The tale of the sandals becoming lethal missiles emphasizes God's power to use anyone and anything he wishes to punish the wicked and to destroy even a gang of criminals. A saint is a man who understands this and so is able to help God's plans along by working for him. The birds symbolize vulgar, stupid, barbaric people who interrupt scholarly discourse and sully the purity of divine service.

Legends of ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani

The beginning. Before he was born, ‘Abd al-Qadir received a hundred visions from God. And as a baby, ‘Abd al-Qadir refused his mother’s breast during the daylight hours of Ramadan, so his mother had to feed him at night.

One day ‘Abd al-Qadir was playing with other boys in fields when an ox passed, pulling a heavy plough. The ox turned to ‘Abd al-Qadir and said in good Arabic: “You boy, have you nothing better to do than play? Why don’t you go study the Koran?” Deeply impressed, young ‘Abd al-Qadir went to his mother and said, “I want to go to Baghdad to study the Koran.” His mother gave him eighty golden dinars. ‘Abd al-Qadir gave his brother forty dinars, half his stipend, and departed, joining a caravan of pilgrims.

"A jinn lifted her off the roof and flew away with her" ("The Stolen Girl")

In the hills, the travelers were attacked and captured by robbers. One robber asked ‘Abd al-Qadir if he had any money on him. “Yes,” said the latter, “forty dinars.” The robber would not believe him and took him to the chief, to whom ‘Abd al-Qadir gave the same reply. The robber chief was so impressed when he discovered that the boy had spoken the truth that he let him and all his companions go. At the end of his days, a student asked ‘Abd al-Qadir what had made him a saint. Said he: “I never lied in my life.”

The snake. One day, as ‘Abd al-Qadir was explaining the Koran in the mosque, a huge snake fell from the ceiling and crept up the saint’s legs, inside his robe, emerging at his neck. ‘Abd al-Qadir quietly finished the verse he was reciting, though all the men had fled the mosque. ‘Abd al-Qadir conversed with the snake in the snake’s language for a long time. Then it vanished. When the people came back they asked ‘Abd al-Qadir what the snake had to say. It had said: “I tried all the saints, but you are the only intrepid one!”