Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir b. ʿAbd Allāh b. Qāsim ʿĪsā al-ʿAzīzī was a shaykh of the Qādiriyya-Shādhiliyya tariqa (Sufi path/order), a scholar who acted upon his knowledge, a devout worshipper, an ascetic Sufi, and a caller who guided and nurtured others.
He was born in the year 1338 AH in the Kattāna district of the city of Aleppo. He grew up under the supervision of his father. He learned to recite the Qur'an in one of the neighborhood schools, then began elementary school, and later entered the Shābāniyya madrasa. During this time, he sought knowledge at its source by visiting great scholars. He studied Ḥanafī jurisprudence under Shaykh Muḥammad al-Mallah. He learned hadith and its foundational sciences from the eminent hadith scholar (ʿallāma muḥaddith) Shaykh ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ Abū Ghudda. He also studied tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis), tawhid (the oneness of God), logic, and Arabic lexicography from many scholars of Aleppo, among whom were Shaykh Aḥmad al-Kurdī, Shaykh Aḥmad al-Maʿūd, Shaykh Muḥammad Abū'l-Khayr Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, Shaykh ʿAbd Allāh Khayrullāh, Shaykh ʿAbd Allāh Tütüncü, and Shaykh Muḥammad Maʿdil.
During this period, the Shaykh continued at the Shābāniyya madrasa for several years. Due to his nafs's (the lower self) yearning for worship, he left the school and embarked upon the path of Sufism (taṣawwuf). He met his shaykh, Shaykh Ḥasan Ḥassani, and became firmly attached to him. From him, he acquired the sciences of Sufism in addition to the sacred sciences. When his shaykh saw his sincere intention and his devotion to worship and knowledge, he encouraged him in scholarly and spiritual training. Noticing his excellence and distinction, his shaykh granted him the ijāza (authorization) of the Naqshbandiyya tariqa, and permitted him to practice the litanies and invocations specific to the path.
The Shaykh served for a time as imam and preacher at the Ḥamād Maydān Mosque. Later, in Damascus, he met the shaykh and spiritual guide (murshid) Muḥammad al-Hāshimī al-Tilmisānī, from whom he received the Shādhilī-Darqāwī tariqa. He traversed the path with sincerity and ikhlas (sincerity), acquiring the secrets, invocations, and litanies of this tariqa. He frequently visited the shaykh in Damascus and studied some of the sacred sciences with him. When the shaykh perceived his sincerity and distinction, he granted him permission for both general and specific litanies, spiritual training, and guidance, thus bestowing upon him both general and special ijāza.
The Shaykh later moved to the ʿAdiliyya Mosque. He worked for its restoration and repair, and strove so that it would be frequented by worshippers, those engaged in dhikr (remembrance of God), and those performing prayer. He transformed it into a sharia (the sacred law)-based madrasa, where many circles of knowledge were established: one for Qur'an recitation, another for Ḥanafī jurisprudence, a third for tafsir, and a fourth for hadith. In addition, the Shaykh would deliver sermons and guidance in his public assemblies. He greatly loved and honored seekers of knowledge, encouraging them to seek knowledge abundantly. His students and murids (disciples) increased, and many renowned scholars graduated under him. Among them were Shaykh Nadīm al-Shahabī, Shaykh Bakrī Ḥayyānī, Shaykh ʿAdnān al-Sarminī and his brother Yaḥyā, and Shaykh Muḥammad al-Shahabī. The translator of this book, Ḥasan al-Ayntābī, and Shaykh Aḥmad Fatu'llāh al-Jāmī al-Turkī are also among his most famous students and murids. They received the tariqa from him and strove to spread it in Turkey. The Shaykh also authorized them to guide and lead others in the Shādhilī-Darqāwī tariqa.
After every Friday prayer, the Shaykh would organize a gathering for dhikr and sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In these gatherings, he would engage in calling, guiding, and nurturing the murids. He also established a similar gathering for sending blessings in the Umayyad Mosque after the dawn prayer.
The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) established a madrasa in the ʿAdiliyya Mosque dedicated to memorizing the Qur'an. The task of teaching Qur'an memorization was undertaken by Shaykh Kellāl Taḥḥān and Ḥājj Aḥmad Kerrasī. This madrasa produced many huffaz (memorizers of the Qur'an) in Aleppo. He also established a small madrasa on the east side of the mosque for the study of the sacred sciences, but this was neglected after the Shaykh migrated to Medina.
While engaged in calling, nurturing, and guiding, the Shaykh observed that many doubts had crept into Sufism (taṣawwuf), stripping it of its reality and purity and turning it into a product of fantasy, superstition, laziness, and indifference. To correct the form of Sufism, the Shaykh did not suffice with merely training murids. Rather, through his only written work, "Realities from Sufism," he sought to correct many people's understanding of Sufism. In this book, he discussed ḥaqīqa (inner reality) and sharia, and called people to adhere to the Book and sunnah (prophetic practice).
He rejected the doctrines of hulul (incarnation), ittihad (union), and wahdat al-wujūd (unity of being), declaring these to be manifest kufr (disbelief) contrary to the creed of the ummah. He strove to interpret the statements of some Sufis that outwardly appear to contradict the sharia. Sufis who have attained the realities of Islam, iman (faith), and ihsan (spiritual excellence) have not fallen into such kufr and misguidance. Every fair-minded believer should not accuse them of disbelief without thoroughly investigating and examining the matter.
The Shaykh considered the most important subject of Sufism (taṣawwuf) to be that Muslims establish intimacy with Allah and worship Him, and he would say: "The most important issue for the callers to Islam is to restore the spirit of this religion and to unlock the locks of hearts for it. In every age and time, the aim of the Sufis has been to return people to the shade of intimacy with Allah, the blessings of supplication, and the happiness of nearness. This is achieved by regaining the spirit of Islam."
The Shaykh undertook journeys (safar) to invite to Allah in Islamic and Arab countries. During these journeys, he would meet with many scholars, brethren, and murids who were spread throughout various Arab and Islamic lands. In addition to his annual visits to Mecca and Medina for pilgrimage, he would often travel to most cities of Syria, as well as to Turkey, Pakistan, and England.
The Shaykh was farsighted, highly intelligent, accurate in judgment, and able to hit the mark in difficult situations. For this reason, many issues were brought before him for arbitration. He addressed people according to their level and language. He would warn the heedless and turn those fleeing from Allah back to Him. He was one who turned to the heart and whose spiritual state (ḥāl) was upright. He was diligent in worship, abundant in prayer and fasting, and never ceased performing supererogatory fasts. He never abandoned the sunnah of iʿtikāf (spiritual retreat) during the last ten days of Ramadan.
He was fair-skinned, handsome-faced, with kohl-lined eyes, and his hair and beard were luminous with white. To someone observing him from afar, a state of awe (hayba) would prevail. Those who sat with him and gathered with him would see the beautiful appearance manifest on his face and would love him. The Shaykh bore the entire burden of calling in his homeland. Then, in 1980, he migrated to al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah. There, he resided for a time, striving to regain his former vigor in calling, but this was not made possible for him. He set out for Jordan, where he was able to gather many murids around him and regained his former vitality.
The Shaykh suddenly fell ill. He went to Istanbul, Turkey, for treatment. By the decree of Allah, the Shaykh passed away in one of the hospitals there. He died on the night of Saturday, 12th of Rabīʿ al-Thānī 1412 AH, corresponding to 26 October 1991 CE. He was buried near the grave of the noble Companion (ṣaḥābī) Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī in Istanbul. May Allah be pleased with him and have mercy on him. Amin.