Abstract

Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, a Muslim scholar who lived in Baghdad during the eleventh and twelfth centuries was active in da'wah during his lifetime. Baghdad at the time was the capital of the Abbasid caliphate and the centre of the Muslim world. This thesis is an attempt to analyse al-Jilani's contributions to the methodological studies of Islamic da'wah. He is commonly known as a great sufi and the founder of the Qadiri Order. However, in this study I would like to highlight other dimensions of al-Jilani's expertise, namely those in the field of Islamic da'wah. Al-Jilani's methodology in; da'wah can be taken largely from his books al-Fath a1-Rabbani and al-Ghunyah. After examining the contents of these books, besides V other sources which ware written by historians and biographers, his methodology in"da'wah can be summarised as follows: da'wah by goodly counsel, education, fatawa (legal decisions or interpretations), exemplary conduct. and providing services and aids.; In his capacity as principal of his school in Baghdad, al-Jilani was responsible for the spread of Islam among the people. His preaching instilled "faith in dead hearts" whilst simultaneously initiated productivity and energy in the people. As a sufi al-Jilani introduced a method of spiritual education for his disciples and made regulations for them to follow and practise in his book, al-Ghunyah. Al-Jilani frequently delivered fatawa and he often gave religious opinions as guidance, in addition to being a prolific writer. Al-Jilani was therefore, an outstanding figure in the field of da'wah in his time. His powerful personality and broad knowledge coupled with his spiritual strength helped him to spread Islam worldwide. The combination of sufism and shari'ah in his works showed his general spirit of reform in the Held of da'wah. The connections between sufism, reform and da'wah are thus examined and discussed for their importance in Islam.