Shaikh ʿAbd al-Qadir al-Jilani was born in 470 H. (1077 CE). He received his first religious education at home before migrating to Baghdad at the age of eighteen to continue his learning and start what turned out to be a unique and amazing spiritual journey. In Baghdad, Shaikh ʿAbd al-Qadir first accompanied the Sufi Shaikh ?ammad al-Dabbas (d. 525/1131), and later Shaikh Abu Saʿid al-Mukharrami (al-Makhzumi). When Shaikh Abu Saʿid saw how his student was developing, he asked him in 521/1127 to teach in his school. Shaikh ʿAbd al-Qadir used to lecture three days a week. His audience grew quickly until a lecture would attract tens of thousands. He continued to preach in his school until he died in 561/1165. The fame that this school developed as a result of the respect and following that Shaikh ʿAbd al-Qadir had, and it being his burial place, guaranteed its status as one of the most revered and visited Islamic sites. There is no figure in the history of Sufism who has been linked to as many miracles as Shaikh ʿAbd al-Qadir. He is reported to have performed some miracles as a way to convey and support his teachings.