Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani (, ''Abdolqāder Gilāni'') is a

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

scholar and jurist. He was born on 14 December 1935 (

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

, 1354 AH) in a village called Sandhu Sayyidan,

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. He was born to Walayat Ali Shah Gilani and is a descendant of

Abdul Qadir Gilani Abdul Qadir Gilani (; ; c. 1077/78 – 1166) was a Hanbali scholar, preacher, and Sufi leader who was the eponym of the Qadiriyya, one of the oldest Sufi orders. He was born c. 1077/78 in the town of Na'if, Rezvanshahr in Gilan, Persia, ...

. Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani is also a descendant of

Hasan ibn Ali Hasan ibn Ali (; 2 April 670) was an Alids, Alid political and religious leader. The eldest son of Ali and Fatima and a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Hasan briefly ruled as Rashidun caliphate, Rashidun caliph from January 661 unt ...

. He is based in

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

Major work

In 2010, Jilani published his book, ''Zubdah at-Tahqiq''. Written in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, it is a text on the companions of

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 ...

and the difference of opinion amongst Sunni scholars regarding the status of

Abu Bakr Abd Allah ibn Abi Quhafa (23 August 634), better known by his ''Kunya (Arabic), kunya'' Abu Bakr, was a senior Sahaba, companion, the closest friend, and father-in-law of Muhammad. He served as the first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, ruli ...

as the greatest companion.

Ofcom ruling

In October 2011, Jilani appeared as a guest on ''Rehmatul Lil Alameen'', a programme on UK television station DM Digital. During the broadcast, Jilani made comments with reference to the shooting death in early 2011 of the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

governor

Salmaan Taseer Salman Taseer (; 4 January 2011) was a Pakistani businessman and politician, who served as the 34th Governor of Punjab from 2008 until his assassination in 2011. A member of the Pakistan Peoples Party since the 1980s, he was elected to the ...

. Following a complaint,

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications and mail, postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-rang ...

subsequently ruled that by broadcasting the comments, DM Digital had breached Rule 3.1 of the Broadcasting Code, which states "Material likely to encourage or incite the commission of crime or to lead to disorder must not be included in television or radio services". Ofcom ruled that, "on a reasonable interpretation of the scholar's remarks, he was personally advocating that all Muslims had a duty to attack or kill apostates or those perceived to have insulted the Prophet. We considered that the broadcast of the various statements made by the Islamic scholar outlined above was likely to encourage or incite the commission of crime." In response, it was made clear that Jilani was commenting on the law of Pakistan in relation to those who were alleged to have profaned the character of Muhammad. In this instance, Jilani was discussing the case of

Mumtaz Qadri Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri (1985 – 29 February 2016), better known as Mumtaz Qadri (, ), was a Pakistani Elite Police commando who is known for murdering Salmaan Taseer, Governor of Punjab, Pakistan, Governor of Punjab. Qadri was a commando ...

who had been sentenced to death by the Court of Pakistan for killing the governor Salmaan Taseer. In conclusion if the comments were taken literally, then Jilani's comments could be offensive to some in the UK, however it should be made clear that the speech was delivered in the Urdu language and he was referring to the laws, customs and practices of Pakistan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jilani, Syed Abdul Qadir 1935 births Living people Pakistani Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam People from Rawalpindi Pakistani Sufis Pakistani emigrants to the United Kingdom Jamia Nizamia Ghousia alumni