Qādiriyyah

Qādiriyyah, probably the oldest of the Muslim mystic (Sufi) orders, founded by the Ḥanbalī theologian ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (1078–1166) in Baghdad. Al-Jīlānī may have intended the few rituals he prescribed to extend only to his small circle of followers, but his sons broadened this community into an order and encouraged its spread into North Africa, Central Asia, and India. The order, which stresses philanthropy, humility, piety, and moderation, is loosely organized, allowing each regional community to develop its own ritual prayers (dhikrs). The main body (the Qādiriyyah proper) maintains an orthodox Sufi system and is governed by a descendant of al-Jīlānī, who serves as the keeper of his tomb in Baghdad. A smaller group in North Africa, the Jīlāliyyah, worships al-Jīlānī as a supernatural being and combines Islamic mysticism with pre-Islamic beliefs and practices.