The Mother of Hazrat Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani (r.a.)

Hadrat Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani(ra) was a great saint. People call him by the name of ‘Bade Peer Saheb’ (great holy man) also. Only for earning the pleasure of Allah, Hadrat Abdul Qadir(ra) performed many great deeds. He eradicated many of the social evils which were rampant in his time. At that time many people had sprung up who were spreading various concoctions concerning and creating misunderstandings about Islam, and also about our beloved Prophet (S.A.W.) and his Companions. Hadrat Abdul Qadir(ra) put up a bold front against this avalanche of rumour-mongering until the mischief-makers were all silenced.

Hadrat Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani(ra) was a man of outstanding virtue and learning, a great saint and sage. He used to deliver religious lectures which were highly powerful and effective. How did he turn out to be such a great scholar in the knowledge of ‘Deen’ (religion)?

The answer to this question is that Allah had blessed him with an excellent noble mother. Right from his infancy she used to tender him sound and righteous advice. She used to inculcate in him fear of Allah as well as longing for reading the Quran and learning the Traditions of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.).

She herself was the ‘Hafiz’ of Quran (one who commits the whole Quran to memory). She used to recite the verses of the Quran while doing the household work. Thus listening to the Quran regularly right from childhood helped Shaikh Abdul Qadir memorise a major portion of the Quran.

Shaikh Abdul Qadir (ra) was still a child when his father died. His revered mother then brought him up. At the time of his death, his father had left behind eighty ‘Dinars’ (gold coins) for his two sons. Their mother divided the Dinars in equal parts and separated the share of each brother. She got Hadrat Abdul Qadir(ra) admitted to a school in the town of Jilan itself, which was his native place. When he finished his studies in the school of Jilan, he expressed to his mother his desire to go to Baghdad for higher studies. Baghdad in those days was famous as a seat of high class learning.

In those days traveling was hazardous and unsafe. Unlike today, in those days there was neither rail or motor, nor any other mode of conveyance except camels or horses. There were dense jungles on the ways in which dacoits used to ambush and plunder the caravan of travellers. This was the dread which lurked in the mind of the travelers. But the mother of Hadrat Abdul Qadir(ra) summoned courage and prepared herself to send her dear son to the distant land, Baghdad, for pursuing further studies. She stitched the forty ‘Dinars’ in his garment for safe keeping. This was his share in the inheritance of his father. While bidding farewell to him she in very strong words advised him never to tell a lie, even if speaking truth were to cost him dear.

Shaikh Abdul Qadir(ra) accompanied a caravan which was bound for Baghdad. On the way the caravan was ambushed by a gang of dacoits. Over powering the caravan the dacoits started looting those in the caravan. One dacoit asked him also if he had anything on his person. He replied “Yes, I have.” The dacoit took it as a joke and passed him over. But other dacoits too asked him and he frankly gave the same reply. This matter reached the ears of the leader of the dacoits. He made him to be brought before him and then himself asked him the question:

“How much amount do you have on your person?”

He replied: “I have forty ‘Dinars’ with me.”

“where are they?”

“They are stitched in my garment.”

A search was promptly made and the money was recovered. “Oh! Why did you show it to us? If you had not shown to us we would not have come to know of it at all,” exclaimed the chief of the dacoits.

“My mother has forbidden me not to tell lies at any cost. I have promised to abide by her advice. I have but to honour the promise made to her,” was the reply from young Abdul Qudir(ra).

When the leader of the dacoits heard this bold and truthful statement from the mouth of a young child, he was simply amazed and lowered his head in shame. He was absorbed in thought for quite some time. Then tears began to flow from his eyes, and wailing over his sorry state, he said: “Woe upon us! We made that memorable covenant with Allah that we shall follow His Commands, do righteous deeds and refrain from the reprehensible, but alas! We have now turned grey yet we have forgotten the covenant which we had made with Allah. And this child, who had made a covenant with his mother, remembers and honours it even in the face of such adversity. What is my worth as compared to this child?”

With these words he gave orders to return the looted property to the caravan men. Thereafter he vowed to give up robbery and lead a virtuous life. Seeing this all his gang men too were penitent and renounced their profession. In this way, on account of the noble advice of the mother, not only the property of scores of people was restored to them but a band of dacoits too got Divine Guidance for repentance and gave up the life of sin.