Sayyidi Abdul Qadir al Jilani was born in the town of Na'if, in the Kermanshah Province of Iran, in the year 470AH/1077CE, during the last night of the month Sha'ban. His lineage traces back to Sayyiduna wa Mawlana al Imam al Hassan, on his father's side, and Sayyiduna wa Mawlana al Imam al Hussayn, on his mother's side. As a young man of eighteen, he set off for Baghdad to study Hanbali law and later came to be recognised as a noted scholar of Qur'an, Hadith, and religious law. On leaving for Baghdad, Sayyidi Abdul Qadir's mother sew 40 gold coins into his coat and instructed him to always speak the truth. On the way, his caravan was ransacked by looters and, upon coming upon the young man, asked him what he had on his person. On receiving information regarding the gold coins, the looters were so dumbstruck that they took him to their chief, who asked him the same question and received the same answer. After being urged to produce the gold coins and being informed that he could have kept them hidden, the chief of the bandits asked why the young man had be upfront about them and was informed of Sayyidi Abdul Qadir's mother's instructions. This response so moved the chief that he left the tribe of bandits and gave up looting. Despite his success as a scholar, Sayyidi Abdul Qadir initially retreated from public life and spent twenty-five years as a wanderer of the desert regions of Iraq. Eventually he returned to Baghdad, when he was in his fifties, and began to preach in public. His popularity within Baghdad grew quickly and to such an extent that it was difficult to adequate space to accommodate the people coming to listen to him. One day the reigning Caliph was shaken and became terror stricken from a tumultuous clamour. Thinking that it was an earthquake, the Caliph sought out the source of this noise only to find that it was from the sheer number of people, who had come to listen to Sayyidi Abdul Qadir, responding to him sneezing. On another occasion while giving a sermon, Sayyidi Abdul Qadir was struck silent due to a Divine inspiration. When he resumed he stated "this foot of mine is on the necks of all the saints of Allah." Those present took this as an order to bow their necks, as did all the saints of Allah who were not there, doing the same from where they were. On Sayyidi Abdul Qadir, Shaykh Ibn 'Arabi stated that he had reached a stage called "caliphate" from where he could exert influence on people and command them in the name of Allah (tasarruf). Sayyidi Abdul Qadir remained single until he received a sign from the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace) and from his four wives he had twenty two daughters and twenty seven sons. He treated all his wives equally, visiting them each daily, and, if one of them became ill, Sayyidi Abdul Qadir would do the housework, sweep the floor, fetch water, and cook for them. His numerous writings and sermons enjoy a wide popularity. Sayyidi Abdul Qadir is the founder of the Qadiriyya Tariqa and he is recognised as one of the four major Poles (aqtab) within Sufism. He passed away in 561AH/1166CE. His body was entombed within his madrassa in Babul-Shaykh, on the east bank of the Tigris River, in Baghdad.