'Abd al-Qadir 
                      It is his personal name, meaning  "Servant [or Slave] of the All-Powerful." (The form 'Abdul Qadir,  which the reader may come across elsewhere, is simply an alternative  transliteration of the Arabic spelling)  It has always been a common  practice, in the Muslim community, to give a male child a name in which 'Abd is  prefixed to one of the Names of Allah.  
                      Al-Jilani  
                      A surname ending in -ii will often  indicate the bearer's place of birth.  Sheikh 'Abdul Qadir was born in the  Iranian district of Giilan, south of the Caspian Sea, in A.H. 471/1077-8  C.E.  (In some texts, the Persian spelling Giilanii  is used instead  of the arabicized form al-Jiilaanii.  The abbreviated form al-Jiilii,  which may also be encountered, should not be confused with the surname of the  venerable 'Abdul -Karim al-Jiilii, author of the celebrated work al-Insan  al-Kamil, who came from Jiil in the district of Baghdad).  
Let us now consider a slightly longer  version of the Sheikh’s name, as it occurs near the beginning of Al-Fath  ar-Rabbaanii [The Sublime Revelation]:  Sayyidunaa 'ash-Shaikh  Muhyi'd-Diin Abu Muhammad 'Abdul-Qadir (Radiya'llaahu 'anh).  
Sayyidunaa  'ash-Shaikh - 
"Our Master, the Sheikh."   A writer who regards himself as a Qadirii, a devoted follower of Sheikh 'Abdul -Qadir,  will generally refer to the latter as Sayyidunaa [our Master], or Sayyidii [my  Master].  
Muhyi'd-Diin 
"Reviver of the Religion".   It is widely acknowledged by historians, non-Muslim as well as Muslim, that Sheikh  'Abdul-Qadir displayed great courage in reaffirming the traditional teachings  of Islam, in an era when sectarianism was rife, and when materialistic and  rationalistic tendencies were predominant in all sections of society. In  matters of Islamic jurisprudence [fiqh] and theology [kalam], he adhered quite  strictly to the highly "orthodox" school of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.  
Abu  Muhammad 
"Father of Muhammad".   In the Arabic system of nomenclature, a man's surnames usually include the name  of his first-born son, with the prefix Abu [Father of–].  
Radiya'llaahu 'anhu 
"May Allah be well pleased with  him!"  This benediction is the one customarily pronounced–and spelled  out–in writing after mentioning the name of a Companion of the Prophet (Allah  bless him and give him peace).  The preference for this particular  invocation is yet another mark of the extraordinary status held by Sheikh 'Abdul-Qadir  in the eyes of his devoted followers.  
Finally, we must note some important  elements contained within this even longer version:  al-Ghawth al-A'zam  Sultan al-Awliyaa' Sayyidunaa 'ash-Shaikh Muhyi'd-Diin 'Abdul-Qadir al-Jiilanii  al-Hasanii al-Husainii (Radiya'llaahu 'anh).  
Al-Ghawth  al-A'zam  
"The Supreme Helper" (or,  "The Mightiest Succor"). Ghawth is an Arabic word meaning:  (1)  A cry for aid or succor.(2) Aid, help, succor; deliverance from adversity.(3)  The chief of the Saints, who is empowered by Allah to bring succor to suffering  humanity, in response to His creatures' cry for help in times of  extreme  adversity.  
Sultan al-Awliyaa 
"The Sultan of the Saints".  This reinforces  the preceding title, emphasizing the supremacy of the  
Ghawth above all other orders of sanctity.  
al-Hasanii  al-Husaini 
"The descendant of both al-Hasan  and al-Husain, the grandsons of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him  peace)." To quote the Turkish author, Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak Efendi (may  Allah bestow His mercy upon him):  "The lineage of Sheikh 'Abdul-Qadir  is known as the Chain of Gold, since both his parents were descendants of the  Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace).  His noble father, ‘Abdullah  traced his descent by way of Imam Hasan, while his revered mother, Umm  al-Khair, traced hers through Imam Husain".  
                                
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