Qadiriyyah

Qadiriyyah (Arabic: القادريه) (also transliterated Qadiri), is one of the oldest Sufi tariqas, derives its name from Abdul Qadir Jilani (also transliterated as Gilani) (1077-1166), a native of the Iranian province of Gilan. In 1134 he was made principal of a Hanbalite school in Baghdad.

The order is one of the most widespread of the Sufi orders in the Islamic world and can be found in India, Pakistan, Turkey and the Balkans and much of East and West Africa. Some famous Qadiri Sheikhs include Sheikh Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri who led the Algerian resistance to French colonialism and Sheikh Usman dan Fodio whose followers Islamized much of West Africa and established the Caliphate of Sokoto in Northern Nigeria. The Chechen people are also mostly followers of the Qadiri Sufi order as was the famous traveller and writer Isabelle Eberhardt.

The Qadiriyyah has not developed any distinctive doctrines or teachings outside of mainstream Islam. They believe in the fundamental principles of Islam, but interpreted through mystical experience. As a result, even opponents to Sufism such as the Hanbali Sheikhs Ibn Taymiya, his student ibn al-Qayyim and ibn Rajb al-Hanbali were all followers of the Qadiri Sufi order and spoke highly of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani.

Spiritual Chain

This is the spiritual chain (silsila) of the Qadiriyyah:
* The Prophet Muhammad
* The Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib
* Imam Husayn
* Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin
* Imam Muhammad Baqir
* Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq
* Imam Musa al-Kazim
* Imam Ali Musa Rida
* Ma'ruf Karkhi
* Sari Saqati
* Junayd al-Baghdadi
* Sheikh Abu Bakr Shibli
* Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Tamīmī
* Abu al-Fadl Abu al-Wahid al-Tamīmī
* Abu al-Farah Tartusi
* Abu al-Hasan Farshi
* Abu Sa'id al-Mubarak Mukharrami
* Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani

See also

* Sarwari Qadiri
* Barelwi
* :Category:Sufi orders

External links

* Tariqa Qadiriya Boutshishiya
* Videos of Chechen Qadiri dhikr
* Photos of Qadiri Kasnazani dervishes in Suleimaniya, Iraq
* Islam Way Online - Your Religion and Spirituality Portal
* Siraajiya 'Haqqaaniya
* Abd Al-Kadir Jilani