Al-Junayd
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Junayd of Baghdad (; ) was a mystic and one of the most famous of the early Islamic saints. He is a central figure in the spiritual lineage of many
Sufi orders A ''tariqa'' () is a religious order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking , which translates as "ultimate truth". A tariqa has a (guide) who plays the r ...
. Junayd taught in
Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
throughout his lifetime and was an important figure in the development of Sufi doctrine. Like
Hasan of Basra Abi Sa'id al-Hasan ibn Yasar al-Basri, often referred to as al-Hasan al-Basri, was an ancient Muslim preacher, ascetic, theologian, exegete, scholar, and judge. Born in Medina in 642,Mourad, Suleiman A., “al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī”, in: ''Encyc ...
before him, was widely revered by his students and disciples as well as quoted by other mystics. Because of his importance in Sufi
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
, Junayd was often referred to as the "
Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
".


Early life and education

The exact birth date of Abu-l-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Junayd al-Khazzāz al-Qawārīrī (
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: أبو القاسم الجنيد بن محمد الخزاز القواريري) is disputed and ranges from 210 to 215 AH according to Abdel-Kader. His death is more certain and ranges from 296 to 298 AH (908 to 910 CE). It is believed that al-Junayd was of Persian ancestry, with his ancestors originating in
Nihawand Nahavand () is a city in the Central District of Nahavand County, Hamadan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is south of the city of Hamadan, west of Malayer and northwest of Borujerd. Inhabited ...
in modern-day Iran. Al-Junayd was raised by his uncle
Sirri Saqti Sari ibn al-Mughallis al-Saqati ( was one of the early Muslim Sufi saints of Baghdad. He was one of the most influential students of Maruf Karkhi and one of the first to present Sufism (tasawwuf) in a systematic way. He was also a friend of Bis ...
after being orphaned as a boy. Al-Junayd's early education included teachings from Abū Thawr, Abū 'Ubayd, al-Ḥārith al-Muḥãsibī, and Sarī ibn Mughallas.


Hagiography

As to the
hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...
by
Attar of Nishapur Faridoddin Abu Hamed Mohammad Attar Nishapuri ( – c. 1221; ), better known by his pen-names Faridoddin () and ʿAttar of Nishapur (, Attar means apothecary), was a poet, theoretician of Sufism, and hagiographer from Nishapur who had an immense ...
, the ''
Tazkirat al-Awliya ''Tazkirat al-Awliyā'' ( or , lit. "Biographies of the Saints")variant transliterations: Tadhkirat al-Awliya, Tazkerat-ol-Owliya , Tezkereh-i-Evliā etc. is a hagiographic collection of ninety-six Sufi saints (''wali'', plural ''awliya'') and th ...
'', had felt the pain of divine separation since childhood. Regardless of spiritual sorrow, he was known for his quick understanding and discipline when
Sirri Saqti Sari ibn al-Mughallis al-Saqati ( was one of the early Muslim Sufi saints of Baghdad. He was one of the most influential students of Maruf Karkhi and one of the first to present Sufism (tasawwuf) in a systematic way. He was also a friend of Bis ...
accepted him. According to Attar, Junayd was only seven years of age when Sirri Saqti took him along for the
Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...
. In
al-Masjid an-Nabawi The Prophet's Mosque () is the second mosque built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in Medina, after the Quba Mosque, as well as the second largest mosque and holiest site in Islam, after the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, in the Saudi region of ...
, there were 400
sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...
s discussing the concept of ‘thankfulness’ whereby each expounded his own view. When Sirri Saqti told him to present his definition, Junayd said, "Thankfulness means that should not disobey God by means of the favour which he has bestowed upon you nor make of His favour a source of disobedience." The sheikhs unanimously agreed that no other words could define the term better. Sirri Saqti asked Junayd from where he could learn all this. Junayd replied, "From sitting with you."
Tazkirat al-Awliya ''Tazkirat al-Awliyā'' ( or , lit. "Biographies of the Saints")variant transliterations: Tadhkirat al-Awliya, Tazkerat-ol-Owliya , Tezkereh-i-Evliā etc. is a hagiographic collection of ninety-six Sufi saints (''wali'', plural ''awliya'') and th ...
,
Attar of Nishapur Faridoddin Abu Hamed Mohammad Attar Nishapuri ( – c. 1221; ), better known by his pen-names Faridoddin () and ʿAttar of Nishapur (, Attar means apothecary), was a poet, theoretician of Sufism, and hagiographer from Nishapur who had an immense ...
. London, England.: Penguin (Non-Classics), 1990. , 32–38


Spiritual journey

His traditional hagiography continues by stating that Junayd went back to Baghdad and took up selling glasses. However, he spent most of the time in prayer. Hence, he retired to the porch of Sirri Saqti's house and kept himself away from worldly matters, devoting his thoughts only to God. People need to "relinquish natural desires, to wipe out human attributes, to discard selfish motives, to cultivate spiritual qualities, to devote oneself to true knowledge, to do what is best in the context of eternity, to wish good for the entire community, to be truly faithful to God, and to follow the Prophet in the matters of the Shari’a."Ansari, Muhammad Abdul Haq. "The Doctrine of One Actor: Junayd's View of Tawhid." The Muslim World 1(1983): 33–56. Electronic. This starts with the practice of
asceticism Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...
(''zuhd'') and continues with withdrawal from society, intensive concentration on devotion (
ibadah ''Ibadah'' (, ''‘ibādah'', also spelled ''ibada'') is an Arabic word meaning service or servitude. In Islam, ''ibadah'' is usually translated as “worship”, and ''ibadat''—the plural of ''ibadah''—refers to Islamic jurisprudence ( ...
) and remembrance (
dhikr (; ; ) is a form of Islamic worship in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited for the purpose of remembering God. It plays a central role in Sufism, and each Sufi order typically adopts a specific ''dhikr'', accompanied by specific ...
) of God, sincerity (''ikhlas''), and contemplation (''muraqaba'') respectively; contemplation produces fana. Junayd spend 40 years in his mystic course praying while sacrificing his sleep and any other worldly desires, but then a conceit in his heart arose that he has achieved his goal. By then he inspired by God that "He who is not worthy of union, all his good works are but sins." This meant that the prayers which become a source of pride are useless, as true prayer makes a person more humble and devoted to God. His name became famous in many parts of the world despite the persecution he faced and the tongues of slander shot at him. Even then, he did not start preaching until 30 of the great saints indicated to him that he should now call men to God. However, he chose not to preach as yet, saying, "While the master is there, it is not seemly for the disciple to preach." After witnessing
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 ...
in his dream commanding him to preach, he had to listen to Sirri Saqtiy. The intensity of
ishq ''Ishq'' () is an Arabic word meaning 'love' or 'passion', also widely used in other languages of the Muslim world and the Indian subcontinent. The word ''ishq'' does not appear in the central religious text of Islam, the Quran, which instead u ...
poured out of a speech of Junayd such that out of the 40 people he first preached, 18 died and 22 fainted.Sells, Michael A.. Early Islamic Mysticism: Sufi, Koran, Mi'raj, Poetic and Theological Writings. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1996. Print. His caliph and most dear disciple was
Abu Bakr Shibli Abu Bakr al-Shibli (; 861–946) was an important Sufi of Persian descent, and a disciple of Junayd al-Baghdadi. He followed the Maliki school of jurisprudence (''fiqh''). Biography Abu Bakr Shibli was born in Samarra, although his family was ...
.


Works by Junayd

Junayd helped establish the "sober" school of Sufi thought, which meant that he was very logical and scholarly about his definitions of various virtues, tawhid, etc. Sober Sufism is characterized by people who "experience ''fana'' nddo not subsist in that state of selfless absorption in God but find themselves returned to their senses by God. Such returnees from the experience of selflessness are thus reconstituted as renewed selves," just like an intoxicated person sobering up. For example, Junayd is quoted as saying, "The water takes on the color of the cup." While this might seem rather confusing at first, ‘Abd al-Hakeem Carney explains it as: "When the water is understood here to refer to the Light of Divine self-disclosure, we are led to the important concept of 'capacity,' whereby the Divine epiphany is received by the heart of any person according to that person’s particular receptive capacity and will be 'colored' by that person’s nature". Also, according to Sells, "Junayd seems to presuppose that his hearer or reader has had the experience about which he is speaking – or, even more radically, that the hearer or reader is able to enter that experience, or some re-creation of it – at the moment of encounter with Junayd's words." This statement makes it seem like Junayd was writing to a specific sect of the elite that he described earlier. The elite that he refers to are the elect, or "a tightly knit group of 'brethren' that Junayd designates by such phrases as 'the choice of believers' or 'the pure ones'. They play significant roles in the community of believers."


See also

*
List of Sufis This list article contains names of notable people commonly considered as Sufis or otherwise associated with Sufism. List of notable Sufis A * Abadir Umar ar-Rida * Abd al-Rauf al-Sinkili * Abu Bakr al-Kalabadhi * Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani * Al ...
*
Sari al-Saqati Sari ibn al-Mughallis al-Saqati ( was one of the early Muslim Sufi saints of Baghdad. He was one of the most influential students of Maruf Karkhi and one of the first to present Sufism (tasawwuf) in a systematic way. He was also a friend of Bi ...
*
Harith al-Muhasibi Al-Muḥāsibī () (781–857 CE) was a Muslim Arabs, Arab, Mutakallim, theologian, philosopher and Asceticism, ascetic. He is considered to be the founder of the Baghdad School of Islamic philosophy which combined Kalam and Sufism, and a teach ...
* Muhammad Muslehuddin Siddiqui *
Suhrawardiyya The Suhrawardi order (, ) is a tariqa, Sufi order founded by Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi, Abu ’l-Nad̲j̲īb Suhrawardī (died 1168). Lacking a centralised structure, it eventually divided into various branches. The order was especially prominent i ...
*
Seyyed Qutb al-Din Mohammad Neyrizi Seyyed Qutb al-Din Mohammad Neyrizi (born 1689 in Neyriz – died 1760 in Najaf) was a prominent Iranian mystic of the Safavid period (1501 to 1736). He was 32nd Qutb of Zahabiya genealogy (Shiite Sufi sect). All historians have written his nam ...


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Junayd of Baghdad Sunni Sufis Sunni imams Iranian Sufis Iraqi Sufis Religious leaders from Baghdad People from Nahavand 10th-century Iranian people 9th-century Iranian people 830 births 910 deaths Sufi saints