History

Abdul Razzaq Gilani was born on September 9, 1134 (18 Dhu al-Qi'dah 528 AH) in Baghdad. His full name is, Sultan-ul-Faqr IV Abu Bakr Taj-ud-Din Shaikh Syed Abdul Razzaq Jilani, the word Syed denotes his descent from Muhammad. The name Taj-ud-Din describes him as a "crown of religion" as he was the Mufti of Iraq during his time. The phrase, al-Jilani refers to Gilan, the place of his father's birth and he carried the family name. However, Abdul Razzaq also carried the epithet, Sultan ul Faqr IV, referring to his spiritual status. His patronymic is Abu Bakr although rarely taken as part of his name.

His father Abdul Qadir Gilani was accorded as a Hasani and Husayni Sayyid, i.e. his maternal and paternal ancestry included Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, the sons of Ali, cousin of Muhammad, and Fatimah, Muhammad's daughter. He got religious and spiritual education directly from his father benefitting other scholars of his time. He got knowledge of hadith and Fiqh from his father, muhaddiths and learned group of scholars of that time. Being a Mufti of Iraq and due to his excellence as a jurist and scholar, he got the title of ‘Taj-ud-Din’ which literally means ‘the crown of religion’. He was known for his abstinence and renunciation sending most of his time in prayers and dhikr. He only met people to preach turning many devotees into notable scholars and mystics.

Syed Abdul Razzaq Jilani is the forefather of Jilanis of Sindh, Kashmir, Afghanistan, North Western Frontier Province (Pakistan) and some other parts of India.

Shaikh Syed Abdul Razzaq Jilani lead the Qadiriyya order after his father and Murshid Shaikh Abdul Razzaq Jillani granted khilafat of Faqr to his grandson Abdul Jabbar Jillani.

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