Jila Al-Khatir: Purification of The Mind

JilaAl-Khatir: Purification of The Mind

Author: Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani

Publisher: A.S. Noordeen

ISBN: 9789830650838

Pages: 222pp

Price: RM25

This bookconsists of 45 discourses that were given by Shaikh ‘Abd Al-Qadir Al-Jilani inhis school in Baghdad. These discourses, like the ones found in some of hisother books, would have been transcribed by some of his listener. There are anumber of surviving manuscripts of the book. The language of Shaikh ‘AbdAl-Qadir’s discourses is often permeated by symbolic references, metaphoricalimages, and poetic expressions. This style, which is characteristic of theShaikh’s discourses, reflects a number of facts. First, the Shaikh often speaksabout spiritual matters that are completely unfamiliar to the layperson andwhich the language is incapable of describing with accuracy. These, in theShaikh’s words, are states, stations, visions, and experiences that “no eye hasever seen, no ear has ever heard, and has never occurred to any human being.”Second, the Shaikh’s words spring as much from his heart as from his mind,describing feelings as well as thoughts. He is forced to use common words todescribe feelings that are known only to those who have had those spiritualexperiences. No language is equipped enough to describe these feelings, in thesame way that no words can assist in describing color to one born blind becauseit requires visual experience. Third, the Shaikh often speaks about secret andintimate spiritual issues that he does not want to or cannot fully disclose,thus wrapping his words in metaphors. The words of Shaikh Al-Jilani do notdescribe one spiritual state and are not targeted at one person. They paint afascinating picture of a myriad of spiritual states and stations and apply topeople of very different beginnings, paths, and ends. The destination is thesame, but the routes are different. Also different wayfarers end their journeysat different points. What is good for someone might not good for another, andwhat is required of two different people might be completely different, eventhough both have the same goal. This is why understanding the Shaikh’s wordsand their applications is a science in its own right. As Sufis say: “The waysto Allah are as many as the creatures.” The words of the Shaikh remain asrelevant to the seeker of the truth and nearness to God as they were when heuttered them almost one thousand years ago. For sure, the world has changed alot, but man’s nature has not, and the diseases of his heart remain the same.The Shaikh’s words address these diseases and show man the way to salvation.His words lived a thousand years and will live to the day when this transientworld is no more and is replaced by the permanent one. Like all beacons oftruth, the Shaikh has been the target of attacks of the ignorant, the narrowminded, and the misguided. As happened to others who understood Islam to beabout works of the heart not acts of the body, this pious servant, whose lifewas fully dedicated to serving his Lord, has often been accused of distortingthe message of Prophet Muhammad by those who wanted to hijack Islam and turn itinto a spiritless, legalistic system to serve their worldly ambitions. But, ashistory has been confirming everyday, the voice of truth can never be silencedand the words of wisdom will remain inerasable. It is ignorance of this fact,as well as mistaking falsehood for truth, that must have made some misguidedindividuals to use terrorism against the Shaikh as they bombed his shrine inBaghdad on 28th May 2007, damaging parts of it. These and similar criminals donot realize that what made great masters such as Shaikh ‘Abd Al-Qadir liveforever is not buildings that commemorate them or books written about them, butthe teachings and examples they set that live in people’s minds and love forGod that they helped them develop in their hearts. This is why almost onethousand years after his departure from this world people still feel immensely honoredto serve the Shaikh and his sacred cause, including making his words moreaccessible to people.