The Giyaarwi Celebration

Q: Imaan-66: In the name of Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jaylaani RAH. 's Giyarwi, people extravagantly celebrate the day in which he passed away every year during the month of Rabee'uth Thaani. What is the ruling concerning this?

Answer: Without any doubt, Ghowthe A'zam Hadhrat Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jaylaani RAH. (passed away 561 A.H.) was a great saint. Love and respect for him is a sign of Imaan and ridiculing him or showing any disrespect to him is a sign of deviation.

It is the belief of the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaa'ah that the people enjoying the highest rank amongst all of mankind are the Ambiyaa ALY. The highest ranking amongst the Ambiyaa ALY. is Rasulullaah SAW. and the highest in rank after him is the first Khalifah Hadhrat Abu Bakr ,RADI. then Hadhrat Umar RADI., Hadhrat Uthmaan RADI., Hadhrat ALi RADI. the Ashara Mubashara, the veterans of Badr, the veterans of Uhud and then the rest of the Sahabah RADI. follow in various ranks. Next in rank after the Sahabah RADI. are the Taabi'een and the Taba Taabi'een. The saints and pious people who came afterwards cannot at all be equal in status to the Sahabah RADI.

When someone asked Hadhrat lbn Mubaarak RAH. (a Taabi'ee who passed away. in 181 A.H.) who was the better between Hadhrat Mu'aawiya RADI. and Hadhrat Umar bin Abdul Azeez RAH. A Tabi'ee who passed away in 101 A.H.), he replied, "The dust that settled in the nostril of the horse of Hadhrat Mu'aawiya RADI. when he was with Rasulullaah SAW. is better than a hundred people the like of Hadhrat Umar bin Abdul Azeez.?

Now think awhile. If the Shari'ah has never emphasised commemorating the days in which the deaths of any of the Ambiyaa ALY. or sahabah RADI. occurred, so why should the day of the death of Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jaylaani RAH. be commemorated? It is really impossible. to commemorate The deaths of every great person since the Ambiyaa ALY. themselves were thousands in number. When the year comprises of only 360 odd days, where will we find more days to observe? Furthermore, if we are to commemorate the deaths of every saint that is lower in status than the Ambiyaa ALY. and the Sahabah RADI. it would be like elevating their status above that of the Ambiyaa ALY. and the Sahabah RADI. whereas the Hadith instructs us to heat every person according to their status.

The gist of it all is that the custom in question opposes both the teachings of the Shari'ah as well as common logic and there is no doubt about it being a Bid'ah. The better way of doing this is to discuss the lives of the Ambiyaa ALY. the Sahabah RADI. and the pious saints without specifying any days and dates.

In addition to all of this, there is a difference of opinion amongst the scholars concerning the day in which Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jaylaani RAH. passed away. The book Tafreehul Khaatir fi Manaaqib Sheikh Abdil Qaadir states several opinions on the subject, viz. the 9th ,10th , 17th , 8th , 13th ,7th, and 11th of Rabee-ul-Awwal. It then states that the most correct of these is the 10th of Rabee-ul-Awwal. This difference of opinion makes it apparent that the successors and followers of Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jaylaani RAH. did not attach importance to commemorating the day in which he passed away. Had they done so, there would never have been such a great difference of opinion in the date.

As for Isaale Thawaab, this may be conferred on the deceased at any time whatsoever and need not be carried out only during a specific time or date. By strictly adhering to a date without ever straying from it is tantamount to introducing innovations in Deen. It is indeed sad that people would indulge themselves in acts of Bid'ah and unnecessary acts, while leaving out the necessary Fardh (obligatory) and Waajib (compulsory) acts of Deen.

Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jaylaani RAH. stated, "Deprived of the pleasure of his master is the one who ignores that which he has been commanded to do and opts to do that which he has not been commanded to do. This is true deprivation, this is true death and true Rejection."

Fatawa Rahimiyyah (Vol.1)

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