Life, Personality & Writings of Al-Junayd (E.J.W. Gibb Memorial Series.)

Rating:
Summary: Junayd - Sufi master of the "School of Sobriety" of Baghdad
Review: This is the only book, to my knowledge, on "the life, personality and writings of Junayd of Baghdad" (819-910 AD), one of the outstanding masters in the history of Islamic Sufism.

Junayd's teachers in Sufism had been Sari as-Saqati, Ma'ruf al-Karkhi, and particularly Muhammad al-Qassab. Among Junayd's companions and disciples were such well-known figures as Nuri, al-Kharraz, Ibn `Ata, Ruwaym, Jurayri, Shibli, and Mansur Hallaj.

Junayd of Baghdad was the leading master of the "School of Baghdad", which particularly favored "sobriety" (sahw) over "intoxication" (sukr) in mystical love. In contrast, the Persian Sufi masters of "Khorasan" favored intoxication over sobriety.

Part 2 of this book contains introductions to the doctrines of Junayd, particularly his doctrines of Tawhid (divine Unity), Mithaq (divine Covenant), Fana (dissolution in the divine Presence), and Sahw (mystical sobriety).

This is a good, scholarly study of an outstanding Sufi master. The title well describes the contents of the book. Nevertheless, a comprehensive study of the legacy of Jonayd of Baghdad has yet to appear.

"When the morning dawns upon the star of wine,
the drunk and sober are shown to be equal."