 23, 1078 (1 Ramdhan 470 AH) in the town of Na'if, Rezvanshahr in Gilan, Iran, and died on February 21, 1166 (11 Rabi' al-Thani 561 AH), in Baghdad. Name The honorific Muhiyudin denotes his status with many Sufis as a "reviver of religion". Gilani (Arabic al-Jilani) refers to his place of birth, Gilan. However, Gilani also carried the epithet Baghdadi, referring to his residence and burial in Baghdad. He was also known as Gauth Al-Azam. Family background Gilani was born in 1077 or 1078. Despite his popularity, his background is uncertain. His father (or perhaps grandfather) had the Iranian name of Jangi Dust, which indicates that Gilani was of Persian stock. His nisba means "from Gilan", an Iranian region located on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea.