Dhaka: The holy Fateha-e-Yazdaham is being observed across the country today as Islamic Foundation, Bangladesh has taken an elaborate programme on the occasion. This day is marked on the eleventh day of the Islamic lunar month of Rabius Sani, commemorating the death of Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (RA), a prominent Islamic scholar.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, ‘Fateha’ refers to the prayer ceremony, and ‘Yazdaham’ is a Persian word meaning eleven. ‘Fateha-e-Yazdaham’ signifies the eleventh day of the month of Rabius Sani, the day Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A.) passed away. Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A.) was a Persian Hanbali preacher, Sunni sheikh, and the founder of the Qadiri Sufi order.
Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A.) has been recognized for centuries as a popular and revered Islamic scholar. He was born in Naif, in the District of Gilan, Persia, during the month of Ramadhan in 470 A.H. (1077 CE). He was an Arab by descent, being the tenth descendant of Hasan ibn Ali (R.A.), but his family migrated to Iran. His father’s name was Hazrat Abu Salih, a direct descendant of Hazrat Imam Hasan (R.A.), the eldest son of Hazrat Ali (R.A.), and of Sayyida Fatima (R.A.). His mother was the daughter of Sayyid Abdullah Sawmai, a saintly figure and direct descendant of Imam Husain (R.A.), the younger son of Hazrat Ali (R.A.) and Sayyida Fatima (R.A.).
Sheikh Abdul Qadir left his home at eighteen in pursuit of knowledge and traveled to Baghdad, a great center of learning. He passed away on 11th Rabius Sani 561 AH at the age of eighty-nine and was entombed in a shrine within his Madrassa in Baghdad.