Sultan-ul-Arifeen Hadrat Ghauth-ul-Azam Syed Mohaiyuddini Abu Muhammad Abdul Qadir Jilani al-Hasani al-Husayni was born in 1077 in Jilan, Iran. He was a direct descendant of Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba from his father side and through his maternal side of Imam Husayn ibn Ali through Imam Ali al-Rida.
In 1095 at the age of eighteen, he left his native province to become a student in the city of Baghdad during the reign of Abbasids. It is related that when he was leaving for Baghdad, his mother sewed forty gold coins inside his shirt for his expenses and as parting advice told him to be forever truthful. The caravan with whom he was traveling was attacked by a gang of robbers. In the course of their loot, one of the robbers asked him whether he had anything with him and he truthfully replied that he had forty gold coins sewn in his shirt. The robber narrated this incident to his chief who decided to come and see this young man. When his shirt was torn open, sure enough there were forty gold coins. The gang leader was flabbergasted. He asked Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani as to why he revealed this when he could have very well kept it secret. Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani told him that he was not going to lie just to save some unworthy gold coins. Upon hearing this, the gang leader was overpowered with remorse and he and his gang repented and gave up the sinful lifestyle.
After studying traditional subjects, he became interested in mysticism and became a disciple of Abu Khair Hammad. Later on, he abandoned the city and spent twenty-five years as a spiritual wanderer in the desert regions of Iraq. He was in his late forties when he returned to Baghdad, in 1127 and began preaching in public. At first, he was reluctant to address the people but saw Prophet Muhammad in his dream who encouraged him to do so and gave him his saliva seven times in his mouth. Next afternoon during a nap, he saw Imam Ali who also encouraged him to make speech to the public. When he told him that he was not perfect in Arabic because of his upbringing in Iran, Imam Ali reportedly gave him his saliva six times. When he inquired Imam Ali as to why he gave him only six and not seven, Imam Ali replied “One less in the honor of the Prophet of God.”
Afterwards Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani started preaching in public in Baghdad. His listeners were profoundly affected by the style and content of his lectures, and he became very famous within a short span of time.
Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani who was the founder of Qadiriya Sufi Order died in 1167 at the age of 90 and was buried in Baghdad.
