Abdul Qader Husni al-keilani al-Hasani (1874–1948) () was a

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

nationalist, statesman and religious authority.

Lineage and early Life

Sayed Abdul Qader was born in Iraq in 1874 to the prominent Keilani family. The family descends from a famous religious figure and greatest saint of his time, Sayyid Abdul Qader al-Jilani al-Hasani (1078–1166 AD), the father and founder of the Keilani Sufi order (also called Qaderiya) which still has thousands of followers all over the Islamic world today. The family first appeared in

Hama Hama ( ', ) is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one o ...

more than 800 years ago when a certain ancestor, Sayed Sayf al-Deen Yehya al-Keilani (died 1334 AD), a direct descendant of Sayyid Abdul Qadir al-Jilani, decided to reside in the city in 1285 AD, permanently moving from his original birthplace of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. Sayed Sayf al-Deen built homes for his family, a lodge and a bridge over the Orontes river, this section of the city later became known as "al-Keilaniah district", attesting to the influence and rich historical depth of this family in the city of

. Soon after, the Keilanis became the leading family of the town, owing not only to the historical and religious significance of their ancestor but also to the fact that they belonged to the Ashraf class, the recognized descendants of the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam () are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets are categorized as messengers (; sing. , ), those who transmit divine revelation, mos ...

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. As such, they held the post of ''

naqib al-ashraf Naqib al-ashraf () (plural: ''nuqaba'' or ''niqabat'') was a governmental post in various Muslim empires denoting the head or supervisor of the descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.Damurdashi, ed. Muhammad, p. 43. The descendants of Muhammad ...

'' (the head of the Ashraf group), a prestigious Islamic post that had been officially reorganized by the central government of the Islamic Empire. This position was handed down through the generations within the Keilani family in

. Members of the family also succeeded in gaining access to other important offices, such as that of the

Mufti A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...

(the highest jurisconsult), the

Qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History The term '' was in use from ...

(the supreme Islamic Judge), and of course, they held on to their traditional leadership of the Sufi Qaderiyah sect, which prospered to a great extent during the Ottoman era. These offices were the highest in any Ottoman city, and in fact, there were instances when several Keilanis were appointed to all these positions at the same time. Many scholars who identified with the

Hanafi The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...

school of

Fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

were produced by the family. The family glory had reached a remarkable stage in the 17th and 19th century. Abdul Qader's father had died while he was a young child, and so he was raised by his maternal grandfather, Sayed Mohammad Ali al-Keilani, the Mufti of the city. He was educated locally studying under the scholars of his time, and like most of his relatives and ancestors, he followed the path of religious scholarship.

Career

In the early 20th century he was elected to the local government council, and shortly after he was appointed as Mayor of

. Keilani immediately worked on projects that served the city well, including widening roads and building bridges. In 1908 he was elected to the Parliament of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

(Majles al-Maboothan) representing the two sister cities of

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

and

, with Sayed Abdul Hameed al-Ziharawi, a counterpart form

. The parliament convened in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, the capital of the

. There, Keilani had the chance to befriend famous Arab leaders and thinkers, who later led the Arab independence movements. Important figures such as prince Shakeeb Arsalan and prince Prince Faisal al-Hashemi were among these personalities. At the time of his return to his home town, Syria was undergoing major changes. In 1917 the Turks withdrew from the Arab land in face of the advancing Arabian troops of Prince Faisal al-Hashemi. Shortly after, in 1919 Keilani was elected to the Syrian National Congress, the first Syrian parliament, as a deputy from

. On March 10, 1920, this constitutional assembly drafted the first Syrian/Arab constitution. Upon dissolving the Congress by the French in 1920, Keilani returned to his hometown and worked to weaken the French mandate. In 1925 he was one of the leaders of the

revolution in which many of his cousins and their retainers had taken part. In October 1927, Keilani was among of the 15 top Syrian/Lebanese figures who convened in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

to discuss the situation of the country. The famous National Bloc was born out of that convention and was headed by one of Keilani's dearest friends, Hashem al-Atassi. This political group was committed to a free democratic and independent Syria, and quickly became the only negotiator for the Syrian side in the struggle for independence. Keilani was elected for the second time to the national assembly in April 1928 as a deputy from Hama, winning on the ticket of the newly formed National Bloc. In February 1928, Keilani was chosen by Sheikh Taj al-Din al-Hasani to head the ministry of agriculture and trade in his newly formed government. Keilani accepted the post as the only National Bloc member in that cabinet. Some speculated that this was a ploy to distance Keilani from

where he had a growing base of popularity and influence and bring him closer to Damascus under the eyes of the French. In December 1931 he resigned in face of increasing difficulties his department was facing. He returned to Hama. That same year he was invited to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

to participate in the Islamic conference that was led by Shareef Hussein. In this conference, an agreement was established on issues of Islamic and Arabic unity, independence from French and British influence, and the support for the Palestinian cause. In addition to his political roles, he was an Islamic scholar who never ceased to teach and lead prayers in the local mosque (Ibrahim al-Keilani) in which his ancestors traditionally had preached and lead the local community. He briefly headed the Qaderiyah sect after the death of its leader Sayed Abdul-Jabbar Keilani, and was also elected to lead the committee that organized the well-known Hama Spring Celebrations. Keilani died in Hama in 1948 and was survived by his children and grandchildren.

Sources

*Family accounts, especially Miss Razan Keilani. *Khoury, ''Philip Syria And The French Mandate'' . Princeton University Press, 1987 *Rida, Ali ''Qissat al-Kifah al-Watani fi Sourya'' (The Story of the National Struggle in Syria) 1979 *Jumaa, Suaa Asaad and Zaza, Hasan ''al-Hukoomat al-Sooriyah fi al-Qarn al-Isheen'' (The Syrian Governments in the Twenith Century) Dar Ikrima, 2001. *Reilly, James. ''A Small Town in Syria'' Peter Lang, 2002. *Al-Keilani, Abdul Razzaq ''al-Sheikh Abdul Qader al-Jeilani'' Dar al-Qalam, Damascus, 1994

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keilani, Abdul Qader al- 1874 births 1948 deaths Syrian Muslim scholars of Islam Syrian Sufis Syrian nationalists Arab people from the Ottoman Empire 20th-century Syrian people 20th-century Syrian politicians