Sadia Dehlvi writes of the insight of Sufi masters like Junayd of
Baghdad
Once on seeing a thief executed in Baghdad, Junayd went and kissed his feet. When onlookers asked for an explanation, the Sufi scholar replied, “Compassion unlimited be upon him for he proved to be a man true to his trade. He did his work so perfectly that he died for it.”
Abul Qasim al Junayd of the ninth century is one of the most famous of early Muslim mystics. They called him ‘Peacock of the Poor’, ‘Lord of the Group’ and ‘Master of Masters’. A central figure of many Sufi orders, Junayd is considered the greatest exponent of the sober school of Sufism.
His family came from Iran and settled in Baghdad. A glass merchant like his father, Junayd gave up the family business to devote his life to Islamic studies. Sari Saqti, Junayd’s maternal uncle was a leading Sufi of the time. As a child, Junayd accompanied him on pilgrimages and participated in Sufi assemblies. Junayd narrated that he heard his Master say, “The slave may reach a point that if his face were struck with a sword, he would not notice it”.
A Gift From God
Saqti predicted that Junayd’s special gift from God would be the power of his speech. Asked if the rank of a disciple could ever be higher than that of the Master, Saqti replied, “There is manifest proof of this. Junayd’s rank is higher than mine.” But out of deference to his teacher, Junayd was reluctant to hold discourses on religion as long as his mentor was alive. Then one night, Junayd dreamt of Prophet Muhammad telling him, “O Junayd, speak to the people, for God has made thy words the means of saving a multitude of mankind.”
That day, Saqti sent for his disciple asking him to obey the Prophetic command. Junayd wondered how the Master learnt of the dream and Saqti answered, “I dreamt of God who told me that He sent the Apostle to bid you to preach.”
Junayd studied Islamic law and became the qazi or chief judge of Baghdad, at a time when the clergy were extremely hostile to the Sufis.
Eight-fold Path
Junayd held that mystic knowledge was for the select few and should not be accessible to everyone. He based the Sufi path on eight different attributes including submission, sincerity, liberality, patience, separation, and poverty as in the lives of the prophets. He believed that a Sufi must have the heart of Abraham which found salvation in this world by fulfilling God’s commandments, the sorrow of David, the poverty of Jesus, the longing for communication with God like Moses, and the sincerity of Prophet Muhammad.
Doctrine Of Fana And Baqa
Junayd developed the Sufi doctrine of Fana and Baqa that later determined the whole philosophy of orthodox Sufism. Fana is the assimilation of the individual will in the will of God and is experienced by the grace of God. Baqa is the persistence of the real Self in God. The departure of the lower self implies the appearance of the ‘true Self’. Junayd further explained, “The qualities of the Beloved should eventually replace that of the Lover.”
Junayd’s theory of Tawhid or Divine Unity, was rooted in the pre-eternal covenant sworn by man with God as mentioned in the Quran. The mystic believed that God separates men from Himself granting them individuality and making them absent when in union with Him.
Junayd taught that the Sufi has no fear, because fear is the expectation of a future calamity or loss of an object of desire. A Sufi is rooted in the present moment: he has no future and no fear, no hope, since hope is the expectation of gaining something or being relieved of misfortune, which belongs to the future; nor does he grieve, because grief arises from the rigour of time, and how should he feel grief when he is in the radiance of satisfaction and the garden of concord?
Once on seeing a thief executed in Baghdad, Junayd went and kissed his feet. When onlookers asked for an explanation, the Sufi scholar replied, “Compassion unlimited be upon him for he proved to be a man true to his trade. He did his work so perfectly that he died for it.”
Abul Qasim al Junayd of the ninth century is one of the most famous of early Muslim mystics. They called him ‘Peacock of the Poor’, ‘Lord of the Group’ and ‘Master of Masters’. A central figure of many Sufi orders, Junayd is considered the greatest exponent of the sober school of Sufism.
His family came from Iran and settled in Baghdad. A glass merchant like his father, Junayd gave up the family business to devote his life to Islamic studies. Sari Saqti, Junayd’s maternal uncle was a leading Sufi of the time. As a child, Junayd accompanied him on pilgrimages and participated in Sufi assemblies. Junayd narrated that he heard his Master say, “The slave may reach a point that if his face were struck with a sword, he would not notice it”.
A Gift From God
Saqti predicted that Junayd’s special gift from God would be the power of his speech. Asked if the rank of a disciple could ever be higher than that of the Master, Saqti replied, “There is manifest proof of this. Junayd’s rank is higher than mine.” But out of deference to his teacher, Junayd was reluctant to hold discourses on religion as long as his mentor was alive. Then one night, Junayd dreamt of Prophet Muhammad telling him, “O Junayd, speak to the people, for God has made thy words the means of saving a multitude of mankind.”
That day, Saqti sent for his disciple asking him to obey the Prophetic command. Junayd wondered how the Master learnt of the dream and Saqti answered, “I dreamt of God who told me that He sent the Apostle to bid you to preach.”
Junayd studied Islamic law and became the qazi or chief judge of Baghdad, at a time when the clergy were extremely hostile to the Sufis.
Eight-fold Path
Junayd held that mystic knowledge was for the select few and should not be accessible to everyone. He based the Sufi path on eight different attributes including submission, sincerity, liberality, patience, separation, and poverty as in the lives of the prophets. He believed that a Sufi must have the heart of Abraham which found salvation in this world by fulfilling God’s commandments, the sorrow of David, the poverty of Jesus, the longing for communication with God like Moses, and the sincerity of Prophet Muhammad.
Doctrine Of Fana And Baqa
Junayd developed the Sufi doctrine of Fana and Baqa that later determined the whole philosophy of orthodox Sufism. Fana is the assimilation of the individual will in the will of God and is experienced by the grace of God. Baqa is the persistence of the real Self in God. The departure of the lower self implies the appearance of the ‘true Self’. Junayd further explained, “The qualities of the Beloved should eventually replace that of the Lover.”
Junayd’s theory of Tawhid or Divine Unity, was rooted in the pre-eternal covenant sworn by man with God as mentioned in the Quran. The mystic believed that God separates men from Himself granting them individuality and making them absent when in union with Him.
Junayd taught that the Sufi has no fear, because fear is the expectation of a future calamity or loss of an object of desire. A Sufi is rooted in the present moment: he has no future and no fear, no hope, since hope is the expectation of gaining something or being relieved of misfortune, which belongs to the future; nor does he grieve, because grief arises from the rigour of time, and how should he feel grief when he is in the radiance of satisfaction and the garden of concord?
No comments:
Post a Comment