Epistles of al Junayd : Part 4

رَسَائِلُ الْجُنَيْدِ الْبَغْدَادِيِّ

Rasāʾil al Junayd al Baghdādī

THE EPISTLES OF AL JUNAYD AL BAGHDADI

PART FOUR

Published Letters and Sayings from the Sources

Editorial Note

SCOPE

Part Four contains the published letters and treatises gathered from Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ and al-Lumaʿ, followed by al-Junayd’s sayings on varied subjects as transmitted in Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ and al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya. Their sequence and internal headings follow the supplied five-volume division.

TEXTUAL BASIS

The supplied Arabic reading text from the Dār Iqraʾ collection controls this edition. The cited passages in Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ and al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya were consulted where needed to check damaged or plainly mistyped readings, but the present English rendering is new. Titles and transmitted attributions are reported as they stand in the source rather than asserted as new judgments of authorship.

TEXTUAL CONDITION

Vocalization has been completed and regularized, and clear typographical slips have been corrected conservatively. Where a cited early source confirms an obvious error, the confirmed reading is used; genuinely uncertain wording is not silently rewritten. The translation remains close to the transmitted syntax while making the intended sense readable in modern English.

TRANSLITERATION

The transliteration is generated from the displayed vocalized Arabic. It uses ā ī ū for long vowels, ḥ ṣ ḍ ṭ ẓ for the corresponding consonants, ʿ for ʿayn, ʾ for hamzah, and kh dh sh gh for the standard digraphs. The definite article normally appears as al without solar-letter assimilation, and case vowels follow the Arabic line.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

The English is a fresh close translation in modern prose. Technical Sufi terms, formal contrasts, and repeated verbal patterns are retained where they carry the argument. Qurʾanic passages are translated directly and referenced. Bracketed editorial notices identify lacunae, broken syntax, and readings whose uncertainty cannot responsibly be concealed.

REPORTED MATERIAL

Prophetic reports, sayings, dreams, miraculous accounts, and descriptions of ascetic practice are translated as reported material in the source. Their inclusion does not authenticate a chain of transmission or convert a historical report into an instruction.

READING ORDER

Every sense unit follows the same order: one fully vocalized Arabic passage, one transliteration passage, and one English translation passage. Long source paragraphs wrap across physical lines and pages but remain aligned as a single three-part unit.

Contents

ARABIC TITLE

ENGLISH TITLE

SOURCE PAGES

رِسَالَةٌ إِلَى جَعْفَرٍ الْخَلْدِيِّ

A Letter to Jaʿfar al-Khuldī

203–205

رِسَالَةٌ فِي الْمَعْرِفَةِ

A Treatise on Knowledge of God

206–207

رِسَالَةُ الْجُنَيْدِ إِلَى أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ الْمَارِسْتَانِيِّ

Al-Junayd’s Letter to Abū Isḥāq al-Māristānī

208

رِسَالَةٌ إِلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ

A Letter to One of His Brethren

209

رِسَالَةٌ إِلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ

A Letter to One of His Brethren

210

رِسَالَةٌ إِلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ

A Letter to One of His Brethren

211

النَّظَرُ الصَّحِيحُ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا

Seeing This World Correctly

212

رَأْيُ الْجُنَيْدِ فِي الذِّكْرِ الْخَفِيِّ

Al-Junayd’s View of Hidden Remembrance

213–214

كِتَابُهُ إِلَى أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ الدِّينَوَرِيِّ

His Letter to Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Dīnawarī

214

عَقَبَاتُ الْوِصَالِ

The Obstacles on the Way to Union

215

رِسَالَةٌ فِي الْإِيمَانِ

A Treatise on Faith

216

صِفَةُ الْعَاقِلِ

The Character of an Intelligent Person

217–219

رِسَالَةٌ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ

A Treatise on Divine Unity

219

رِسَالَةُ الْجُنَيْدِ إِلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ الْكِسَائِيِّ

Al-Junayd’s Letter to Abū Bakr al-Kisāʾī

220–221

رِسَالَةُ الْجُنَيْدِ إِلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ سَهْلٍ الْأَصْبَهَانِيِّ

Al-Junayd’s Letter to ʿAlī ibn Sahl al-Iṣfahānī

221

الْقِسْمُ الثَّالِثُ أَقْوَالُهُ فِي مُخْتَلِفِ الْمَوْضُوعَاتِ

Section Three: His Sayings on Various Subjects

223–245

Source page numbers follow the supplied collection. All internal chapters appear in place within the text.

Source Text Transliteration and Translation

Vocalized Arabic Transliteration Modern English

الْقِسْمُ الثَّانِي رَسَائِلُ مَنْشُورَةٌ فِي الْحِلْيَةِ وَاللُّمَعِ

Al-qismu al-thānī rasāʾilu manshūratun fī al-ḥilyati wa-al-lumaʿi

Section Two: Letters Published in Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ and al-Lumaʿ

رَسَائِلُ مَنْشُورَةٌ فِي الْحِلْيَةِ وَاللُّمَعِ

Rasāʾilu manshūratun fī al-ḥilyati wa-al-lumaʿi

Letters Published in Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ and al-Lumaʿ

رِسَالَةٌ إِلَى جَعْفَرٍ الْخَلْدِيِّ

Risālatun ʾilā jaʿfarin al-khaldiyyi

A Letter to Jaʿfar al-Khuldī

§ 009 • SOURCE P 203

كَتَبَ إِلَى جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ نُصَيْرٍ الْخَلْدِيِّ وَسَمِعْتُ أَبَا طَاهِرٍ الْمُحْتَسِبَ يَقُولُ:

Kataba ʾilā jaʿfari bni Muḥammadi bni nuṣayrin al-khaldiyyi wasamiʿtu ʾabā ṭāhirin al-muḥtasiba yaqūlu:

He wrote to Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Nuṣayr al-Khuldī. I heard Abū Ṭāhir al-Muḥtasib say:

§ 010 • SOURCE P 204

قَرَأْتُ عَلَى أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ نُصَيْرٍ وَهُوَ يَسْمَعُ قَالَ: كَانَ الْجُنَيْدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ يَدْعُو بِهَذَا الدُّعَاءِ عَلَى مَمَرِّ الْأَيَّامِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ حَمْدًا دَائِمًا كَثِيرًا طَيِّبًا مُبَارَكًا مَوْفُورًا لَا انْقِطَاعَ لَهُ وَلَا زَوَالَ وَلَا نَفَادَ لَهُ وَلَا فَنَاءَ كَمَا يَنْبَغِي لِكَرِيمِ وَجْهِكَ وَعِزِّ جَلَالِكَ وَكَمَا أَنْتَ أَهْلُ الْحَمْدُ فِي عَظِيمِ رُبُوبِيَّتِكَ وَكِبْرِيَائِكَ وَلَكَ مِنْ كُلِّ تَسْبِيحٍ وَتَقْدِيسٍ وَتَمْجِيدٍ وَتَهْلِيلٍ وَتَحْمِيدٍ وَتَعْظِيمٍ وَمِنْ كُلِّ قَوْلٍ حَسَنٍ ذَاكَ جَمِيلٍ تَرْضَاهُ مِثْلُ ذَلِكَ اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى عَبْدِكَ الْمُصْطَفَى الْمُنْتَخَبِ الْمُخْتَارِ الْمُبَارَكِ سَيِّدِنَا وَمَوْلَانَا مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعَلَى أَشْيَاعِهِ وَأَتْبَاعِهِ وَأَنْصَارِهِ وَإِخْوَانِهِ مِنْ النَّبِيِّينَ وَصَلِّ اللَّهُمَّ عَلَى أهْلِ طَاعَتِكَ أَجْمَعِينَ مِنْ أهْلِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِينَ وَصَلِّ عَلَى جِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ وَإِسْرافِيلَ وَعِزْرَائِيلَ وَرِضْوَانَ وَمَالِكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَصَلِّ عَلَى الْكُرُوبِيِّينَ وَالرُّوحَانِيِّينَ وَالْمُقَرَّبِينَ وَالسَّيَّاحِينَ وَالْحَفَظَةِ وَالسَّفْرَةِ وَالْحَمْلَةِ وَصَلِّ عَلَى مَلاَئِكَتِكَ وَأَهْلِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَأهْلِ الأَرْضِينَ وَحَيْثُ أَحَاطَ بِهِمْ عِلْمُكَ فِي جَمِيعِ أَقْطَارِكَ كُلِّهَا صَلاَةً تَرْضَاهَا وَتُحِبُّهَا وَكَمَا هُمْ لِذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ أهْلٌ وَأَسْأَلُكَ اللَّهُمَّ بِجُودِكَ وَمَجْدِكَ وَبِذَلِكَ وَفَضْلِكَ وَطُوْلِكَ وَبِرِّكَ وَإِحْسَانِكَ وَمَعْرُوفِكَ وَكَرَمِكَ وَبِمَا اسْتَقَلَّ بِهِ الْعَرْشُ مِنْ عِظَمِ رُبُوبِيَّتِكَ أَسْأَلُكَ يَا جَوَّادُ يَا كَرِيمُ مَغْفِرَةَ كُلِّ مَا أَحَاطَ بِهِ عِلْمُكَ مِنْ ذُنُوبِنَا وَالتَّجَاوُزَ عَنْ كُلِّ مَا كَانَ مِنَّا وَادٍ اللَّهُمَّ مَظَالِمَنَا وَقُمْ بِأَوَدِنَا فِي تَبِعَاتِنَا جَوْدًا مِنْكَ وَمَجْدًا وَبَذْلًا مِنْكَ وَطُوْلًا وَبَدَلَ قَبِيحٍ مَا كَانَ مِنَّا حَسَنًا يَا مَنْ يَمْحُو مَا يَشَاءُ وَيُثْبِتُ وَعِنْدَه أَمْ الْكِتَابِ أَنْتَ كَذَلِكَ لَا كَذَلِكَ غَيْرُكَ اعْصِمْنَا فِيمَا بَقِيَ مِنْ الْأَعْمَارِ إِلَى مُنْتَهَى الْآجَالِ عِصْمَةً دَائِمَةً كَامِلَةً تَامَّةً وَكَرِّهْ إِلَيْنَا كُلَّ الَّذِي تَكْرَهُ وَحَبِّبْ إِلَيْنَا كُلَّ الَّذِي تَرْضَاهُ وَتُحِبُّهُ وَاسْتَعْمِلْنَا بِهِ عَلَى النَّحْوِ الَّذِي تُحِبُّ وَأَدِمْ ذَلِكَ لَنَا إِلَى أَنْ تَتَوَفَّانَا عَلَيْهِ أَكِّدْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ عَزَائِمَنَا وَاشْدُدْ عَلَيْهَا نِيَّاتِنَا وَأَصْلِحْ لَهَا سَرَائِرَنَا وَابْعَثْ لَهَا جَوَارِحَنَا وَكُنْ وَلِيَّ تَوْفِيقِنَا وَزِيَادَتَنَا وَكِفَايَتَنَا هَبْ لَنَا اللَّهُمَّ هَيْبَتَكَ وَإِجْلَالَكَ وَتَعْظِيمَكَ وَمُرَاقَبَتَكَ وَالْحَيَاءَ مِنْكَ وَحُسْنِ الْجِدِّ وَالْمُسَارَعَةِ وَالْمُبَادَرَةِ إِلَى كُلِّ قَوْلٍ زَكِيٍّ حُمَيْدٍ تَرْضَاهُ وَهَبْ لَنَا اللَّهُمَّ مَا وَهَبْت لِصَفْوَتِكَ وَأَوْلِيَائِكَ وَأَهْلِ طَاعَتِكَ مِنْ دَائِمِ الذِّكْرِ لَكَ وَخَالِصِ الْعَمَلِ لِوَجْهِكَ عَلَى أَكْمَلِهِ وَأَدْوَمِهِ وَأَصْفَاهُ وَأَحَبَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَعِنَّا عَلَى الْعَمَلِ بِذَلِكَ إِلَى مُنْتَهَى الْآجَالِ اللَّهُمَّ وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِي الْمَوْتِ إِذَا نَزَلَ بِنَا أَجْعَلُهُ يَوْمَ حَيَاءٍ وَكَرَامَةٍ وَزُلْفَى وَسُرُورٍ وَاغْتِبَاطٍ وَلَا تَجْعَلُهُ يَوْمَ نَدَمٍ وَلَا يَوْمَ أَسًى وَأَوْرَدْنَا مِنْ قُبُورِنَا عَلَى سُرُورٍ وَفَرَحٍ وَقُرَّةِ عَيْنٍ وَاجْعَلْهَا رِيَاضًا مِنْ رِيَاضِ جَنَّتِكَ وَبِقَاعًا مِنْ بِقَاعِ كَرَامَتِكَ وَرَأْفَتِكَ وَرَحْمَتِكَ لَقِّنَا فِيهَا الْحُجَجَ وَآمِنَّا فِيهَا مِنْ الرَّوْعَاتِ وَاجْعَلْنَا آمِنِينَ مُطْمَئِنِّينَ إِلَى يَوْمِ تَبْعَثُنَا يَا جَامِعَ النَّاسِ لِيَوْمٍ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ لَا رَيْبَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ عِنْدَنَا آمَنَّا مِنْ رَوْعَاتِهِ وَخَلِّصْنَا مِنْ شَدَائِدِهِ وَاكْشِفْ عَنَّا عَظِيمَ كَرْبِهِ وَاسْقِنَا مِنْ ظَمَئِهِ وَاحْشُرْنَا فِي زُمْرَةِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمُصْطَفَى الَّذِي انْتَخَبْتَهُ وَاخْتَرْته وَجَعَلْتَهُ الشَّافِعَ لِأَوْلِيَائِكَ الْمُقَدَّمِ عَلَى جَمِيعِ أَصْفِيَائِكَ الَّذِي جَعَلْتَ زُمْرَتَهُ آمِنَةً مِنْ الرَّوْعَاتِ أَسْأَلُكَ يَا مَنْ إِلَيْهِ لَجَؤْنَا إِلَيْهِ إِيَابَنَا وَعَلَيْهِ حِسَابُنَا أَنْ تُحَاسِبَنَا حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا لَا تَقْرِيعَ فِيهِ وَلَا تَأْنِيبَ وَلَا مُنَاقَشَةَ وَلَا مُوَاقَفَةَ عَامِلْنَا بِجُودِكَ وَمَجْدِكَ كَرْمًا وَاجْعَلْنَا مِنْ السُّرْعَانِ الْمَغْبُوطِينَ وَاِعْطِنَا كُتُبَنَا بِالْأَيْمَانِ وَأَجَزْنَا الصِّرَاطَ مَعَ السُّرْعَانِ وَثِقِّلْ مَوَازِينِنَا يَوْمَ الْوَزْنِ وَلَا تُسْمِعْنَا لِنَارِ جَهَنَّمَ حَسِيسًا وَلَا زَفِيرًا وَأَجِرْنَا مِنْهَا وَمِنْ كُلِّ مَا يُقَرَّبُ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ وَعَمَلٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا بِجُودِكَ وَمَجْدِكَ وَكَرَمِكَ فِي دَارِ كَرَامَتِكَ وَحُبُورِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءَ وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسِّنْ أُولَئِكَ رَفِيقًا وَاجْمَعْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ آبَائِنَا وَأُمَّهَاتِنَا وَقَرَابَاتِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا فِي دَارَةِ قُدْسِكَ وَدَارِ حُبُورِكَ عَلَى أَفْضَلِ حَالٍ وَأَسْرِهَا وَضُمَّ إِلَيْنَا إِخْوَانَنَا الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَى أَلْفَتِنَا وَاَلَّذِينَ كَانُوا عَلَى ذَلِكَ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَكَرٍ وَأُنْثَى بَلِّغْهُمْ مَا أَمَّلُوهُ وَفَوْقَ مَا أَمَّلُوهُ وَأَعْطِهِمْ فَوْقَ مَا طَلَبُوهُ وَاجْمَعْ بَيْنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ فِي دَارِ قُدْسِكَ وَدَارِ حُبُورِكَ عَلَى أَفْضَلِ حَالٍ وَأَسْرِهَا وَعَمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ جَمِيعًا بِرَأْفَتِكَ وَرَحْمَتِكَ الَّذِينَ فَارَقُوا الدُّنْيَا عَلَى تَوْحِيدِكَ كُنْ لَنَا وَلَهُمْ وَلِيًّا كَالِئًا كَافِيًا وَارْحَمْ جُفُوفَ أَقْلَامِهِمْ وَوُقُوفَ أَعْمَالِهِمْ وَمَا حَلَّ بِهِمْ مِنْ الْبَلَاءِ وَالْأَحْيَاءِ مِنْهُمْ تُبْ عَلَى مُسِيئِهِمْ وَاقْبَلْ تَوْبَتَهُمْ وَتَجَاوَزْ عَنْ الْمُسْرِفِ مِنْهُمْ وَانْصُرْ مَظْلُومَهُمْ وَاشْفِ مَرِيضَهُمْ وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَيْهِمْ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًا تَرْضَاهَا فَإِنَّكَ الْجَوَادُ بِذَلِكَ الْمَجِيدِ بِهِ الْقَادِرِ عَلَيْهِ وَكُنْ اللَّهُمَّ لِلْمُجَاهِدِينَ مِنْهُمْ وَلِيًّا وَكَالِئًا وَكَافِيًا وَنَاصِرًا وَانْصُرْهُمْ عَلَى عَدُوِّهِمْ نَصْرًا عَزِيزًا وَاجْعَلْ دَائِرَةَ السُّوْءِ عَلَى أَعْدَائِكَ وَأَعْدَائِنَا أَسْفَكَ اللَّهُ دِمَاءَهُمْ وَأَبِحْ حَرِيمَهُمْ

Qaraʾtu ʿalā ʾabī Muḥammadin jaʿfari bni Muḥammadi bni nuṣayrin wahuwa yasmaʿu qāla: kāna al-Junaydu bnu Muḥammadin yadʿū bihadhā al-duʿāʾi ʿalā mamarri al-ʾayyāmi al-ḥamdu li-llāhi ḥamdan dāʾiman kathīran ṭayyiban mubārakan mawfūran lā inqiṭāʿa lahu walā zawāla walā nafāda lahu walā fanāʾa kamā yanbaghī likarīmi wajhika waʿizzi jalālika wakamā ʾanta ʾahlu al-ḥamdu fī ʿaẓīmi rubūbiyyatika wakibriyāʾika walaka min kulli tasbīḥin wataqdīsin watamjīdin watahlīlin wataḥmīdin wataʿẓīmin wamin kulli qawlin ḥasanin dhāka jamīlin tarḍāhu mithlu dhalika Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā ʿabdika al-muṣṭafā al-muntakhabi al-mukhtāri al-mubāraki sayyidinā wamawlānā Muḥammadin ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama waʿalā ʾashyāʿihi waʾatbāʿihi waʾanṣārihi waʾikhwānihi min al-nabiyyīna waṣalli Allāhumma ʿalā ʾhli ṭāʿatika ʾajmaʿīna min ʾhli al-samāwāti wa-al-ʾarḍīna waṣalli ʿalā Jibrīla wamīkāʾīla waʾisrāfīla waʿizrāʾīla wariḍwāna wamālika Allāhumma waṣalli ʿalā al-kurūbiyyīna wa-al-rūḥāniyyīna wa-al-muqarrabīna wa-al-sayyāḥīna wa-al-ḥafaẓati wa-al-safrati wa-al-ḥamlati waṣalli ʿalā malʾaʾikatika waʾahli al-samāwāti waʾhli al-ʾarḍīna waḥaythu ʾaḥāṭa bihim ʿilmuka fī jamīʿi ʾaqṭārika kullihā ṣalʾatan tarḍāhā watuḥibbuhā wakamā hum lidhalika kullihi ʾhlun waʾasʾaluka Allāhumma bijūdika wamajdika wabidhalika wafaḍlika waṭūlika wabirrika waʾiḥsānika wamaʿrūfika wakaramika wabimā istaqalla bihi al-ʿarshu min ʿiẓami rubūbiyyatika ʾasʾaluka yā jawwādu yā karīmu maghfirata kulli mā ʾaḥāṭa bihi ʿilmuka min dhunūbinā wa-al-tajāwuza ʿan kulli mā kāna minnā wādin Allāhumma maẓālimanā waqum biʾawadinā fī tabiʿātinā jawdan minka wamajdan wabadhlan minka waṭūlan wabadala qabīḥin mā kāna minnā ḥasanan yā man yamḥū mā yashāʾu wayuthbitu waʿindah ʾam al-kitābi ʾanta kadhalika lā kadhalika ghayruka iʿṣimnā fīmā baqiya min al-ʾaʿmāri ʾilā muntahā al-ʾājāli ʿiṣmatan dāʾimatan kāmilatan tāmmatan wakarrih ʾilaynā kulla alladhī takrahu waḥabbib ʾilaynā kulla alladhī tarḍāhu watuḥibbuhu wa-istaʿmilnā bihi ʿalā al-naḥwi alladhī tuḥibbu waʾadim dhalika lanā ʾilā ʾan tatawaffānā ʿalayhi ʾakkid ʿalā dhalika ʿazāʾimanā wa-ishdud ʿalayhā niyyātinā waʾaṣliḥ lahā sarāʾiranā wa-ibʿath lahā jawāriḥanā wakun waliyya tawfīqinā waziyādatanā wakifāyatanā hab lanā Allāhumma haybataka waʾijlālaka wataʿẓīmaka wamurāqabataka wa-al-ḥayāʾa minka waḥusni al-jiddi wa-al-musāraʿati wa-al-mubādarati ʾilā kulli qawlin zakiyyin ḥumaydin tarḍāhu wahab lanā Allāhumma mā wahabt liṣafwatika waʾawliyāʾika waʾahli ṭāʿatika min dāʾimi al-dhikri laka wakhāliṣi al-ʿamali liwajhika ʿalā ʾakmalihi waʾadwamihi waʾaṣfāhu waʾaḥabbahu ʾilayka waʾaʿinnā ʿalā al-ʿamali bidhalika ʾilā muntahā al-ʾājāli Allāhumma wabārik lanā fī al-mawti ʾidhā nazala binā ʾajʿaluhu yawma ḥayāʾin wakarāmatin wazulfā wasurūrin wa-ightibāṭin walā tajʿaluhu yawma nadamin walā yawma ʾasanā waʾawradnā min qubūrinā ʿalā surūrin wafaraḥin waqurrati ʿaynin wa-ijʿalhā riyāḍan min riyāḍi jannatika wabiqāʿan min biqāʿi karāmatika waraʾfatika waraḥmatika laqqinā fīhā al-ḥujaja waʾāminnā fīhā min al-rawʿāti wa-ijʿalnā ʾāminīna muṭmaʾinnīna ʾilā yawmi tabʿathunā yā jāmiʿa al-nāsi liyawmin lā rayba fīhi lā rayba fī dhalika al-yawmi ʿindanā ʾāmannā min rawʿātihi wakhalliṣnā min shadāʾidihi wa-ikshif ʿannā ʿaẓīma karbihi wa-isqinā min ẓamaʾihi wa-iḥshurnā fī zumrati Muḥammadin ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama al-muṣṭafā alladhī intakhabtahu wa-ikhtarth wajaʿaltahu al-shāfiʿa liʾawliyāʾika al-muqaddami ʿalā jamīʿi ʾaṣfiyāʾika alladhī jaʿalta zumratahu ʾāminatan min al-rawʿāti ʾasʾaluka yā man ʾilayhi lajaʾnā ʾilayhi ʾiyābanā waʿalayhi ḥisābunā ʾan tuḥāsibanā ḥisāban yasīran lā taqrīʿa fīhi walā taʾnība walā munāqashata walā muwāqafata ʿāmilnā bijūdika wamajdika karman wa-ijʿalnā min al-surʿāni al-maghbūṭīna wa-iʿṭinā kutubanā bi-al-ʾaymāni waʾajaznā al-ṣirāṭa maʿa al-surʿāni wathiqqil mawāzīninā yawma al-wazni walā tusmiʿnā lināri jahannama ḥasīsan walā zafīran waʾajirnā minhā wamin kulli mā yuqarrabu ʾilayhā min qawlin waʿamalin wa-ijʿalnā bijūdika wamajdika wakaramika fī dāri karāmatika waḥubūrika maʿa alladhīna ʾanʿamta ʿalayhim min al-nabiyyīna wa-al-ṣiddīqīna wa-al-shuhadāʾa wa-al-ṣāliḥīna waḥassin ʾūlaʾika rafīqan wa-ijmaʿ baynanā wabayna ʾābāʾinā waʾummahātinā waqarābātinā wadhurriyyātinā fī dārati qudsika wadāri ḥubūrika ʿalā ʾafḍali ḥālin waʾasrihā waḍumma ʾilaynā ʾikhwānanā alladhīna hum ʿalā ʾalfatinā wa-alladhīna kānū ʿalā dhalika min kulli dhakarin waʾunthā ballighhum mā ʾammalūhu wafawqa mā ʾammalūhu waʾaʿṭihim fawqa mā ṭalabūhu wa-ijmaʿ baynā wabaynahum fī dāri qudsika wadāri ḥubūrika ʿalā ʾafḍali ḥālin waʾasrihā waʿammi al-muʾminīna wa-al-muʾmināti jamīʿan biraʾfatika waraḥmatika alladhīna fāraqū al-dunyā ʿalā tawḥīdika kun lanā walahum waliyyan ka-al-ʾan kāfiyan wa-irḥam jufūfa ʾaqlāmihim wawuqūfa ʾaʿmālihim wamā ḥalla bihim min al-balāʾi wa-al-ʾaḥyāʾi minhum tub ʿalā musīʾihim wa-iqbal tawbatahum watajāwaz ʿan al-musrifi minhum wa-inṣur maẓlūmahum wa-ishfi marīḍahum watub ʿalaynā waʿalayhim tawbatan naṣūḥan tarḍāhā faʾinnaka al-jawādu bidhalika al-majīdi bihi al-qādiri ʿalayhi wakun Allāhumma li-l-mujāhidīna minhum waliyyan wa-ka-al-ʾan wakāfiyan wanāṣiran wa-inṣurhum ʿalā ʿaduwwihim naṣran ʿazīzan wa-ijʿal dāʾirata al-sūʾi ʿalā ʾaʿdāʾika waʾaʿdāʾinā ʾasfaka Allāhu dimāʾahum waʾabiḥ ḥarīmahum

I recited it before Abū Muḥammad Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Nuṣayr while he listened. He said: Al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad used to make this supplication throughout his days: Praise belongs to God—abundant, wholesome, blessed, and unfailing praise: praise that never ceases, passes away, runs out, or perishes; praise befitting the nobility of Your countenance and the might of Your majesty, for You are worthy of praise in the grandeur of Your lordship and greatness. To You likewise belongs every declaration of glory and holiness, every magnification, profession of divine unity, thanksgiving, and exaltation, and every fine, beautiful word that pleases You. O God, bless Your chosen, elect, blessed servant, our master and patron Muḥammad—may God bless him and his family and grant them peace—and bless his partisans, followers, helpers, and brethren among the prophets. O God, bless all who obey You among the inhabitants of the heavens and the earths. Bless Gabriel, Michael, Isrāfīl, ʿIzrāʾīl, Riḍwān, and Mālik. O God, bless the cherubim, the spiritual beings, those brought near, those who journey, the guardians, the scribes, and the bearers. Bless Your angels and the inhabitants of the heavens and the earths, wherever Your knowledge encompasses them throughout all Your dominions, with a blessing that You love and approve, and as befits them. O God, by Your generosity and glory, Your bounty and favor, Your gracious plenty, kindness, beneficence, goodness, and nobility—and by the majesty of Your lordship by which the Throne stands—I ask You, O Bountiful, O Generous, to forgive every sin of ours encompassed by Your knowledge and to pardon all that has proceeded from us. O God, discharge the wrongs for which we are liable, straighten our crookedness in what we owe, out of generosity, glory, giving, and gracious plenty from You, and replace the ugly things that came from us with good, O You who efface what You will and confirm what You will, with whom is the Mother of the Book. You alone are thus; no other is. Protect us for the rest of our lives until our appointed terms with lasting, whole, and perfect protection. Make hateful to us everything You hate, make beloved to us everything You love and approve, employ us in it as You love, and preserve us in it until You cause us to die upon it. Strengthen our resolves in this, make our intentions firm, set our inward selves right, stir our limbs to it, and be the guardian of our right guidance, increase, and sufficiency. O God, grant us awe of You, reverence for You, exaltation of You, watchfulness before You, modesty before You, earnest striving, and readiness to hasten toward every pure and praiseworthy word that pleases You. O God, grant us what You granted Your chosen ones, Your friends, and those who obey You: constant remembrance of You and action sincerely for Your countenance, in its fullest, most enduring, purest, and most beloved form before You. Help us to act accordingly until the end of our lives. O God, bless death for us when it descends upon us. Make it a day of honor, dignity, nearness, joy, and gladness, not a day of regret or sorrow. Bring us forth from our graves in joy, happiness, and delight; make them gardens from the gardens of Your Garden and places of Your honor, tenderness, and mercy. Give us the proofs to utter there, secure us from its terrors, and make us safe and tranquil until the day You raise us, O Gatherer of humankind for a day about which there is no doubt. We have no doubt concerning that day. Secure us from its terrors, deliver us from its hardships, lift from us its immense anguish, quench our thirst upon it, and gather us in the company of Muḥammad—may God bless him and his family and grant them peace—the chosen one whom You elected and selected, whom You appointed intercessor for Your friends and placed before all Your chosen ones, and whose company You made secure from the terrors. I ask You, O You to whom we seek refuge, to whom we return, and before whom is our reckoning, to call us to an easy account, without rebuke, reproach, close interrogation, or prolonged standing. Deal with us through Your generous glory and nobility. Make us among those who pass swiftly and are envied for their blessing. Place our books in our right hands, carry us swiftly across the Bridge, make our scales heavy on the Day of Weighing, and do not let us hear so much as the faintest sound or roar of Hell. Protect us from it and from every word and deed that draws one near it. Through Your generosity, glory, and nobility, place us in the abode of Your honor and joy with those You have favored—the prophets, the utterly truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous; how fine are they as companions. Unite us with our fathers, mothers, relatives, and descendants in Your sacred abode and Your abode of joy, in the finest and happiest condition. Join to us our brethren who share our fellowship, men and women alike, and those who once shared it. Bring them to what they hoped for and beyond what they hoped for; grant them more than they asked; and unite us with them in Your sacred abode and Your abode of joy in the finest and happiest condition. Enfold all believing men and women in Your tenderness and mercy: those who left this world affirming Your unity—be for us and them a protecting, watchful, sufficient guardian. Have mercy on them now that their pens have dried, their deeds have ceased, and affliction has overtaken them. As for the living among them, turn toward those who have done wrong, accept their repentance, overlook those who have gone too far, aid the wronged, heal the sick, and turn toward us and them with a sincere repentance pleasing to You. You are lavish in this gift, glorious in it, and fully able to grant it. O God, be the guardian, keeper, sufficiency, and helper of those among them who strive in Your path. Grant them a mighty victory over their enemy; turn the evil turn of fortune against Your enemies and ours; shed their blood, and lay their protected ground open.

§ 011 • SOURCE P 205

وَاجْعَلْهُمْ فَيْئًا لِإِخْوَانِنَا مِنْ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَصْلِحْ الرَّاعِيَ وَالرَّعِيَّةَ وَكُلَّ مَنْ وَلَّيْتَهُ شَيْئًا مِنْ أُمُورِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ صَلَاحًا بَاقِيًا دَائِمًا اللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْهُمْ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ لِمَنْ وَلَّيْتْهُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَهَبْ لَهُمْ الْعَطْفَ وَالرَّأْفَةَ وَالرَّحْمَةَ بِهِمْ وَأَدِمْ ذَلِكَ لَنَا فِيهِمْ وَلَهُمْ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ اللَّهُمَّ اجْمَعْ لَنَا الْكَلِمَةَ وَاحْقِنْ الدِّمَاءَ وَأَزِلْ عَنَّا الْفِتْنَةَ وَأَعِذْنَا مِنْ الْبَلَاءِ كُلِّهِ تَقُولُ ذَلِكَ لَنَا بِفَضْلِكَ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَنْتَ بِهِ أَعْلَمُ وَعَلَيْهِ أَقْدَرُ وَلَا تَرَنَا فِي أَهْلِ الْإِسْلَامِ سَيْفَيْنِ مُخْتَلِفَيْنِ وَلَا تَرَنَا بَيْنَهُمْ خِلَافًا اجْمَعْهُمْ عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ وَعَلَى مَا يُقَرُّ إِلَيْكَ فَإِنَّكَ وَلَّى ذَلِكَ وَأَهْلَهُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ إِنْ تُعِزَّنَا وَلَا تُذِلَّنَا وَتَرْفَعْنَا وَلَا تَضَعْنَا وَتَكُونَ لَنَا وَلَا تَكُنْ عَلَيْنَا وَتَجْمَعْ لَنَا سَبِيلَ الْأُمُورِ كُلِّهَا أُمُورَ الدُّنْيَا الَّتِي هِيَ بَلَاغٌ لَنَا إِلَى طَاعَتِكَ وَمَعُونَةً لَنَا عَلَى مُوَافَقَتِكَ وَأُمُورِ الْآخِرَةِ الَّتِي فِيهَا أَعْظَمُ رَغْبَتِنَا وَعَلَيْهَا مُعَوَّلُنَا وَإِلَيْهَا مُنْقَلَبُنَا فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَا يَتِمُّ لَنَا إِلَّا بِكَ وَلَا يَصْلُحُ لَنَا إِلَّا بِتَوْفِيقِكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَهَبْ لَنَا هَيْبَتَكَ وَإِجْلَالَكَ وَتَعْظِيمَكَ وَمَا وَهَبْت لِخَاصَّتِكَ مِنْ صَفْوَتِكَ مِنْ حَقِيقَةِ الْعِلْمِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ بِكَ مَنَّ عَلَيْنَا بِمَا مَنَنْت بِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ آيَاتِكَ وَكَرَامَاتِكَ وَاجْعَلْ ذَلِكَ دَائِمًا لَنَا يَا مَنْ لَهُ مَلَكُوتَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ اللَّهُمَّ وَهَبْ لَنَا الْعَافِيَةَ الْكَامِلَةَ فِي الْأبشَارِ وَجَمِيعِ الْأَحْوَالِ وَفِي جَمِيعِ الْإِخْوَانِ وَالذُّرِّيَّاتِ وَالْقَرَابَاتِ وَعَمَّ بِذَلِكَ جَمِيعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ أَجِرْ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ أَحْكَامِكَ أَرْضَاهَا لَكَ وَأَحَبَّهَا إِلَيْكَ وَأَعْوِنْهَا عَلَى كُلِّ مُقَرَّبٍ مِن قَوْلٍ وَعَمَلٍ يَا سَامِعَ الأَصْوَاتِ وَيَا عَالِمَ الْخَفِيَّاتِ وَيَا جَبَّارَ السَّمَاوَاتِ صَلِّ عَلَى عَبْدِكَ الْمُصْطَفَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ أَوَّلًا وَآخِرًا ظَاهِرًا وَبَاطِنًا وَاسْمَعْ وَاسْتَجِبْ وَافْعَلْ بِنَا مَا أَنْتَ أَهْلُهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الْأَكْرَمِينَ وَيَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ.

Wa-ijʿalhum fayʾan liʾikhwāninā min al-muʾminīna waʾaṣliḥ al-rāʿiya wa-al-raʿiyyata wakulla man wallaytahu shayʾan min ʾumūri al-muslimīna ṣalāḥan bāqiyan dāʾiman Allāhumma ʾaṣliḥhum fī ʾanfusihim waʾaṣliḥhum liman wallaythum ʿalayhim wahab lahum al-ʿaṭfa wa-al-raʾfata wa-al-raḥmata bihim waʾadim dhalika lanā fīhim walahum fī ʾanfusihim Allāhumma ijmaʿ lanā al-kalimata wa-iḥqin al-dimāʾa waʾazil ʿannā al-fitnata waʾaʿidhnā min al-balāʾi kullihi taqūlu dhalika lanā bifaḍlika min ḥaythu ʾanta bihi ʾaʿlamu waʿalayhi ʾaqdaru walā taranā fī ʾahli al-ʾislāmi sayfayni mukhtalifayni walā taranā baynahum khilāfan ijmaʿhum ʿalā ṭāʿatika waʿalā mā yuqarru ʾilayka faʾinnaka wallā dhalika waʾahlahu Allāhumma ʾinnā nasʾaluka ʾin tuʿizzanā walā tudhillanā watarfaʿnā walā taḍaʿnā watakūna lanā walā takun ʿalaynā watajmaʿ lanā sabīla al-ʾumūri kullihā ʾumūra al-dunyā allatī hiya balāghun lanā ʾilā ṭāʿatika wamaʿūnatan lanā ʿalā muwāfaqatika waʾumūri al-ʾākhirati allatī fīhā ʾaʿẓamu raghbatinā waʿalayhā muʿawwalunā waʾilayhā munqalabunā faʾinna dhalika lā yatimmu lanā ʾillā bika walā yaṣluḥu lanā ʾillā bitawfīqika Allāhumma wahab lanā haybataka waʾijlālaka wataʿẓīmaka wamā wahabt likhāṣṣatika min ṣafwatika min ḥaqīqati al-ʿilmi wa-al-maʿrifati bika manna ʿalaynā bimā manant bihi ʿalayhim min ʾāyātika wakarāmātika wa-ijʿal dhalika dāʾiman lanā yā man lahu malakūta kulli shayʾin wahuwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīrun Allāhumma wahab lanā al-ʿāfiyata al-kāmilata fī al-ʾbshāri wajamīʿi al-ʾaḥwāli wafī jamīʿi al-ʾikhwāni wa-al-dhurriyyāti wa-al-qarābāti waʿamma bidhalika jamīʿa al-muʾminīna wa-al-muʾmināti ʾajir ʿalaynā min ʾaḥkāmika ʾarḍāhā laka waʾaḥabbahā ʾilayka waʾaʿwinhā ʿalā kulli muqarrabin min qawlin waʿamalin yā sāmiʿa al-ʾaṣwāti wayā ʿālima al-khafiyyāti wayā jabbāra al-samāwāti ṣalli ʿalā ʿabdika al-muṣṭafā Muḥammadin waʿalā ʾāli Muḥammadin ʾawwalan waʾākhiran ẓāhiran wabāṭinan wa-ismaʿ wa-istajib wa-ifʿal binā mā ʾanta ʾahluhu yā ʾakrama al-ʾakramīna wayā ʾarḥama al-rāḥimīna.

Make them lawful spoils for our brethren among the believers. Set right the shepherd and the flock, and everyone whom You have placed over any affair of the Muslims, with a soundness that remains and endures. O God, set them right within themselves and set them right for those over whom You have appointed them. Grant them tenderness, compassion, and mercy toward their people, and preserve this for us through them and for them within themselves. O God, unite our word, spare bloodshed, remove civil strife from us, and protect us from every affliction. Bring this about for us through Your grace, in the way You know best and are most able to accomplish. Do not let us see two opposing swords among the people of Islam or conflict between them. Unite them in obedience to You and in what draws near to You, for You are the guardian of this and worthy to bring it about. O God, we ask You to give us honor and not humiliation, to raise us and not abase us, to be for us and not against us, and to gather for us the sound course of every affair: the affairs of this world that furnish us the means to obey You and help us accord with You, and the affairs of the hereafter, in which lies our greatest desire, upon which we rely, and to which we return. None of this is completed for us except through You, nor set right except through Your enabling grace. O God, grant us awe of You, reverence for You, and exaltation of You, and what You granted the elect among Your special servants: true knowledge and recognition of You. Favor us as You favored them with Your signs and gracious gifts, and make this enduring for us, O You to whom belongs the dominion of all things and who has power over all things. O God, grant us complete well-being in our bodies and every condition, and among all our brethren, descendants, and relatives; extend it to all believing men and women. Let the decrees You pass over us be those most pleasing to You and most beloved by You, and the strongest aid toward every word and deed that brings us near. O Hearer of voices, Knower of hidden things, Compeller of the heavens, bless Your chosen servant Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad, first and last, outwardly and inwardly. Hear, answer, and deal with us as befits You, O Most Generous of the generous and Most Merciful of the merciful.

رِسَالَةٌ فِي الْمَعْرِفَةِ

Risālatun fī al-maʿrifati

A Treatise on Knowledge of God

§ 013 • SOURCE P 206, 207

أَخْبَرَنِي جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ يَحْيَى الْفَقِيهُ الْأَسَفَيعَانِيُّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ الطُّرُقُ كُلُّهَا مَسْدُودَةٌ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ إِلَّا مَنْ اقْتَفَى أَثَرَ الرَّسُولِ وَاتَّبَعَ سُنَّتَهُ وَلَزِمَ طَرِيقَتَهُ فَإِنَّ طَرِيقَ الْخَيْرَاتِ كُلِّهَا مَفْتُوحَةٌ عَلَيْهِ وَقَرَأْت عَلَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حُبَيْشٍ فَقُلْت سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ سَأَلْت عَنْ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَأَسْبَابِهَا فَالْمَعْرِفَةُ مِنْ الْخَاصَّةِ وَالْعَامَّةِ هِيَ مَعْرِفَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ لِأَنَّ الْمَعْرُوفَ بِهَا وَاحِدٌ وَلَكِنْ لَهَا أَوَّلٌ وَأَعْلَى فَالْخَاصَّةُ فِي أَعْلَاهَا وَإِنْ كَانَ لَا يَبْلُغُ مِنْهَا غَايَةٌ وَلَا نِهَايَةٌ إِذْ لَا غَايَةَ لِلْمَعْرُوفِ عِنْدَ الْعَارِفِينَ وَكَيْفَ تُحِيطُ الْمَعْرِفَةُ بِمَنْ لَا تَلْحَقُهُ الْفِكْرَةُ وَلَا تُحِيطُ بِهِ الْعُقُولُ وَلَا تَتَوَهَّمُهُ الْأَذْهَانُ وَلَا تُكَيِّفُهُ الرُّؤْيَةُ وَأَعْلَمُ خَلْقَهُ بِهِ أَشَدُّهُمْ إِقْرَارًا بِالْعَجْزِ عَنْ إِدْرَاكِ عَظَمَتِهِ أَوْ تَكَشُّفِ ذَاتِهِ لِمَعْرِفَتِهِمْ بِعَجْزِهِمْ عَنْ إِدْرَاكِ مَنْ لَا شَيْءَ مِثْلِهِ إِذْ هُوَ الْقَدِيمُ وَمَا سِوَاهُ مُحْدَثٌ وَإِذْ هُوَ الْأَزَلِيُّ وَغَيْرُهُ الْمَبْدَأُ وَإِذْ هُوَ الْإِلَٰهُ وَمَا سِوَاهُ مَأْلُوهُ وَإِذْ هُوَ الْقَوِيُّ مِنْ غَيْرِ مُقَوٍّ وَكُلُّ قَوِيٍّ فَبِقُوَّتِهِ قَوِيٌّ وَإِذْ هُوَ الْعَالِمُ مِنْ غَيْرِ مُعَلِّمٍ وَلَا فَائِدَةٍ اسْتَفَادَهَا مِنْ غَيْرِهِ وَكُلُّ عَالِمٍ فَبِعِلْمِهِ عَلِمَ سُبْحَانَهُ الْأَوَّلَ بِغَيْرِ بِدَايَةٍ وَالْبَاقِي إِلَى غَيْرِ نِهَايَةٍ وَلَا يَسْتَحِقُّ هَذَا الْوَصْفَ غَيْرُهُ وَلَا يَلِيقُ بِسِوَاهُ فَأَهْلُ الْخَاصَّةِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَائِهِ فِي أَعْلَى الْمَعْرِفَةِ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَبْلُغُوا مِنْهَا غَايَةً وَلَا نِهَايَةً وَالْعَامَّةُ مِنْ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي أَوَّلِهَا وَلَهَا شَوَاهِدُ وَدَلَائِلُ مِنْ الْعَارِفِينَ عَلَى أَعْلَاهَا وَعَلَى أَدْنَاهَا فَالشَّاهِدُ عَلَى أَدْنَاهَا الْإِقْرَارُ بِتَوْحِيدِ اللَّهِ وَخَلْعُ الْأَنْدَادِ مِنْ دُونِهِ وَالتَّصْدِيقِ بِهِ وَبِكِتَابِهِ وَفَرْضِهِ فِيهِ وَنَهْيِهِ وَالشَّاهِدِ عَلَى أَعْلَاهَا الْقِيَامُ فِيهِ بِحَقِّهِ وَاتِّقَاؤُهُ فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ وَإِيثَارُهُ فِي جَمِيعِ خَلْقِهِ وَاتِّبَاعُ مَعَالِي الْأَخْلَاقِ وَاجْتِنَابُ مَا لَا يَقْرُبُ مِنْهُ فَالْمَعْرِفَةُ الَّتِي فُضِّلَتْ الْخَاصَّةُ عَلَى الْعَامَّةِ هِيَ عَظِيمُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ بِعَظِيمِ الْقَدْرِ وَالْإِجْلَالِ وَالْقُدْرَةِ النَّافِذَةِ وَالْعِلْمِ الْمُحِيطِ وَالْجُودِ وَالْكَرَمُ وَالْآلَاءِ فَعَظُمَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ قَدْرُهُ وَقَدْرُ جَلَالَتِهِ وَهَيْبَتُهُ وَنَفَاذِ قُدْرَتِهِ وَأَلِيمِ عَذَابِهِ وَشِدَّةِ بَطْشِهِ وَجَزِيلِ ثَوَابِهِ وَكَرَمِهِ وَجُودِهِ بِجَنَّتِهِ وَتَحَنُّنِهِ وَكَثْرَةِ أَيَادِيهِ وَنِعَمِهِ وَإِحْسَانِهِ وَرَأْفَتِهِ وَرَحْمَتِهِ فَلَمَّا عَظُمَتْ الْمَعْرِفَةُ بِذَلِكَ عَظُمَ الْقَادِرُ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَجْلَوْهُ وَهَابُوهُ وَأَحَبُّوْهُ وَاسْتَحْيَوْا مِنْهُ وَخَافُوهُ وَرَجَوْهُ فَقَامُوا بِحَقِّهِ وَاجْتَنَبُوا كُلَّ مَا نَهَى عَنْهُ وَأَعْطَوْهُ الْمَجْهُودَ مِنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَأَبْدَانِهِمْ أَزْعَجَهُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ مَا اسْتَقَرَّ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مِنْ عَظِيمِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِعَظِيمِ قَدْرِهِ وَقَدْرِ ثَوَابِهِ وَعِقَابِهِ فَهُمْ أَهْلُ الْخَاصَّةِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَائِهِ فَلِذَلِكَ قِيلَ فُلَانٌ بِاللَّهِ عَارِفٌ وَفُلَانٌ بِاللَّهِ عَالِمٌ لَمَّا رَأَوْهُ مَجَلًّا هَائِبًا رَاهِبًا رَاجِيًا طَالِبًا مُشْتَاقًا وَرِعًا مُتَّقِيًا بَاكِيًا حَزِينًا خَاضِعًا مُتَذَلِّلًا فَلَمَّا ظَهَرَتْ مِنْهُمْ هَذِهِ الْأَخْلَاقُ عَرَفَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ بِاللَّهِ أَعْرَفُ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنْ عَوَامِّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَكَذَلِكَ وَصَفَهُمْ اللَّهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ وَقَالَ دَاوُد عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ إِلَٰهِي مَا عَلِمَ مَنْ لَمْ يَخْشَكَ فَالْمَعْرِفَةُ الَّتِي فُضِّلَتْ بِهَا الْخَاصَّةُ الْعَامَّةُ هِيَ عَظِيمُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ فَإِذَا عَظُمَتْ الْمَعْرِفَةُ بِذَلِكَ وَاسْتَقَرَّتْ وَلَزِمَتْ الْقُلُوبُ صَارَتْ يَقِينًا قَوِيًّا فَكَمُلَتْ حِينَئِذٍ أَخْلَاقُ الْعَبْدِ وَتَطَهَّرَ مِنْ الْأَدْنَاسِ فَنَالَ بِهِ عَظِيمَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِعَظِيمِ الْقَدْرِ وَالْجَلَالِ وَالتَّذَكُّرِ وَالتَّفَكُّرِ فِي الْخَلْقِ كَيْفَ خَلَقَهُمْ وَأَتْقَنَ صَنْعَتَهُمْ وَفِي الْمَقَادِيرِ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَهَا فَاتَّسَقَتْ عَلَى الْهَيْئَاتِ الَّتِي هَيَّأَهَا وَالْأَوْقَاتِ الَّتِي وَقَّتَهَا وَفِي الْأُمُورِ كَيْفَ دَبَّرَهَا عَلَى إِرَادَتِهِ وَمَشِيئَتِهِ فَلَمْ يَمْتَنِعْ مِنْهَا شَيْءٌ عَنْ الْمُضِيِّ عَلَى إِرَادَتِهِ وَالِاتِّسَاقِ عَلَى مَشِيئَتِهِ وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ إِنَّ النَّظَرَ فِي الْقُدْرَةِ يَفْتَحُ بَابَ التَّعْظِيمِ لِلَّهِ فِي الْقَلْبِ وَمَرَّ بَعْضُ الْحُكَمَاءِ بِمَالِكِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ مَالِكٌ عِظْنَا رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ فَقَالَ بِمَ أَعَظَّكَ إِنَّكَ لَوْ عَرَفْت اللَّهَ أَغْنَاكَ ذَلِكَ عَنْ كُلِّ كَلَامٍ لَكِنْ عَرَّفُوهُ عَلَى دَلَالَةِ أَنَّهُمْ لَمَّا نَظَرُوا فِي اخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَدَوَرَانِ هَذَا الْفَلَكِ وَارْتِفَاعِ هَذَا السَّقْفِ بِلَا عَمْدٍ وَمَجَارَى هَذِهِ الْأَنْهَارِ وَالْبِحَارِ عَلِمُوا أَنَّ لِذَلِكَ صَانِعًا وَمُدَبِّرًا لَا يَعْزُبُ عَنْهُ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ خَلْقِهِ فَعَبَدُوهُ بِدَلَائِلِهِ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ حَتَّى كَأَنَّهُمْ عَايَنُوهُ وَاللَّهُ فِي دَارِ جَلَالِهِ عَنْ رُؤْيَتِهِ فَفِي ذَلِكَ دَلِيلٌ أَنَّهُمْ بِعَظِيمِ قَدْرِهِ أَعْرَفُ وَأَعْلَمُ إِذْ هُمْ لَهُ أَجَلُّ وَأَهْيَبُ.

ʾakhbaranī jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadin fī kitābihi waḥaddathanī ʿanhu al-ḥusaynu bnu Yaḥyā al-faqīhu al-ʾasafayʿāniyyu qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu al-ṭuruqu kulluhā masdūdatun ʿalā al-khalqi ʾillā man iqtafā ʾathara al-rasūli wa-ittabaʿa sunnatahu walazima ṭarīqatahu faʾinna ṭarīqa al-khayrāti kullihā maftūḥatun ʿalayhi waqaraʾt ʿalā Muḥammadi bni ʿaliyyi bni ḥubayshin faqult samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu saʾalt ʿan al-maʿrifati waʾasbābihā fa-al-maʿrifatu min al-khāṣṣati wa-al-ʿāmmati hiya maʿrifatun wāḥidatun liʾanna al-maʿrūfa bihā wāḥidun walakin lahā ʾawwalun waʾaʿlā fa-al-khāṣṣatu fī ʾaʿlāhā waʾin kāna lā yablughu minhā ghāyatun walā nihāyatun ʾidh lā ghāyata li-l-maʿrūfi ʿinda al-ʿārifīna wakayfa tuḥīṭu al-maʿrifatu biman lā talḥaquhu al-fikratu walā tuḥīṭu bihi al-ʿuqūlu walā tatawahhamuhu al-ʾadhhānu walā tukayyifuhu al-ruʾyatu waʾaʿlamu khalqahu bihi ʾashadduhum ʾiqrāran bi-al-ʿajzi ʿan ʾidrāki ʿaẓamatihi ʾaw takashshufi dhātihi limaʿrifatihim biʿajzihim ʿan ʾidrāki man lā shayʾa mithlihi ʾidh huwa al-qadīmu wamā siwāhu muḥdathun waʾidh huwa al-ʾazaliyyu waghayruhu al-mabdaʾu waʾidh huwa al-ʾilāhu wamā siwāhu maʾlūhu waʾidh huwa al-qawiyyu min ghayri muqawwin wakullu qawiyyin fabiquwwatihi qawiyyun waʾidh huwa al-ʿālimu min ghayri muʿallimin walā fāʾidatin istafādahā min ghayrihi wakullu ʿālimin fabiʿilmihi ʿalima subḥānahu al-ʾawwala bighayri bidāyatin wa-al-bāqī ʾilā ghayri nihāyatin walā yastaḥiqqu hadhā al-waṣfa ghayruhu walā yalīqu bisiwāhu faʾahlu al-khāṣṣati min ʾawliyāʾihi fī ʾaʿlā al-maʿrifati min ghayri ʾan yablughū minhā ghāyatan walā nihāyatan wa-al-ʿāmmatu min al-muʾminīna fī ʾawwalihā walahā shawāhidu wadalāʾilu min al-ʿārifīna ʿalā ʾaʿlāhā waʿalā ʾadnāhā fa-al-shāhidu ʿalā ʾadnāhā al-ʾiqrāru bitawḥīdi Allāhi wakhalʿu al-ʾandādi min dūnihi wa-al-taṣdīqi bihi wabikitābihi wafarḍihi fīhi wanahyihi wa-al-shāhidi ʿalā ʾaʿlāhā al-qiyāmu fīhi biḥaqqihi wa-ittiqāʾuhu fī kulli waqtin waʾīthāruhu fī jamīʿi khalqihi wa-ittibāʿu maʿālī al-ʾakhlāqi wa-ijtinābu mā lā yaqrubu minhu fa-al-maʿrifatu allatī fuḍḍilat al-khāṣṣatu ʿalā al-ʿāmmati hiya ʿaẓīmu al-maʿrifati fī qulūbihim biʿaẓīmi al-qadri wa-al-ʾijlāli wa-al-qudrati al-nāfidhati wa-al-ʿilmi al-muḥīṭi wa-al-jūdi wa-al-karamu wa-al-ʾālāʾi faʿaẓuma fī qulūbihim qadruhu waqadru jalālatihi wahaybatuhu wanafādhi qudratihi waʾalīmi ʿadhābihi washiddati baṭshihi wajazīli thawābihi wakaramihi wajūdihi bijannatihi wataḥannunihi wakathrati ʾayādīhi waniʿamihi waʾiḥsānihi waraʾfatihi waraḥmatihi falammā ʿaẓumat al-maʿrifatu bidhalika ʿaẓuma al-qādiru fī qulūbihim faʾajlawhu wahābūhu waʾaḥabbūhu wa-istaḥyawā minhu wakhāfūhu warajawhu faqāmū biḥaqqihi wa-ijtanabū kulla mā nahā ʿanhu waʾaʿṭawhu al-majhūda min qulūbihim waʾabdānihim ʾazʿajahum ʿalā dhalika mā istaqarra fī qulūbihim min ʿaẓīmi al-maʿrifati biʿaẓīmi qadrihi waqadri thawābihi waʿiqābihi fahum ʾahlu al-khāṣṣati min ʾawliyāʾihi falidhalika qīla fulānun bi-llāhi ʿārifun wafulānun bi-llāhi ʿālimun lammā raʾawhu majallan hāʾiban rāhiban rājiyan ṭāliban mushtāqan wariʿan muttaqiyan bākiyan ḥazīnan khāḍiʿan mutadhallilan falammā ẓaharat minhum hadhihi al-ʾakhlāqu ʿarafa al-muslimūna ʾannahum bi-llāhi ʾaʿrafu waʾaʿlamu min ʿawāmmi al-muslimīna wakadhalika waṣafahum Allāhu faqāla ʾinnamā yakhshā Allāha min ʿibādihi al-ʿulamāʾu waqāla dāwud ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾilāhī mā ʿalima man lam yakhshaka fa-al-maʿrifatu allatī fuḍḍilat bihā al-khāṣṣatu al-ʿāmmatu hiya ʿaẓīmu al-maʿrifati faʾidhā ʿaẓumat al-maʿrifatu bidhalika wa-istaqarrat walazimat al-qulūbu ṣārat yaqīnan qawiyyan fakamulat ḥīnaʾidhin ʾakhlāqu al-ʿabdi wataṭahhara min al-ʾadnāsi fanāla bihi ʿaẓīma al-maʿrifati biʿaẓīmi al-qadri wa-al-jalāli wa-al-tadhakkuri wa-al-tafakkuri fī al-khalqi kayfa khalaqahum waʾatqana ṣanʿatahum wafī al-maqādīri kayfa qaddarahā fa-ittasaqat ʿalā al-hayʾāti allatī hayyaʾahā wa-al-ʾawqāti allatī waqqatahā wafī al-ʾumūri kayfa dabbarahā ʿalā ʾirādatihi wamashīʾatihi falam yamtaniʿ minhā shayʾun ʿan al-muḍiyyi ʿalā ʾirādatihi wa-al-itisāqi ʿalā mashīʾatihi waqad qāla baʿḍu ʾahli al-ʿilmi ʾinna al-naẓara fī al-qudrati yaftaḥu bāba al-taʿẓīmi li-llāhi fī al-qalbi wamarra baʿḍu al-ḥukamāʾi bimāliki bni dīnārin faqāla lahu mālikun ʿiẓnā raḥimaka Allāhu faqāla bima ʾaʿaẓẓaka ʾinnaka law ʿaraft Allāha ʾaghnāka dhalika ʿan kulli kalāmin lakin ʿarrafūhu ʿalā dalālati ʾannahum lammā naẓarū fī ikhtilāfi al-layli wa-al-nahāri wadawarāni hadhā al-falaki wa-irtifāʿi hadhā al-saqfi bilā ʿamdin wamajārā hadhihi al-ʾanhāri wa-al-biḥāri ʿalimū ʾanna lidhalika ṣāniʿan wamudabbiran lā yaʿzubu ʿanhu mithqālu dharratin min ʾaʿmāli khalqihi faʿabadūhu bidalāʾilihi ʿalā nafsihi ḥattā kaʾannahum ʿāyanūhu wa-llāhu fī dāri jalālihi ʿan ruʾyatihi fafī dhalika dalīlun ʾannahum biʿaẓīmi qadrihi ʾaʿrafu waʾaʿlamu ʾidh hum lahu ʾajallu waʾahyabu.

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad informed me in his letter, and al-Ḥusayn ibn Yaḥyā, the jurist of Iṣfahān, related it to me from him. He said: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘All paths are closed to created beings except to one who follows the Messenger’s footsteps, adheres to his Sunna, and holds fast to his way; for every path of goodness is open to such a person.’ I also recited before Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Ḥubaysh and said: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say: You asked about knowledge of God and its causes. The knowledge possessed by the elect and by ordinary believers is one knowledge, because the One known through it is one; but it has a beginning and a summit. The elect stand at its summit, although no one reaches its furthest limit or end, for among those who know God there is no limit to the One known. How could knowledge encompass One whom thought cannot reach, intellects cannot contain, minds cannot imagine, and vision cannot qualify? Those of His creatures who know Him best are those who most fully confess their inability to comprehend His grandeur or uncover His Essence. They know that they cannot comprehend One of whom nothing is the like: He is the Beginningless, while all besides Him is originated; He is the Eternal, while all else has a beginning; He is God, while all besides Him is made to worship; He is strong without anyone strengthening Him, while every strong being is strong through His strength; and He knows without a teacher or any benefit acquired from another, while every knower knows through His knowledge. Glory be to Him: the First without beginning and the One who remains without end. No other deserves this description, nor does it befit anyone besides Him. The elect among His friends stand at the summit of knowledge without reaching its final limit, while ordinary believers stand at its beginning. Among those who know are signs and proofs of its lower and higher degrees. The sign of its lowest degree is affirming God’s unity, casting aside all rivals apart from Him, believing in Him and His Book, and accepting the obligations and prohibitions it contains. The sign of its highest degree is to fulfill His due within it, remain reverent before Him at every moment, prefer Him throughout His creation, follow the noblest traits of character, and avoid whatever does not bring one near Him. The knowledge by which the elect surpass ordinary believers is the greatness of the knowledge established in their hearts: knowledge of His immense worth and majesty, His irresistible power, all-encompassing knowledge, generosity, nobility, and favors. His worth, majesty, awe, penetrating power, painful punishment, forceful seizure, immense reward, nobility, generous gift of His Garden, tenderness, abundant benefits and blessings, beneficence, compassion, and mercy became great in their hearts. As their knowledge of these things grew, the All-Powerful became great in their hearts. They revered Him, stood in awe of Him, loved Him, felt modest before Him, feared Him, and hoped in Him. They fulfilled His right, avoided everything He forbade, and offered Him the utmost effort of their hearts and bodies. What impelled them was the immense knowledge established in their hearts of His worth and of His reward and punishment. These are the elect among His friends. Thus people say, ‘So-and-so knows God,’ or, ‘So-and-so has knowledge of God,’ when they see that person full of reverence, awe, fear, hope, seeking, longing, scrupulousness, God-consciousness, tears, sorrow, humility, and lowliness. When these traits appeared in them, the Muslims recognized that they knew God more fully than ordinary Muslims. God described them in this way: ‘Only those of His servants who possess knowledge truly fear God.’ David—peace be upon him—said, ‘My God, whoever does not fear You has not known You.’ The knowledge by which the elect surpass ordinary believers is this immense knowledge. When it becomes great, settled, and constant in the heart, it turns into powerful certainty. The servant’s character then reaches maturity and is cleansed of defilements. Through this the servant attains immense knowledge of divine worth and majesty, and through remembering and reflecting upon creation: how He created beings and perfected their making; upon measures: how He determined them so that they came into order according to the forms He prepared and the times He fixed; and upon affairs: how He governs them according to His will and choosing, so that nothing resists proceeding according to His will or coming into order according to His choosing. One of the people of knowledge said, ‘Contemplating divine power opens the gate of magnifying God within the heart.’ A sage once passed by Mālik ibn Dīnār, and Mālik said, ‘Admonish us—may God have mercy on you.’ He replied, ‘With what should I admonish you? If you knew God, that knowledge would make every speech unnecessary.’ Yet they made Him known through His signs: when they considered the alternation of night and day, the turning of the celestial sphere, the raising of this canopy without pillars, and the courses of rivers and seas, they knew that all this has a Maker and Governor from whom not even an atom’s weight of His creatures’ deeds is hidden. They worshipped Him through the signs by which He disclosed Himself until it was as though they saw Him—while God, in the abode of His majesty, is beyond their seeing. This shows that they know His immense worth most fully, for they revere Him and stand in awe of Him most deeply.

رِسَالَةُ الْجُنَيْدِ إِلَى أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ الْمَارِسْتَانِيِّ

Risālatu al-Junaydi ʾilā ʾabī ʾisḥāqa al-māristāniyyi

Al-Junayd’s Letter to Abū Isḥāq al-Māristānī

§ 015 • SOURCE P 208

أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْمُفِيدُ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدَّثَنَا عَنْهُ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ لَقِيتَهُ ثَنَا عَبْدُ الصَّمَدِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْجَبَلِيُّ قَالَ كَتَبَ الْجُنَيْدُ إِلَى أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ الْمَارَسْتَانِيِّ يَا أَخِي كَيْفَ أَنْتَ فِي تَرْكِ مُوَاصَلَةِ مِنْ عِرْضِكَ لِلتَّقْصِيرِ وَدَعَاكَ إِلَى النَّقْصِ وَالْفُتُورِ وَكَيْفَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ تَكُونَ مُبَايَنَتُكَ لَهُ وَهِجْرَانُكَ وَكَيْفَ إِعْرَاضُ سِرِّكَ وَنُبُوُّ قَلْبِكَ وَعُزُوفُ ضَمِيرِكَ عَنْهُ حَقِيقٌ عَلَيْكَ عَلَى مَا وَهَبَهُ اللَّهُ لَكَ وَخَصَّكَ بِهِ مِنْ الْعِلْمِ الْجَلِيلِ وَالْمُنْزَّلِ الشَّرِيفِ أَنْ تَكُونَ عَنْ الْمُقْبِلِينَ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا مُعْرِضًا وَأَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُمْ بِسِرِّكَ وَجَهْرِكَ قَالِيًا وَأَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُمْ فِي بَلَائِهِمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ شَافِعًا فَذَلِكَ بَعْضُ حَقِّكَ لَكَ وَحَرِّي بِكَ أَنْ تَكُونَ لِلْمُذْنِبِينَ ذَائِدًا وَأَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُمْ بِفَهْمِ الْخِطَابِ إِلَى اللَّهِ رَائِدًا وَفِي اسْتِنْقَاذِهِمْ وَافِدًا فَتِلْكَ حَقَائِقُ الْعُلَمَاءِ وَأَمَاكِنِ الْحُكَمَاءِ وَأَحَبُّ الْخَلْقِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَنْفَعُهُمْ لِعِيَالِهِ وَأَعَمُّهُمْ نَفْعًا لِجُمْلَةِ خَلْقِهِ جَعَلَنَا اللَّهُ وَإِيَّاكَ مِنْ أَخَصِّ مَنْ أَخْلَصِهُ بِالْإِخْلَاصِ إِلَيْهِ وَأَقْرَبِهِمْ فِي مَحَلِّ الزُّلْفَى لَدَيْهِ أَيَحْسُنُ بِالْعَاقِلِ اللَّبِيبِ وَالْفَهْمِ الْأَدِيبِ الطَّالِبِ الْمَطْلُوبِ الْمُحِبِّ الْمَحْبُوبَ الْمُكْلَأَ الْمُعَلِّمِ الْمُزَلَّفِ الْمُقَرَّبَ الْمَجَالِسِ الْمُؤَانِسَ أَنْ يُعِيرَ الدُّنْيَا طَرْفَهُ أَوْ يُوَافِقَهَا بِلَحْظَةٍ وَقَدْ سَمِعَ سَيِّدِهِ وَمَوْلَاهُ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ لِأَجْلِ أَصْفِيَائِهِ وَسَيِّدِ رُسُلِهِ وَأَنْبِيَائِهِ:

ʾakhbaranā Muḥammadu bnu ʾaḥmada al-mufīdu fī kitābihi waḥaddathanā ʿanhu ʿuthmānu bnu Muḥammadin qabla ʾan laqītahu thanā ʿabdu al-ṣamadi bnu Muḥammadin al-jabaliyyu qāla kataba al-Junaydu ʾilā ʾabī ʾisḥāqa al-mārastāniyyi yā ʾakhī kayfa ʾanta fī tarki muwāṣalati min ʿirḍika li-l-taqṣīri wadaʿāka ʾilā al-naqṣi wa-al-futūri wakayfa yanbaghī ʾan takūna mubāyanatuka lahu wahijrānuka wakayfa ʾiʿrāḍu sirrika wanubuwwu qalbika waʿuzūfu ḍamīrika ʿanhu ḥaqīqun ʿalayka ʿalā mā wahabahu Allāhu laka wakhaṣṣaka bihi min al-ʿilmi al-jalīli wa-al-munzzali al-sharīfi ʾan takūna ʿan al-muqbilīna ʿalā al-dunyā muʿriḍan waʾan takūna lahum bisirrika wajahrika qāliyan waʾan takūna lahum fī balāʾihim ʾilā Allāhi shāfiʿan fadhalika baʿḍu ḥaqqika laka waḥarrī bika ʾan takūna li-l-mudhnibīna dhāʾidan waʾan takūna lahum bifahmi al-khiṭābi ʾilā Allāhi rāʾidan wafī istinqādhihim wāfidan fatilka ḥaqāʾiqu al-ʿulamāʾi waʾamākini al-ḥukamāʾi waʾaḥabbu al-khalqi ʾilā Allāhi ʾanfaʿuhum liʿiyālihi waʾaʿammuhum nafʿan lijumlati khalqihi jaʿalanā Allāhu waʾiyyāka min ʾakhaṣṣi man ʾakhlaṣihu bi-al-ʾikhlāṣi ʾilayhi waʾaqrabihim fī maḥalli al-zulfā ladayhi ʾayaḥsunu bi-al-ʿāqili al-labībi wa-al-fahmi al-ʾadībi al-ṭālibi al-maṭlūbi al-muḥibbi al-maḥbūba al-muklaʾa al-muʿallimi al-muzallafi al-muqarraba al-majālisi al-muʾānisa ʾan yuʿīra al-dunyā ṭarfahu ʾaw yuwāfiqahā bilaḥẓatin waqad samiʿa sayyidihi wamawlāhu wahuwa yaqūlu liʾajli ʾaṣfiyāʾihi wasayyidi rusulihi waʾanbiyāʾihi:

Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Mufīd informed us in his book, and ʿUthmān ibn Muḥammad related it to us from him before I met him. ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Muḥammad al-Jabalī related: Al-Junayd wrote to Abū Isḥāq al-Māristānī: My brother, how do you stand in severing companionship with one who exposed you to falling short and summoned you to deficiency and weariness? How should you separate from and abandon him? How should your inner secret turn away, your heart recoil, and your conscience withdraw from him? In view of the noble knowledge and honored station God has granted and assigned to you, it is truly incumbent upon you to turn away from those who turn toward this world, to detest their orientation both inwardly and openly, yet to intercede for them with God amid their affliction. This is part of what you owe yourself. It is fitting that you should restrain sinners, guide them toward God through understanding the divine address, and go forth to rescue them. These are the realities proper to the learned and the stations of the wise. The creatures dearest to God are those most useful to His dependents and of widest benefit to His creation. May God make us and you among those whom He has singled out for pure devotion to Him and brought nearest in the station of proximity before Him. Does it befit the intelligent, perceptive, refined person—the seeker who is sought, the lover who is loved, the guarded one who is taught, the one brought near and admitted to intimate company—to lend this world his glance or agree with it even for a moment, after hearing his Master and Patron address the noblest of His chosen ones and the master of His messengers and prophets:

§ 016

وَلَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلى مَا مَتَّعْنا بِهِ أَزْواجاً مِنْهُمْ زَهْرَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ

Walā tamuddanna ʿaynayka ʾilā mā mattaʿnā bihi ʾazwājʾ minhum zahrata al-ḥayāti al-dunyā linaftinahum fīhi

‘Do not stretch your eyes toward the enjoyment We have given some groups of them—the flower of the life of this world—by which We test them.’

§ 017

[طَه: 131] الْآيَةَ، أَفَشَاهِدُ أَنْتَ لِفَهْمِ الْخِطَابِ وَإِمْكَانِ رَدِّ الْجَوَابِ فَتَرْكِ حَظِّهِ مِنْ اللَّهِ مِمَّا فَاتَهُ وَمُصَافَاتِهِ وَكَافَأَتهِ وَمَكَانِهِ مِنْهُ وَمُوَالَاتِهِ أَنْ يُوَادَّ مَنْ لَا يُوَادُّهُ أَوْ يَأْلَفَ مَنْ لَا يُوَافِقُهُ غَضٌّ يَا أَخِي بَصِّرَ سِرِّكَ وَبَصِيرَةِ قَلْبِكَ عَنْ الْإِيمَاءِ إِلَى النَّظَرِ إِلَيْهِمْ دُونَ الْمُوَاصَلَةِ لَهُمْ وَصُنْ بِالْمَضْمُونِ مِنْ ضَمِيرِكَ عَنْ أَنْ تَكُونَ لَكَ بِالْقَوْمِ مُؤَالَفَةٌ فَوَ اللَّهِ لَا وَإِلَى اللَّهِ مَنْ يُحَادُّهُ وَلَا أَقْبَلُ عَلَى مَنْ يُبْغِضُهُ وَلَا عَظَّمَ مَنْ يُعَظِّمُ مَا صَغَّرَهُ وَقَلَّلَهُ إِلَّا أَنْ يَنْزِعَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَكُنْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ عَلَى يَقِينٍ وَكُنْ لِأُمَاكِنَ مَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ الْحَقِّ مُسْتَهِينًا وَبَعْدَ يَا أَخِي فَتَفَضَّلْ بِاحْتِمَالِي إِنْ غَلُظَ عَلَيْكَ مَقَالِي وَتُجَشَّمَ الصَّبْرُ عَلَى أَنْ يُوَافِقَ قَلْبُكَ مَا فِي كِتَابِي فَإِنَّ الْمُنَاصَحَةَ وَالْمُفَاصَحَةَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ الْإِغْضَاءِ مَعَ الْمُتَارَكَةِ وَأَنَّى أَخْتِمُ كِتَابِي وَأَسْتَدْعَى جَوَابِي بِقَوْلِي الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي هَدَانَا لِهَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْلَا أَنْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ الْمُصْطَفَى وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا

[ṭah: 131] al-ʾāyata, ʾafashāhidu ʾanta lifahmi al-khiṭābi waʾimkāni raddi al-jawābi fatarki ḥaẓẓihi min Allāhi mimmā fātahu wamuṣāfātihi wakāfaʾathi wamakānihi minhu wamuwālātihi ʾan yuwādda man lā yuwādduhu ʾaw yaʾlafa man lā yuwāfiquhu ghaḍḍun yā ʾakhī baṣṣira sirrika wabaṣīrati qalbika ʿan al-ʾīmāʾi ʾilā al-naẓari ʾilayhim dūna al-muwāṣalati lahum waṣun bi-al-maḍmūni min ḍamīrika ʿan ʾan takūna laka bi-al-qawmi muʾālafatun fawa Allāhi lā waʾilā Allāhi man yuḥādduhu walā ʾaqbalu ʿalā man yubghiḍuhu walā ʿaẓẓama man yuʿaẓẓimu mā ṣaghgharahu waqallalahu ʾillā ʾan yanziʿa ʿan dhalika fakun min dhalika ʿalā yaqīnin wakun liʾumākina man ʾaʿraḍa ʿan al-ḥaqqi mustahīnan wabaʿda yā ʾakhī fatafaḍḍal bi-iḥtimālī ʾin ghaluẓa ʿalayka maqālī watujashshama al-ṣabru ʿalā ʾan yuwāfiqa qalbuka mā fī kitābī faʾinna al-munāṣaḥata wa-al-mufāṣaḥata khayrun min al-ʾighḍāʾi maʿa al-mutārakati waʾannā ʾakhtimu kitābī waʾastadʿā jawābī biqawlī al-ḥamdu li-llāhi alladhī hadānā lihadhā wamā kunnā linahtadiya lawlā ʾan hadānā Allāhu waṣallā Allāhu ʿalā sayyidinā Muḥammadin al-muṣṭafā waʿalā ʾālihi wasallama taslīman kathīran

[Ṭā Hā 20:131]. The verse. Are you present enough to understand the address and able to return an answer? Should one abandon his portion from God because of what has escaped him, yet seek sincere friendship, reciprocity, rank, and allegiance with someone who does not love what God loves, or grow familiar with someone who does not agree with Him? Lower, my brother, the gaze of your inner secret and the insight of your heart from even inclining to look toward them, much less joining their company. Guard what your conscience contains against forming any affinity with such people. By God, no one takes as a friend a person who opposes Him, turns toward someone He detests, or magnifies what He has made small and slight—unless that person first renounces such conduct. Be certain of this, and hold in little account the positions of those who turn away from the Real. Furthermore, my brother, graciously bear with me if my words weigh heavily upon you, and take upon yourself the patience needed for your heart to agree with what is in my letter. Sincere counsel joined to plain speech is better than looking away while leaving matters untouched. I now close my letter and ask for your reply with these words: Praise belongs to God who guided us to this; we would never have been guided had God not guided us. May God bless our master Muḥammad, the Chosen, and his family, and grant them abundant peace.

رِسَالَةٌ إِلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ

Risālatun ʾilā baʿḍi ʾikhwānihi

A Letter to One of His Brethren

§ 019 • SOURCE P 209

سَمِعْتُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ هَارُونَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ وَقَرَأَهُ عَلَيْنَا فِي كِتَابٍ كَتَبَ بِهِ إِلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ اعْلَمْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْكَ أَنَّ أَقْرَبَ مَا اسْتَدْعَى بِهِ قُلُوبَ الْمُرِيدِينَ وَنَبَّهَ بِهِ قُلُوبَ الْغَافِلِينَ وَزَجَرَتْ عَنْهُ نُفُوسَ الْمُتَخَلِّفِينَ مَا صَدَّقْتَه مِنْ الْأَقْوَالِ جَمِيعَ مَا اتُّبِعَ بِهِ مِنْ الْأَفْعَالِ فَهَلْ يُحْسُنُ يَا أَخِي أَنْ يَدْعُوَ دَاعٍ إِلَى أَمْرٍ لَا يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ شِعَارُهُ وَلَا تَظْهَرُ مِنْهُ زِينَتُهُ وَآثَارُهُ وَأَلَّا يَكُونَ قَائِلُهُ عَامِلًا فِيهِ بِالتَّحْقِيقِ وَبِكُلِّ فِعْلٍ بِذَلِكَ الْقَوْلِ يَلِيقُ وَأَفُكُّ مَنْ دَعَا إِلَى الزُّهْدِ وَعَلَيْهِ شِعَارُ الرَّاغِبِينَ وَأَمَرَ بِالتَّرْكِ وَكَانَ مِنْ الْآخِذِينَ وَأَمَرَ بِالْجِدِّ فِي الْعَمَلِ وَكَانَ مِنْ الْمُقَصِّرِينَ وَحَثٌّ عَلَى الِاجْتِهَادِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ الْمُجْتَهِدِينَ إِلَّا قَلَّ قَبُولُ الْمُسْتَمِعِينَ لِقِيلِهِ وَنَفَرَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِمَا يَرَوْنَ مِنْ فِعْلِهِ وَكَانَ حُجَّةً لِمَنْ جَعَلَ التَّأْوِيلَ سَبَبًا إِلَى اتِّبَاعِ هَوَاهُ وَمُسَهِّلًا لِسَبِيلِ مَنْ آثَرَ آخِرَتَهُ عَلَى دُنْيَاهُ أَمَا سَمِعْتُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ وَقَدْ وَصَفَ نَبِيُّهُ شُعَيْبًا وَهُوَ شَيْخُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَعَظِيمٌ مِنْ عُظَمَاءِ الرُّسُلِ وَالْأَوْلِيَاءِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ:

Samiʿtu ʿaliyya bna hārūna yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu waqaraʾahu ʿalaynā fī kitābin kataba bihi ʾilā baʿḍi ʾikhwānihi iʿlam raḍiya Allāhu ʿanka ʾanna ʾaqraba mā istadʿā bihi qulūba al-murīdīna wanabbaha bihi qulūba al-ghāfilīna wazajarat ʿanhu nufūsa al-mutakhallifīna mā ṣaddaqtah min al-ʾaqwāli jamīʿa mā ittubiʿa bihi min al-ʾafʿāli fahal yuḥsunu yā ʾakhī ʾan yadʿuwa dāʿin ʾilā ʾamrin lā yakūnu ʿalayhi shiʿāruhu walā taẓharu minhu zīnatuhu waʾāthāruhu waʾallā yakūna qāʾiluhu ʿāmilan fīhi bi-al-taḥqīqi wabikulli fiʿlin bidhalika al-qawli yalīqu waʾafukku man daʿā ʾilā al-zuhdi waʿalayhi shiʿāru al-rāghibīna waʾamara bi-al-tarki wakāna min al-ʾākhidhīna waʾamara bi-al-jiddi fī al-ʿamali wakāna min al-muqaṣṣirīna waḥaththun ʿalā al-ijtihādi walam yakun min al-mujtahidīna ʾillā qalla qabūlu al-mustamiʿīna liqīlihi wanafarat qulūbuhum limā yarawna min fiʿlihi wakāna ḥujjatan liman jaʿala al-taʾwīla sababan ʾilā ittibāʿi hawāhu wamusahhilan lisabīli man ʾāthara ʾākhiratahu ʿalā dunyāhu ʾamā samiʿtu Allāha taʿālā yaqūlu waqad waṣafa nabiyyuhu shuʿayban wahuwa shaykhu al-ʾanbiyāʾi waʿaẓīmun min ʿuẓamāʾi al-rusuli wa-al-ʾawliyāʾi wahuwa yaqūlu:

I heard ʿAlī ibn Hārūn say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say—and he read to us from a letter he had written to one of his brethren: Know—may God be pleased with you—that the surest way to draw the hearts of aspirants, awaken the hearts of the heedless, and restrain the souls of those who lag behind is for every statement to be confirmed by the deeds that follow it. My brother, is it fitting for someone to summon others to something while bearing none of its marks, displaying none of its beauty or effects, and failing to realize in practice what he says and every deed that properly belongs with it? How false is one who calls others to renunciation while wearing the insignia of those who desire the world; who commands relinquishment while taking for himself; who commands earnest action while falling short; and who urges striving while not striving himself. The listeners will scarcely accept his words, and their hearts will recoil from what they see him do. He becomes an argument for the person who makes interpretation a means of following caprice, and he eases a way described in the transmitted text by a clause whose sense is uncertain. Have you not heard God Most High describe His prophet Shuʿayb—an elder among the prophets and a great one among the messengers and friends of God—as saying:

§ 020

وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُخالِفَكُمْ إِلى مَا أَنْهاكُمْ عَنْهُ

Wamā ʾurīdu ʾan ʾukhālifakum ʾilā mā ʾanhākum ʿanhu

‘I do not wish to oppose you by doing what I forbid you to do.’

§ 021

[هُودٍ: 88] وَقَوْلُ اللَّهِ جَلَّ ذِكْرُهُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ الْمُصْطَفَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ:

[Hūdin: 88] waqawlu Allāhi jalla dhikruhu limuḥammadin al-muṣṭafā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama:

[Hūd 11:88]. And there is God’s saying to Muḥammad the Chosen—may God bless him and his family and grant them peace:

§ 022

قُلْ مَا سَأَلْتُكُمْ مِنْ أَجْرٍ فَهُوَ لَكُمْ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ

Qul mā saʾaltukum min ʾajrin fahuwa lakum ʾin ʾajriya ʾillā ʿalā Allāhi

‘Say: Whatever reward I may have asked of you is yours. My reward rests with God alone.’

§ 023

[سَبَأٌ: 47] وَأَمَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ بِالدُّعَاءِ إِلَيْهِ بِقَوْلِهِ عَزَّ مِنْ قَائِلٍ أَدْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِاَلَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَهَذِهِ سِيرَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالرُّسُلِ وَالْأَوْلِيَاءِ وَاَلَّذِي يَجِبُ يَا أَخِي عَلَى مَنْ فَضَّلَهُ اللَّهُ بِالْعِلْمِ بِهِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ لَهُ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ فِي اسْتِتْمَامِ وَاجِبَاتِ الْأَحْوَالِ وَأَنْ يَصْدُقَ الْقَوْلُ مِنْهُ الْفِعْلَ بِذَلِكَ أَوَّلًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَيَحْظَى بِهِ مَنْ اتَّبَعَهُ آخِرًا وَاعْلَمْ يَا أَخِي أَنَّ لِلَّهِ ضَنَائِنَ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ أَوْدَعَ قُلُوبَهُمْ الْمَصُونَ مِنْ سِرِّهِ وَكَشَفَ لَهُمْ عَنْ عَظِيمِ أَثَرِهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ فَهُمْ بِمَا اسْتَوْدَعَهُمْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ حَافِظُونَ وَبِجَلِيلِ قَدْرِ مَا أَمَّنَهُمْ عَلَيْهِ عُلَمَاءُ عَارِفُونَ قَدْ فُتَحَ لِمَا اخْتَصَّهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَذْهَانُهُمْ وَقَرُبَ مِنْ لَطِيفِ الْفَهْمِ عَنْهُ لَمَا أَرَادَهُ أَفْهَامُهُمْ وَرَفَعَ إِلَى مَلَكُوتِ عِزِّهِ هُمُومُهُمْ وَقَرُبَ مِنْ الْمَحَلِّ الْأَعْلَى بِالْإِدْنَاءِ إِلَى مَكِينِ الْإِيوَاءِ بِحُبِّهِمْ وَأَفْرَدَ بِخَالِصِ ذِكْرِهِ قُلُوبَهُمْ فَهُمْ فِي أَقْرَبِ أَمَاكِنِ الزُّلْفَى لَدَيْهِ وَفِي أَرْفَعِ مَوَاطِنِ الْمُقْبِلِينَ بِهِ عَلَيْهِ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا نَطَقُوا فَعَنْهُ يَقُولُونَ وَإِذَا سَكَتُوا فَبِوَقَارِ الْعِلْمِ بِهِ يَصْمُتُونَ وَإِذَا حَكَمُوا فَبِحُكْمِهِ لَهُمْ يَحْكُمُونَ جَعَلَنَا اللَّهُ يَا أَخِي مِمَّنْ فَضَّلَهُ بِالْعِلْمِ وَمَكَّنَهُ بِالْمَعْرِفَةِ وَخَصَّهُ بِالرِّفْعَةِ وَاسْتَعْمَلَهُ بِأَكْمَلِ الطَّاعَةِ وَجَمَعَ لَهُ خَيْرَيْ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ

[Sabaʾun: 47] waʾamara Allāhu lahu bi-al-duʿāʾi ʾilayhi biqawlihi ʿazza min qāʾilin ʾadʿu ʾilā sabīli rabbika bi-al-ḥikmati wa-al-mawʿiẓati al-ḥasanati wajādilhum bi-allatī hiya ʾaḥsanu fahadhihi sīratu al-ʾanbiyāʾi wa-al-rusuli wa-al-ʾawliyāʾi wa-alladhī yajibu yā ʾakhī ʿalā man faḍḍalahu Allāhu bi-al-ʿilmi bihi wa-al-maʿrifati lahu ʾan yaʿmala fī istitmāmi wājibāti al-ʾaḥwāli waʾan yaṣduqa al-qawlu minhu al-fiʿla bidhalika ʾawwalan ʿinda Allāhi wayaḥẓā bihi man ittabaʿahu ʾākhiran wa-iʿlam yā ʾakhī ʾanna li-llāhi ḍanāʾina min khalqihi ʾawdaʿa qulūbahum al-maṣūna min sirrihi wakashafa lahum ʿan ʿaẓīmi ʾatharihum bihi min ʾamrihi fahum bimā istawdaʿahum min dhalika ḥāfiẓūna wabijalīli qadri mā ʾammanahum ʿalayhi ʿulamāʾu ʿārifūna qad futaḥa limā ikhtaṣṣahum bihi min dhalika ʾadhhānuhum waqaruba min laṭīfi al-fahmi ʿanhu lamā ʾarādahu ʾafhāmuhum warafaʿa ʾilā malakūti ʿizzihi humūmuhum waqaruba min al-maḥalli al-ʾaʿlā bi-al-ʾidnāʾi ʾilā makīni al-ʾīwāʾi biḥubbihim waʾafrada bikhāliṣi dhikrihi qulūbahum fahum fī ʾaqrabi ʾamākini al-zulfā ladayhi wafī ʾarfaʿi mawāṭini al-muqbilīna bihi ʿalayhi ʾūlaʾika alladhīna ʾidhā naṭaqū faʿanhu yaqūlūna waʾidhā sakatū fabiwaqāri al-ʿilmi bihi yaṣmutūna waʾidhā ḥakamū fabiḥukmihi lahum yaḥkumūna jaʿalanā Allāhu yā ʾakhī mimman faḍḍalahu bi-al-ʿilmi wamakkanahu bi-al-maʿrifati wakhaṣṣahu bi-al-rifʿati wa-istaʿmalahu biʾakmali al-ṭāʿati wajamaʿa lahu khayray al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati

[Sabaʾ 34:47]. God commanded him to call people to Him in the words of the One mighty in speech: ‘Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful counsel, and dispute with them in the finest manner.’ Such is the conduct of the prophets, messengers, and friends of God. My brother, the person whom God has favored with knowledge of Him and recognition of Him must labor to fulfill the duties of every spiritual state. His deed must first confirm his word before God, so that those who follow him may afterward benefit from it. Know, my brother, that God has treasured ones among His creation. He has deposited within their hearts something of His guarded mystery and disclosed to them the immense effect of His command upon them. They preserve what He entrusted to them and know the tremendous worth of what He placed in their care. Their minds have been opened to what He specially granted them; through subtle understanding from Him, their comprehension has drawn near to what He intended. He has raised their aspirations toward the dominion of His might, brought them near to the highest station, settled them in a firm dwelling through their love, and devoted their hearts wholly to His pure remembrance. They occupy the nearest places of proximity before Him and the highest stations of those who turn through Him toward Him. When they speak, they speak from Him; when they are silent, they are silent through the dignity of knowing Him; and when they judge, they judge by His judgment for them. My brother, may God make us among those whom He has favored with knowledge, made firm in recognition, singled out for elevation, employed in the fullest obedience, and granted the good of this world and the hereafter.

رِسَالَةٌ إِلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ

Risālatun ʾilā baʿḍi ʾikhwānihi

A Letter to One of His Brethren

§ 025 • SOURCE P 210

حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ هَارُونَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ وَكَتَبَ إِلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي اسْتَخْلَصَ لِنَفْسِهِ صَفْوَةً مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَخَصَّهُمْ بِالْعِلْمِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ بِهِ فَاسْتَعْمَلَهُمْ بِأَحَبِّ الْأَعْمَالِ إِلَيْهِ وَأَقْرَبِهَا مِنْ الزُّلْفَى لَدَيْهِ وَبَلَّغَهُمْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْغَايَةَ الْقُصْوَى وَالذِّرْوَةَ الْمُتَنَاهِيَةَ الْعُلْيَا وَبَعْدُ فَإِنِّي أُوصِيكَ بِتَرْكِ الِالْتِفَاتِ إِلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ مَاضِيَةٍ فَإِنَّ الِالْتِفَاتِ إِلَى مَا مَضَى شُغْلٌ عَمَّا يَأْتِي مِنَ الْحَالَةِ الْكَائِنَةِ وَأُوصِيكَ بِتَرْكِ الْمُلَاحَظَةِ لِلْحَالِ الْكَائِنَةِ وَبِتَرْكِ الْمُنَازَلَةِ لَهَا بِجَوَلَانِ الْهِمَّةِ لِمُلْتَقَى الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ مِنَ الْوَقْتِ الْوَارِدِ بِذِكْرِ مَوْرِدِهِ وَنَسَقِ ذِكْرٍ مَوْجُودَهُ فَإِنَّكَ إِذَا كُنْت هكَذَا كُنْتَ تَذَكُرُ مَنْ هُوَ أَوْلَى وَلَا تَضُرُّكَ رُؤْيَةَ الْأَشْيَاءِ وَأُوصِيكَ بِتَجْرِيدِ الْهَمِّ وَتَفْرِيدِ الذِّكْرِ وَمُخَالَصَةِ الرَّبِّ بِذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ وَاعْمَلْ عَلَى تَخْلِيصِ هَمِّكَ مِنْ هَمِّكَ لَهَمِّكَ وَاطْلُبْ الْخَالِصَ مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ بِقَلْبِكَ وَكُنْ حَيْثُ يُرَاكَ لِمَا يُرَادُ لَكَ وَلَا تَكُنْ حَيْثُ يُرَادُ لَكَ لِمَا تُرِيدُ لِنَفْسِكَ وَاعْمَلْ عَلَى مَحْوِ شَاهِدِكَ مِنْ شَاهِدِكَ حَتَّى يَكُونَ الشَّاهِدُ عَلَيْكَ شَاهِدًا لَكَ بِمَا يَخْلُصُ مِنْ شَاهِدِكَ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ إِنْ كُنْت كَذَلِكَ لَهُ كَانَ لَكَ بِكُلِّ الْكُلِّ فِيمَا تُحِبُّهُ مِنْهُ فَكُنْ مُؤْثِرًا لَهُ بِكُلِّ مَنْ انْبَسَطَ لَهُ مِنْكَ وَمِنْهُ بَدَا لَكَ وَمِنْهُ بِهِ يُبْسُطُ عَلَيْكَ مَا لَا يُحِيطُ بِهِ عِلْمُكَ وَلَا تُبَلِّغُ إِلَيْهِ أَمَانِيكَ وَآمَالَكَ وَإِذَا بُلِيت بِمُعَاشَرَةِ طَائِفَةٍ مِنْ النَّاسِ فَعَاشِرْهُمْ عَلَى مَقَادِيرِ أَمَاكِنِهِمْ وَكُنْ مُشْرِفًا عَلَيْهِمْ بِجَمِيلِ مَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ وَفَضَّلَكَ بِهِ وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ النَّبِيِّ الْأُمِّيِّ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

ḥaddathanā ʿaliyyu bnu hārūna bni Muḥammadin qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu wakataba ʾilā baʿḍi ʾikhwānihi: al-ḥamdu li-llāhi alladhī istakhlaṣa linafsihi ṣafwatan min khalqihi wakhaṣṣahum bi-al-ʿilmi wa-al-maʿrifati bihi fa-istaʿmalahum biʾaḥabbi al-ʾaʿmāli ʾilayhi waʾaqrabihā min al-zulfā ladayhi waballaghahum min dhalika al-ghāyata al-quṣwā wa-al-dhirwata al-mutanāhiyata al-ʿulyā wabaʿdu faʾinnī ʾūṣīka bitarki al-iltifāti ʾilā kulli ḥālin māḍiyatin faʾinna al-iltifāti ʾilā mā maḍā shughlun ʿammā yaʾtī mina al-ḥālati al-kāʾinati waʾūṣīka bitarki al-mulāḥaẓati li-l-ḥāli al-kāʾinati wabitarki al-munāzalati lahā bijawalāni al-himmati limultaqā al-mustaqbali mina al-waqti al-wāridi bidhikri mawridihi wanasaqi dhikrin mawjūdahu faʾinnaka ʾidhā kunt hkadhā kunta tadhakuru man huwa ʾawlā walā taḍurruka ruʾyata al-ʾashyāʾi waʾūṣīka bitajrīdi al-hammi watafrīdi al-dhikri wamukhālaṣati al-rabbi bidhalika kullihi wa-iʿmal ʿalā takhlīṣi hammika min hammika lahammika wa-iṭlub al-khāliṣa min dhikri Allāhi jalla thanāʾuhu biqalbika wakun ḥaythu yurāka limā yurādu laka walā takun ḥaythu yurādu laka limā turīdu linafsika wa-iʿmal ʿalā maḥwi shāhidika min shāhidika ḥattā yakūna al-shāhidu ʿalayka shāhidan laka bimā yakhluṣu min shāhidika wa-iʿlam ʾannahu ʾin kunt kadhalika lahu kāna laka bikulli al-kulli fīmā tuḥibbuhu minhu fakun muʾthiran lahu bikulli man inbasaṭa lahu minka waminhu badā laka waminhu bihi yubsuṭu ʿalayka mā lā yuḥīṭu bihi ʿilmuka walā tuballighu ʾilayhi ʾamānīka waʾāmālaka waʾidhā bulīt bimuʿāsharati ṭāʾifatin min al-nāsi faʿāshirhum ʿalā maqādīri ʾamākinihim wakun mushrifan ʿalayhim bijamīli mā ʾātāka Allāhu wafaḍḍalaka bihi waṣallā Allāhu ʿalā sayyidinā Muḥammadin al-nabiyyi al-ʾummiyyi waʿalā ʾālihi waṣaḥbihi wasallama.

ʿAlī ibn Hārūn ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say that he wrote to one of his brethren: Praise belongs to God, who chose for Himself an elect from among His creation, specially favored them with knowledge and recognition of Him, employed them in the deeds most beloved to Him and nearest to His presence, and brought them thereby to the furthest goal and highest summit. To proceed: I counsel you to stop looking back toward every past state, for looking back at what has passed distracts one from the state now arriving. I counsel you not to observe even the present state and not to settle into it, but to let aspiration range toward the meeting with what is coming in the newly arriving moment—remembering its Giver and maintaining the remembrance of the One found within it. When you are thus, you remember the One who has the greater right, and seeing created things does not harm you. I counsel you to strip aspiration bare, make remembrance single, and devote all of this purely to the Lord. Work to free your concern from your own concern for the sake of your true concern. Seek pure remembrance of God—majestic is His praise—with your heart. Be where He sees you in accordance with what is intended for you; do not be where what is intended for you serves what you intend for yourself. Work to erase your witnessing of yourself from your own witness, until the witness against you becomes a witness for you through whatever becomes pure when your self-witness disappears. Know that if you are thus for Him, He will be wholly for you in all that you love from Him. Prefer Him through everything in you that opens itself to Him. What appears to you comes from Him, and through Him there will be opened over you what your knowledge cannot encompass and your wishes and hopes cannot reach. If you are tried by having to live among a group of people, associate with them according to their respective stations, and oversee them through the beauty of what God has given you and by which He has favored you. May God bless our master Muḥammad, the unlettered Prophet, and his family and companions, and grant them peace.

رِسَالَةٌ إِلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ

Risālatun ʾilā baʿḍi ʾikhwānihi

A Letter to One of His Brethren

§ 027 • SOURCE P 211

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ هَارُونَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ وَكَتَبَ إِلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ كِتَابًا يَقُولُ فِيهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ لَا يُخَلَّى الْأَرْضَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَائِهِ وَلَا يُعَرِّيهَا مِنْ أَحِبَّائِهِ لِيَحْفَظَ بِهِمْ مَنْ جَعَلَهُمْ سَبَبًا لِحِفْظِهِ وَيَحْفَظَ بِهِمْ مَنْ جَعَلَهُمْ سَبَبًا لِكَوْنِهِ وَأَنَا أَسْأَلُ الْمَنَّانَ بِفَضْلِهِ وَطُولِهِ أَنْ يَجْعَلَنَا وَإِيَّاكَ مِنْ الْأُمَنَاءِ عَلَى سِرِّهِ الْحَافِظِينَ لِمَا اسْتَحْفَظُوهُ مِنْ جَلِيلِ أَمْرِهِ تَجْمِيلًا مِنْهُ لَنَا بِأَعْظَمِ الرُّتَبِ وَإِشْرَافًا بِنَا عَلَى كُلِّ ظَاهِرٍ وَمُحْتَجِبٍ وَقَدْ رَأَيْت اللَّهَ تَعَالَى وَتَقَدَّسَتْ أَسْمَاؤُهُ زَيَّنَ بَسِيطِ أَرْضِهِ وَفَسِيحِ سَعَةِ مُلْكِهِ بِأَوْلِيَائِهِ وَأَوْلَى الْعِلْمِ بِهِ وَجَعْلُهُمْ أَبْهَجَ لَامِعَ سَطْعِ نُورِهِ وَعَنْ لِقُلُوبِ الْعَارِفِينَ ظُهُورُهُ وَهُمْ أَحْسَنُ زِينَةً مِنْ السَّمَاءِ الْبَهْجَةُ بِضِيَاءِ نُجُومِهَا وَنُورِ شَمْسِهَا وَقَمَرِهَا أُولَئِكَ أَعْلَامُ لِمَنَاهِجِ سَبِيلِ هِدَايَتِهِ وَمَسَالِكِ طُرُقِ الْقَاصِدِينَ إِلَى طَاعَتِهِ وَمَنَارُ نُورٍ عَلَى مَدَارِجِ السَّاعِينَ إِلَى مُوَافَقَتِهِ وَهُمْ أَبْيَنُ فِي مَنَافِعِ الْخَلِيقَةِ أَثَرًا وَأَوْضَحُ فِي دِفَاعِ الْمَضَارِّ عَنِ الْبَرِّيَّةِ خَيْرًا مِنْ النُّجُومِ الَّتِي بِهَا فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرُ يَهْتَدِي وَبِآثَارِهَا عِنْدَ مُلْتَبَسِ الْمَسَالِكِ يَقْتَدِي لِأَنَّ دَلَالَاتِ النُّجُومِ تَكُونُ بِهَا نَجَاةَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَبْدَانِ وَدَلَالَاتُ الْعُلَمَاءِ بِهَا تَكُونُ سَلَامَةُ الْأَدْيَانِ وَشَتَّانُ مَا بَيْنَ مَنْ يَفُوزُ بِسَلَامَةِ دِينِهِ وَبَيْنَ مَنْ يَفُوزُ بِسَلَامَةِ دُنْيَاهُ وَبَدَنِهِ.

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani ʿaliyya bna hārūna bni Muḥammadin yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu wakataba ʾilā baʿḍi ʾikhwānihi kitāban yaqūlu fīhi ʾinna Allāha jalla thanāʾuhu lā yukhallā al-ʾarḍa min ʾawliyāʾihi walā yuʿarrīhā min ʾaḥibbāʾihi liyaḥfaẓa bihim man jaʿalahum sababan liḥifẓihi wayaḥfaẓa bihim man jaʿalahum sababan likawnihi waʾanā ʾasʾalu al-mannāna bifaḍlihi waṭūlihi ʾan yajʿalanā waʾiyyāka min al-ʾumanāʾi ʿalā sirrihi al-ḥāfiẓīna limā istaḥfaẓūhu min jalīli ʾamrihi tajmīlan minhu lanā biʾaʿẓami al-rutabi waʾishrāfan binā ʿalā kulli ẓāhirin wamuḥtajibin waqad raʾayt Allāha taʿālā wataqaddasat ʾasmāʾuhu zayyana basīṭi ʾarḍihi wafasīḥi saʿati mulkihi biʾawliyāʾihi waʾawlā al-ʿilmi bihi wajaʿluhum ʾabhaja lāmiʿa saṭʿi nūrihi waʿan liqulūbi al-ʿārifīna ẓuhūruhu wahum ʾaḥsanu zīnatan min al-samāʾi al-bahjatu biḍiyāʾi nujūmihā wanūri shamsihā waqamarihā ʾūlaʾika ʾaʿlāmu limanāhiji sabīli hidāyatihi wamasāliki ṭuruqi al-qāṣidīna ʾilā ṭāʿatihi wamanāru nūrin ʿalā madāriji al-sāʿīna ʾilā muwāfaqatihi wahum ʾabyanu fī manāfiʿi al-khalīqati ʾatharan waʾawḍaḥu fī difāʿi al-maḍārri ʿani al-barriyyati khayran min al-nujūmi allatī bihā fī ẓulumāti al-barri wa-al-baḥru yahtadī wabiʾāthārihā ʿinda multabasi al-masāliki yaqtadī liʾanna dalālāti al-nujūmi takūnu bihā najāta al-ʾamwāli wa-al-ʾabdāni wadalālātu al-ʿulamāʾi bihā takūnu salāmatu al-ʾadyāni washattānu mā bayna man yafūzu bisalāmati dīnihi wabayna man yafūzu bisalāmati dunyāhu wabadanihi.

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Hārūn ibn Muḥammad say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say that he wrote a letter to one of his brethren in which he said: God—majestic is His praise—never leaves the earth without His friends or strips it of those He loves. Through them He preserves those for whose preservation He has made them a means, and through them preserves those for whose continuing existence He has made them a cause. Through His favor and gracious plenty, I ask the Bestower to make us and you trusted keepers of His mystery, guarding the momentous matter placed in our care. May He adorn us with the highest ranks and give us a vantage over all that is manifest and veiled. I have seen that God Most High—holy are His names—has adorned the broad expanse of His earth and the vastness of His kingdom with His friends and those foremost in knowledge of Him. He has made them the most radiant flash of His light and the disclosure of it to the hearts of those who know Him. They are a finer adornment than the joyous sky with the radiance of its stars and the light of its sun and moon. They are waymarks upon the clear routes of His guidance and the paths taken by those who seek obedience to Him, and beacons of light upon the ascending ways of those who strive to accord with Him. Their beneficial effect upon creation and their protection of creatures from harm are clearer and greater than those of the stars by which travelers find their way through the darkness of land and sea and follow their traces when paths become confused. The signs of the stars save property and bodies, but the guidance of the learned safeguards religion. Vast indeed is the difference between one who wins the safety of his religion and one who merely wins the safety of his worldly life and body.

النَّظَرُ الصَّحِيحُ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا

Al-naẓaru al-ṣaḥīḥu ʾilā al-dunyā

Seeing This World Correctly

§ 029 • SOURCE P 212

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عِبَادًا صَحِبُوا الدُّنْيَا بِأَبْدَانِهِمْ وَفَارَقُوهَا بِعُقُودِ إِيمَانِهِمْ أَشْرَفَ بِهِمْ عِلْمُ الْيَقِينِ عَلَى مَا هُمْ إِلَيْهِ صَائِرُونَ وَفِيهِ مُقِيمُونَ وَإِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ فَهَرَبُوا مِنْ مُطَالَبَةِ نُفُوسِهِمُ الأَمَّارَةِ بِالسُّوءِ وَالدَّاعِيَةَ إِلَى الْمَهَالِكِ وَالْمُعِينَةِ لِلأَعْدَاءِ وَالْمُتَّبِعَةِ لِلْهَوَى وَالْمَغْمُوسَةُ فِي الْبَلَاءِ وَالْمُتَمَكِّنَةُ بِأَكْنَافِ الْأَسْوَاءِ إِلَى قَبُولِ دَاعِي التَّنْزِيلِ الْمُحْكَمِ الَّذِي لَا يَحْتَمِلُ التَّأْوِيلَ إِذْ سَمِعُوهُ يَقُولُ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ فَقَرَعَ أَسْمَاعَ فُهُومِهِمْ حَلَاوَةَ الدَّعْوَةِ لِتَصَفُّحَ التَّمْيِيزِ وَتَنَسَّمُوا بِرُوحِ مَا أَدَّتْهُ إِلَيْهِمُ الْفُهُومُ الطَّاهِرَةُ مِنْ أَدْنَاسِ خَفَايَا مَحَبَّةِ الْبَقَاءِ فِي دَارِ الْغُرُورِ فَأَسْرَعُوا إِلَى حَذْفِ الْعَلَائِقِ الْمُشْغِلَةِ قُلُوبَ الْمُرَاقِبِينَ مَعَهَا وَهَجَمُوا بِالنُّفُوسِ عَلَى مُعَانَقَةِ الْأَعْمَالِ وَتَجَرَّعُوا مَرَارَةَ الْمُكَابَدَةِ وَصَدَّقُوا اللَّهَ فِي مُعَامَلَتِهِ وَأَحْسَنُوا الْأَدَبَ فِيمَا تَوَجَّهُوا إِلَيْهِ وَهَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَصَائِبُ وَعَرَفُوا قَدْرَ مَا يَطْلُبُونَ وَاغْتَنَمُوا سَلَامَةَ الْأَوْقَاتِ وَسَلَامَةَ الْجَوَارِحِ وَأَمَاتُوا شَهَوَاتِ النُّفُوسِ وَسَجَنُوا هُمُومَهُمْ عَنِ التَّلَفُّتِ إِلَى مَذْكُورٍ سِوَى وَلِيِّهُمْ وَحَرَسُوا قُلُوبَهُمْ عَنْ التَّطَلُّعِ فِي مَرَاقِي الْغَفْلَةِ وَأَقَامُوا عَلَيْهَا رَقِيبًا مِنْ عِلْمِ مَنْ لَا يَخْفَى عَلَيْهِ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ فِي بَرٍّ وَلَا بَحْرٍ وَمَنْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًا وَأَحَاطَ بِهِ خَبَرًا فَانْقَادَتْ تِلْكَ النُّفُوسُ بَعْدَ اعْتِيَاصِهَا وَاسْتَبَقَتْ مُنَافَسَةٌ لِأَبْنَاءِ جِنْسِهَا نُفُوسٌ سَاسَهَا وَلِيُّهَا وَحَفِظَهَا بَارِئُهَا وَكَلَأَهَا كَافِيهَا فَتُوهَّمْ يَا أَخِي إِنْ كُنْت ذَا بَصِيرَةٍ مَاذَا يَرُدُّ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي وَقْتِ خَلَوَاتِهِمْ مُنَاجَاتِهِمْ وَمَاذَا يُلْقُونَهُ مِنْ نَوَازِلِ حَاجَاتِهِمْ تَرَى أَرْوَاحًا تَتَرَدَّدُ فِي أَجْسَادٍ قَدْ أَذْبَلَتْهَا الْخَشْيَةُ وَذَلَّلَتْهَا الْخِدْمَةُ وَتُسَرْبَلُهَا الْحَيَاءُ وَجَمْعُهَا الْقِرَبُ وَأَسْكَنَهَا الْوَقَارُ وَأَنْطَقَهَا الْحِذَارُ أَنِيسُهَا الْخَلْوَةُ وَحَدِيثُهَا الْفِكْرَةُ وَشِعَارُهَا الذِّكْرُ شُغْلُهَا بِاللَّهِ مُتَّصِلٌ وَعَنْ غَيْرِهِ مُنْفَصِلٍ لَا تَتَلَقَّى قَادِمًا وَلَا تُشَيِّعُ ظَاعِنًا غِذَاؤُهَا الْجُوعُ وَالظَّمَأُ وَرَاحَتُهَا التَّوَكُّلُ وَكَنْزُهَا الثِّقَةُ بِاللَّهِ وَمُعَوِّلُهَا الِاعْتِمَادُ وَدَوَاؤُهَا الصَّبْرُ وَقَرِينُهَا الرِّضَا نُفُوسٌ قُدِّمَتْ لِتَأْدِيَةِ الْحُقُوقِ وَرُقِيَتْ لِنَفِيسِ الْعِلْمِ الْمَخْزُونِ وَكُفِيَتْ ثِقَلَ الْمِحَنِ لَا يَحْزُنُهُمْ الْفَزَعُ الْأَكْبَرُ وَتَتَلَقَّاهُمْ الْمَلَائِكَةُ هَذَا يَوْمُكُمْ الَّذِي كُنْتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ نَحْنُ أَوْلِيَاؤُكُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنْفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدْعُونَ نُزُلًا مِنْ غَفُورٍ رَحِيمٍ

ḥaddathanā ʾabū bakrin Muḥammadu bnu ʾaḥmada bni yaʿqūba qāla samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu ʾinna li-llāhi ʿibādan ṣaḥibū al-dunyā biʾabdānihim wafāraqūhā biʿuqūdi ʾīmānihim ʾashrafa bihim ʿilmu al-yaqīni ʿalā mā hum ʾilayhi ṣāʾirūna wafīhi muqīmūna waʾilayhi rājiʿūna faharabū min muṭālabati nufūsihimu al-ʾammārati bi-al-sūʾi wa-al-dāʿiyata ʾilā al-mahāliki wa-al-muʿīnati li-l-ʾaʿdāʾi wa-al-muttabiʿati li-l-hawā wa-al-maghmūsatu fī al-balāʾi wa-al-mutamakkinatu biʾaknāfi al-ʾaswāʾi ʾilā qabūli dāʿī al-tanzīli al-muḥkami alladhī lā yaḥtamilu al-taʾwīla ʾidh samiʿūhu yaqūlu yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū istajībū li-llāhi walilrrasūli ʾidhā daʿākum limā yuḥyīkum faqaraʿa ʾasmāʿa fuhūmihim ḥalāwata al-daʿwati litaṣaffuḥa al-tamyīzi watanassamū birūḥi mā ʾaddathu ʾilayhimu al-fuhūmu al-ṭāhiratu min ʾadnāsi khafāyā maḥabbati al-baqāʾi fī dāri al-ghurūri faʾasraʿū ʾilā ḥadhfi al-ʿalāʾiqi al-mushghilati qulūba al-murāqibīna maʿahā wahajamū bi-al-nufūsi ʿalā muʿānaqati al-ʾaʿmāli watajarraʿū marārata al-mukābadati waṣaddaqū Allāha fī muʿāmalatihi waʾaḥsanū al-ʾadaba fīmā tawajjahū ʾilayhi wahānat ʿalayhimu al-maṣāʾibu waʿarafū qadra mā yaṭlubūna wa-ightanamū salāmata al-ʾawqāti wasalāmata al-jawāriḥi waʾamātū shahawāti al-nufūsi wasajanū humūmahum ʿani al-talaffuti ʾilā madhkūrin siwā waliyyihum waḥarasū qulūbahum ʿan al-taṭalluʿi fī marāqī al-ghaflati waʾaqāmū ʿalayhā raqīban min ʿilmi man lā yakhfā ʿalayhi mithqālu dharratin fī barrin walā baḥrin waman ʾaḥāṭa bikulli shayʾin ʿilman waʾaḥāṭa bihi khabaran fa-inqādat tilka al-nufūsu baʿda iʿtiyāṣihā wa-istabaqat munāfasatun liʾabnāʾi jinsihā nufūsun sāsahā waliyyuhā waḥafiẓahā bāriʾuhā wakalaʾahā kāfīhā fatūhham yā ʾakhī ʾin kunt dhā baṣīratin mādhā yaruddu ʿalayhim fī waqti khalawātihim munājātihim wamādhā yulqūnahu min nawāzili ḥājātihim tarā ʾarwāḥan tataraddadu fī ʾajsādin qad ʾadhbalathā al-khashyatu wadhallalathā al-khidmatu watusarbaluhā al-ḥayāʾu wajamʿuhā al-qirabu waʾaskanahā al-waqāru waʾanṭaqahā al-ḥidhāru ʾanīsuhā al-khalwatu waḥadīthuhā al-fikratu washiʿāruhā al-dhikru shughluhā bi-llāhi muttaṣilun waʿan ghayrihi munfaṣilin lā tatalaqqā qādiman walā tushayyiʿu ẓāʿinan ghidhāʾuhā al-jūʿu wa-al-ẓamaʾu warāḥatuhā al-tawakkulu wakanzuhā al-thiqatu bi-llāhi wamuʿawwiluhā al-iʿtimādu wadawāʾuhā al-ṣabru waqarīnuhā al-riḍā nufūsun quddimat litaʾdiyati al-ḥuqūqi waruqiyat linafīsi al-ʿilmi al-makhzūni wakufiyat thiqala al-miḥani lā yaḥzunuhum al-fazaʿu al-ʾakbaru watatalaqqāhum al-malāʾikatu hadhā yawmukum alladhī kuntum tūʿadūna naḥnu ʾawliyāʾukum fī al-ḥayāti al-dunyā wafī al-ʾākhirati walakum fīhā mā tashtahī ʾanfusukum walakum fīhā mā tadʿūna nuzulan min ghafūrin raḥīmin

Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Yaʿqūb related to us, saying: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say: God has servants who keep company with this world in their bodies while parting from it through the bonds of their faith. Certain knowledge gives them a view of what they are journeying toward, where they shall abide, and to whom they shall return. They flee the demands of their souls—souls that command evil, call toward destruction, assist the enemies, follow caprice, are steeped in affliction, and dwell along the edges of every evil—and answer instead the summons of the decisive Revelation that admits no evasive interpretation. They hear it say: ‘O you who believe, respond to God and the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.’ The sweetness of that summons strikes the hearing of their understanding and summons their discernment to attentive reflection. They breathe the relief conveyed to them by understandings cleansed of the hidden defilements of loving to remain in the abode of delusion. They hasten to cut away the attachments that preoccupy the hearts of those who watch over them. They cast their souls into the embrace of righteous deeds, swallow the bitterness of striving, prove true with God in their dealings with Him, and observe beautiful courtesy in what they undertake. Hardships become light to them. They know the worth of what they seek, seize the soundness of their moments and limbs, put the appetites of their souls to death, and imprison their concerns from turning toward any remembered thing other than their Guardian. They guard their hearts against looking up the stairways of heedlessness and set over them the watch of knowing One from whom not an atom’s weight on land or sea is hidden, whose knowledge and awareness encompass all things. Those souls submit after their resistance and race in noble competition with others of their kind: souls governed by their Guardian, preserved by their Maker, and watched by the One who suffices them. My brother, if you possess insight, imagine what comes upon them during their private converse in solitude and what needs they lay before Him as they descend. You would see spirits moving within bodies withered by reverent fear, humbled by service, clothed in modesty, gathered by nearness, settled by dignity, and given speech by caution. Solitude is their companion, reflection their conversation, and remembrance their emblem. Their occupation with God is continuous and their disengagement from all besides Him complete. They neither welcome one arriving nor escort one departing. Their nourishment is hunger and thirst; their rest is trust; their treasure is confidence in God; their reliance is dependence upon Him; their medicine is patience; and their companion is contentment. These are souls advanced to fulfill all rights, raised to precious hidden knowledge, and spared the weight of trials. ‘The greatest terror will not grieve them, and the angels will meet them: This is your day, which you were promised.’ ‘We are your protecting friends in the life of this world and in the hereafter. There you shall have whatever your souls desire, and there you shall have whatever you ask: a welcoming gift from One all-forgiving, all-merciful.’

رَأْيُ الْجُنَيْدِ فِي الذِّكْرِ الْخَفِيِّ

Raʾyu al-Junaydi fī al-dhikri al-khafiyyi

Al-Junayd’s View of Hidden Remembrance

§ 031 • SOURCE P 213

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ هَارُونَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ وَسَأَلَهُ جَعْفَرٌ مَا تَقُولُ أَكْرَمَكَ اللَّهُ فِي الذِّكْرِ الْخَفِيِّ مَا هُوَ الَّذِي لَا تَعْلَمُهُ الْحَفَظَةُ وَمِنْ أَيْنَ زَادَ عَمَلُ السِّرِّ عَلَى عَمَلِ الْعَلَانِيَةِ سَبْعِينَ ضِعْفًا فَأَجَابَهُ فَقَالَ وَفَّقَنَا اللَّهُ وَإِيَّاكُمْ لِأَرْشَدِ الْأُمُورِ وَأَقْرَبِهَا إِلَيْهِ وَاسْتَعْمَلَنَا وَإِيَّاكُمْ بِأَرْضَى الْأُمُورِ وَأَحَبِّهَا إِلَيْهِ وَخَتَمَ لَنَا وَلَكُمْ بِخَيْرٍ فَأَمَّا الذِّكْرُ الَّذِي يَسْتَأْثِرُ اللهُ بِعِلْمِهِ دُونَ غَيْرِهِ فَهُوَ مَا اعْتَقَدَتْهُ الْقُلُوبُ وَطُوِيَتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّمَائِرُ مِمَّا لَا تُحَرَّكُ بِهِ الْأَلْسِنَةُ وَالْجَوَارِحُ وَهُوَ مِثْلُ الْهَيْبَةِ لِلَّهِ وَالتَّعْظِيمِ للَّهِ وَالْإِجْلَالِ للَّهِ وَاعْتِقَادِ الْخَوْفِ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَذَلِكَ كُلُّهُ فِيمَا بَيْنَ الْعَبْدِ وَرَبِّهِ لَا يَعْلَمُهُ إِلَّا مَنْ يَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ، وَالدَّلِيلُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ:

ḥaddathanā ʾabū al-ḥasani ʿaliyyu bnu hārūna qāla samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu wasaʾalahu jaʿfarun mā taqūlu ʾakramaka Allāhu fī al-dhikri al-khafiyyi mā huwa alladhī lā taʿlamuhu al-ḥafaẓatu wamin ʾayna zāda ʿamalu al-sirri ʿalā ʿamali al-ʿalāniyati sabʿīna ḍiʿfan faʾajābahu faqāla waffaqanā Allāhu waʾiyyākum liʾarshadi al-ʾumūri waʾaqrabihā ʾilayhi wa-istaʿmalanā waʾiyyākum biʾarḍā al-ʾumūri waʾaḥabbihā ʾilayhi wakhatama lanā walakum bikhayrin faʾammā al-dhikru alladhī yastaʾthiru Allāhu biʿilmihi dūna ghayrihi fahuwa mā iʿtaqadathu al-qulūbu waṭuwiyat ʿalayhi al-ḍamāʾiru mimmā lā tuḥarraku bihi al-ʾalsinatu wa-al-jawāriḥu wahuwa mithlu al-haybati li-llāhi wa-al-taʿẓīmi li-llāhi wa-al-ʾijlāli li-llāhi wa-iʿtiqādi al-khawfi mina Allāhi wadhalika kulluhu fīmā bayna al-ʿabdi warabbihi lā yaʿlamuhu ʾillā man yaʿlamu al-ghayba, wa-al-dalīlu ʿalā dhalika qawluhu ʿazza wajalla:

Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Hārūn related to us, saying: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say when Jaʿfar asked him, ‘May God honor you, what do you say about hidden remembrance? What is it that the recording angels do not know? And how is the inward deed seventy times greater than an outward deed?’ He answered: May God guide us and you to the soundest affairs and those nearest to Him, employ us and you in what most pleases Him and is most beloved to Him, and grant us and you a good end. As for the remembrance whose knowledge God reserves to Himself alone, it is what hearts hold as conviction and consciences conceal—what tongues and limbs do not move to express. It includes awe of God, magnifying God, revering God, and inwardly holding fear of God. All this lies between the servant and his Lord, and none knows it except the Knower of the unseen. The proof is His saying—mighty and majestic is He:

§ 032

يَعْلَمُ مَا تُكِنُّ صُدُورُهُمْ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ

Yaʿlamu mā tukinnu ṣudūruhum wamā yuʿlinūna

‘He knows what their breasts conceal and what they disclose.’

§ 033

[الْقَصَصَ: 69] وَأَشْبَاهِ ذَلِكَ وَهَذِهِ أَشْيَاءُ امْتَدَحَ اللَّهُ بِهَا فَهِيَ لَهُ وَحْدَهُ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ وَأَمَّا مَا تَعْلَمُهُ الْحَفَظَةُ فَمَا وُكِّلْتْ بِهِ وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ:

[Al-qaṣaṣa: 69] waʾashbāhi dhalika wahadhihi ʾashyāʾu imtadaḥa Allāhu bihā fahiya lahu waḥdahu jalla thanāʾuhu waʾammā mā taʿlamuhu al-ḥafaẓatu famā wukkilt bihi wahuwa qawluhu:

[Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:69], and similar verses. These are matters by which God praises Himself; their knowledge belongs to Him alone—majestic is His praise. As for what the recording angels know, it is what they have been entrusted to record, as in His saying:

§ 034

مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ

Mā yalfiẓu min qawlin ʾillā ladayhi raqībun ʿatīdun

‘No word does a person utter without a watcher beside him, ready.’

§ 035

[ق: 18] وَقَوْلُهُ:

[Q: 18] waqawluhu:

[Qāf 50:18]. And His saying:

§ 036

كِراماً كاتِبِينَ (11) يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ

Kirāmʾ kātibīna (11) yaʿlamūna mā tafʿalūna

‘Noble scribes, who know what you do.’

§ 037

[الِانْفِطَارِ 11، 12]. فَهَذَا الَّذِي وُكِّلَ بِهِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ الْحَافِظُونَ مَا لَفَظَ بِهِ وَبَدَا مِنْ لِسَانِهِ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ وَيَفْعَلُونَ هُوَ مَا ظَهَرَ بِهِ السَّعْيُ وَمَا أَضْمَرَتْهُ الْقُلُوبُ مِمَّا لَمْ يَظْهَرْ عَلَى الْجَوَارِحِ وَمَا تَعْتَقِدُهُ الْقُلُوبُ فَذَلِكَ يَعْلَمُهُ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ وَكُلُّ أَعْمَالِ الْقُلُوبِ مَا عُقِدَ لَا يُجَاوِزُ الضَّمِيرَ فَهُوَ مِثْلُ ذَلِكَ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ وَمَا رُوِيَ فِي الْخَبَرِ مِنْ فَضْلِ عَمَلِ السِّرِّ عَلَى عَمَلِ الْعَلَانِيَةِ وَأَنَّ عَمَلَ السِّرُّ يَزِيدُ عَلَى عَمَلِ الْعَلَانِيَةِ سَبْعِينَ ضِعْفًا فَذَلِكَ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ لِأَنَّ مَنْ عَمِلَ لِلَّهِ عَمَلًا فَأَسَرَّهُ فَقَدْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَنْفَرِدَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِعِلْمِ ذَلِكَ الْعَمَلِ مِنْهُ وَمَعْنَاهُ أَنْ يَسْتَغْنِيَ بِعِلْمِ اللَّهِ فِي عَمَلِهِ عَنْ عِلْمِ غَيْرِهِ وَإِذَا اسْتَغْنَى الْقَلْبُ بِعِلْمِ اللَّهِ أَخْلَصَ الْعَمَلَ فِيهِ وَلَمْ يُعَرِّجْ عَلَى مَنْ دُونَهُ فَإِذَا عَلِمَ جَلَّ ذِكْرُهُ بِصِدْقِ قَصْدِ الْعَبْدِ إِلَيْهِ وَحْدَهُ وَسَقَطَ عَنْ ذِكْرِ مَنْ دُونَهُ أُثْبِتَ ذَلِكَ الْعَمَلَ فِي أَعْمَالِ الْخَالِصِينَ الصَّالِحِينَ الْمُؤْثِّرِينَ اللَّهُ عَلَى مَنْ سِوَاهُ وَجَازَاهُ اللَّهُ بِعِلْمِهِ بِصَدَقَةٍ مِنْ الثَّوَابِ سَبْعِينَ ضِعْفًا عَلَى مَا عَمِلَ مَنْ لَا يَحِلُّ مَحِلُّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ

[Al-infiṭāri 11, 12]. fahadhā alladhī wukkila bihi al-malāʾikatu al-ḥāfiẓūna mā lafaẓa bihi wabadā min lisānihi wamā yuʿlinūna wayafʿalūna huwa mā ẓahara bihi al-saʿyu wamā ʾaḍmarathu al-qulūbu mimmā lam yaẓhar ʿalā al-jawāriḥi wamā taʿtaqiduhu al-qulūbu fadhalika yaʿlamuhu jalla thanāʾuhu wakullu ʾaʿmāli al-qulūbi mā ʿuqida lā yujāwizu al-ḍamīra fahuwa mithlu dhalika wa-llāhu ʾaʿlamu wamā ruwiya fī al-khabari min faḍli ʿamali al-sirri ʿalā ʿamali al-ʿalāniyati waʾanna ʿamala al-sirru yazīdu ʿalā ʿamali al-ʿalāniyati sabʿīna ḍiʿfan fadhalika wa-llāhu ʾaʿlamu liʾanna man ʿamila li-llāhi ʿamalan faʾasarrahu faqad ʾaḥabba ʾan yanfarida Allāhu ʿazza wajalla biʿilmi dhalika al-ʿamali minhu wamaʿnāhu ʾan yastaghniya biʿilmi Allāhi fī ʿamalihi ʿan ʿilmi ghayrihi waʾidhā istaghnā al-qalbu biʿilmi Allāhi ʾakhlaṣa al-ʿamala fīhi walam yuʿarrij ʿalā man dūnahu faʾidhā ʿalima jalla dhikruhu biṣidqi qaṣdi al-ʿabdi ʾilayhi waḥdahu wasaqaṭa ʿan dhikri man dūnahu ʾuthbita dhalika al-ʿamala fī ʾaʿmāli al-khāliṣīna al-ṣāliḥīna al-muʾththirīna Allāhu ʿalā man siwāhu wajāzāhu Allāhu biʿilmihi biṣadaqatin min al-thawābi sabʿīna ḍiʿfan ʿalā mā ʿamila man lā yaḥillu maḥilluhu wa-llāhu ʾaʿlamu

[Al-Infiṭār 82:11–12]. The guardian angels are charged with what a person voices and what appears upon the tongue, and with what people openly disclose and do—that is, what becomes manifest through outward striving. But what hearts conceal without its appearing upon the limbs, and the convictions hearts hold, God—majestic is His praise—knows. Every deed of the heart that remains bound within and does not pass beyond the conscience is of this kind. God knows best. As for the report concerning the merit of a hidden deed over an outward deed, and that a hidden deed surpasses an outward deed seventyfold, its meaning—God knows best—is that when someone performs a deed for God and conceals it, he has desired that God alone know that deed. He is satisfied with God’s knowledge of his act and has no need for anyone else to know it. When the heart is satisfied with God’s knowledge, the deed becomes pure for Him and pays no regard to anyone beneath Him. When God—majestic is His remembrance—knows that the servant’s intention is sincerely directed to Him alone and that every thought of others has fallen away, He records the act among the deeds of the pure, righteous servants who prefer God to all besides Him. In view of His knowledge of the servant’s sincerity, God rewards him seventyfold beyond the person who does not occupy this station. God knows best.

كِتَابُهُ إِلَى أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ الدِّينَوَرِيِّ

Kitābuhu ʾilā ʾabī al-ʿabbāsi al-dīnawariyyi

His Letter to Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Dīnawarī

§ 039 • SOURCE P 214

حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ هَارُونَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ فِي كِتَابِهِ إِلَى أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ الدِّينَوَرِيِّ: مَنْ اسْتَخْلَصَهُ الْحَقُّ بِمُفْرَدٍ ذَكَرَهُ وَصَافَاهُ يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُنْتَخَبًا مُكَرَّمًا مُوَاصِلًا يُوَرِّثُهُ غَرَائِبَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَيَزِيدُهُ فِي التَّقْرِيبِ زُلْفَى وَيُثَبِّتُهُ فِي مَحَاضِرِ النَّجْوَى وَيَصْطَنِعُهُ لِلْخُلَّةِ وَالِاصْطِفَاءِ وَيَرْفَعُهُ إِلَى الْغَايَةِ الْقُصْوَى وَيُبَلِّغُهُ فِي الرِّفْعَةِ إِلَى الْمُنْتَهَى وَيُشْرِفُ بِهِ مِنْ ذِرْوَةِ الذُّرَى عَلَى مَوَاطِنِ الرُّشْدِ وَالْهُدَى وَعَلَى دَرَجَاتِ الْبَرَرَةِ الْأَتْقِيَاءِ وَعَلَى مَنَازِلِ الصَّفْوَةِ وَالْأَوْلِيَاءِ فَيَكُونُ كُلُّهُ مُنْتَظِمًا وَعَلَيْهِ بِالتَّمْكِينِ مُحْتَوِيًا وَبِأَنْبَائِهِ خَبِيرًا عَالِمًا وَعَلَيْهِ بِالْقُوَّةِ وَالِاسْتِظْهَارِ حَاكِمًا وَبِإِرْشَادِ الطَّالِبِينَ لَهُ إِلَيْهِ قَائِمًا وَعَلَيْهِمْ بِالْفَوَائِدِ وَالْعَوَائِدِ وَالْمَنَافِعِ دَائِمًا وَلِمَا نَصَبَ لَهُ الْأَئِمَّةُ مِنْ الرِّعَايَةِ لَدَيْهِ بِهِ لَازِمًا وَذَلِكَ إِمَامُ الْهُدَاةِ السُّفَرَاءِ الْعُظَمَاءِ الْأَجِلَّةُ الْكُبَرَاءُ الَّذِينَ جَعَلَهُمْ لِلدِّينِ عَمْدًا وَلِلْأَرْضِ أَوْتَادًا جَعَلَنَا اللَّهُ وَإِيَّاكَ مِنْ أَرْفَعِهِمْ لَدَيْهِ قَدْرًا وَأَعْظَمِهِمْ فِي مَحَلِّ عِزِّهِ أَمْرًا إِنَّ رَبِّي قَرِيبٌ سَمِيعٌ.

ḥaddathanā ʿaliyyu bnu hārūna qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu fī kitābihi ʾilā ʾabī al-ʿabbāsi al-dīnawariyyi: man istakhlaṣahu al-ḥaqqu bimufradin dhakarahu waṣāfāhu yakūnu lahu waliyyan muntakhaban mukarraman muwāṣilan yuwarrithuhu gharāʾiba al-ʾanbiyāʾi wayazīduhu fī al-taqrībi zulfā wayuthabbituhu fī maḥāḍiri al-najwā wayaṣṭaniʿuhu li-l-khullati wa-al-iṣṭifāʾi wayarfaʿuhu ʾilā al-ghāyati al-quṣwā wayuballighuhu fī al-rifʿati ʾilā al-muntahā wayushrifu bihi min dhirwati al-dhurā ʿalā mawāṭini al-rushdi wa-al-hudā waʿalā darajāti al-bararati al-ʾatqiyāʾi waʿalā manāzili al-ṣafwati wa-al-ʾawliyāʾi fayakūnu kulluhu muntaẓiman waʿalayhi bi-al-tamkīni muḥtawiyan wabiʾanbāʾihi khabīran ʿāliman waʿalayhi bi-al-quwwati wa-al-istiẓhāri ḥākiman wabiʾirshādi al-ṭālibīna lahu ʾilayhi qāʾiman waʿalayhim bi-al-fawāʾidi wa-al-ʿawāʾidi wa-al-manāfiʿi dāʾiman walimā naṣaba lahu al-ʾaʾimmatu min al-riʿāyati ladayhi bihi lāziman wadhalika ʾimāmu al-hudāti al-sufarāʾi al-ʿuẓamāʾi al-ʾajillatu al-kubarāʾu alladhīna jaʿalahum li-l-dīni ʿamdan walilʾarḍi ʾawtādan jaʿalanā Allāhu waʾiyyāka min ʾarfaʿihim ladayhi qadran waʾaʿẓamihim fī maḥalli ʿizzihi ʾamran ʾinna rabbī qarībun samīʿun.

ʿAlī ibn Hārūn related to us, saying: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say in his letter to Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Dīnawarī: When the Real singles someone out through an exclusive remembrance, purifies him for Himself, and makes him a chosen, honored, and closely joined friend, He causes him to inherit the wonders of the prophets, increases him in nearness, makes him firm in the assemblies of intimate converse, forms him for friendship and election, raises him to the furthest goal, and brings him to the utmost height. From the summit of summits He gives him a view of the stations of right guidance, the degrees of the pious and God-conscious, and the dwellings of the elect and the friends of God. The whole becomes ordered for him; through firm establishment he encompasses it, knows its reports, governs it with strength and support, stands ready to guide those who seek God toward Him, continually brings them benefits, blessings, and advantages, and remains faithful to the care that the guiding leaders have appointed for him before God. Such a person is a leader among the guides, the great and noble emissaries, the eminent ones whom God has made pillars for religion and pegs for the earth. May God make us and you among those of highest worth before Him and greatest standing in the station of His might. Truly my Lord is near and hears.

عَقَبَاتُ الْوِصَالِ

ʿaqabātu al-wiṣāli

The Obstacles on the Way to Union

§ 041 • SOURCE P 215

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ هَارُونَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ السِّمْسَارَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ اعْلَمْ يَا أَخِي أَنَّ الْوُصُولَ إِذَا مَا سَأَلْت عَنْهُ مَفَاوِزَ مَهْلَكَةٌ وَمَنَاهِلُ مُتْلَفَةً لَا تُسْلَكُ إِلَّا بِدَلِيلٍ وَلَا تُقْطَعُ إِلَّا بِدَوَامٍ وَرَحِيلٍ وَأَنَا وَاصِفٌ لَكَ مِنْهَا مَفَازَةً وَاحِدَةً فَافْهَمْ مَا أَنَعْتهُ لَكَ مِنْهَا وَقْفٌ عِنْدَمَا أُشِيرَ لَكَ فِيهَا وَاسْتَمِعْ لِمَا أَقُولُ وَافْهَمْ مَا أَصِفُ اعْلَمْ أَنَّ بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ مَفَازَةً إِنْ كُنْت مِمَّنْ أُرِيدُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْهَا وَأَسْتَوْدِعُكَ اللَّهَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَأَسْأَلُهُ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكَ وَاقِيَةً بَاقِيَةً فَإِنَّ الْخَطَرَ فِي سُلُوكِهَا عَظِيمٌ وَالْأَمْرُ الْمُشَاهَدُ فِي الْمَمَرِّ بِهَا جَسِيمٌ فَإِنَّ مِنْ أَوَائِلِهَا أَنْ يُوغَلَ بِكَ فِي فَيْحِ بَرْزَخٍ لَا أَمَدَّ لَهُ إِيغَالًا وَيُدْخِلَ بِكَ بِالْهُجُومِ فِيهِ إِدْخَالًا وَتُرْسِلَ فِي جُوَيْهِنَتِهِ إِرْسَالًا ثُمَّ تَتَخَلَّى مِنْكَ لَكَ وَيَتَخَلَّى مِنْكَ لَهُ فَمَنْ أَنْتَ حِينَئِذٍ وَمَاذَا يُرَادُ بِكَ وَمَاذَا يُرَادُ مِنْكَ وَأَنْتَ حِينَئِذٍ فِي مَحَلِّ أَمْنِهِ رَوْعٌ وَأُنْسِهُ وَحْشَةٌ وَضِيَاؤُهُ ظُلْمَةٌ وَرَفَاهِيَتُهُ شِدَّةٌ وَشَهَادَتُهُ غَيْبَةٌ وَحَيَاتُهُ مَيْتَةٌ لَا دَرَكَ فِيهِ لِطَالِبٍ وَلَا مُهِمَّةَ فِيهِ لِسَارِبٍ وَلَا نَجَاةَ فِيهِ لِهَارِبٍ وَأَوَائِلُ مُلَاقَاتِهِ اِصْطِلَامٌ وَفَوَاتِحُ بَدَائِعِهِ اِحْتِكَامٌ وَعَوَاطِفُ مَمَرِّهِ اِحْتِرَامٌ فَإِنْ غَمَرَتْكَ غَوَامِرُهُ انْتَسَفَتْكَ بَوَادِرُهِ وَذَهَبَ بِكَ فِي الِارْتِمَاسِ وَأَغْرَقْتُكَ بِكَثِيفٍ الِانْطِمَاسِ فَذَهَبْت سِفَالًا فِي الِانْغِمَاسِ إِلَى غَيْرِ دَرَكٍ نِهَايَةٌ وَلَا مُسْتَقَرٍّ لِغَايَةٍ فَمِنْ الْمُسْتَنْقِذِ لَكَ مِمَّا هُنَالِكَ وَمِنْ الْمُسْتَخْرَجِ لَكَ مِنْ تِلْكَ الْمَهَالِكِ وَأَنْتَ فِي فَرْطِ الْإِيَاسِ مِنْ كُلِّ فَرْجٍ مُشَوَّهٍ بِكَ فِي إِغْرَاقِ لُجَّةِ اللُّجَجِ فَاحْذَرْ ثُمَّ احْذَرْ فَكَمْ مِنْ مُتَعَرِّضٍ اخْتَطَفَ وَمُتَكَلِّفٍ انْتَسَفَ وَأَتْلَفَ بِالْغُرَّةِ نَفْسَهُ وَأَوْقِعْ بِالسُّرْعَةِ حَتْفَهُ جَعَلَنَا اللَّهُ وَإِيَّاكَ مِنْ النَّاجِينَ وَلَا أَحْرَمْنَا وَإِيَّاكَ مَا خَصَّ بِهِ الْعَارِفِينَ وَاعْلَمْ يَا أَخِي أَنَّ الَّذِي وَصَفْته لَكَ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْمَفَاوِزِ وَعَرَّضْت بِبَعْضِ نَعْتِهِ إِشَارَةً إِلَى عِلْمٍ لَمْ أَصِفْهُ وَكَشْفُ الْعِلْمِ بِهَا يَبْعُدُ وَالْكَائِنُ بِهَا يُفْقَدُ فَخُذْ فِي نَعْتِ مَا تَعْرِفُهُ مِنْ الْأَحْوَالِ وَمَا يَبْلُغُهُ النَّعْتُ وَالسُّؤَالُ وَيُوجَدُ فِي الْمُقَارِبِينَ وَالْأَشْكَالِ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ أَقْرَبُ بِظَفَرِكَ لِظَفَرِكَ وَأَبْعَدُ مِنْ حَظِّكَ لِحَظِّكَ وَأَحْذَرُ مِنْ مُصَادَمَاتِ مُلَاقَاةِ الْأَبْطَالِ وَالْهُجُومِ عَلَى حِينِ وَقْتِ النِّزَالِ وَالتَّعَرُّضِ لِأَمَاكِنِ أَهْلِ الْكَمَالِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَمَاتَ مِنْ حَيَاتِكَ ثُمَّ تَحْيَى مِنْ وَفَاتِكَ وَتَخْلَقَ خَلْقًا جَدِيدًا وَتَكُونَ فَرِيدًا وَحِيدًا وَكُلُّ مَا وَصَفْتُهُ لَكَ إِشَارَةٌ إِلَى عِلْمِ مَا أُرِيدُهُ

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani ʿaliyya bna hārūna bna Muḥammadin al-simsāra yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu iʿlam yā ʾakhī ʾanna al-wuṣūla ʾidhā mā saʾalt ʿanhu mafāwiza mahlakatun wamanāhilu mutlafatan lā tuslaku ʾillā bidalīlin walā tuqṭaʿu ʾillā bidawāmin waraḥīlin waʾanā wāṣifun laka minhā mafāzatan wāḥidatan fa-ifham mā ʾanaʿthu laka minhā waqfun ʿindamā ʾushīra laka fīhā wa-istamiʿ limā ʾaqūlu wa-ifham mā ʾaṣifu iʿlam ʾanna bayna yadayka mafāzatan ʾin kunt mimman ʾurīdu bishayʾin minhā waʾastawdiʿuka Allāha min dhalika waʾasʾaluhu ʾan yajʿala ʿalayka wāqiyatan bāqiyatan faʾinna al-khaṭara fī sulūkihā ʿaẓīmun wa-al-ʾamru al-mushāhadu fī al-mamarri bihā jasīmun faʾinna min ʾawāʾilihā ʾan yūghala bika fī fayḥi barzakhin lā ʾamadda lahu ʾīghālan wayudkhila bika bi-al-hujūmi fīhi ʾidkhālan watursila fī juwayhinatihi ʾirsālan thumma tatakhallā minka laka wayatakhallā minka lahu faman ʾanta ḥīnaʾidhin wamādhā yurādu bika wamādhā yurādu minka waʾanta ḥīnaʾidhin fī maḥalli ʾamnihi rawʿun waʾunsihu waḥshatun waḍiyāʾuhu ẓulmatun warafāhiyatuhu shiddatun washahādatuhu ghaybatun waḥayātuhu maytatun lā daraka fīhi liṭālibin walā muhimmata fīhi lisāribin walā najāta fīhi lihāribin waʾawāʾilu mulāqātihi ʾiṣṭilāmun wafawātiḥu badāʾiʿihi ʾiḥtikāmun waʿawāṭifu mamarrihi ʾiḥtirāmun faʾin ghamaratka ghawāmiruhu intasafatka bawādiruhi wadhahaba bika fī al-irtimāsi waʾaghraqtuka bikathīfin al-inṭimāsi fadhahabt sifālan fī al-inghimāsi ʾilā ghayri darakin nihāyatun walā mustaqarrin lighāyatin famin al-mustanqidhi laka mimmā hunālika wamin al-mustakhraji laka min tilka al-mahāliki waʾanta fī farṭi al-ʾiyāsi min kulli farjin mushawwahin bika fī ʾighrāqi lujjati al-lujaji fa-iḥdhar thumma iḥdhar fakam min mutaʿarriḍin ikhtaṭafa wamutakallifin intasafa waʾatlafa bi-al-ghurrati nafsahu waʾawqiʿ bi-al-surʿati ḥatfahu jaʿalanā Allāhu waʾiyyāka min al-nājīna walā ʾaḥramnā waʾiyyāka mā khaṣṣa bihi al-ʿārifīna wa-iʿlam yā ʾakhī ʾanna alladhī waṣafth laka min hadhihi al-mafāwizi waʿarraḍt bibaʿḍi naʿtihi ʾishāratan ʾilā ʿilmin lam ʾaṣifhu wakashfu al-ʿilmi bihā yabʿudu wa-al-kāʾinu bihā yufqadu fakhudh fī naʿti mā taʿrifuhu min al-ʾaḥwāli wamā yablughuhu al-naʿtu wa-al-suʾālu wayūjadu fī al-muqāribīna wa-al-ʾashkāli faʾinna dhalika ʾaqrabu biẓafarika liẓafarika waʾabʿadu min ḥaẓẓika liḥaẓẓika waʾaḥdharu min muṣādamāti mulāqāti al-ʾabṭāli wa-al-hujūmi ʿalā ḥīni waqti al-nizāli wa-al-taʿarruḍi liʾamākini ʾahli al-kamāli qabla ʾan tamāta min ḥayātika thumma taḥyā min wafātika watakhlaqa khalqan jadīdan watakūna farīdan waḥīdan wakullu mā waṣaftuhu laka ʾishāratun ʾilā ʿilmi mā ʾurīduhu

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Hārūn ibn Muḥammad al-Simsār say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say: Know, my brother, that the arrival about which you ask lies across deadly deserts and fatal watering places. They cannot be traveled without a guide or crossed without unceasing journey. I shall describe one desert to you. Understand what I depict, stop where I direct you to stop, listen to what I say, and comprehend what I describe. Know that a desert lies before you, if you are one intended for any portion of it. I entrust you to God against its dangers and ask Him to place an enduring protection over you. The peril of traveling it is immense and what one witnesses while passing through it is grave. At its beginning you are driven far into the limitless breadth of an isthmus, thrust suddenly into it, and released into its inner expanse. Then what is from you is left to you, and what is from you is relinquished to Him. Who are you then? What is intended for you, and what is demanded from you? You then stand where security is terror, intimacy estrangement, radiance darkness, ease hardship, witnessing absence, and life death. No seeker can overtake anything there, no traveler has an errand there, and no fugitive finds escape. The first encounter with it is annihilating seizure; the openings of its wonders are overpowering judgment; and the bends along its passage exact reverence. If its engulfing floods cover you, its sudden onsets sweep you away. It carries you into submersion and drowns you beneath dense obliteration. You sink ever lower in immersion, with no depth marking an end and no resting place at a goal. Who will rescue you from what is there? Who will bring you out from those deadly places when you are at the furthest point of despair of every relief, disfigured by drowning in an abyss of abysses? Beware, then beware! How many who exposed themselves were snatched away; how many who made false claims were swept off; how many ruined themselves through heedless confidence and brought death upon themselves through haste. May God make us and you among those delivered, and not deprive us or you of what He has specially granted those who know Him. Know, my brother, that the desert I have described and at whose qualities I have hinted points to a knowledge I have not disclosed. Unveiling knowledge of it is remote, and the one who comes to be within it disappears. So speak instead about the states you know, which description and questioning can reach and which can be found among those who draw near and resemble one another. This will bring you nearer to attaining what is truly yours, keep you farther from claiming what is not your portion, and make you more cautious about colliding with the champions, rushing in at the moment of combat, or exposing yourself to the stations of the people of completion before you have been made to die to your life, then brought alive from your death, created anew, and made unique and alone. Everything I have described to you is an indication of the knowledge I intend.

رِسَالَةٌ فِي الْإِيمَانِ

Risālatun fī al-ʾīmāni

A Treatise on Faith

§ 043 • SOURCE P 216

سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ جَعْفَرٍ يَقُولُ سَأَلْت أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ الْإِيمَانِ مَا هُوَ فَقَالَ الْإِيمَانُ هُوَ وَالتَّصْدِيقُ الْإِيقَانُ وَحَقِيقَةُ الْعِلْمِ بِمَا غَابَ عَنْ الْأَعْيَانِ لِأَنَّ الْمُخْبِرَ لِي بِمَا غَابَ عَنِّي أَنْ كَانَ عِنْدِي صَادِقًا لَا يُعَارِضُنِي فِي صِدْقِهِ رَيْبٌ وَلَا شَكَّ أَوْجَبَ عَلَى تَصْدِيقِي إِيَّاهُ إِنْ ثَبَتَ لِي الْعِلْمُ بِمَا أَخْبَرَ بِهِ وَمِنْ تَأْكِيدِ حَقِيقَةِ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ يَكُونَ تَصْدِيقُ الصَّادِقِ عِنْدِي يُوجِبُ عَلَى أَنْ يَكُونَ مَا أَخْبَرَنِي بِهِ كَأَنِّي لَهُ مُعَايِنٌ وَذَلِكَ صِفَةُ قُوَّةِ الصِّدْقِ فِي التَّصْدِيقِ وَقُوَّةُ الْإِيقَانِ الْمُوجِبِ لِاسْمِ الْإِيمَانِ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ الرَّسُولِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِرَجُلٍ اُعْبُدْ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ فَأَمْرُهُ بِحَالَتَيْنِ إِحْدَاهُمَا أَقْوَى مِنْ الْأُخْرَى لِأَنِّي كَأَنِّي أَرَى الشَّيْءَ بِقُوَّةِ الْعِلْمِ بِهِ وَحَقِيقَةُ التَّصْدِيقِ لَهُ أَقْوَى مِنْ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ يَرَانِي وَإِنْ كَانَ عِلْمِي بِأَنَّهُ يَرَانِي حَقِيقَةَ عِلْمٍ مُوجِبَةً لِلتَّصْدِيقِ وَالْمَعْنَى الْأَوَّلُ أَوْلَى وَأَقْوَى وَالْفَضْلُ بِجَمْعِهِمَا عَلَى تَقْدِيمِ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَى. قَالَ أَحْمَدُ: وَسَأَلْته عَنْ عَلَامَةِ الْإِيمَانِ؟ قَالَ: الْإِيمَانُ عَلَامَتُهُ طَاعَةُ مَنْ آمَنْت بِهِ وَالْعَمَلُ بِمَا يُحِبُّهُ وَيَرْضَاهُ وَتَرْكُ التَّشَاغُلِ عَنْهُ بِشَيْءٍ يَنْقَضِي عِنْدَهُ حَتَّى أَكُونَ عَلَيْهِ مُقْبِلًا وَلِمُوَافَقَتِهِ مُؤْثِرًا وَلِمَرْضَاتِهِ مُتَحَرِّيًا لِأَنَّ مِنْ صِفَةِ حَقِيقَةِ عَلَامَةِ الْإِيمَانِ أَلَا أُوثِرَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْئًا دُونَهُ وَلَا أَتَشَاغَلُ عَنْهُ بِسَبَبٍ سِوَاهُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ الْمَالِكُ لِسِرِيٍّ وَالْحَاثُّ لِجَوَارِحِي بِمَا أَمَرَنِي مَنْ آمَنْت بِهِ وَلَهُ عَرَفْت فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ تَقَعُ الطَّاعَةُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى الِاسْتِوَاءِ وَمُخَالَفَةِ كُلِّ الْأَهْوَاءِ وَالْمُجَانَبَةِ لِمَا دَعَتْ إِلَيْهِ الْأَعْدَاءُ وَالْمُتَارَكَةُ لِمَا انْتَسَبَ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا وَالْإِقْبَالِ عَلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَوْلَى وَهَذِهِ بَعْضُ الشَّوَاهِدِ وَالْعَلَامَاتِ فِيمَا سَأَلْتَ عَنْهُ وَصِفَةُ الْكُلِّ يَطُولُ شَرْحُهُ قَالَ وَسَأَلْتُهُ: مَا الْإِيمَانُ؟ فَقَالَ: هَذَا سُؤَالٌ لَا حَقِيقَةَ لَهُ وَلَا مَعْنًى يُنْبِئُ عَنْ مَزِيدٍ مِنْ عِلْمٍ وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ الْإِيمَانُ بِاللَّهِ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ مُجَرَّدًا وَحَقِيقَتُهُ فِي الْقُلُوبِ مُفْرَدًا وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ مَا وَقَّرَ فِي الْقَلْبِ مِنْ الْعِلْمِ بِاللَّهِ وَالتَّصْدِيقِ وَبِمَا أَخْبَرَ مِنْ أُمُورِهِ فِي سَائِرِ سَمَاوَاتِهِ وَأَرْضِهِ مِمَّا ثَبَتَ فِي الْإِيقَانِ وَإِنْ لَمْ أَرَهُ بِالْعِيَانِ فَكَيْفَ يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِلصِّدْقِ صِدْقٌ وَلِلْإِيقَانِ إِيقَانٌ وَإِنَّمَا الصِّدْقُ فِعْلٌ قَلْبِي وَالْإِيقَانُ مَا اسْتَقَرَّ مِنْ الْعِلْمِ عِنْدِي فَكَيْفَ

Samiʿtu ʾabī yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾaḥmada bna jaʿfarin yaqūlu saʾalt ʾabā al-qāsimi al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin ʿan al-ʾīmāni mā huwa faqāla al-ʾīmānu huwa wa-al-taṣdīqu al-ʾīqānu waḥaqīqatu al-ʿilmi bimā ghāba ʿan al-ʾaʿyāni liʾanna al-mukhbira lī bimā ghāba ʿannī ʾan kāna ʿindī ṣādiqan lā yuʿāriḍunī fī ṣidqihi raybun walā shakka ʾawjaba ʿalā taṣdīqī ʾiyyāhu ʾin thabata lī al-ʿilmu bimā ʾakhbara bihi wamin taʾkīdi ḥaqīqati dhalika ʾanna yakūna taṣdīqu al-ṣādiqi ʿindī yūjibu ʿalā ʾan yakūna mā ʾakhbaranī bihi kaʾannī lahu muʿāyinun wadhalika ṣifatu quwwati al-ṣidqi fī al-taṣdīqi waquwwatu al-ʾīqāni al-mūjibi li-ismi al-ʾīmāni waqad ruwiya ʿan al-rasūli ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama ʾannahu qāla lirajulin ʾuʿbud Allāha kaʾannaka tarāhu faʾin lam takun tarāhu faʾinnahu yarāka faʾamruhu biḥālatayni ʾiḥdāhumā ʾaqwā min al-ʾukhrā liʾannī kaʾannī ʾarā al-shayʾa biquwwati al-ʿilmi bihi waḥaqīqatu al-taṣdīqi lahu ʾaqwā min ʾan ʾakūna ʾaʿlamu ʾanna dhalika yarānī waʾin kāna ʿilmī biʾannahu yarānī ḥaqīqata ʿilmin mūjibatan li-l-taṣdīqi wa-al-maʿnā al-ʾawwalu ʾawlā waʾaqwā wa-al-faḍlu bijamʿihimā ʿalā taqdīmi ʾiḥdāhumā ʿalā al-ʾukhrā. qāla ʾaḥmadu: wasaʾalth ʿan ʿalāmati al-ʾīmāni? qāla: al-ʾīmānu ʿalāmatuhu ṭāʿatu man ʾāmant bihi wa-al-ʿamalu bimā yuḥibbuhu wayarḍāhu watarku al-tashāghuli ʿanhu bishayʾin yanqaḍī ʿindahu ḥattā ʾakūna ʿalayhi muqbilan walimuwāfaqatihi muʾthiran walimarḍātihi mutaḥarriyan liʾanna min ṣifati ḥaqīqati ʿalāmati al-ʾīmāni ʾalā ʾūthira ʿalayhi shayʾan dūnahu walā ʾatashāghalu ʿanhu bisababin siwāhu ḥattā yakūna al-māliku lisiriyyin wa-al-ḥāththu lijawāriḥī bimā ʾamaranī man ʾāmant bihi walahu ʿaraft faʿinda dhalika taqaʿu al-ṭāʿatu li-llāhi ʿalā al-istiwāʾi wamukhālafati kulli al-ʾahwāʾi wa-al-mujānabati limā daʿat ʾilayhi al-ʾaʿdāʾu wa-al-mutārakatu limā intasaba ʾilā al-dunyā wa-al-ʾiqbāli ʿalā man huwa ʾawlā wahadhihi baʿḍu al-shawāhidi wa-al-ʿalāmāti fīmā saʾalta ʿanhu waṣifatu al-kulli yaṭūlu sharḥuhu qāla wasaʾaltuhu: mā al-ʾīmānu? faqāla: hadhā suʾālun lā ḥaqīqata lahu walā maʿnanā yunbiʾu ʿan mazīdin min ʿilmin waʾinnamā huwa al-ʾīmānu bi-llāhi jalla thanāʾuhu mujarradan waḥaqīqatuhu fī al-qulūbi mufradan waʾinnamā huwa mā waqqara fī al-qalbi min al-ʿilmi bi-llāhi wa-al-taṣdīqi wabimā ʾakhbara min ʾumūrihi fī sāʾiri samāwātihi waʾarḍihi mimmā thabata fī al-ʾīqāni waʾin lam ʾarahu bi-al-ʿiyāni fakayfa yajūzu ʾan yakūna li-l-ṣidqi ṣidqun walilʾīqāni ʾīqānun waʾinnamā al-ṣidqu fiʿlun qalbī wa-al-ʾīqānu mā istaqarra min al-ʿilmi ʿindī fakayfa

I heard my father say: I heard Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar say: I asked Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad, ‘What is faith?’ He replied: Faith is affirmation, certainty, and true knowledge of what is absent from direct sight. When one who informs me of what is absent is truthful in my judgment, and no doubt or suspicion opposes his truthfulness, my affirmation of him requires that knowledge of what he reports become established for me. The confirmation of this reality is that my affirmation of the truthful informant makes what he tells me as though I were seeing it. This describes the strength of truthfulness within affirmation and the power of certainty that warrants the name faith. It is related that the Messenger—may God bless him and his family and grant them peace—said to a man, ‘Worship God as though you see Him; and if you do not see Him, He sees you.’ He instructed him in two states, one stronger than the other. To be as though I see the thing through powerful knowledge of it and true affirmation of it is stronger than merely knowing that it sees me, although my knowledge that He sees me is itself genuine knowledge requiring affirmation. The first meaning is higher and stronger, while the fullest merit lies in uniting both, with the one taking precedence over the other. Aḥmad said: I asked him, ‘What is the sign of faith?’ He replied: The sign of faith is to obey the One in whom you have faith, to do what He loves and approves, and to cease being distracted from Him by anything that will pass away before Him. I must remain turned toward Him, prefer harmony with Him, and carefully seek His pleasure. A mark of true faith is that I prefer nothing to Him and let no other cause distract me from Him, until He possesses my inward secret and moves my limbs according to what the One in whom I have faith and whom I have known commands me. Then obedience to God becomes upright and even; every caprice is opposed; whatever the enemies invite one toward is shunned; whatever belongs to this world is left behind; and one turns toward the One who has the greater right. These are some of the signs and attestations concerning what you asked. A full description would be lengthy. Aḥmad said: I asked him again, ‘What is faith?’ He replied: This question, in the form posed, has no real object and conveys no additional knowledge. Faith is simply faith in God—majestic is His praise—alone and unalloyed, and its reality is uniquely established in hearts. It is the knowledge of God and affirmation of what He has reported concerning His affairs throughout His heavens and earth—matters established in certainty even though I do not see them with my eyes. How, then, could truthfulness possess another truthfulness, or certainty another certainty? Truthfulness is an act of my heart, and certainty is the knowledge settled within me. How could…

§ 044

يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ فِعْلَيَّ وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا الْفَاعِلُ أَوْ يَعْلَمُ عِلْمِي وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا الْعَالِمُ وَالسُّؤَالُ فِي الِابْتِدَاءِ غَيْرُ مُسْتَقِيمٍ وَلَوْ جَازَ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِلْإِيمَانِ إِيمَانٌ وَلِلتَّصْدِيقِ تَصْدِيقٌ جَازَ أَنْ يُوَالِيَ ذَلِكَ وَيُكَرِّرَ إِلَى غَايَةٍ تَكْثُرُ فِي الْعَدَدِ وَجَازَ أَنْ يَكُونَ كَمَا عَادَ عَلَى ثَوَابٍ إِيمَانِيٍّ وَثَوَابٍ تَصْدِيقِيٍّ أَنْ يَعُودَ عَلَى إِيمَانٍ إِيمَانِيٍّ ثَوَابٌ وَعَلَى تَصْدِيقِ تَصْدِيقِي جَزَاءٌ وَلَوْ أَرَدْت اسْتِقْصَاءُ الْقَوْلِ فِي وَاجِبِ ذَلِكَ لَا تَسَعُ بِهِ الْكِتَابَ وَطَالَ بِهِ الْخِطَابُ وَهَذَا مُخْتَصَرٌ مِنْ الْجَوَابِ.

Yajūzu ʾan yafʿala fiʿlayya waʾinnamā ʾanā al-fāʿilu ʾaw yaʿlamu ʿilmī waʾinnamā ʾanā al-ʿālimu wa-al-suʾālu fī al-ibtidāʾi ghayru mustaqīmin walaw jāza ʾan yakūna li-l-ʾīmāni ʾīmānun walilttaṣdīqi taṣdīqun jāza ʾan yuwāliya dhalika wayukarrira ʾilā ghāyatin takthuru fī al-ʿadadi wajāza ʾan yakūna kamā ʿāda ʿalā thawābin ʾīmāniyyin wathawābin taṣdīqiyyin ʾan yaʿūda ʿalā ʾīmānin ʾīmāniyyin thawābun waʿalā taṣdīqi taṣdīqī jazāʾun walaw ʾaradt istiqṣāʾu al-qawli fī wājibi dhalika lā tasaʿu bihi al-kitāba waṭāla bihi al-khiṭābu wahadhā mukhtaṣarun min al-jawābi.

…another perform my act when I alone am the doer, or know my knowledge when I alone am the knower? The question was unsound from the beginning. If faith could itself have faith, and affirmation itself have affirmation, the regress could continue and repeat without limit, multiplying in number. Just as one would then speak of a reward belonging to my faith and a reward belonging to my affirmation, one could also posit a reward for a faith belonging to faith and a recompense for an affirmation belonging to affirmation. Were I to pursue everything this would entail, the book could not contain it and the discourse would grow long. This is an abridged answer.

صِفَةُ الْعَاقِلِ

ṣifatu al-ʿāqili

The Character of an Intelligent Person

§ 046 • SOURCE P 217, 218

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمُفِيدُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ يَنْبَغِي لِلْعَاقِلِ أَلَّا يُفْقَدَ مِنْ إِحْدَى ثَلاثَةِ مَوَاطِنُ مَوْطِنٌ يُعْرَفُ فِيهِ حَالُهُ أَمْزَادٌ أَمْ مُنْتَقِصٌ وَمَوْطِنٌ يَخْلُو فِيهِ بِتَأْدِيبِ نَفْسِهِ وَإِلْزَامِهَا مَا يَلْزَمُهَا وَيُتَقَصَّى فِيهِ عَلَى مَعْرِفَتِهَا وَمَوْطِنٌ يُسْتَحْضَرُ عَقْلُهُ بِرُؤْيَتِهِ مَجَارِيَ التَّدْبِيرِ عَلَيْهِ وَكَيْفَ تُقَلَّبُ فِيهِ الأَحْكَامُ فِي آنَاءِ اللَّيْلِ وَأَطْرَافِ النَّهَارِ وَلَنْ يَصْفُوَ عَقْلٌ لَا يَصْدُرُ إِلَى فَهْمِ هَذَا الْحَالِ الْأَخِيرِ إِلَّا بِأَحْكَامِ مَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ إِصْلَاحِ الْحَالَيْنِ الْأَوَّلَيْنِ فَأَمَّا الْمَوْطِنُ الَّذِي يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَعْرِفَ فِيهِ حَالُهُ أَمْزَادٌ هُوَ أَمْ مُنْتَقِصٌ فَعَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَطْلُبَ مَوَاضِعَ الْخَلْوَةِ لِكَيْ لَا يُعَارِضَهُ مُشْغِلٌ فَيُفْسِدُ مَا يُرِيدُ إِصْلَاحَهُ ثُمَّ يَتَوَجَّهُ إِلَى مُوَافَقَةِ مَا أَلْزَمَ مِنْ تَأْدِيَةِ الْفَرْضِ الَّذِي لَا يَزْكُو حَالٌ قُرْبِهِ إِلَّا بِإِتْمَامِ الْوَاجِبِ مِنْ الْفَرَائِضِ ثُمَّ يَنْتَصِبُ انْتِصَابُ عَبْدٍ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ سَيِّدِهِ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُؤَدِّيَ إِلَيْهِ مَا أُمِرَ بِتَأْدِيَتِهِ فَحِينَئِذٍ تُكْشَفُ لَهُ خَفَايَا النُّفُوسِ الْمُوَارِيَةِ فَيَعْلَمُ أَهُوَ مِمَّنْ أَدَّى مَا وَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْ لَمْ يُؤَدِّ ثُمَّ لَا يَبْرَحُ مِنْ مَقَامِهِ ذَلِكَ حَتَّى يُوقِعَ لَهُ الْعِلْمُ بِبُرْهَانِ مَا اسْتَكْشَفَهُ بِالْعِلْمِ فَانْ رَأَى خَلَلًا أَقَامَ عَلَى إِصْلَاحِهِ وَلَمْ يُجَاوِزْهُ إِلَى عَمَلٍ سِوَاهُ وَهَذِهِ أَحْوَالُ أَهْلِ الصِّدْقِ فِي هَذَا الْمَحَلِّ وَاللَّهُ يُؤَيِّدُ بِنَصْرِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ وَأَمَّا الْمَوْطِنُ الَّذِي يَخْلُو فِيهِ بِتَأْدِيبِ نَفْسِهِ وَيَتَقَصَّى فِيهِ حَالَ مَعْرِفَتِهَا فَإِنَّهُ يَنْبَغِي لِمَنْ عَزَمَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَأَرَادَ الْمُنَاصَحَةَ فِي الْمُعَامَلَةِ فَإِنَّ النُّفُوسَ رُبَّمَا خَبَّتْ فِيهَا مِنْهَا أَشْيَاءُ لَا يَقِفُ عَلَى حَدِّ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا مَنْ تَصَفَّحَ مَا هُنَالِكَ فِي حِينِ حَرَكَةِ الْهَوَى فِي مَحَبَّةِ فِعْلِ الْخَيْرِ الْمَأْلُوفِ فَإِنَّ النَّفْسَ إِذَا أَلَّفَتْ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرِ صَارَ خُلُقًا مِنْ أَخْلَاقِهَا وَسَكَنَتْ إِلَى أَنَّهَا مَوْضِعٌ لِمَا أَهَلَّتْ لَهُ وَتَرَى أَنَّ الَّذِي جَرَى عَلَيْهَا مِنْ فِعْلِ ذَلِكَ الْخَيْرِ فِيهَا هِيَ لَهُ أَهْلٌ وَيَرْصُدُهَا الْعَدُوُّ الْمُقِيمُ بِفِنَائِهَا الْمَجْعُولِ لَهُ السَّبِيلُ عَلَى مَجَارَى الدَّمِ فِيهَا فَيَرَى هُوَ بِكَيْدِهِ خَفِيَّ غَفْلَتُهَا فَيَخْتَلِسُ مِنْهَا بِمُسَاءَلَةٍ الْهَوَى مَا لَا يُمْكِنُهُ الْوُصُولُ إِلَى اخْتِلَاسِهِ فِي غَيْرِ تِلْكَ الْحَالِ فَإِنْ تَأَلَّمَ لِوَكْزَتِهِ مِنْهُ وَعَرَفَ طَعْنْتَهُ أَسْرَعَ بِالْأَمَانَةِ إِلَى مَنْ لَا تَقَعُ الْكِفَايَةُ مِنْهُ إِلَّا بِهِ فَاسْتَقْصَى مِنْ نَفْسِهِ عِلْمَ الْحَالِ الَّتِي مِنَّا وَصَلَ عَدُوُّهُ إِلَيْهِ فَحَرَسَهَا بِلِيَاذَةِ اللَّجَأِ وَإِلْقَاءِ الْكُنُفِ وَشِدَّةِ الاِفْتِقَارِ وَطَلَبِ الِاعْتِصَامِ كَمَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ بْنُ النَّبِيِّ بْنِ النَّبِيِّ الْكَرِيمُ بْنِ الْكَرِيمِ بْنِ الْكَرِيمِ كَذَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْكَرِيمُ بْنُ الْكَرِيمِ بْنِ الْكَرِيمِ يُوسُفُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلُ الرَّحْمَٰنِ عَلَيْهِمْ السَّلَامُ:

ḥaddathanā ʾabū bakrin Muḥammadu bnu ʾaḥmada bni Muḥammadin al-mufīdu qāla samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-Junayda yaqūlu yanbaghī li-l-ʿāqili ʾallā yufqada min ʾiḥdā thalāthati mawāṭinu mawṭinun yuʿrafu fīhi ḥāluhu ʾamzādun ʾam muntaqiṣun wamawṭinun yakhlū fīhi bitaʾdībi nafsihi waʾilzāmihā mā yalzamuhā wayutaqaṣṣā fīhi ʿalā maʿrifatihā wamawṭinun yustaḥḍaru ʿaqluhu biruʾyatihi majāriya al-tadbīri ʿalayhi wakayfa tuqallabu fīhi al-ʾaḥkāmu fī ʾānāʾi al-layli waʾaṭrāfi al-nahāri walan yaṣfuwa ʿaqlun lā yaṣduru ʾilā fahmi hadhā al-ḥāli al-ʾakhīri ʾillā biʾaḥkāmi mā yajibu ʿalayhi min ʾiṣlāḥi al-ḥālayni al-ʾawwalayni faʾammā al-mawṭinu alladhī yanbaghī lahu ʾan yaʿrifa fīhi ḥāluhu ʾamzādun huwa ʾam muntaqiṣun faʿalayhi ʾan yaṭluba mawāḍiʿa al-khalwati likay lā yuʿāriḍahu mushghilun fayufsidu mā yurīdu ʾiṣlāḥahu thumma yatawajjahu ʾilā muwāfaqati mā ʾalzama min taʾdiyati al-farḍi alladhī lā yazkū ḥālun qurbihi ʾillā biʾitmāmi al-wājibi min al-farāʾiḍi thumma yantaṣibu intiṣābu ʿabdin bayna yaday sayyidihi yurīdu ʾan yuʾaddiya ʾilayhi mā ʾumira bitaʾdiyatihi faḥīnaʾidhin tukshafu lahu khafāyā al-nufūsi al-muwāriyati fayaʿlamu ʾahuwa mimman ʾaddā mā wajaba ʿalayhi ʾam lam yuʾaddi thumma lā yabraḥu min maqāmihi dhalika ḥattā yūqiʿa lahu al-ʿilmu biburhāni mā istakshafahu bi-al-ʿilmi fa-in raʾā khalalan ʾaqāma ʿalā ʾiṣlāḥihi walam yujāwizhu ʾilā ʿamalin siwāhu wahadhihi ʾaḥwālu ʾahli al-ṣidqi fī hadhā al-maḥalli wa-llāhu yuʾayyidu binaṣrihi man yashāʾu ʾinna Allāha laqawiyyun ʿazīzun waʾammā al-mawṭinu alladhī yakhlū fīhi bitaʾdībi nafsihi wayataqaṣṣā fīhi ḥāla maʿrifatihā faʾinnahu yanbaghī liman ʿazama ʿalā dhalika waʾarāda al-munāṣaḥata fī al-muʿāmalati faʾinna al-nufūsa rubbamā khabbat fīhā minhā ʾashyāʾu lā yaqifu ʿalā ḥaddi dhalika ʾillā man taṣaffaḥa mā hunālika fī ḥīni ḥarakati al-hawā fī maḥabbati fiʿli al-khayri al-maʾlūfi faʾinna al-nafsa ʾidhā ʾallafat fiʿla al-khayri ṣāra khuluqan min ʾakhlāqihā wasakanat ʾilā ʾannahā mawḍiʿun limā ʾahallat lahu watarā ʾanna alladhī jarā ʿalayhā min fiʿli dhalika al-khayri fīhā hiya lahu ʾahlun wayarṣuduhā al-ʿaduwwu al-muqīmu bifināʾihā al-majʿūli lahu al-sabīlu ʿalā majārā al-dami fīhā fayarā huwa bikaydihi khafiyya ghaflatuhā fayakhtalisu minhā bimusāʾalatin al-hawā mā lā yumkinuhu al-wuṣūlu ʾilā ikhtilāsihi fī ghayri tilka al-ḥāli faʾin taʾallama liwakzatihi minhu waʿarafa ṭaʿntahu ʾasraʿa bi-al-ʾamānati ʾilā man lā taqaʿu al-kifāyatu minhu ʾillā bihi fa-istaqṣā min nafsihi ʿilma al-ḥāli allatī minnā waṣala ʿaduwwuhu ʾilayhi faḥarasahā biliyādhati al-lajaʾi waʾilqāʾi al-kunufi washiddati al-iftiqāri waṭalabi al-iʿtiṣāmi kamā qāla al-nabiyyu bnu al-nabiyyi bni al-nabiyyi al-karīmu bni al-karīmi bni al-karīmi kadhā qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama al-karīmu bnu al-karīmi bni al-karīmi yūsufu bnu yaʿqūba bni ʾisḥāqa bni Ibrāhīma khalīlu al-raḥmāni ʿalayhim al-salāmu:

Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Mufīd related to us, saying: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd say: An intelligent person should never be absent from one of three stations. The first is a station in which he recognizes whether his state is increasing or diminishing. The second is a station in which he withdraws to discipline his soul, obliges it to fulfill what is binding upon it, and thoroughly examines his knowledge of it. The third is a station in which he summons his intelligence by observing how divine governance runs through him and how judgments turn him about during the hours of night and the edges of day. No intelligence can become clear enough to understand this last state until a person has firmly fulfilled what is required to set the first two states right. As for the station in which he must recognize whether his condition is increasing or diminishing, he should seek places of solitude so that no distraction opposes him and spoils what he wishes to correct. He then directs himself toward fulfilling the duty laid upon him, for no state of nearness becomes sound unless the obligatory acts are completed. Next he stands like a servant before his master, intending to render what he was commanded to render. At that point the hidden disguises of the soul are uncovered, and he learns whether he has fulfilled what was due from him. He must not leave that station until knowledge gives him proof concerning what he has uncovered through knowledge. If he sees a defect, he remains there to repair it and does not pass to another action. These are the states of the truthful at this station. God strengthens with His aid whom He wills; God is indeed strong and mighty. As for the station in which he withdraws to discipline his soul and thoroughly examine his knowledge of it, anyone resolved upon this and desiring honest dealing must know that souls may hide within themselves things whose true limit is discovered only by one who examines what occurs when caprice moves within the love of performing familiar good deeds. When the soul becomes accustomed to doing good, the deed becomes one of its traits. It grows comfortable with the thought that it is worthy of the role for which it has been prepared and imagines that the good proceeding through it proves that it deserves that good. The enemy who waits at its courtyard—and has been granted a path through the courses of its blood—observes through his guile the concealed point of its heedlessness. By enlisting caprice he steals from it what he could not steal in another state. If the servant feels the pain of the enemy’s jab and recognizes his thrust, he swiftly entrusts the matter to the One from whom sufficiency alone can come. He then fully investigates the state within himself through which his enemy reached him, and guards the soul by clinging to refuge, casting himself under protection, showing utter need, and seeking firm preservation. This is as the noble prophet, son of a prophet, son of a prophet—the noble son of the noble son of the noble—said. The Prophet—may God bless him and his family and grant them peace—identified him as ‘the noble son of the noble son of the noble’: Joseph son of Jacob son of Isaac son of Abraham, the intimate friend of the All-Merciful—peace be upon them:

§ 047

وَإِلَّا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّي كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُنْ مِنَ الْجاهِلِينَ

Waʾillā taṣrif ʿannī kaydahunna ʾaṣbu ʾilayhinna waʾakun mina al-jāhilīna

‘Unless You turn their guile away from me, I may incline toward them and become one of the ignorant.’

§ 048

[يُوسُفَ: 33] وَعَلِمَ يُوسُفُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّ كَيْدَ الْأَعْدَاءِ مَعَ قُوَّةِ الْهَوَى لَا يَنْصَرِفُ بِقُوَّةِ النَّفْسِ فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ فَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ وَأَمَّا الْمَوْطِنُ الَّذِي يُسْتَحْضَرُ فِيهِ عَقْلُهُ لِرُؤْيَةِ مَجَارِي الْأَحْكَامِ وَكَيْفَ يَقْلِبُهُ التَّدْبِيرُ فَهُوَ أَفْضَلُ الْأَمَاكِنِ وَأَعْلَى الْمَوَاطِنِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَ جَمِيعَ خَلْقِهِ أَنْ يُوَاصِلُوا عِبَادَتَهُ وَلَا يَسْأَمُوا خِدْمَتَهُ فَقَالَ:

[Yūsufa: 33] waʿalima yūsufu ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾanna kayda al-ʾaʿdāʾi maʿa quwwati al-hawā lā yanṣarifu biquwwati al-nafsi fa-istajāba lahu rabbuhu faṣarafa ʿanhu kaydahunna ʾinnahu huwa al-samīʿu al-ʿalīmu waʾammā al-mawṭinu alladhī yustaḥḍaru fīhi ʿaqluhu liruʾyati majārī al-ʾaḥkāmi wakayfa yaqlibuhu al-tadbīru fahuwa ʾafḍalu al-ʾamākini waʾaʿlā al-mawāṭini faʾinna Allāha ʾamara jamīʿa khalqihi ʾan yuwāṣilū ʿibādatahu walā yasʾamū khidmatahu faqāla:

[Yūsuf 12:33]. Joseph—peace be upon him—knew that the enemies’ guile, joined to the force of caprice, cannot be turned away by the soul’s own strength. His Lord answered him and turned their guile away; truly He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. As for the station in which a person summons his intelligence to witness the courses of the divine judgments and how governance turns him about, it is the finest of places and highest of stations. God commanded all His creation to persevere in worshipping Him and never grow weary of serving Him. He said:

§ 049

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ

Wamā khalaqtu al-jinna wa-al-ʾinsa ʾillā liyaʿbudūni

‘I created jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.’

§ 050

[الذُّرِّيَّاتِ: 56] فَأَلْزَمَهُمْ دَوَامَ عِبَادَتِهِ وَضَمِنَ لَهُمْ عَلَيْهَا فِي الْعَاجِلِ الْكِفَايَةَ وَفِي الْأُخْرَى جَزِيلُ الثَّوَابِ فَقَالَ:

[Al-dhurriyyāti: 56] faʾalzamahum dawāma ʿibādatihi waḍamina lahum ʿalayhā fī al-ʿājili al-kifāyata wafī al-ʾukhrā jazīlu al-thawābi faqāla:

[Al-Dhāriyāt 51:56]. He bound them to continual worship, guaranteed them sufficiency in this life for fulfilling it, and promised immense reward in the hereafter. He said:

§ 051

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ارْكَعُوا وَاسْجُدُوا وَاعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَافْعَلُوا الْخَيْرَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

Yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū irkaʿū wa-isjudū wa-iʿbudū rabbakum wa-ifʿalū al-khayra laʿallakum tufliḥūna

‘O you who believe, bow, prostrate, worship your Lord, and do good, so that you may prosper.’

§ 052

[الْحَجِّ: 77] وَهَذِهِ كُلُّهَا تُلْزَمُ كُلَّ الْخَلْقِ وَوَقَفَ لِيُرَى كَيْفَ تُصْرَفُ الْأَحْكَامُ وَقَدْ عَرَضَ لِرَفِيعِ الْعِلْمِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ أَلَا يُعْلَمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُلُّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ يَعْنَى شَأْنَ الْخَلْقِ وَأَنْتَ أَيُّهَا الْوَاقِفُ أَتَرَى أَنَّكَ مِنْ الْخَلْقِ الَّذِي هُوَ فِي شَأْنِهِمْ أَوْ تَرَى شَأْنَكَ مَرْضِيًّا عِنْدَهُ وَلَنْ يَقْدِرَ أَحَدٌ عَلَى اسْتِحْضَارِ عَقْلِهِ إِلَّا بِانْصِرَافِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا عَنْهُ وَخُرُوجِهَا مِنْ قَلْبِهِ فَإِذَا انْقَضَتْ الدُّنْيَا وَبَادَتْ أَهْلَهَا وَانْصَرَفَتْ عَنْ الْقَلْبِ خَلَا بِمُسَامَرَةِ رُؤْيَةِ التَّصَرُّفِ وَاخْتِلَافِ الْأَحْكَامِ وَتَفْصِيلِ الْأَقْسَامِ وَلَنْ يَرْجِعَ قَلْبٌ مَنْ هَذَا وَصَفَهُ إِلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ الِانْتِفَاعِ بِمَا فِي هَذِهِ الَّتِي عَنْهَا خَرَجَ وَلَهَا تَرْكٌ وَمِنْهَا هَرَبٌ أَلَا تَرَى إِلَى حَارِثَةٍ حِينَ يَقُولُ عَزَفَتْ نَفْسِي عَنْ الدُّنْيَا

[Al-ḥajji: 77] wahadhihi kulluhā tulzamu kulla al-khalqi wawaqafa liyurā kayfa tuṣrafu al-ʾaḥkāmu waqad ʿaraḍa lirafīʿi al-ʿilmi wa-al-maʿrifati ʾalā yuʿlama ʾannahu qāla kullu yawmin huwa fī shaʾnin yaʿnā shaʾna al-khalqi waʾanta ʾayyuhā al-wāqifu ʾatarā ʾannaka min al-khalqi alladhī huwa fī shaʾnihim ʾaw tarā shaʾnaka marḍiyyan ʿindahu walan yaqdira ʾaḥadun ʿalā istiḥḍāri ʿaqlihi ʾillā bi-inṣirāfi al-dunyā wamā fīhā ʿanhu wakhurūjihā min qalbihi faʾidhā inqaḍat al-dunyā wabādat ʾahlahā wa-inṣarafat ʿan al-qalbi khalā bimusāmarati ruʾyati al-taṣarrufi wa-ikhtilāfi al-ʾaḥkāmi watafṣīli al-ʾaqsāmi walan yarjiʿa qalbun man hadhā waṣafahu ʾilā shayʾin min al-intifāʿi bimā fī hadhihi allatī ʿanhā kharaja walahā tarkun waminhā harabun ʾalā tarā ʾilā ḥārithatin ḥīna yaqūlu ʿazafat nafsī ʿan al-dunyā

[Al-Ḥajj 22:77]. All these duties bind every created person. One must pause to observe how the divine judgments are applied. Has it not appeared to those of elevated knowledge and recognition that He says, ‘Every day He is upon some affair’—meaning an affair concerning creation? You who pause to observe: do you see yourself as one of the creatures whose affairs He governs, and do you see your own affair as pleasing to Him? No one can summon his intelligence in this way unless this world and all it contains turn away from him and depart from his heart. When the world has passed, its people have perished, and it has withdrawn from the heart, the heart is left alone to spend the night in conversation with the sight of divine disposal, the changing judgments, and the detailed apportionments. A heart of this description never returns to seeking benefit from that world which it has left, renounced, and fled. Do you not see Ḥāritha when he says, ‘My soul has turned away from this world’?

§ 053

ثُمَّ يَقُولُ وَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى عَرْشِ رَبِّي بَارِزًا وَكَأَنِّي بِأَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ يَتَزَاوَرُونَ وَكَأَنِّي وَكَأَنِّي وَهَذِهِ بَعْضُ أَحْوَالِ الْقَوْمِ.

Thumma yaqūlu wakaʾannī ʾanẓuru ʾilā ʿarshi rabbī bārizan wakaʾannī biʾahli al-jannati yatazāwarūna wakaʾannī wakaʾannī wahadhihi baʿḍu ʾaḥwāli al-qawmi.

Then he says, ‘It is as though I see the Throne of my Lord standing manifest; as though I see the people of the Garden visiting one another; as though I see…’ These are some of the states of the people.

رِسَالَةٌ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ

Risālatun fī al-tawḥīdi

A Treatise on Divine Unity

§ 055 • SOURCE P 219

قَرَأْتُ عَلَى أَبِي الْحُسَيْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حُبَيْشٍ النَّاقِدِ الصُّوفِيِّ صَاحِبِ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَطَاءٍ بِبَغْدَادَ سَنَةَ تِسْعٍ وَخَمْسِينَ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ فَأَقَرَّ بِهِ قُلْت سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا يُحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ عَقْدِ الْحِكْمَةِ تَعْرِيفُ الْمَصْنُوعِ صَانِعُهُ وَالْمُحَدِّثِ كَيْفَ كَانَ أَحْدَثَهُ وَكَيْفَ كَانَ أَوَّلَهُ وَكَيْفَ أَحْدِثَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ فَيَعْرِفُ صِفَةَ الْخَالِقِ مِنْ الْمَخْلُوقِ وَصِفَةُ الْقَدِيمِ مِنْ الْمُحْدَثِ فَيَعْرِفُ الْمَرْبُوبُ رَبَّهُ وَالْمَصْنُوعُ صَانِعَهُ وَالْعَبْدُ الضَّعِيفُ سَيِّدُهُ فَيَعْبُدُهُ وَيُوَحِّدُهُ وَيُعَظِّمُهُ وَيَدُلُّ لِدَعْوَتِهِ وَيَعْتَرِفُ بِوُجُوبِ طَاعَتِهِ فَإِنَّ مَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ مَالِكَهُ لَمْ يَعْتَرِفْ بِالْمِلْكِ لِمَنْ اسْتَوْجَبَهُ وَلَمْ يُضِفْ الْخَلْقَ فِي تَدْبِيرِهِ إِلَى وَلِيِّهِ وَالتَّوْحِيدُ عِلْمُكَ وَإِقْرَارُكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ فَرَدَ فِي أَوَّلِيَّتِهِ وَأَزَلِيَّتِهِ لَا ثَانِيَ مَعَهُ وَلَا شَيْءَ يَفْعَلُ فِعْلَهُ وَأَفْعَالُهُ الَّتِي أَخْلَصَهَا لِنَفْسِهِ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ أَنْ لَيْسَ شَيْءٌ يَضُرُّ وَلَا يَنْفَعُ وَلَا يُعْطِي وَلَا يَمْنَعُ وَلَا يُسْقِمُ وَلَا يَبْرِي وَلَا يَرْفَعُ وَلَا يَضَعُ وَلَا يَخْلُقُ وَلَا يُرْزَقُ وَلَا يُمِيتُ وَلَا يُحْيِي وَلَا يُسْكُنُ وَلَا يُحَرِّكُ غَيْرَهُ جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ فَقَدْ سُئِلَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ فَقِيلَ لَهُ بَيِّنْ التَّوْحِيدَ وَعَلِّمْنَا مَا هُوَ فَقَالَ هُوَ الْيَقِينُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ بَيِّنْ لَنَا فَقَالَ هُوَ مَعْرِفَتُكَ أَنَّ حَرَكَاتِ الْخَلْقِ وَسُكُونُهَا فِعْلُ اللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ فَإِذَا فَعَلْت ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ وَحَّدْتَهُ وَتَفْسِيرُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّكَ جَعَلْت اللَّهَ وَاحِدًا فِي أَفْعَالِهِ إِذَا كَانَ لَيْسَ شَيْءٌ يَفْعَلُ أَفْعَالَهُ وَإِنَّمَا الْيَقِينُ اسْمٌ لِلتَّوْحِيدِ إِذَا تَمَّ وَخَلَصَ وَإِنَّ التَّوْحِيدَ إِذَا تَمَّ تَمَّتْ الْمَحَبَّةُ وَالتَّوَكُّلُ وَسَمَّى يَقِينًا فَالتَّوَكُّلُ عَمَلُ الْقَلْبِ وَالتَّوْحِيدُ قَوْلُ الْعَبْدِ فَإِذَا عَرَفَ الْقَلْبُ التَّوْحِيدَ وَقَعَ مَا عُرِفَ فَقَدْ تَمَّ وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ إِنَّ التَّوَكُّلَ نِظَامُ التَّوْحِيدِ فَإِذَا فَعَلَ مَا عَرَفَ فَقَدْ جَاءَ بِالْمَحَبَّةِ وَالْيَقِينِ وَالتَّوَكُّلِ وَتَمَّ إِيمَانُهُ وَخَلَصَ فَرْضُهُ لِأَنَّكَ إِذَا عَرَفْت أَنَّ فِعْلَ اللَّهِ لَا يَفْعَلُهُ شَيْءٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ تَخَافُ غَيْرَهُ وَتَرْجُو غَيْرَهُ لَمْ تَأْتِ بِالْأَمْرِ الَّذِي يَنْبَغِي فَلَوْ عَمِلْت مَا عَرَفْت لَرَجَوْت اللَّهَ وَحْدَهُ حِينَ عَرَفْت أَنَّهُ لَا يَفْعَلُ

Qaraʾtu ʿalā ʾabī al-ḥusayni Muḥammadi bni ʿaliyyi bni ḥubayshin al-nāqidi al-ṣūfiyyi ṣāḥibi ʾabī al-ʿabbāsi bni ʿaṭāʾin bibaghdāda sanata tisʿin wakhamsīna wathalāthimiāʾatin min kitābihi faʾaqarra bihi qult samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu ʾinna ʾawwala mā yuḥtāju ʾilayhi min ʿaqdi al-ḥikmati taʿrīfu al-maṣnūʿi ṣāniʿuhu wa-al-muḥaddithi kayfa kāna ʾaḥdathahu wakayfa kāna ʾawwalahu wakayfa ʾaḥditha baʿda mawtihi fayaʿrifu ṣifata al-khāliqi min al-makhlūqi waṣifatu al-qadīmi min al-muḥdathi fayaʿrifu al-marbūbu rabbahu wa-al-maṣnūʿu ṣāniʿahu wa-al-ʿabdu al-ḍaʿīfu sayyiduhu fayaʿbuduhu wayuwaḥḥiduhu wayuʿaẓẓimuhu wayadullu lidaʿwatihi wayaʿtarifu biwujūbi ṭāʿatihi faʾinna man lam yaʿrif mālikahu lam yaʿtarif bi-al-milki liman istawjabahu walam yuḍif al-khalqa fī tadbīrihi ʾilā waliyyihi wa-al-tawḥīdu ʿilmuka waʾiqrāruka biʾanna Allāha farada fī ʾawwaliyyatihi waʾazaliyyatihi lā thāniya maʿahu walā shayʾa yafʿalu fiʿlahu waʾafʿāluhu allatī ʾakhlaṣahā linafsihi ʾan yaʿlama ʾan laysa shayʾun yaḍurru walā yanfaʿu walā yuʿṭī walā yamnaʿu walā yusqimu walā yabrī walā yarfaʿu walā yaḍaʿu walā yakhluqu walā yurzaqu walā yumītu walā yuḥyī walā yuskunu walā yuḥarriku ghayrahu jalla jalāluhu faqad suʾila baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi faqīla lahu bayyin al-tawḥīda waʿallimnā mā huwa faqāla huwa al-yaqīnu faqīla lahu bayyin lanā faqāla huwa maʿrifatuka ʾanna ḥarakāti al-khalqi wasukūnuhā fiʿlu Allāhi waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu faʾidhā faʿalt dhalika faqad waḥḥadtahu watafsīru dhalika ʾannaka jaʿalt Allāha wāḥidan fī ʾafʿālihi ʾidhā kāna laysa shayʾun yafʿalu ʾafʿālahu waʾinnamā al-yaqīnu ismun li-l-tawḥīdi ʾidhā tamma wakhalaṣa waʾinna al-tawḥīda ʾidhā tamma tammat al-maḥabbatu wa-al-tawakkulu wasammā yaqīnan fa-al-tawakkulu ʿamalu al-qalbi wa-al-tawḥīdu qawlu al-ʿabdi faʾidhā ʿarafa al-qalbu al-tawḥīda waqaʿa mā ʿurifa faqad tamma waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi ʾinna al-tawakkula niẓāmu al-tawḥīdi faʾidhā faʿala mā ʿarafa faqad jāʾa bi-al-maḥabbati wa-al-yaqīni wa-al-tawakkuli watamma ʾīmānuhu wakhalaṣa farḍuhu liʾannaka ʾidhā ʿaraft ʾanna fiʿla Allāhi lā yafʿaluhu shayʾun ghayru Allāhi thumma takhāfu ghayrahu watarjū ghayrahu lam taʾti bi-al-ʾamri alladhī yanbaghī falaw ʿamilt mā ʿaraft larajawt Allāha waḥdahu ḥīna ʿaraft ʾannahu lā yafʿalu

I read this from the book of Abū al-Ḥusayn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Ḥubaysh, the Sufi critic and companion of Abū al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAṭāʾ, in Baghdad in the year 359. He affirmed it. I said: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say: The first requirement in firmly binding wisdom is that the fashioned being know its Fashioner, and that the originated being know how He originated it, how He brought it forth at first, and how He will bring it forth after its death. It thereby distinguishes the Creator’s attribute from the creature’s, and the Beginningless from the originated. The one under lordship knows its Lord, the fashioned thing its Fashioner, and the weak servant his Master; he worships Him, affirms His unity, magnifies Him, submits to His summons, and acknowledges the binding duty of obeying Him. One who does not know his Owner does not acknowledge ownership for the One to whom it rightfully belongs, nor attribute creation and its governance to its protecting Master. Divine unity is your knowledge and affirmation that God is one and alone in His priority and eternity, with no second beside Him and nothing that acts as He acts. Among the acts He has reserved for Himself is that you know that nothing other than Him—majestic is His majesty—harms or benefits, gives or withholds, causes illness or healing, raises or lowers, creates or provides, gives death or life, stills or moves. A scholar was once asked, ‘Make divine unity clear and teach us what it is.’ He replied, ‘It is certainty.’ They asked him to explain, and he said, ‘It is knowing that the movements and stillnesses of creation are the act of God alone, without partner. When you realize this, you have affirmed His unity.’ Its interpretation is that you hold God to be one in His acts, since nothing performs His acts. Certainty is the name given to divine unity when it becomes full and pure. When divine unity is complete, love and trust become complete, and it is then called certainty. Trust is the heart’s act, while affirming unity is the servant’s declaration. When the heart knows divine unity and what it knows becomes realized, unity is complete. One scholar said, ‘Trust is the ordering thread of divine unity.’ When a person acts according to what he knows, he has brought forth love, certainty, and trust; his faith is completed and his obligation made pure. If you know that no one besides God performs God’s act, yet still fear or hope in another, you have not fulfilled what is required. Had you acted according to what you knew, you would hope in God alone, because you knew that no other performs His act.

§ 056

فَعَلَهُ غَيْرُهُ فَالْقَوْلُ فِيمَنْ يَقْصُرُ عِلْمَ قَلْبِهِ أَنَّهُ نَاقِصُ التَّوْحِيدِ لِأَنَّ الْقَلْبَ مُشْتَغِلٌ بِالْفِتْنَةِ الَّتِي هِيَ آفَةُ التَّوْحِيدِ قُلْت مَا هُوَ؟ قَالَ: ظَنُّكَ أَنَّ شَيْئًا يَفْعَلُ فِعْلَ اللهِ فَاسْمُ ذَلِكَ الظَّنُّ فِتْنَةٌ وَالْفِتْنَةُ هِيَ الشِّرْكُ اللَّطِيفُ قُلْتُ أَوَلَيْسَ الْفِتْنَةُ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْقَلْبِ قَالَ لَا وَلَكِنَّهَا دَاخِلَةٌ عَلَيْهِ وَمَفْسَدَةٌ لَهُ قُلْت وَمَا هِيَ قَالَ ظَنُّكَ بِاللهِ إِذْ ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّ مَنْ يَشَاءُ يَفْعَلُ فِعْلَهُ وَالْكَلَامُ فِي هَذَا يَطُولُ وَلَكِنْ مَنْ يَفْهَمُ يَقْنَعُ بِالْيَسِيرِ.

Faʿalahu ghayruhu fa-al-qawlu fīman yaqṣuru ʿilma qalbihi ʾannahu nāqiṣu al-tawḥīdi liʾanna al-qalba mushtaghilun bi-al-fitnati allatī hiya ʾāfatu al-tawḥīdi qult mā huwa? qāla: ẓannuka ʾanna shayʾan yafʿalu fiʿla Allāhi fa-ismu dhalika al-ẓannu fitnatun wa-al-fitnatu hiya al-shirku al-laṭīfu qultu ʾawalaysa al-fitnatu min ʾaʿmāli al-qalbi qāla lā walakinnahā dākhilatun ʿalayhi wamafsadatun lahu qult wamā hiya qāla ẓannuka bi-llāhi ʾidh ẓanantu ʾanna man yashāʾu yafʿalu fiʿlahu wa-al-kalāmu fī hadhā yaṭūlu walakin man yafhamu yaqnaʿu bi-al-yasīri.

The same applies to one whose heart’s knowledge falls short: his affirmation of unity is incomplete, because his heart is occupied by the temptation that is the bane of divine unity. I asked, ‘What is it?’ He replied, ‘Your imagining that something can perform God’s act. This supposition is called temptation, and temptation is subtle association.’ I asked, ‘Is temptation not one of the heart’s own acts?’ He replied, ‘No; it enters the heart and corrupts it.’ I asked, ‘What is it, then?’ He said, ‘Your supposition concerning God when you imagine that something else, at will, may perform His act.’ Discussion of this would be long, but one who understands is satisfied with a little.

رِسَالَةُ الْجُنَيْدِ إِلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ الْكِسَائِيِّ

Risālatu al-Junaydi ʾilā ʾabī bakrin al-kisāʾiyyi

Al-Junayd’s Letter to Abū Bakr al-Kisāʾī

§ 058 • SOURCE P 220

رِسَالَةِ الْجُنَيْدِ إِلَى أَبَى بَكْرٍ الْكِسَائِيِّ رَحِمَهُمَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَخِي أَيْنَ مَحَلُّكَ عِنْدَ تَعْطِيلِ الْعَشَّارِ؟ وَأَيْنَ دَارُكَ وَقَدْ خَرِبَتْ الدِّيَارُ؟ وَأَيْنَ مَنْزِلُكَ وَالْمَنَازِلُ قَاعٍ صَفْصَفُ قِفَارُ؟ وَأَيْنَ مَكَانُكَ وَالْأَمَاكِنُ عَوَافُ دَوَارِسِ الْآثَارِ؟ وَمَاذَا خَبَرُكَ عِنْدَ ذَهَابِ جَوَامِعِ الْأَخْبَارِ؟ فِيمَ نَظَرُكَ عِنْدَ اصْطِلَامِ مُحَاضِرِ النُّظَّارِ؟ فِيمَ فِكْرُكَ وَلَيْسَ بِحِينِ نَظَرٍ وَلَا افْتِكَارٍ؟ وَكَيْفَ هَدَءُوكَ عَلَى مَمَرِّ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ؟ وَكَيْفَ حَذَّرَكَ عِنْدَ وُقُوعِ فَوَاجِعَ الْأَقْدَارَ؟ وَكَيْفَ صَبْرُكَ وَلَا سَبِيلَ إِلَى عَزَاءٍ وَلَا اصْطِبَارٍ؟ فَابْكِ الْآنَ إِنْ وَجَدْت سَبِيلًا إِلَى الْبُكَاءِ بُكَاءِ الْوَالِهَةِ الْحَزِينَةِ الثَّكْلَى بِفَقْدِ أَعِزَّةِ الْأُلَّافِ وَفَنَاءِ أَجِلَّةِ الْأَخْلَافِ وَإِبَادَةِ مَا مَضَى مِنْ الِاكْتِنَافِ وَذَهَابِ مَشَايِخِ الِاعْتِطَافِ وَوُرُودِ بِدَايَةِ الِاخْتِطَافِ وَرَوَادِفِ عَوَاصِفِ الِارْتِجَافِ وَتَتَابُعِ قَوَاصِفِ الِانْتِسَافِ وَبَوَاهِرِ قَوَاهِرِ الِاعْتِكَافِ وَثَوَاقِبِ مَلَامِحِ الِاعْتِرَافِ فَإِلَى أَيْنَ مَوْئِلُكَ وَإِلَى مَا يَبْلُغُ مَصْدَرَكَ وَالْأَحْلَامُ مُتَمَزِّقَةٌ وَالْقُلُوبُ مُتَصَدِّعَةٌ وَالْعُقُولُ مُنْخَلِعَةٌ وَالْأَنْبَاءُ كُلُّهَا مُرْتَفِعَةٌ وَأَنْتَ فِي أَوَابِدَ مُنْدَمِسَةٍ وَنُجُومٍ مُنْطَمِسَةٌ وَسُبُلٍ مُلْتَبِسَةٌ قَدْ أَضَلَّكَ فِي اخْتِلَافِ مَنَاهِجِهَا ظُلَمَاؤُهَا وَانْطَبَقَتْ عَلَيْكَ أَرْضُهَا وَسَمَاؤُهَا ثُمَّ أَفْضَى بِكَ ذَلِكَ إِلَى لُجَّةِ اللُّجَجِ وَالْبَحْرِ الزَّاخِرِ الْغَامِرِ الْمُخْتَلِجِ الَّذِي كُلُّ بَحْرٍ دُونَهُ أَوْ لُجَّةٍ فَهُوَ فِيهِ كَتَفِلَةٍ أَوْ مَجَّةٍ فَقَدْ قَذَفَ بِكَ فِي كَثِيفِ أَمْوَاجِهِ وَتَلَاطَمْ عَلَيْكَ بِعَظِيمِ هَوْلِهِ وَارْتِجَاجِهِ فَمِنْ مُسْتَنْقِذِكَ مِنْ مُتْلَفَاتِ الْمَهَالِكِ أَوْ مَخْرَجِكَ مِمَّا هُنَالِكَ؟ كِتَابِي إِلَيْكَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَأَنَا أَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ حَمْدًا كَثِيرًا وَأَسْأَلُهُ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَصَلَ إِلَى مِنْكَ كُتَبٌ فَهِمْت مَا

Risālati al-Junaydi ʾilā ʾabā bakrin al-kisāʾiyyi raḥimahumā Allāhu taʿālā: ʾakhī ʾayna maḥalluka ʿinda taʿṭīli al-ʿashshāri? waʾayna dāruka waqad kharibat al-diyāru? waʾayna manziluka wa-al-manāzilu qāʿin ṣafṣafu qifāru? waʾayna makānuka wa-al-ʾamākinu ʿawāfu dawārisi al-ʾāthāri? wamādhā khabaruka ʿinda dhahābi jawāmiʿi al-ʾakhbāri? fīma naẓaruka ʿinda iṣṭilāmi muḥāḍiri al-nuẓẓāri? fīma fikruka walaysa biḥīni naẓarin walā iftikārin? wakayfa hadaʾūka ʿalā mamarri al-layli wa-al-nahāri? wakayfa ḥadhdharaka ʿinda wuqūʿi fawājiʿa al-ʾaqdāra? wakayfa ṣabruka walā sabīla ʾilā ʿazāʾin walā iṣṭibārin? fa-ibki al-ʾāna ʾin wajadt sabīlan ʾilā al-bukāʾi bukāʾi al-wālihati al-ḥazīnati al-thaklā bifaqdi ʾaʿizzati al-ʾullāfi wafanāʾi ʾajillati al-ʾakhlāfi waʾibādati mā maḍā min al-iktināfi wadhahābi mashāyikhi al-iʿtiṭāfi wawurūdi bidāyati al-ikhtiṭāfi warawādifi ʿawāṣifi al-irtijāfi watatābuʿi qawāṣifi al-intisāfi wabawāhiri qawāhiri al-iʿtikāfi wathawāqibi malāmiḥi al-iʿtirāfi faʾilā ʾayna mawʾiluka waʾilā mā yablughu maṣdaraka wa-al-ʾaḥlāmu mutamazziqatun wa-al-qulūbu mutaṣaddiʿatun wa-al-ʿuqūlu munkhaliʿatun wa-al-ʾanbāʾu kulluhā murtafiʿatun waʾanta fī ʾawābida mundamisatin wanujūmin munṭamisatun wasubulin multabisatun qad ʾaḍallaka fī ikhtilāfi manāhijihā ẓulamāʾuhā wa-inṭabaqat ʿalayka ʾarḍuhā wasamāʾuhā thumma ʾafḍā bika dhalika ʾilā lujjati al-lujaji wa-al-baḥri al-zākhiri al-ghāmiri al-mukhtaliji alladhī kullu baḥrin dūnahu ʾaw lujjatin fahuwa fīhi katafilatin ʾaw majjatin faqad qadhafa bika fī kathīfi ʾamwājihi watalāṭam ʿalayka biʿaẓīmi hawlihi wa-irtijājihi famin mustanqidhika min mutlafāti al-mahāliki ʾaw makhrajika mimmā hunālika? kitābī ʾilayka ʾabā bakrin waʾanā ʾaḥmadu Allāha ḥamdan kathīran waʾasʾaluhu al-ʿafwa wa-al-ʿāfiyata fī al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati waṣala ʾilā minka kutabun fahimt mā

Al-Junayd’s letter to Abū Bakr al-Kisāʾī—may God Most High have mercy on them both: My brother, where is your station when the tithe collectors have ceased their work? Where is your home when all dwellings have fallen into ruin? Where is your lodging when the lodgings are level, barren plains? Where is your place when all places are desolate, their traces effaced? What news have you when the collected reports have vanished? At what do you gaze when the assemblies of those who gaze have been seized away? Upon what do you reflect when this is no time for seeing or reflection? How is your repose as night and day pass? How is your caution when the calamities of destiny fall? How is your patience when there is no road to consolation or endurance? Weep now, if you can find a way to weep: weep like a bewildered, grieving mother bereaved by the loss of dear companions; by the passing of noble successors; by the destruction of former shelter; by the departure of compassionate elders; by the first onset of sudden seizure; by the successive storms of trembling; by the repeated blasts that sweep all away; by overpowering forces that compel seclusion; and by piercing flashes that demand confession. Where, then, is your refuge, and what destination can your journey reach, when dreams are torn apart, hearts split open, minds wrenched away, and every report lifted? You are amid buried wilds, extinguished stars, and confused paths. Their darkness has led you astray among their diverging routes, and their earth and sky have closed over you. Then all this delivers you into the deepest abyss and the surging, engulfing, churning sea, beside which every other sea or depth is no more than a mouthful or a spit of water. It casts you among the density of its waves, whose immense terror and tumult crash over you. Who will rescue you from these deadly destructions or bring you out from what is there? My letter reaches you, Abū Bakr, while I praise God abundantly and ask Him for pardon and well-being in this world and the hereafter. Letters from you reached me, and I understood what…

§ 059

ذَكَرْت فِيهَا وَلَمْ يَمْنَعْنِي مِنْ إِجَابَتِكَ عَلَيْهَا مَا وَقَعَ فِي وَهْمِكَ وَشَقَّ عَلَى مَا ذَكَرْتَ مِنْ غَمِّكَ وَلَيْسَ حَالُكَ عِنْدِي حَالٌ مَعْتُوبٌ عَلَيْهِ بَلْ حَالُكَ عِنْدِي حَالٌ مَعْطُوفٌ عَلَيْهِ وَبِحَسْبِكَ مِنْ بَلَائِكَ أَنْ أَكُونَ سَبَبًا لِلزِّيَادَةِ فِي الْبَلَاءِ عَلَيْكَ وَإِنِّي عَلَيْكَ لَمُشْفِقٌ وَإِنَّمَا مَنَعَنِي مِنْ مُكَاتَبَتِكَ لِأَنِّي حَذَّرْت أَنْ يُخْرِجَ مَا فِي كِتَابِي إِلَيْكَ إِلَى غَيْرِكَ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمِكَ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّى كَتَبْتُ مُنْذُ مُدَّةٍ كِتَابًا إِلَى أَقْوَامٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ إِصْبِهَانَ فَفَتَحَ كِتَابِي وَأَخَذْت نُسْخَتَهُ اسْتَعْجَمَ بَعْضَ مَا فِيهِ عَلَى قَوْمٍ فَأَتْعَبَنِي تَخَلُّصُهُمْ وَلَزِمَنِي مِنْ ذَلِكَ مُؤْنَةٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَبِالْخَلْقِ حَاجَةٌ إِلَى الرِّفْقِ وَلَيْسَ مِنْ الرِّفْقِ بِالْخَلْقِ مُلَاقَاتُهُمْ بِمَا لَا يُعْرِفُونَ وَلَا مُخَاطَبَتُهُمْ بِمَا لَا يَفْهَمُونَ وَرُبَّمَا وَقَعَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ غَيْرِ قَصْدٍ إِلَيْهِ وَلَا تَعَمُّدٍ لَهُ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ وَاقِيَةً وَجَنَّةً وَسَلَّمْنَا وَإِيَّاكَ فَعَلَيْكَ رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ بِضَبْطِ لِسَانِكَ وَمَعْرِفَةِ أَهْلِ زَمَانِكَ وَخَاطِبْ النَّاسَ بِمَا يَعْرِفُونَ وَدَعْهُمْ مِمَّا لَا يَعْرِفُونَ فَقُلْ مَنْ جَهِلَ شَيْئًا إِلَّا عَادَاهُ وَإِنَّمَا النَّاسُ كَالْإِبِلِ الْمِائَةِ لَيْسَ فِيهَا رَاحِلَةٌ وَقَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْعُلَمَاءَ وَالْحُكَمَاءَ رَحْمَةً مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَبَسَطَهَا عَلَى عِبَادِهِ فَاعْمَلْ عَلَى أَنْ تَكُونَ رَحْمَةً عَلَى غَيْرِكَ إِنْ كَانَ اللَّهُ قَدْ جَعَلَكَ بَلَاءً عَلَى نَفْسِكَ وَاخْرُجْ إِلَى الْخَلْقِ مِنْ حَالِكَ بِأَحْوَالِهِمْ وَخَاطِبْهُمْ مِنْ قَلْبِكَ عَلَى حَسَبِ مَوَاضِعِهِمْ فَذَلِكَ أَبْلَغُ لَكَ وَلَهُمْ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ.

Dhakart fīhā walam yamnaʿnī min ʾijābatika ʿalayhā mā waqaʿa fī wahmika washaqqa ʿalā mā dhakarta min ghammika walaysa ḥāluka ʿindī ḥālun maʿtūbun ʿalayhi bal ḥāluka ʿindī ḥālun maʿṭūfun ʿalayhi wabiḥasbika min balāʾika ʾan ʾakūna sababan li-l-ziyādati fī al-balāʾi ʿalayka waʾinnī ʿalayka lamushfiqun waʾinnamā manaʿanī min mukātabatika liʾannī ḥadhdhart ʾan yukhrija mā fī kitābī ʾilayka ʾilā ghayrika bighayri ʿilmika wadhalika ʾannā katabtu mundhu muddatin kitāban ʾilā ʾaqwāmin min ʾahli ʾiṣbihāna fafataḥa kitābī waʾakhadht nuskhatahu istaʿjama baʿḍa mā fīhi ʿalā qawmin faʾatʿabanī takhalluṣuhum walazimanī min dhalika muʾnatun ʿalayhim wa-bi-al-khalqi ḥājatun ʾilā al-rifqi walaysa min al-rifqi bi-al-khalqi mulāqātuhum bimā lā yuʿrifūna walā mukhāṭabatuhum bimā lā yafhamūna warubbamā waqaʿa dhalika min ghayri qaṣdin ʾilayhi walā taʿammudin lahu jaʿala Allāhu ʿalayka wāqiyatan wajannatan wasallamnā waʾiyyāka faʿalayka raḥimaka Allāhu biḍabṭi lisānika wamaʿrifati ʾahli zamānika wakhāṭib al-nāsa bimā yaʿrifūna wadaʿhum mimmā lā yaʿrifūna faqul man jahila shayʾan ʾillā ʿādāhu waʾinnamā al-nāsu ka-al-ʾibili al-miāʾati laysa fīhā rāḥilatun waqad jaʿala Allāhu taʿālā al-ʿulamāʾa wa-al-ḥukamāʾa raḥmatan min raḥmatihi wabasaṭahā ʿalā ʿibādihi fa-iʿmal ʿalā ʾan takūna raḥmatan ʿalā ghayrika ʾin kāna Allāhu qad jaʿalaka balāʾan ʿalā nafsika wa-ikhruj ʾilā al-khalqi min ḥālika biʾaḥwālihim wakhāṭibhum min qalbika ʿalā ḥasabi mawāḍiʿihim fadhalika ʾablaghu laka walahum wa-al-salāmu ʿalaykum waraḥmatu Allāhi wabarakātuhu.

…you mentioned in them. What occurred in your imagination, and the distress you described, did not prevent me from answering. In my view your state is not one deserving blame, but one deserving tender care. Your affliction is enough without my becoming a cause of still greater affliction for you. I am deeply concerned for you. What prevented me from writing was my fear that the contents of my letter to you might reach someone else without your knowledge. Some time ago I wrote a letter to a group in Iṣfahān. My letter was opened and a copy taken; part of its contents proved obscure to some people. Freeing them from their confusion exhausted me and imposed a burden upon me on their account. Created beings need gentleness, and it is not gentle to confront people with what they do not recognize or address them with what they do not understand. This may happen without being intended or deliberate. May God place a protecting screen and shield over you and preserve us and you. May God have mercy on you: guard your tongue, know the people of your time, speak to people about what they recognize, and leave aside what they do not recognize. It has been said, ‘Whoever is ignorant of something treats it as an enemy.’ People are like a hundred camels among which scarcely one is fit to ride. God Most High has made the learned and the wise a mercy from His mercy and spread it over His servants. Work, then, to become a mercy to others, even if God has made you a trial to your own soul. Go out to created people from your own state by entering their states, and address them from your heart according to their respective stations. This will convey the matter more fully for you and for them. Peace be upon you, with God’s mercy and blessings.

رِسَالَةُ الْجُنَيْدِ إِلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ سَهْلٍ الْأَصْبَهَانِيِّ

Risālatu al-Junaydi ʾilā ʿaliyyi bni sahlin al-ʾaṣbahāniyyi

Al-Junayd’s Letter to ʿAlī ibn Sahl al-Iṣfahānī

§ 061 • SOURCE P 221

وَكَتَبَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ كِتَابًا إِلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ سَهْلٍ الْأَصْبَهَانِيِّ، وَكَانَ فِيهِ:

Wakataba al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu kitāban ʾilā ʿaliyyi bni sahlin al-ʾaṣbahāniyyi, wakāna fīhi:

Al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—wrote a letter to ʿAlī ibn Sahl al-Iṣfahānī. It contained the following:

§ 062

وَاعْلَمْ يَا أَخِي أَنَّ الْحَقَائِقَ اللَّازِمَةَ وَالْقُصُودَ الْقَوِيَّةَ الْمُحْكَمَةَ وَالْعَزَائِمَ الصَّحِيحَةَ الْمُؤَكَّدَةَ لَمْ تَبْقَ عَلَى أَهْلِهَا سَبَبًا إِلَّا قَطَعْتْهُ وَلَا مُعْتَرِضًا إِلَّا مَنَعْتْهُ وَلَا أَثَرًا فِي خَفَّيِّ السَّرَائِرِ إِلَّا أَخْرَجْتْهُ، وَلَا تَأْوِيلًا مُوهِمًا لِصِحَّةِ الْمُرَادِ إِلَّا كَشَفْتهُ، فَالْحَقُّ عِنْدَهُمْ بِصِحَّةِ الْحَالِ مُجَرَّدًا، وَالْجِدُّ فِي دَوَامِ السِّيَرِ مُحَدَّدًا، عَلَى بَرَاهِينَ مِنْ الْعِلْمِ وَاضِحَةٌ وَدَلَائِلُ مِنْ الْحَقِّ بَيِّنَةٌ

Wa-iʿlam yā ʾakhī ʾanna al-ḥaqāʾiqa al-lāzimata wa-al-quṣūda al-qawiyyata al-muḥkamata wa-al-ʿazāʾima al-ṣaḥīḥata al-muʾakkadata lam tabqa ʿalā ʾahlihā sababan ʾillā qaṭaʿthu walā muʿtariḍan ʾillā manaʿthu walā ʾatharan fī khaffayyi al-sarāʾiri ʾillā ʾakhrajthu, walā taʾwīlan mūhiman liṣiḥḥati al-murādi ʾillā kashafthu, fa-al-ḥaqqu ʿindahum biṣiḥḥati al-ḥāli mujarradan, wa-al-jiddu fī dawāmi al-siyari muḥaddadan, ʿalā barāhīna min al-ʿilmi wāḍiḥatun wadalāʾilu min al-ḥaqqi bayyinatun

Know, my brother, that compelling realities, firm and powerful aims, and sound and confirmed resolves leave their people no bond without severing it, no obstruction without preventing it, no trace hidden within inward secrets without bringing it out, and no deceptive interpretation that feigns a sound intention without exposing it. For them, the Real stands bare through the soundness of their state, and earnestness remains keen throughout their continual journey, upon clear proofs from knowledge and evident signs from the Real.

الْقِسْمُ الثَّالِثُ أَقْوَالُهُ فِي مُخْتَلِفِ الْمَوْضُوعَاتِ

Al-qismu al-thālithu ʾaqwāluhu fī mukhtalifi al-mawḍūʿāti

Section Three: His Sayings on Various Subjects

أَقْوَالُهُ فِي مُخْتَلِفِ الْمَوْضُوعَاتِ

ʾaqwāluhu fī mukhtalifi al-mawḍūʿāti

His Sayings on Various Subjects

الْقُرْآنُ وَالسُّنَّةُ هُمَا الْمَرْجِعُ لِكُلِّ مُتَصَوِّفٍ

Al-qurʾānu wa-al-sunnatu humā al-marjiʿu likulli mutaṣawwifin

The Qurʾan and the Sunna Are the Reference for Every Sufi

§ 066

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ هَارُونَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَبَا بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ أَحْمَدَ الْمُفِيدَ يَقُولَانِ سَمِعْنَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ غَيْرَ مَرَّةٍ يَقُولُ عِلْمُنَا مَضْبُوطٌ بِالْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ مَنْ لَمْ يَحْفَظْ الْقُرْآنَ وَلَمْ يَكْتُبْ الْحَدِيثَ وَلَمْ يَتَفَقَّهْ لَا يُقْتَدَى بِهِ وَكَانَ فِي أَوَّلِ أَمْرِهِ يَتَفَقَّهُ عَلَى مَذْهَبِ أَصْحَابِ الْحَدِيثِ مِثْلَ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ وَأَبِي ثَوْرٍ فَأَحْكَمَ الْأُصُولَ وَصَحِبَ الْحَارِثَ بْنَ أَسَدٍ الْمُحَاسِبِيُّ وَخَالَهُ السَّرِيَّ بْنَ مُغَلِّسٍ فَسَلَكَ مَسْلَكَهُمَا فِي التَّحْقِيقِ بِالْعِلْمِ وَاسْتِعْمَالِهِ (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 255)

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani ʿaliyya bna hārūna bni Muḥammadin waʾabā bakrin Muḥammada bna ʾaḥmada al-mufīda yaqūlāni samiʿnā ʾabā al-qāsimi al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin ghayra marratin yaqūlu ʿilmunā maḍbūṭun bi-al-kitābi wa-al-sunnati man lam yaḥfaẓ al-qurʾāna walam yaktub al-ḥadītha walam yatafaqqah lā yuqtadā bihi wakāna fī ʾawwali ʾamrihi yatafaqqahu ʿalā madhhabi ʾaṣḥābi al-ḥadīthi mithla ʾabī ʿubaydin waʾabī thawrin faʾaḥkama al-ʾuṣūla waṣaḥiba al-ḥāritha bna ʾasadin al-muḥāsibiyyu wakhālahu al-sariyya bna mughallisin fasalaka maslakahumā fī al-taḥqīqi bi-al-ʿilmi wa-istiʿmālihi (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 255)

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Hārūn ibn Muḥammad and Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Mufīd say: We heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say more than once, ‘Our knowledge is governed by the Book and the Sunna. Anyone who has not memorized the Qurʾan, written down Hadith, and gained understanding of the law is not to be followed.’ At the beginning of his path, he studied law according to the school of the traditionists, under such figures as Abū ʿUbayd and Abū Thawr. He mastered the foundations and kept company with al-Ḥārith ibn Asad al-Muḥāsibī and his maternal uncle, al-Sarī ibn Mughallis. He followed their way of grounding oneself in knowledge and putting it into practice. (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 255.)

الْحِلْمُ

Al-ḥilmu

Forbearance

§ 068

سَمِعْتُ الْحُسَيْنَ بْنَ مُوسَى يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا نَصْرٍ الطُّوسِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ الْوَاحِدِ بْنَ عَلْوَانَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ فِيمَا يَعِظُنِي بِهِ يَا فَتَى الْزَمْ الْعِلْمَ وَلَوْ وَرَدَ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ الْأَحْوَالِ مَا وَرَدَ وَيَكُونُ الْعِلْمُ مَصْحُوبَكَ فَالْأَحْوَالُ تَنْدَرِجُ فِيكَ وَتَنْفَدُ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّنَا (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 257)

Samiʿtu al-ḥusayna bna Mūsā yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā naṣrin al-ṭūsiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu ʿabda al-wāḥidi bna ʿalwāna yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu fīmā yaʿiẓunī bihi yā fatā al-zam al-ʿilma walaw warada ʿalayka min al-ʾaḥwāli mā warada wayakūnu al-ʿilmu maṣḥūbaka fa-al-ʾaḥwālu tandariju fīka watanfadu liʾanna Allāha ʿazza wajalla yaqūlu wa-al-rāsikhūna fī al-ʿilmi yaqūlūna ʾāmannā bihi kullun min ʿindi rabbinā (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 257)

I heard al-Ḥusayn ibn Mūsā say: I heard Abū Naṣr al-Ṭūsī say: I heard ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn ʿAlwān say: I heard al-Junayd say while counseling me, ‘Young man, hold fast to knowledge, whatever spiritual states may come upon you. Let knowledge remain your companion, for spiritual states unfold within you and pass away. God—mighty and majestic—is saying: “Those firmly rooted in knowledge say: We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord.”’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 257.)

أَحْوَالُ الصُّوفِيِّ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ

ʾaḥwālu al-ṣūfiyyi baʿda al-mawti

The Sufi’s State after Death

§ 070

أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ نُصَيْرٍ فِيمَا كَتَبَ إِلَيَّ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ فِي النَّوْمِ فَقُلْتُ مَا فَعَلَ اللَّهُ بِكَ قَالَ طَاحَتْ تِلْكَ الإِشَارَاتُ وَغَابَتْ تِلْكَ الْعِبَارَاتُ وَفَنِيَتْ تِلْكَ الْعُلُومُ وَنُفِدَتْ تِلْكَ الرُّسُومُ وَمَا نَفَعَنَا إِلَّا رُكَيْعَاتٌ كُنَّا نَرْكَعُهَا فِي الأَسْحَارِ (حِلْيَةِ الأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 257)

ʾakhbaranā jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadi bni nuṣayrin fīmā kataba ʾilayya waḥaddathanī ʿanhu Muḥammadu bnu Ibrāhīma qāla raʾaytu al-Junayda fī al-nawmi faqultu mā faʿala Allāhu bika qāla ṭāḥat tilka al-ʾishārātu waghābat tilka al-ʿibārātu wafaniyat tilka al-ʿulūmu wanufidat tilka al-rusūmu wamā nafaʿanā ʾillā rukayʿātun kunnā narkaʿuhā fī al-ʾasḥāri (ḥilyati al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 257)

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Nuṣayr informed us in a letter to me, and Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm related from him: I saw al-Junayd in a dream and asked, ‘What did God do with you?’ He replied, ‘Those subtle allusions fell away, those eloquent expressions disappeared, those forms of knowledge vanished, and those formal practices came to nothing. Nothing benefited us except a few prayer-cycles we used to perform before dawn.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 257.)

الْعِبَادَةُ

Al-ʿibādatu

Worship

§ 072

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ بْنَ مِقْسِمٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحُسَيْنِ بْنَ الدَّرَّاجِ يَقُولُ ذَكَرَ الْجُنَيْدُ أَهْلُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا يُرَاعُونَهُ مِنَ الْأَوْرَادِ وَالْعِبَادَاتِ بَعْدَ مَا أَلْطَفَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِهِ مِنَ الْكَرَامَاتِ فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ الْعِبَادَةُ عَلَى الْعَارِفِينَ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ التِّيجَانِ عَلَى رُؤُوسِ الْمُلُوكِ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 257)

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani bna miqsimin yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥusayni bna al-darrāji yaqūlu dhakara al-Junaydu ʾahlu al-maʿrifati bi-llāhi wamā yurāʿūnahu mina al-ʾawrādi wa-al-ʿibādāti baʿda mā ʾalṭafahumu Allāhu bihi mina al-karāmāti faqāla al-Junaydu al-ʿibādatu ʿalā al-ʿārifīna ʾaḥsanu mina allatījāni ʿalā ruʾūsi al-mulūki (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 257)

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam say: I heard Abū al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Darrāj say: Al-Junayd mentioned the people who know God and the regular devotions and acts of worship they maintain even after God has graciously favored them with miraculous gifts. Al-Junayd said, ‘Worship adorns those who know God more beautifully than crowns adorn the heads of kings.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 257.)

أَهْلُ الْحِكْمَةِ

ʾahlu al-ḥikmati

The People of Wisdom

§ 074

أَخْبَرَنِي جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ نَصْرٍ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ: قَالَ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ وَسُئِلَ عَنْ مَا تَنْهَى الْحِكْمَةُ فَقَالَ الْحِكْمَةُ تَنْهَى عَنْ كُلِّ مَا يَحْتَاجُ أَنْ يَعْتَذِرَ مِنْهُ وَعَنْ كُلِّ مَا إِذَا غَابَ عِلْمُهُ عَنْ غَيْرِكَ أَحْشَمَكَ ذَكَرَهُ فِي نَفْسِكَ فَقَالَ لَهُ السَّائِلُ فَبِمَ تَأْمُرُ الْحِكْمَةَ؟ قَالَ تَأْمُرُ الْحِكْمَةُ بِكُلِّ مَا يُحْمَدُ فِي الْبَاقِي أَثَرُهُ وَيَطِيبُ عِنْدَ جُمْلَةِ النَّاسِ خَبَرُهُ وَيُؤْمَنُ فِي الْعَوَاقِبِ ضَرَرُهُ قَالَ فَمَنْ يَسْتَحِقُّ أَنْ يُوصَفَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ قَالَ مَنْ إِذَا قَالَ بَلَغَ الْمَدَا وَالْغَايَةُ فِيمَا يَتَعَرَّضُ لِنَعْتِهِ بِقَلِيلِ الْقَوْلِ وَيَسِيرِ الْإِشَارَةِ وَمَنْ لَا يَتَعَذَّرُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْءٌ مِمَّا يُرِيدُ لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ عِنْدَهُ حَاضِرٌ عَتِيدٌ قَالَ فَبِمَنْ تَأْنَسُ الْحِكْمَةُ وَإِلَى مَنْ تَسْتَرِيحُ وَتَأْوِي قَالَ إِلَى مَنْ انْحَسَمَتْ عَنْ الْكُلِّ مَطَامِعُهُ وَانْقَطَعَتْ مِنَ الْفَضْلِ فِي الْحَاجَاتِ مَطَالِبُهُ وَمَنْ اجْتَمَعَتْ هُمُومُهُ وَحَرَكَاتُهُ فِي ذَاتِ رَبِّهِ وَمَنْ عَادَتْ مَنَافِعُهُ عَلَى سَائِرِ أَهْلِ دَهْرِهِ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 262)

ʾakhbaranī jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadi bni naṣrin fī kitābihi waḥaddathanī ʿanhu Muḥammadu bnu Ibrāhīma qāla: qāla ʾabū al-qāsimi al-Junaydu bnu Muḥammadin wasuʾila ʿan mā tanhā al-ḥikmatu faqāla al-ḥikmatu tanhā ʿan kulli mā yaḥtāju ʾan yaʿtadhira minhu waʿan kulli mā ʾidhā ghāba ʿilmuhu ʿan ghayrika ʾaḥshamaka dhakarahu fī nafsika faqāla lahu al-sāʾilu fabima taʾmuru al-ḥikmata? qāla taʾmuru al-ḥikmatu bikulli mā yuḥmadu fī al-bāqī ʾatharuhu wayaṭību ʿinda jumlati al-nāsi khabaruhu wayuʾmanu fī al-ʿawāqibi ḍararuhu qāla faman yastaḥiqqu ʾan yūṣafa bi-al-ḥikmati qāla man ʾidhā qāla balagha al-madā wa-al-ghāyatu fīmā yataʿarraḍu linaʿtihi biqalīli al-qawli wayasīri al-ʾishārati waman lā yataʿadhdharu ʿalayhi min dhalika shayʾun mimmā yurīdu liʾanna dhalika ʿindahu ḥāḍirun ʿatīdun qāla fabiman taʾnasu al-ḥikmatu waʾilā man tastarīḥu wataʾwī qāla ʾilā man inḥasamat ʿan al-kulli maṭāmiʿuhu wa-inqaṭaʿat mina al-faḍli fī al-ḥājāti maṭālibuhu waman ijtamaʿat humūmuhu waḥarakātuhu fī dhāti rabbihi waman ʿādat manāfiʿuhu ʿalā sāʾiri ʾahli dahrihi (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 262)

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Naṣr informed me in his book, and Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm related from him: Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad was asked, ‘What does wisdom forbid?’ He replied, ‘Wisdom forbids everything for which one would need to apologize, and everything whose mention within yourself would shame you if knowledge of it were hidden from everyone else.’ The questioner asked, ‘What, then, does wisdom command?’ He replied, ‘Wisdom commands everything whose lasting effect is praiseworthy, whose report is pleasing to people at large, and whose outcome may be trusted to cause no harm.’ He asked, ‘Who deserves to be described as possessing wisdom?’ Al-Junayd replied, ‘Someone who, when speaking, reaches the furthest extent and final point of whatever he undertakes to describe with few words and a slight indication; someone for whom none of what he intends is inaccessible, because it is present and ready at hand.’ He asked, ‘With whom does wisdom find intimacy, and with whom does it find rest and shelter?’ He replied, ‘With one whose hopes of all created beings have been cut off, whose demands for surplus beyond his needs have ceased, whose concerns and movements have been gathered wholly in his Lord, and whose benefit extends to all the people of his age.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 262.)

الْعِلْمُ النَّفِيسُ

Al-ʿilmu al-nafīsu

Precious Knowledge

§ 076

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ أَحْمَدَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ أَسْقَطَ لِلْعُلَمَاءِ مِنْ عَيْنِ اللَّهِ مِنْ مُسَاكَنَةِ الطَّمَعِ مَعَ الْعِلْمِ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالَ وَسَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ فَتْحُ كُلِّ بَابٍ وَكُلِّ عِلْمٍ نَفِيسٍ بَذْلُ الْمَجْهُودِ (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 263)

Samiʿtu ʾabā bakrin Muḥammada bna ʾaḥmada yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu mā min shayʾin ʾasqaṭa li-l-ʿulamāʾi min ʿayni Allāhi min musākanati al-ṭamaʿi maʿa al-ʿilmi fī qulūbihim qāla wasamiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu fatḥu kulli bābin wakulli ʿilmin nafīsin badhlu al-majhūdi (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 263)

I heard Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad say: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘Nothing lowers scholars more in God’s sight than allowing greed to dwell in their hearts alongside knowledge.’ I also heard al-Junayd say, ‘The opening of every gate and every precious branch of knowledge requires the utmost effort.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 263.)

الْقَنَاعَةُ

Al-qanāʿatu

Contentment

§ 078

سَمِعْتُ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الْعُثْمَانِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ عَطَاءٍ يَقُولُ قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ لَوْلا أَنَّهُ يُرْوَى أَنَّهُ يَكُونُ فِي آخِرِ الزَّمَانِ زَعِيمُ الْقَوْمِ أَرْذَلُهُمْ مَا تَكَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ ثَنَا بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا قَالَ قِيلَ لِلْجُنَيْدِ مَا الْقَنَاعَةُ قَالَ أَلَا تَتَجَاوَزُ إِرَادَتُكَ مَا هُوَ لَكَ فِي وَقْتِكَ (حِلْيَةُ الأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 263)

Samiʿtu ʿuthmāna bna Muḥammadin al-ʿuthmāniyya yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾaḥmada bna ʿaṭāʾin yaqūlu qāla al-Junaydu lawlā ʾannahu yurwā ʾannahu yakūnu fī ʾākhiri al-zamāni zaʿīmu al-qawmi ʾardhaluhum mā takallamtu ʿalaykum ḥaddathanā ʿuthmānu bnu Muḥammadin thanā baʿḍu ʾaṣḥābinā qāla qīla li-l-Junaydi mā al-qanāʿatu qāla ʾalā tatajāwazu ʾirādatuka mā huwa laka fī waqtika (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 263)

I heard ʿUthmān ibn Muḥammad al-ʿUthmānī say: I heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAṭāʾ say: Al-Junayd said, ‘Were it not related that at the end of time the leader of a people will be the least worthy among them, I would not have spoken before you.’ ʿUthmān ibn Muḥammad related to us from one of our companions: Al-Junayd was asked, ‘What is contentment?’ He replied, ‘That your desire not pass beyond what is yours in your present moment.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 263.)

الرَّحْمَةُ

Al-raḥmatu

Mercy

§ 080 • SOURCE P 227

سَمِعْتُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْجَهْضَمِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ عَطَاءٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ الْحَرَيضِ يَقُولُ لَمَّا قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ إِنْ بَدَتْ عَيْنٌ مِنْ الْكَرَمِ أَلْحَقْتْ الْمَسْئَ بِالْمُحْسِنِ قَالَ أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ بْنُ عَطَاءٍ مَتَى تَبْدُو فَقَالَ لَهُ الْجُنَيْدُ هِيَ بَادِيَةٌ قَالَ اللَّهُ سَبَقْتُ رَحْمَتِي غَضَبِي (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 263)

Samiʿtu ʿaliyya bna ʿabdi Allāhi al-jahḍamiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾaḥmada bna ʿaṭāʾin yaqūlu samiʿtu Muḥammada bna al-ḥarayḍi yaqūlu lammā qāla al-Junaydu ʾin badat ʿaynun min al-karami ʾalḥaqt al-masʾa bi-al-muḥsini qāla ʾabū al-ʿabbāsi bnu ʿaṭāʾin matā tabdū faqāla lahu al-Junaydu hiya bādiyatun qāla Allāhu sabaqtu raḥmatī ghaḍabī (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 263)

I heard ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Jahḍamī say: I heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAṭāʾ say: I heard Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥarīḍ say: When al-Junayd said, ‘If a single spring of generosity appeared, it would join the wrongdoer to the doer of good,’ Abū al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAṭāʾ asked, ‘When will it appear?’ Al-Junayd replied, ‘It is already manifest. God says: “My mercy has preceded My wrath.”’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 263.)

الْعِلْمُ اللَّدُنِّيُّ

Al-ʿilmu al-ladunniyyu

Knowledge Given Directly by God

§ 082

أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ نُصَيْرٍ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ لَوْ أَنَّ الْعِلْمَ الَّذِي أَتَكَلَّمُ بِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِي لَفَنِي وَلَكِنَّهُ مِنْ حَقٍّ بَدَا وَإِلَى الْحَقِّ يَعُودُ وَرُبَّمَا رُفِعَ فِي قَلْبِي أَنَّ زَعِيمَ الْقَوْمِ أَرْذَلُهُمْ (حِلْيَةُ الأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 263)

ʾakhbaranā jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadi bni nuṣayrin fī kitābihi waḥaddathanī ʿanhu Muḥammadu bnu Ibrāhīma qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu law ʾanna al-ʿilma alladhī ʾatakallamu bihi min ʿindī lafanī walakinnahu min ḥaqqin badā waʾilā al-ḥaqqi yaʿūdu warubbamā rufiʿa fī qalbī ʾanna zaʿīma al-qawmi ʾardhaluhum (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 263)

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Nuṣayr informed us in his book, and Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm related from him: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘If the knowledge of which I speak came from me, it would perish; but it appeared from the Real, and to the Real it returns.’ At times it was cast into my heart that the leader of the people is the least worthy among them. (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 263.)

أَحْوَالُ الصُّوفِيِّ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ

ʾaḥwālu al-ṣūfiyyi ʿinda al-mawti

The Sufi’s State at Death

§ 084

سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الدَّارِمِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الْعَطَوِيَّ يَقُولُ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ الْجُنَيْدِ حِينَ مَاتَ فَخَتَمَ الْقُرْآنَ ثُمَّ ابْتَدَأَ مِنَ الْبَقَرَةِ فَقَرَأَ سَبْعِينَ آيَةً ثُمَّ مَاتَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 264).

Samiʿtu Muḥammada bna al-ḥusayni yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi al-dārimiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā bakrin al-ʿaṭawiyya yaqūlu kuntu ʿinda al-Junaydi ḥīna māta fakhatama al-qurʾāna thumma ibtadaʾa mina al-baqarati faqaraʾa sabʿīna ʾāyatan thumma māta raḥimahu Allāhu (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 264).

I heard Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn say: I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Dārimī say: I heard Abū Bakr al-ʿAṭawī say: I was with al-Junayd when he died. He completed the Qurʾan, then began al-Baqara and recited seventy verses; then he died—may God have mercy on him. (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 264.)

§ 085

سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ هَانِئٍ يَقُولُ سَأَلْت أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ قَالَ لَا أُحِبُّ مَنْ يُغْبِبُ عَنْ عِيَانِي وَعَنْ قَلْبِي وَفِي هَذَا دَلَالَةٌ أَنَّى إِنَّمَا أُحِبُّ مَنْ يَدُومُ لِي النَّظَرُ إِلَيْهِ وَالْعِلْمُ بِهِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ ذَلِكَ مَوْجُودًا غَيْرَ مَفْقُودٍ وَكَذَلِكَ رَأَيْنَا أَنَّ أَشَدَّ الْأَشْيَاءِ عَلَى الْمُحِبِّينَ أَنْ يَغِيبَ عَنْهُمْ مَنْ أَحَبُّوهُ وَأَنْ يَفْقَدُوا شَاهَدُهُمْ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 265).

Samiʿtu ʾabī yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾaḥmada bna jaʿfari bni hāniʾin yaqūlu saʾalt ʾabā al-qāsimi al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin ʿan qawlihi lā ʾuḥibbu al-ʾāfilīna qāla lā ʾuḥibbu man yughbibu ʿan ʿiyānī waʿan qalbī wafī hadhā dalālatun ʾannā ʾinnamā ʾuḥibbu man yadūmu lī al-naẓaru ʾilayhi wa-al-ʿilmu bihi ḥattā yakūna dhalika mawjūdan ghayra mafqūdin wakadhalika raʾaynā ʾanna ʾashadda al-ʾashyāʾi ʿalā al-muḥibbīna ʾan yaghība ʿanhum man ʾaḥabbūhu waʾan yafqadū shāhaduhum (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 265).

I heard my father say: I heard Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Hāniʾ say: I asked Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad about the words, ‘I do not love those that set.’ He replied, ‘I do not love one who is absent at intervals from my direct vision and my heart. This indicates that I love only One whose being beheld and known remains continually present to me, so that it is found and never lost. We have likewise seen that the hardest thing for lovers is for the one they love to be absent from them and for them to lose the one they witness.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 265.)

§ 086

أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ نُصَيْرٍ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْعُثْمَانِيُّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ أَعْلَمُ النَّاسِ بِالآفَاتِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بَلاءٌ وَآفَةٌ (حِلْيَةٌ الأَوْلِيَاءُ، ج: 10، ص: 267)

ʾakhbaranā jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadi bni nuṣayrin fī kitābihi waḥaddathanī ʿanhu ʿuthmānu bnu Muḥammadin al-ʿuthmāniyyu qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu ʾaʿlamu al-nāsi bi-al-ʾāfāti ʾaktharuhum balāʾun waʾāfatun (ḥilyatun al-ʾawliyāʾu, j: 10, ṣ: 267)

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Nuṣayr informed us in his book, and ʿUthmān ibn Muḥammad al-ʿUthmānī related from him: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘Those who know afflictions best are the most beset by trials and affliction.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 267.)

رِحْلَةُ الْوِصَالِ

Riḥlatu al-wiṣāli

The Journey of Union

§ 088 • SOURCE P 228

أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرٌ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ عُثْمَانُ قَالَ كُنْتُ أَمْشَى مَعَ الْجُنَيْدِ فَلَقِيَهُ الشِّبْلِيُّ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ مَا تَقُولُ فِيمَنِ الْحَقُّ حَسْبُهُ نَعْتًا وَعِلْمًا وَوُجُودًا فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ جَلَّتِ الأُلُوهِيَّةُ وَتَعَاظَمَتِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةُ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ أَكَابِرِ الطَّبَقَةِ أَلْفُ طَبَقَةٍ فِي أَوَّلِ طَبَقَةٍ مِنْهَا ذَهَبَ الِاسْمُ قَالَ وَسَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ مَنْ ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ يَصِلُ بِبَذْلِ الْمَجْهُودِ فَمُتَعَنٍّ وَمَنْ ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ يَصِلُ بِغَيْرِ بَذْلِ الْمَجْهُودِ فَمُتَمَنٍّ وَمُتَعَلِّمٌ يَتَعَلَّمُ الْحَقِيقَةَ يُوصِّلُهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى الْهِدَايَةِ قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ كُلٌّ مُيَسَّرٌ لِمَا خُلِقَ لَهُ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 267)

ʾakhbaranā jaʿfarun waḥaddathanī ʿanhu ʿuthmānu qāla kuntu ʾamshā maʿa al-Junaydi falaqiyahu al-shibliyyu faqāla lahu yā ʾabā al-qāsimi mā taqūlu fīmani al-ḥaqqu ḥasbuhu naʿtan waʿilman wawujūdan faqāla lahu yā ʾabā bakrin jallati al-ʾulūhiyyatu wataʿāẓamati al-rubūbiyyatu baynaka wabayna ʾakābiri al-ṭabaqati ʾalfu ṭabaqatin fī ʾawwali ṭabaqatin minhā dhahaba al-ismu qāla wasamiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu man ẓanna ʾannahu yaṣilu bibadhli al-majhūdi famutaʿannin waman ẓanna ʾannahu yaṣilu bighayri badhli al-majhūdi famutamannin wamutaʿallimun yataʿallamu al-ḥaqīqata yūṣṣiluhu Allāhu ʾilā al-hidāyati qāla ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama kullun muyassarun limā khuliqa lahu (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 267)

Jaʿfar informed us, and ʿUthmān related from him: I was walking with al-Junayd when al-Shiblī met him and asked, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, what do you say of one for whom the Real suffices in description, knowledge, and being?’ He replied, ‘Abū Bakr, Divinity is too exalted and Lordship too immense! Between you and the great masters of the path lie a thousand degrees; in the very first of them, the name disappears.’ I also heard al-Junayd say, ‘Whoever imagines that he will arrive by expending effort is merely wearing himself out; whoever imagines that he will arrive without expending effort is merely indulging in wishes. The learner who studies spiritual reality is brought by God to guidance.’ The Prophet—may God bless him and his family and grant them peace—said, ‘Everyone is facilitated for that for which he was created.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 267.)

النَّدَمُ مِنْ الذَّنْبِ

Al-nadamu min al-dhanbi

Regret after Sin

§ 090

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ بْنَ مِقْسَمٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْمُطَرِّزَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ لِرَجُلٍ وَهُوَ يُكَلِّمُهُ فِي شَيْءٍ لَا تَيْأَسْ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ وَأَنْتَ تُشْفِقُ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَتَنْدَمُ عَلَيْهِ بَعْدَ فِعْلِكَ (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 267)

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani bna miqsamin yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-muṭarriza yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu lirajulin wahuwa yukallimuhu fī shayʾin lā tayʾas min nafsika waʾanta tushfiqu min dhanbika watandamu ʿalayhi baʿda fiʿlika (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 267)

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam say: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Muṭarriz say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say to a man while speaking with him about something, ‘Do not despair of yourself so long as you remain afraid of your sin and regret it after committing it.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 267.)

حَقِيقَةُ التَّوَكُّلِ

ḥaqīqatu al-tawakkuli

The Reality of Trust in God

§ 092

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ بْنَ مِقْسِمٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الْمَحَلِّيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ كَانَ التَّوَكُّلُ حَقِيقَةً وَالْيَوْمَ هُوَ عِلْمٌ (حِلْيَةِ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 267).

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani bna miqsimin yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani al-maḥalliyya yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu kāna al-tawakkulu ḥaqīqatan wa-al-yawma huwa ʿilmun (ḥilyati al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 267).

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam say: I heard Abū al-Ḥasan al-Maḥallī say: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘Trust in God was once a realized truth; today it is merely a subject of knowledge.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 267.)

§ 093

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ بْنَ مِقْسِمٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ الْخَوَّاصَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ مُنْذُ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً مَا نَاصَبْتُ أَحَدًا إِلَى حَقٍّ فَعَادَ إِلَيَّ وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ إِذَا أَصَبْتُ مَنْ يَصْبِرُ عَلَى الْحَقِّ فَتَمَسَّكَ بِهِ قَالَ قُلْتُ وَأَنَّى بِهِ هَاتِ مَنْ يَصْبِرُ لِي عَلَى سَمَاعِ الْحَقِّ لَا يَتَعَرَّضُ إِلَيْهِ (حِلْيَةُ الأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 267).

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani bna miqsimin yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā Muḥammadin al-khawwāṣṣa yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu mundhu ʿishrīna sanatan mā nāṣabtu ʾaḥadan ʾilā ḥaqqin faʿāda ʾilayya waqāla al-Junaydu ʾidhā ʾaṣabtu man yaṣbiru ʿalā al-ḥaqqi fatamassaka bihi qāla qultu waʾannā bihi hāti man yaṣbiru lī ʿalā samāʿi al-ḥaqqi lā yataʿarraḍu ʾilayhi (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 267).

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam say: I heard Abū Muḥammad al-Khawwāṣ say: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘For twenty years, whenever I confronted anyone with a truth, he turned against me.’ Al-Junayd said, ‘When you find someone who can bear the truth, hold fast to him.’ I asked, ‘Where is such a person to be found? Bring me someone who can patiently hear the truth from me without objecting to it.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 267.)

§ 094

أَخْبَرَنِي جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ بْنُ مِقْسِمٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ لَوْ بَدَتْ عَيْنٌ مِنَ الْكَرَمِ لأَلْحَقْتُ الْمُسِيئِينَ بِالْمُحْسِنِينَ وَبَقِيَتْ أَعْمَالُ الْعَامِلِينَ فَضْلا لَهُمْ (حِلْيَةُ الأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 267).

ʾakhbaranī jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadin fī kitābihi waḥaddathanī ʿanhu ʾabū al-ḥasani bnu miqsimin qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu law badat ʿaynun mina al-karami lʾalḥaqtu al-musīʾīna bi-al-muḥsinīna wabaqiyat ʾaʿmālu al-ʿāmilīna faḍlā lahum (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 267).

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad informed me in his book, and Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam related from him: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘If a single spring of generosity appeared, it would join those who do wrong to those who do good, while the deeds of those who acted would remain as a further grace for them.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 267.)

§ 095

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ بْنَ مُقْسِمٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ الْمُرْتَعِشَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ كَتَبَ إِلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِي مِنْ عُقَلَاءِ أَهْلِ خُرَاسَانَ اعْلَمْ يَا أَخِي يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ أَنَّ عُقُولَ الْعُقَلَاءِ إِذَا تَنَاهَتْ تَنَاهَتْ إِلَى حَيْرَةٍ (حِلْيَةِ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 267، 268).

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani bna muqsimin yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā Muḥammadin al-murtaʿisha yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu kataba ʾilā baʿḍi ʾikhwānī min ʿuqalāʾi ʾahli khurāsāna iʿlam yā ʾakhī yā ʾabā al-qāsimi ʾanna ʿuqūla al-ʿuqalāʾi ʾidhā tanāhat tanāhat ʾilā ḥayratin (ḥilyati al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 267, 268).

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Muqsam say: I heard Abū Muḥammad al-Murtaʿish say: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘One of my brethren among the wise people of Khurāsān wrote to me: Know, my brother Abū al-Qāsim, that when the intellects of the intelligent reach their furthest limit, they end in bewilderment.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, pp. 267–268.)

§ 096

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ بْنَ مِقْسِمٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْمُطَرِّزَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ أَضَرُّ مَا عَلَى أَهْلِ الدِّيَانَاتِ الدَّعَاوَى (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج:

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani bna miqsimin yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-muṭarriza yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu ʾaḍarru mā ʿalā ʾahli al-diyānāti al-daʿāwā (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j:

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam say: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Muṭarriz say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘The thing most harmful to religious people is making spiritual claims.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10,

§ 097

10، ص: 268)

10, ṣ: 268)

p. 268.)

حِفْظُ الْهِمَّةِ

ḥifẓu al-himmati

Guarding Spiritual Aspiration

§ 099 • SOURCE P 229

سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ إِسْحَاقَ الرَّازِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْعَبَّاسَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ بِحِفْظِ الْهِمَّةِ فَإِنَّ حِفْظَ الْهِمَّةِ مُقَدِّمَةُ الْأَشْيَاءِ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 268)

Samiʿtu Muḥammada bna al-ḥusayni yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾaḥmada bna ʾisḥāqa al-rāziyya yaqūlu samiʿtu al-ʿabbāsa bna ʿabdi Allāhi yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu ʿalaykum biḥifẓi al-himmati faʾinna ḥifẓa al-himmati muqaddimatu al-ʾashyāʾi (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 268)

I heard Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn say: I heard Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq al-Rāzī say: I heard al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd Allāh say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘You must guard spiritual aspiration, for guarding aspiration comes before all other things.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 268.)

الْمُرُوءَةُ

Al-murūʾatu

Nobility of Character

§ 101

سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ إِسْحَاقَ الرَّازِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْعَبَّاسَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ الْمُرُوءَةُ امْتِحَانُ ذُلَلِ الإِخْوَانِ (حِلْيَةُ الأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 268).

Samiʿtu Muḥammada bna al-ḥusayni yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾaḥmada bna ʾisḥāqa al-rāziyya yaqūlu samiʿtu al-ʿabbāsa bna ʿabdi Allāhi yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu al-murūʾatu imtiḥānu dhulali al-ʾikhwāni (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 268).

I heard Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn say: I heard Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq al-Rāzī say: I heard al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd Allāh say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘Nobility of character is tested by the humbling circumstances of one’s brethren.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 268.)

§ 102

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ هَارُونَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ يَقُولُ وَرَأَى رُوَيْمًا وَقَدْ تَوَلَّى الْقَضَاءَ فَقَالَ مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَى مَنْ خَبَّأَ فِي سِرِّهِ حُبَّ الدُّنْيَا عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً فَلْيَنْظُرْ إِلَى هَذَا (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 268).

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani ʿaliyya bna hārūna yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin ʾabā al-qāsimi yaqūlu waraʾā ruwayman waqad tawallā al-qaḍāʾa faqāla man ʾarāda ʾan yanẓura ʾilā man khabbaʾa fī sirrihi ḥubba al-dunyā ʿishrīna sanatan falyanẓur ʾilā hadhā (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 268).

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Hārūn say: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, when he saw that Ruwaym had accepted appointment as a judge, ‘Whoever wishes to see a man who concealed love of this world in his inward secret for twenty years should look at this man.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 268.)

§ 103

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ هَارُونَ يَقُولُ أَخْبَرَنِي بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدِ قَالَ إِنَّهُ وَقَفَ عَلَى سَائِلٍ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ حَرِّكْنِي فَعَلَ لِي فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ لَا وَلَكِنَّ فَعَلَ اللَّهُ فِيكَ يَقْتَضِي مِنْكَ شُكْرَ مَا جَعَلَهُ فِيكَ (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 268).

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani ʿaliyya bna hārūna yaqūlu ʾakhbaranī baʿḍu ʾaṣḥābinā ʿan ʾabī al-qāsimi al-Junaydi qāla ʾinnahu waqafa ʿalā sāʾilin fasaʾaltuhu faqāla ḥarriknī faʿala lī faqāla al-Junaydu lā walakinna faʿala Allāhu fīka yaqtaḍī minka shukra mā jaʿalahu fīka (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 268).

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Hārūn say: One of our companions informed me from Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd, who said, ‘A beggar stopped before me. I questioned him, and he said, “An act of mine moved me.”’ Al-Junayd replied, ‘No. Rather, God’s act within you requires you to give thanks for what He has placed within you.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 268.)

§ 104

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ أَحْمَدَ الْمُفِيدَ يَقُولُ حَضَرْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَوْمًا فَسَأَلَهُ أَصْحَابُهُ فَقَالُوا يَا أُسْتَاذ مَتَى يَكُونُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُقْبِلًا عَلَى عَبْدِهِ فَلَهَى عَنْهُمْ وَلَمْ يُجِبْهُمْ فَأَلَحُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَكَانَ ظَرِيفًا لَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَتَبَشَّعَ جَوَابُهُ عَلَى أَحَدٍ فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَيْهِمْ فَقَالَ وَاعَجَبَاهُ يَقِفُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَبِّهِ بِلَا حُضُورٍ وَيَقْتَضِي بِهَذِهِ الْوَقْفَةِ إِقْبَالًا (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 268)

Samiʿtu ʾabā bakrin Muḥammada bna ʾaḥmada al-mufīda yaqūlu ḥaḍartu al-Junayda yawman fasaʾalahu ʾaṣḥābuhu faqālū yā ʾustādh matā yakūnu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla muqbilan ʿalā ʿabdihi falahā ʿanhum walam yujibhum faʾalaḥḥū ʿalayhi wakāna ẓarīfan lā yuḥibbu ʾan yatabashshaʿa jawābuhu ʿalā ʾaḥadin fa-al-tafata ʾilayhim faqāla wāʿajabāhu yaqifu bayna yaday rabbihi bilā ḥuḍūrin wayaqtaḍī bihadhihi al-waqfati ʾiqbālan (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 268)

I heard Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Mufīd say: I was present with al-Junayd one day when his companions asked him, ‘Master, when does God—mighty and majestic—turn toward His servant?’ He paid no attention to them and did not answer. They persisted. He was a man of refinement who disliked giving anyone an answer that might sound harsh, so he turned to them and said, ‘How astonishing! He stands before his Lord without being present, yet expects that very standing to merit God’s turning toward him!’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 268.)

حَقِيقَةُ الشُّكْرِ

ḥaqīqatu al-shukri

The Reality of Gratitude

§ 106

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ بْنَ مِقْسِمٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ سَعِيدٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ وَسُئِلَ عَنْ حَقِيقَةِ الشُّكْرِ فَقَالَ أَلَا يُسْتَعَانُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ نِعَمِهِ عَلَى مَعَاصِيهِ (حِلْيَةِ الأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 268).

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani bna miqsimin yaqūlu samiʿtu Muḥammada bna saʿīdin yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu wasuʾila ʿan ḥaqīqati al-shukri faqāla ʾalā yustaʿānu bishayʾin min niʿamihi ʿalā maʿāṣīhi (ḥilyati al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 268).

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam say: I heard Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad, when asked about the reality of gratitude, say, ‘That none of His blessings be used as an aid in disobeying Him.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 268.)

§ 107

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ بْنَ مِقْسَمٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرِ بْنَ سَعِيدٍ وَأَبَا بَكْرٍ خَتَنَ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولَانِ سَمِعْنَا الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ الْوَرَعُ فِي الْكَلَامِ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ فِي الِاكْتِسَابِ أَنْشَدَنِي أَبُو الْحَسَنِ بْنُ مِقْسَمٍ قَالَ أَنْشَدَنِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ خَتَنَ الْجُنَيْدِ قَالَ أَنْشَدَنِي الْجُنَيْدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ:

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani bna miqsamin yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā bakri bna saʿīdin waʾabā bakrin khatana al-Junayda yaqūlāni samiʿnā al-Junayda yaqūlu al-waraʿu fī al-kalāmi ʾashaddu minhu fī al-iktisābi ʾanshadanī ʾabū al-ḥasani bnu miqsamin qāla ʾanshadanī ʾabū bakrin khatana al-Junaydi qāla ʾanshadanī al-Junaydu bnu Muḥammadin:

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam say: I heard Abū Bakr ibn Saʿīd and Abū Bakr, al-Junayd’s son-in-law, say: We heard al-Junayd say, ‘Scrupulous restraint in speech is harder than scrupulous restraint in earning.’ Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam recited to me, saying: Abū Bakr, al-Junayd’s son-in-law, recited to me, saying: Al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad recited to me:

§ 108 • SOURCE P 230

تَحَمَّلَ عَظِيمَ الْجُرْمِ مِمَّنْ تُحِبّهُ * وَإِنْ كُنْت مَظْلُومًا فَقُلْ أَنَا ظَالِمُ

Taḥammala ʿaẓīma al-jurmi mimman tuḥibbhu * waʾin kunt maẓlūman faqul ʾanā ẓālimu

Bear the gravest offense from the one you love; though you are wronged, say: ‘I am the wrongdoer.’

§ 109

قَالَ وَأَنْشَدَنِي:

Qāla waʾanshadanī:

He said, and recited to me:

§ 110

أُنَاسٌ أَمَّنَّاهُمْ فَنَمُّوا حَدِيثَنَا * فَلَمَّا كَتَمْنَا السِّرَّ عَنْهُمْ تَقَوَّلُوا

ʾunāsun ʾammannāhum fanammū ḥadīthanā * falammā katamnā al-sirra ʿanhum taqawwalū

People whom we trusted spread our private words; when we hid the secret from them, they invented tales.

§ 111

وَلَمْ يَحْفَظُوا الْوُدَّ الَّذِي كَانَ بَيْنَنَا * وَلَا حِينَ هَمُّوا بِالْقَطِيعَةِ أَجْمَلُوا

Walam yaḥfaẓū al-wudda alladhī kāna baynanā * walā ḥīna hammū bi-al-qaṭīʿati ʾajmalū

They did not preserve the affection once between us, nor, when they resolved to break away, did they part with grace.

§ 112

(حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 268، 269).

(ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 268, 269).

(Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, pp. 268–269.)

§ 113

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْمُطَرَّزَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ لَا تَسْكُنْ إِلَى نَفْسِكَ وَإِنْ دَامَتْ طَاعَتُهَا لَكَ فِي طَاعَةِ رَبِّكَ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج:

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-muṭarraza yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu lā taskun ʾilā nafsika waʾin dāmat ṭāʿatuhā laka fī ṭāʿati rabbika (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j:

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan say: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Muṭarriz say: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘Never repose confidence in your lower self, even if it continues to obey you in obedience to your Lord.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10,

§ 114

10، ص: 269).

10, ṣ: 269).

p. 269.)

§ 115

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ بْنَ مِقْسِمٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ النَّقَّاشِيَّ الصُّوفِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ مَتَى أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تُشْرُفَ بِالْعِلْمِ وَتُنْسَبَ إِلَيْهِ وَتَكُونَ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُعْطَى الْعِلْمَ مَالَهُ عَلَيْكَ احْتَجَبَ عَنْكَ نُورُهُ وَبَقِيَ عَلَيْكَ وَسْمُهُ وَظُهُورُهُ ذَلِكَ الْعِلْمُ عَلَيْكَ لَا لَكَ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْعِلْمَ يُشِيرُ إِلَى اسْتِعْمَالِهِ وَإِذَا لَمْ يُسْتَعْمَلْ الْعِلْمُ فِي مَرَاتِبِهِ رُحِلَتْ بَرَكَاتُهُ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 269).

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani bna miqsimin yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-naqqāshiyya al-ṣūfiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu matā ʾaradta ʾan tushrufa bi-al-ʿilmi watunsaba ʾilayhi watakūna min ʾahlihi qabla ʾan tuʿṭā al-ʿilma mālahu ʿalayka iḥtajaba ʿanka nūruhu wabaqiya ʿalayka wasmuhu waẓuhūruhu dhalika al-ʿilmu ʿalayka lā laka wadhalika ʾanna al-ʿilma yushīru ʾilā istiʿmālihi waʾidhā lam yustaʿmal al-ʿilmu fī marātibihi ruḥilat barakātuhu (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 269).

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam say: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Naqqāshī the Sufi say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘When you wish to gain distinction through knowledge, be associated with it, and be counted among its people before you have given knowledge the right it has over you, its light becomes veiled from you and only its mark and outward display remain upon you. That knowledge then stands against you, not for you. Knowledge points toward putting it into practice; when knowledge is not put into practice in its proper degrees, its blessings depart.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 269.)

§ 116

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ النَّقَّاشِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ الْإِنْسَانُ لَا يُعَابُ بِمَا فِي طَبْعِهِ إِنَّمَا يُعَابُ إِذَا فُعِلَ بِمَا فِي طَبْعِهِ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج:

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-naqqāshiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu al-ʾinsānu lā yuʿābu bimā fī ṭabʿihi ʾinnamā yuʿābu ʾidhā fuʿila bimā fī ṭabʿihi (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j:

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan say: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Naqqāshī say: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘A person is not blamed for what lies in his natural disposition; he is blamed only when he acts according to it.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10,

§ 117

10، ص: 269).

10, ṣ: 269).

p. 269.)

§ 118

أَنْشَدَنِي أَبُو الْحَسَنِ بْنُ مِقْسَمٍ قَالَ أَنْشَدَنِي عَلِيّ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ الْقُرَشِيّ قَالَ أَنْشَدَنِي الْجُنَيْدُ بْنُ مُحَمّدٍ:

ʾanshadanī ʾabū al-ḥasani bnu miqsamin qāla ʾanshadanī ʿaliyy bnu al-ḥasani al-qurashiyy qāla ʾanshadanī al-Junaydu bnu muḥammdin:

Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam recited to me, saying: ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan al-Qurashī recited to me, saying: Al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad recited to me:

§ 119

هَلْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ إِلَى حَبِيبٍ * أَوْقَفَنِي مَوْقِفَ الْعَبِيدِ

Hal min sabīlin ʾilā ḥabībin * ʾawqafanī mawqifa al-ʿabīdi

Is there a path to a beloved who has made me stand in the station of slaves?

§ 120

وَاللَّهِ وَاللَّهِ لَوْ بَدَأَنِي * بِكُلِّ ضَرْبٍ مِنَ الصُّدُودِ

Wa-llāhi wa-llāhi law badaʾanī * bikulli ḍarbin mina al-ṣudūdi

By God, by God, even if he met me with every manner of rejection,

§ 121

مَا كَانَ لِي مِنْ هَوَاهُ بُدٌّ * وَلَوْ تَقَطَّعْتُ بِالْوُجُودِ

Mā kāna lī min hawāhu buddun * walaw taqaṭṭaʿtu bi-al-wujūdi

I could never dispense with loving him, even were I torn apart through longing.

§ 122

(حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 269).

(ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 269).

(Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 269.)

§ 123 • SOURCE P 231

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ بْنَ مِقْسَمٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْحَفَّارَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدِ وَقَدْ سَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ كَيْفَ الطَّرِيقُ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَقَالَ تَوْبَةٌ تُحِلُّ الْإِصْرَارَ وَخَوْفٌ يُزِيلُ الْغُرَّةَ وَرَجَاءُ مُزْعِجٍ إِلَى طَرِيقِ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَمُرَاقَبَةُ اللَّهِ فِي خَوَاطِرِ الْقُلُوبِ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 269).

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani bna miqsamin yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-ḥaffāra yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junaydi waqad saʾalahu rajulun kayfa al-ṭarīqu ʾilā Allāhi taʿālā faqāla tawbatun tuḥillu al-ʾiṣrāra wakhawfun yuzīlu al-ghurrata warajāʾu muzʿijin ʾilā ṭarīqi al-khayrāti wamurāqabatu Allāhi fī khawāṭiri al-qulūbi (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 269).

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam say: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Ḥaffār say: I heard al-Junayd when a man asked him, ‘What is the path to God Most High?’ He replied, ‘Repentance that dissolves persistence in sin; fear that removes deluded security; hope that drives one toward the paths of good; and watchfulness before God over the thoughts of the heart.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 269.)

§ 124

سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ وَسَأَلَهُ سَائِلُ الْعِنَايَةِ قَبَلَ أَمِّ الْبِدَايَةِ فَقَالَ الْعِنَايَةُ قِبَلَ الطِّينِ وَالْمَاءِ قَالَ وَسَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ يَا مَنْ هُوَ كُلُّ يَوْمٍ فِي شَأْنِ اجْعَلْنِي مِنْ بَعْضِ شَأْنِكَ (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 269، 270).

Samiʿtu ʾaḥmada bna jaʿfari bni mālikin yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu wasaʾalahu sāʾilu al-ʿināyati qabala ʾammi al-bidāyati faqāla al-ʿināyatu qibala al-ṭīni wa-al-māʾi qāla wasamiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-Junayda yaqūlu yā man huwa kullu yawmin fī shaʾni ijʿalnī min baʿḍi shaʾnika (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 269, 270).

I heard Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Mālik say: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad when a questioner asked him, ‘Does divine care come before the beginning?’ He replied, ‘Divine care came before clay and water.’ I also heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd say, ‘O You who are each day upon some affair, make me part of Your affair.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, pp. 269–270.)

§ 125

أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ فِيمَا كُتِبَ إِلَيَّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ الْمُرِيدُ الصَّادِقُ غَنِيٌّ عَنْ عُلُومِ الْعُلَمَاءِ يَعْمَلُ عَلَى بَيَانٍ يَرَى وَجْهَ الْحَقِّ مِنْ وُجُوهِ الْحَقِّ وَيُتَوَقَّى وُجُوهُ الشَّرِّ مِنْ وُجُوهِ الشَّرِّ قَالَ وَسَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ اعْتَلَلْتُ بِمَكَّةَ فَقَوِيَ عَلَيَّ فِيهَا الْوُجُودُ حَتَّى لَمْ أَقْدِرْ أَنْ أَقُولَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ مَكَثْتُ مُدَّةً طَوِيلَةً لَا يَقْدَمُ أَحَدُ الْبَلَدِ مِنْ الْفُقَرَاءِ إِلَّا سُلِبْتُ حَالِي وَدُفِعْتُ إِلَى حَالِهِ فَأَطْلُبُهُ حَتَّى إِذَا وَجَدْتُهُ تَكَلَّمْتُ بِحَالِهِ وَكُنْتُ لَا أَرَى فِي النَّوْمِ شَيْئًا إِلَّا رَأَيْتُهُ فِي الْيَقَظَةِ (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 270).

ʾakhbaranā jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadin fīmā kutiba ʾilayya qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu al-murīdu al-ṣādiqu ghaniyyun ʿan ʿulūmi al-ʿulamāʾi yaʿmalu ʿalā bayānin yarā wajha al-ḥaqqi min wujūhi al-ḥaqqi wayutawaqqā wujūhu al-sharri min wujūhi al-sharri qāla wasamiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu iʿtalaltu bimakkata faqawiya ʿalayya fīhā al-wujūdu ḥattā lam ʾaqdir ʾan ʾaqūla subḥāna Allāhi wa-al-ḥamdu li-llāhi qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu makathtu muddatan ṭawīlatan lā yaqdamu ʾaḥadu al-baladi min al-fuqarāʾi ʾillā sulibtu ḥālī wadufiʿtu ʾilā ḥālihi faʾaṭlubuhu ḥattā ʾidhā wajadtuhu takallamtu biḥālihi wakuntu lā ʾarā fī al-nawmi shayʾan ʾillā raʾaytuhu fī al-yaqaẓati (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 270).

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad informed us in a letter to me: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘The sincere aspirant has no need of the learned disciplines of scholars. He acts upon a clear disclosure, recognizes the face of truth among the faces of truth, and guards against the forms of evil among the forms of evil.’ He said: I also heard al-Junayd say, ‘I became ill in Mecca, and the force of spiritual experience grew so powerful within me that I could no longer say, “Glory be to God” or “Praise belongs to God.”’ He said: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘For a long time, whenever one of the poor arrived in the city, I was stripped of my own state and cast into his. I would seek him until I found him, then speak from his state. Whatever I saw in sleep, I also saw while awake.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 270.)

§ 126

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَمْرٍو الْعُثْمَانِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ لَيْسَ يَتَبَشَّعُ عَلَيَّ مَا يَرِدُ عَلَيَّ مِنَ الْعَالَمِ لِأَنِّي قَدْ أَصَلْت أَصْلًا وَهُوَ أَنَّ الدَّارَ دَارُ هَمٍّ وَغَمٍّ وَبَلَاءٌ وَفِتْنَةٌ وَأَنَّ الْعَالَمَ كُلَّهُ شَرٌّ وَمِنْ حُكْمِهِ أَنْ يَتَلَقَّانِي بِكُلِّ مَا أَكْرَهُ فَإِنْ تَلَقَّانِي بِكُلِّ مَا أُحِبُّ فَهُوَ فَضْلٌ وَإِلَّا فَالْأَصْلُ هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 270).

Samiʿtu ʾabā ʿamrinw al-ʿuthmāniyya yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu laysa yatabashshaʿu ʿalayya mā yaridu ʿalayya mina al-ʿālami liʾannī qad ʾaṣalt ʾaṣlan wahuwa ʾanna al-dāra dāru hammin waghammin wabalāʾun wafitnatun waʾanna al-ʿālama kullahu sharrun wamin ḥukmihi ʾan yatalaqqānī bikulli mā ʾakrahu faʾin talaqqānī bikulli mā ʾuḥibbu fahuwa faḍlun waʾillā fa-al-ʾaṣlu huwa al-ʾawwalu (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 270).

I heard Abū ʿAmr al-ʿUthmānī say: I heard Abū al-Ḥasan say: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘Nothing that comes to me from the world strikes me as ugly, because I have established a principle: this abode is an abode of care, grief, affliction, and trial, and the world in its entirety is evil. Its nature is to meet me with everything I dislike. If it meets me with everything I love, that is a gracious surplus; otherwise, the original principle remains the first.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 270.)

§ 127

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الْجَهْضَمِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْفَارِسِيَّ يَقُولُ وَقَفَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْمَغْرِبِيُّ عَلَى الْجُنَيْدِ وَقَدْ سُئِلَ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani al-jahḍamiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi al-fārisiyya yaqūlu waqafa ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi al-maghribiyyu ʿalā al-Junaydi waqad suʾila ʿan qawlihi

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan al-Jahḍamī say: I heard Abū al-Ḥasan say: I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Fārisī say: Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Maghribī came upon al-Junayd while he was being asked about God’s words:

§ 128

سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنْسى

Sanuqriʾuka falā tansā

‘We shall make you recite, and you will not forget.’

§ 129

[الْأَعْلَى: 6] قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: سَنَقْرَؤُكَ التِّلَاوَةَ فَلَا تَنْسَ الْعَمَلَ. وَسُئِلَ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ:

[Al-ʾaʿlā: 6] qāla al-Junaydu: sanaqraʾuka al-tilāwata falā tansa al-ʿamala. wasuʾila ʿan qawlihi:

[Al-Aʿlā 87:6]. Al-Junayd said, ‘We shall make you recite the words, so do not forget the practice.’ He was asked about God’s words:

§ 130

وَدَرَسُوا مَا فِيهِ

Wadarasū mā fīhi

‘And they studied what it contained.’

§ 131

[الْأَعْرَافِ: 169] قَالَ تَرَكُوا الْعَمَلَ بِمَا فِيهِ فَقَالَ الْمَغْرِبِيُّ حَرَجَتْ أُمَّةٌ أَنْتَ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْهَا لَا تُفَوِّضُ أَمْرَهَا إِلَيْكَ قَالَ وَوَقَفَ الشِّبْلِيُّ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ مَا تَقُولُ يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ فِيمَنْ وُجُودُهُ حَقِيقَةً لَا عِلْمًا فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ أَكَابِرِ النَّاسِ سَبْعُونَ قَدَمًا أَدْنَاهَا أَنْ تَنْسَى نَفْسَكَ (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 270)

[Al-ʾaʿrāfi: 169] qāla tarakū al-ʿamala bimā fīhi faqāla al-maghribiyyu ḥarajat ʾummatun ʾanta bayna ẓahrānayhā lā tufawwiḍu ʾamrahā ʾilayka qāla wawaqafa al-shibliyyu ʿalayhi faqāla mā taqūlu yā ʾabā al-qāsimi fīman wujūduhu ḥaqīqatan lā ʿilman faqāla yā ʾabā bakrin baynaka wabayna ʾakābiri al-nāsi sabʿūna qadaman ʾadnāhā ʾan tansā nafsaka (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 270)

[Al-Aʿrāf 7:169]. He said, ‘They abandoned the practice of what it contained.’ Al-Maghribī said, ‘An entire community among whom you live is deprived, because it does not entrust its affair to you.’ Al-Shiblī then came upon him and asked, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, what do you say of one whose being is a realized truth, not mere knowledge?’ He replied, ‘Abū Bakr, between you and the great masters lie seventy steps; the lowest of them is that you forget yourself.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 270.)

§ 132 • SOURCE P 232

حَدَّثَنَا الْجَهْضَمِيُّ ثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ ثَنَا أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ بُرْدَانُ الْهَاوَنْدِيُّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ جِئْتُ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ السُّدِّيِّ يَوْمًا فَدَقَقْتُ عَلَيْهِ الْبَابَ فَقَالَ مَنْ هَذَا فَقُلْتُ جُنَيْدٌ فَقَالَ ادْخُلْ فَدَخَلْتُ فَإِذَا هُوَ قَاعِدٌ مُسْتَوْفِزٌ وَكَانَ مَعِي أَرْبَعَةُ دَرَاهِمَ فَدَفَعْتُهَا إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ لِي أَبْشِرْ فَإِنَّكَ تُفْلِحُ فَإِنِّي احْتَجْتُ إِلَى هَذِهِ الأَرْبَعَةِ دَرَاهِمَ فَقُلْتُ اللَّهُمَّ ابْعَثْهَا إِلَيَّ عَلَى يَدَيْ رَجُلٍ يُفْلِحُ عِنْدَكَ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 270، 271).

ḥaddathanā al-jahḍamiyyu thanā Muḥammadu bnu al-ḥasani thanā ʾabū al-qāsimi burdānu al-hāwandiyyu qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu jiʾtu ʾilā ʾabī al-ḥasani al-suddiyyi yawman fadaqaqtu ʿalayhi al-bāba faqāla man hadhā faqultu Junaydun faqāla idkhul fadakhaltu faʾidhā huwa qāʿidun mustawfizun wakāna maʿī ʾarbaʿatu darāhima fadafaʿtuhā ʾilayhi faqāla lī ʾabshir faʾinnaka tufliḥu faʾinnī iḥtajtu ʾilā hadhihi al-ʾarbaʿati darāhima faqultu Allāhumma ibʿathhā ʾilayya ʿalā yaday rajulin yufliḥu ʿindaka (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 270, 271).

Al-Jahḍamī related to us: Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan related to us: Abū al-Qāsim Burdān al-Hāwandī related to us, saying: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘One day I went to Abū al-Ḥasan al-Suddī and knocked at his door. He asked, “Who is it?” I replied, “Junayd.” He said, “Enter.” I entered and found him sitting poised to rise. I had four dirhams with me, so I gave them to him. He said, “Rejoice, for you shall prosper. I needed these four dirhams and prayed: O God, send them to me at the hand of a man who shall prosper with You.”’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, pp. 270–271.)

§ 133

حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ثَنَا مَنْصُورُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ ثَنَا جَعْفَرٌ الدُّئَلِيُّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ الْبَلاءُ عَلَى ثَلاثَةِ أَوْجُهٍ عَلَى الْمُخَلَّطِينَ عُقُوبَاتٌ وَعَلَى الصَّادِقِينَ تَمْحِيصُ جِنَايَاتٍ وَعَلَى الأَنْبِيَاءِ مِنْ صِدْقِ الاخْتِيَارَاتِ (حِلْيَةُ الأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 271).

ḥaddathanā ʿaliyyu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi thanā manṣūru bnu ʾaḥmada thanā jaʿfarun al-duʾaliyyu qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu al-balāʾu ʿalā thalāthati ʾawjuhin ʿalā al-mukhallaṭīna ʿuqūbātun waʿalā al-ṣādiqīna tamḥīṣu jināyātin waʿalā al-ʾanbiyāʾi min ṣidqi al-ikhtiyārāti (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 271).

ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh related to us: Manṣūr ibn Aḥmad related to us: Jaʿfar al-Duʾalī related to us, saying: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘Affliction has three aspects: for those whose conduct is confused, it is punishment; for the truthful, purification from offenses; and for the prophets, a confirmation of the truth of divine choosing.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 271.)

§ 134

سَمِعْتُ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الْعُثْمَانِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ حَكِيمَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ حَضَرَ الْجُنَيْدُ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ مَوْضِعًا فِيهِ قَوْمٌ يَتَوَاجَدُونَ عَلَى سَمَاعٍ يَسْمَعُونَهُ وَهُوَ مُطْرَقٌ قِيلَ لَهُ يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ مَا تَرَاكَ تَتَحَرَّكُ قَالَ وَتَرَى الْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَهِيَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 271).

Samiʿtu ʿuthmāna bna Muḥammadin al-ʿuthmāniyya yaqūlu samiʿtu ḥakīma bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu ḥaḍara al-Junaydu ʾabū al-qāsimi mawḍiʿan fīhi qawmun yatawājadūna ʿalā samāʿin yasmaʿūnahu wahuwa muṭraqun qīla lahu yā ʾabā al-qāsimi mā tarāka tataḥarraku qāla watarā al-jibāla taḥsabuhā jāmidatan wahiya tamurru marra al-saḥābi (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 271).

I heard ʿUthmān ibn Muḥammad al-ʿUthmānī say: I heard Ḥakīm ibn Muḥammad say: Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd attended a gathering in which people were displaying ecstasy in response to an audition, while he remained with head bowed. He was asked, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, why do we not see you move?’ He replied, ‘You see the mountains, supposing them motionless, while they pass like clouds.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 271.)

§ 135

أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ نُصَيْرٍ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ كَانَ يُعَارِضُنِي فِي بَعْضِ أَوْقَاتِي أَنْ أَجْعَلَ نَفْسِي كَيُوسُفَ وَأَكُونَ أَنَا كَيَعْقُوبَ فَأَحْزَنُ عَلَى نَفْسِي لِمَا فَقَدْتُ مِنْهَا كَمَا حَزِنَ يَعْقُوبُ عَلَى فَقْدِهِ لِيُوسُفَ فَمَكَثْتُ أَعْمَلُ مُدَّةً فِيمَا أَجِدُهُ عَلَى حَسَبِ ذَلِكَ (حِلْيَةُ الأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 273).

ʾakhbaranā jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadi bni nuṣayrin fī kitābihi waḥaddathanī ʿanhu Muḥammadu bnu Ibrāhīma qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu kāna yuʿāriḍunī fī baʿḍi ʾawqātī ʾan ʾajʿala nafsī kayūsufa waʾakūna ʾanā kayaʿqūba faʾaḥzanu ʿalā nafsī limā faqadtu minhā kamā ḥazina yaʿqūbu ʿalā faqdihi liyūsufa famakathtu ʾaʿmalu muddatan fīmā ʾajiduhu ʿalā ḥasabi dhalika (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 273).

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Nuṣayr informed us in his book, and Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm related from him: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘At certain times a thought would come to me: I should regard my soul as Joseph and myself as Jacob, and grieve for my soul because I had lost it, just as Jacob grieved over the loss of Joseph. For a period, I continued to act according to what I experienced in this way.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 273.)

§ 136

أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرٌ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدِّثَنَا عَنْهُ مُحَمَّدٌ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ كُنْتُ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ السَّرِيِّ بْنِ الْمُغَلِّسِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ وَهُوَ مُتَّزِرٌ بِمِئْزَرٍ وَكُنَّا خَالِيَيْنِ فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَى جَسَدِهِ كَأَنَّهُ جَسَدٌ سَقِيمٌ دَنِفٌ مُضْنِي وَاجْهَدْ مَا يَكُونُ فَقَالَ انْظُرْ إِلَى جَسَدِي هَذَا فَلَوْ شِئْتُ أَنْ أَقُولَ إِنَّ مَا بِي هَذَا مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ كَانَ كَمَا أَقُولُ كَانَ وَجْهُهُ يَصَفَرُ ثُمَّ اشْرَأَبَّ حُمْرَةً حَتَّى تُوَرَّدَ ثُمَّ اعْتَلَّ فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ وَعُودُهُ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ كَيْفَ تَجِدُكَ فَقَالَ:

ʾakhbaranā jaʿfarun fī kitābihi waḥaddithanā ʿanhu Muḥammadun qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu kuntu yawman ʿinda al-sariyyi bni al-mughallisi bni al-ḥusayni wahuwa muttazirun bimiʾzarin wakunnā khāliyayni fanaẓartu ʾilā jasadihi kaʾannahu jasadun saqīmun danifun muḍnī wa-ijhad mā yakūnu faqāla inẓur ʾilā jasadī hadhā falaw shiʾtu ʾan ʾaqūla ʾinna mā bī hadhā mina al-maḥabbati kāna kamā ʾaqūlu kāna wajhuhu yaṣafaru thumma ishraʾabba ḥumratan ḥattā tuwarrada thumma iʿtalla fadakhaltu ʿalayhi waʿūduhu faqultu lahu kayfa tajiduka faqāla:

Jaʿfar informed us in his book, and Muḥammad related from him: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘One day I was with al-Sarī ibn al-Mughallis ibn al-Ḥusayn. He wore only a waist-wrapper, and we were alone. I looked at his body: it was like that of a gravely ill, emaciated man at the furthest point of exhaustion. He said, “Look at this body of mine. If I wished to say that all this has come upon me through love, it would be exactly as I say.” His face would turn yellow, then a flush would rise until it became rosy.’ Later he fell ill. I visited him and asked, ‘How do you find yourself?’ He replied:

§ 137

كَيْفَ أَشْكُو مَا بِي إِلَى طَبِيبِي * وَالَّذِي أَصَابَنِي مِنْ حَبِيبِي

Kayfa ʾashkū mā bī ʾilā ṭabībī * wa-alladhī ʾaṣābanī min ḥabībī

How can I complain of what is within me to my Physician, when what has befallen me came from my Beloved?

§ 138 • SOURCE P 233

فَأَخَذْتُ الْمِرْوَحَةَ أُرَوِّحُهُ فَقَالَ كَيْفَ يَجِدُ رُوحَ الْمِرْوَحَةِ مِنْ جَوْفِهِ يَحْتَرِقُ مِنْ دَاخِلٍ ثُمَّ أَنْشَأَ يَقُولُ:

Faʾakhadhtu al-mirwaḥata ʾurawwiḥuhu faqāla kayfa yajidu rūḥa al-mirwaḥati min jawfihi yaḥtariqu min dākhilin thumma ʾanshaʾa yaqūlu:

I took the fan and began to fan him. He said, ‘How can one feel the cool breath of a fan when one’s innermost being burns within?’ Then he began to say:

§ 139

الْقَلْبُ مُحْتَرِقٌ وَالدَّمْعُ مُسْتَبِقٌ * وَالْكَرْبُ مُجْتَمِعٌ وَالصَّبْرُ مُفْتَرِقٌ

Al-qalbu muḥtariqun wa-al-damʿu mustabiqun * wa-al-karbu mujtamiʿun wa-al-ṣabru muftariqun

The heart is burning, the tears race forth; distress has gathered, and patience has scattered.

§ 140

كَيْفَ الْقَرَارُ عَلَى مَنْ لَا قَرَارَ لَهُ * مِمَّا جَنَاهُ الْهَوَى وَالشَّوْقُ وَالْقَلَقُ

Kayfa al-qarāru ʿalā man lā qarāra lahu * mimmā janāhu al-hawā wa-al-shawqu wa-al-qalaqu

How can one without rest find rest from what love, longing, and anguish have wrought?

§ 141

يَا رَبِّ إِنْ كَانَ شَيْءٌ فِيهِ لِي فَرَجٌ * فَامْنُنْ عَلَيَّ بِهِ مَا دَامَ لِي رَمَقٌ

Yā rabbi ʾin kāna shayʾun fīhi lī farajun * fa-imnun ʿalayya bihi mā dāma lī ramaqun

My Lord, if anything holds relief for me, bestow it upon me while a breath of life remains.

§ 142

(حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 273).

(ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 273).

(Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 273.)

§ 143

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْمُفِيدُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ أَعْلَى دَرَجَةِ الْكِبْرِ وَشَرُّهَا أَنْ تَرَى نَفْسَكَ وَدُونَهَا وَأَدْنَاهَا فِي الشَّرِّ أَنْ تُخْطِرَ بِبَالِكَ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 273)

ḥaddathanā ʾabū bakrin Muḥammadu bnu ʾaḥmada al-mufīdu qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu ʾaʿlā darajati al-kibri washarruhā ʾan tarā nafsaka wadūnahā waʾadnāhā fī al-sharri ʾan tukhṭira bibālika (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 273)

Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Mufīd related to us, saying: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘The highest and worst degree of pride is to see yourself and to see others beneath you; its least degree of evil is that you should let yourself enter your thoughts.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 273.)

الْمُشَاهَدَةُ

Al-mushāhadatu

Witnessing

§ 145

أَخْبَرَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ هَارُونَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ الْغَلابَ يَقُولُ قِيلَ لِلْجُنَيْدِ هَلْ عَايَنْتَ أَوْ شَاهَدْتَ قَالَ لَوْ عَايَنْتَ تَزَنْدَقْتَ وَلَوْ شَاهَدْتَ تَحَيَّرْتَ وَلَكِنْ حَيْرَةٌ فِي تِيه وَتِيه فِي حَيْرَةٍ قَالَ وَسَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ الْمَحَبَّةَ عَلَى صَاحِبِ الْعِلاقَةِ قَالَ وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنِ الدُّنْيَا مَا هِيَ قَالَ مَا دَنَا مِنَ الْقَلْبِ وَشُغِلَ عَنِ اللَّهِ (حِلْيَة الْأَوْلِيَاءُ، ج: 10، ص: 273، 274).

ʾakhbaranī Muḥammadu bnu ʾaḥmada bni hārūna qāla samiʿtu ʿaliyya bna al-ḥusayni al-ghalāba yaqūlu qīla li-l-Junaydi hal ʿāyanta ʾaw shāhadta qāla law ʿāyanta tazandaqta walaw shāhadta taḥayyarta walakin ḥayratun fī tīh watīh fī ḥayratin qāla wasamiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu ḥarrama Allāhu al-maḥabbata ʿalā ṣāḥibi al-ʿilāqati qāla wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿani al-dunyā mā hiya qāla mā danā mina al-qalbi washughila ʿani Allāhi (ḥilyah al-ʾawliyāʾu, j: 10, ṣ: 273, 274).

Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Hārūn informed me, saying: I heard ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Ghallāb say: Al-Junayd was asked, ‘Have you beheld directly or witnessed?’ He replied, ‘Were you to behold directly, you would lapse into heresy; were you to witness, you would be bewildered. Instead, there is bewilderment in a trackless waste, and a trackless waste within bewilderment.’ I also heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘God has forbidden love to anyone still bound by an attachment.’ Al-Junayd was asked, ‘What is this world?’ He replied, ‘Whatever draws close to the heart and distracts from God.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, pp. 273–274.)

§ 146 • SOURCE P 234

أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ دَخَلْت يَوْمًا عَلَى سَرِيٍّ السَّقَطِيِّ فَرَأَيْت عَلَيْهِ هُمَا فَقُلْت أَيُّهَا الشَّيْخُ أَرَى عَلَيْكَ هُمَا فَقَالَ السَّاعَةَ دَقَّ عَلَى دَاقِّ الْبَابِ فَقُلْت أَدْخُلُ فَدَخَلَ عَلَى شَابٍّ فِي حُدُودِ الْإِرَادَةِ فَسَأَلَنِي عَنْ مَعْنَى التَّوْبَةِ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ وَسَأَلَنِي عَنْ شَرْطِ التَّوْبَةِ فَأَنْبَأْتُهُ فَقَالَ هَذَا مَعْنَى التَّوْبَةِ وَهَذَا شَرْطُهَا فَمَا حَقِيقَتُهَا فَقُلْتُ حَقِيقَةُ التَّوْبَةِ عِنْدَكُمْ أَنْ لَا تُنْسَى مَا مِنْ أَجْلِهِ كَانَتْ التَّوْبَةُ فَقَالَ لَيْسَ هُوَ كَذَلِكَ عِنْدَنَا فَقُلْتُ لَهُ فَمَا حَقِيقَةُ التَّوْبَةِ عِنْدَكُمْ فَقَالَ حَقِيقَةُ التَّوْبَةِ أَلَا تَذْكُرُ مَا مِنْ أَجْلِهِ كَانَتْ التَّوْبَةُ وَأَنَا أُفَكِّرُ فِي كَلَامِهِ قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ فَقُلْتُ مَا أَحْسَنَ مَا قَالَ قَالَ فَقَالَ لِي يَا جُنَيْدُ وَمَا مَعْنَى هَذَا الْكَلَامِ فَقَالَ يَا أُسْتَاذٌ إِذَا كُنْت مَعَكَ فِي حَالِ الْجَفَاءِ وَنَقَلْتَنِي مِنْ حَالِ الْجَفَاءِ إِلَى حَالِ الصَّفَاءِ فَذِكْرِي لِلْجَفَاءِ فِي حَالِ الصَّفَاءِ غَفْلَةً قَالَ وَدَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمًا آخَرَ فَرَأَيْت عَلَيْهِ هُمَا فَقُلْتُ أَيُّهَا الشَّيْخُ أَرَاكَ مَشْغُولَ الْقَلْبِ فَقَالَ أَمْسِ كُنْت فِي الْجَامِعِ فَوَقَفَ عَلَى شَابٍّ وَقَالَ لِي أَيُّهَا الشَّيْخُ يَعْلَمُ الْعَبْدُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَدْ قَبِلَهُ فَقُلْتُ لَا يَعْلَمُ فَقَالَ بَلَى يَعْلَمُ وَقَالَ لِي ثَانِيًا بَلَى يَعْلَمُ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ فَمِنْ أَيْنَ يَعْلَمُ قَالَ إِذَا رَأَيْتَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَدْ عَصَمَنِي مِنْ كُلِّ مَعْصِيَةٍ وَوَفَّقَنِي لِكُلِّ طَاعَةٍ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى قَدْ قَبِلَنِي (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 274).

ʾakhbaranā jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadin fī kitābihi waḥaddathanī ʿanhu Muḥammadu bnu Ibrāhīma qāla samiʿtu ʾabā al-qāsimi al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu dakhalt yawman ʿalā sariyyin al-saqaṭiyyi faraʾayt ʿalayhi humā faqult ʾayyuhā al-shaykhu ʾarā ʿalayka humā faqāla al-sāʿata daqqa ʿalā dāqqi al-bābi faqult ʾadkhulu fadakhala ʿalā shābbin fī ḥudūdi al-ʾirādati fasaʾalanī ʿan maʿnā al-tawbati faʾakhbartuhu wasaʾalanī ʿan sharṭi al-tawbati faʾanbaʾtuhu faqāla hadhā maʿnā al-tawbati wahadhā sharṭuhā famā ḥaqīqatuhā faqultu ḥaqīqatu al-tawbati ʿindakum ʾan lā tunsā mā min ʾajlihi kānat al-tawbatu faqāla laysa huwa kadhalika ʿindanā faqultu lahu famā ḥaqīqatu al-tawbati ʿindakum faqāla ḥaqīqatu al-tawbati ʾalā tadhkuru mā min ʾajlihi kānat al-tawbatu waʾanā ʾufakkiru fī kalāmihi qāla al-Junaydu faqultu mā ʾaḥsana mā qāla qāla faqāla lī yā Junaydu wamā maʿnā hadhā al-kalāmi faqāla yā ʾustādhun ʾidhā kunt maʿaka fī ḥāli al-jafāʾi wanaqaltanī min ḥāli al-jafāʾi ʾilā ḥāli al-ṣafāʾi fadhikrī li-l-jafāʾi fī ḥāli al-ṣafāʾi ghaflatan qāla wadakhaltu ʿalayhi yawman ʾākhara faraʾayt ʿalayhi humā faqultu ʾayyuhā al-shaykhu ʾarāka mashghūla al-qalbi faqāla ʾamsi kunt fī al-jāmiʿi fawaqafa ʿalā shābbin waqāla lī ʾayyuhā al-shaykhu yaʿlamu al-ʿabdu ʾanna Allāha taʿālā qad qabilahu faqultu lā yaʿlamu faqāla balā yaʿlamu waqāla lī thāniyan balā yaʿlamu faqultu lahu famin ʾayna yaʿlamu qāla ʾidhā raʾayta Allāha ʿazza wajalla qad ʿaṣamanī min kulli maʿṣiyatin wawaffaqanī likulli ṭāʿatin ʿalimtu ʾanna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā qad qabilanī (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 274).

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad informed us in his book, and Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm related from him: I heard Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘One day I entered upon Sarī al-Saqaṭī and saw that he was troubled. I said, “Shaykh, I see that something troubles you.” He replied, “A short while ago someone knocked at my door. I said, ‘Enter,’ and a young man at the beginnings of aspiration came in. He asked me the meaning of repentance, and I told him. He asked me its condition, and I explained it. He said, ‘That is repentance’s meaning and that its condition—but what is its reality?’ I replied, ‘For you, the reality of repentance is that you never forget the thing for which you repented.’ He said, ‘That is not how it is with us.’ I asked, ‘Then what is the reality of repentance for you?’ He replied, ‘Its reality is that you never remember the thing for which you repented.’ I have been reflecting upon his words.”’ Al-Junayd said: I replied, ‘How fine his words are!’ Al-Sarī asked me, ‘Junayd, what do they mean?’ I said, ‘Master, if I was with You in a state of estrangement and You transferred me from estrangement to purity, then remembering estrangement while in purity is heedlessness.’ Al-Junayd continued, ‘Another day I entered upon him and saw that he was troubled. I said, “Shaykh, I see your heart is occupied.” He replied, “Yesterday I was in the congregational mosque when a young man stopped before me and asked, ‘Shaykh, does a servant know that God Most High has accepted him?’ I replied, ‘He does not know.’ He said twice, ‘Yes, he does know.’ I asked, ‘How does he know?’ He replied, ‘When I see that God—mighty and majestic—has protected me from every act of disobedience and enabled me to perform every act of obedience, I know that God—blessed and exalted—has accepted me.’”’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 274.)

§ 147

أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ مُحَمَّدٌ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ ابْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ رَأَيْت بَعْدَ أَنْ أَدَّيْت وَرَدَّى وَوَضَعْت جَنْبِي لِأَنَامَ كَأَنَّ هَاتِفًا يَهْتِفُ بِي إِنَّ شَخْصًا يَنْتَظِرُكَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَخَرَجْتُ فَإِذَا شَخْصٌ وَاقِفٌ فِي سَوَاءِ الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ لِي يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ مَتَى تَصِيرُ النَّفْسُ دَاءَهَا دَوَاءَهَا قُلْت إِذَا خَالَفَتْ هَوَاهَا صَارَ دَاؤُهَا دَوَاءَهَا قَالَ قُلْتُ هَذَا لِنَفْسِي فَقَالَتْ لَا أَقْبَلُ مِنْكَ حَتَّى تَسْأَلَ عَنْهُ الْجُنَيْدَ فَقُلْتُ مَنْ أَنْتَ قَالَ أَنَا فُلانٌ الْجِنِّيُّ وَقَدْ جِئْتُ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ قَالَ وَسَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ لَا نَكُونُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بِالْكُلِّيَّةِ حَتَّى لَا تَبْقَى عَلَيْكَ مِنْ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ بَقِيَّةٌ قَالَ وَسَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ لَا تَكُنْ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ حَقًّا وَأَنْتَ لِشَيْءٍ سِوَاهُ مُسْتَرِقًّا (حِلْيَةُ الأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 274، 275).

ʾakhbaranā jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadin fī kitābihi waḥaddathanī ʿanhu Muḥammadun qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda ibna Muḥammadin yaqūlu raʾayt baʿda ʾan ʾaddayt waraddā wawaḍaʿt janbī liʾanāma kaʾanna hātifan yahtifu bī ʾinna shakhṣan yantaẓiruka fī al-masjidi fakharajtu faʾidhā shakhṣun wāqifun fī sawāʾi al-masjidi faqāla lī yā ʾabā al-qāsimi matā taṣīru al-nafsu dāʾahā dawāʾahā qult ʾidhā khālafat hawāhā ṣāra dāʾuhā dawāʾahā qāla qultu hadhā linafsī faqālat lā ʾaqbalu minka ḥattā tasʾala ʿanhu al-Junayda faqultu man ʾanta qāla ʾanā fulānun al-jinniyyu waqad jiʾtu ʾilayka mina al-maghribi qāla wasamiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu lā nakūnu ʿabda Allāhi bi-al-kulliyyati ḥattā lā tabqā ʿalayka min ghayri Allāhi baqiyyatun qāla wasamiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu lā takun ʿabda Allāhi ḥaqqan waʾanta lishayʾin siwāhu mustariqqan (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 274, 275).

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad informed us in his book, and Muḥammad related from him: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘After I had completed my regular devotion and laid down to sleep, I saw as though a voice were calling to me: “Someone is waiting for you in the mosque.” I went out and found a figure standing in the middle of the mosque. He asked, “Abū al-Qāsim, when does the soul turn its disease into its medicine?” I replied, “When it opposes its caprice, its disease becomes its medicine.” He said, “I said this to my soul, but it told me, ‘I will not accept it from you until you ask al-Junayd about it.’” I asked, “Who are you?” He replied, “I am so-and-so, one of the jinn, and I have come to you from the Maghrib.”’ I also heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘We do not become God’s servants in our entirety until no remnant of anything other than God remains upon us.’ I also heard al-Junayd say, ‘You are not truly God’s servant while anything besides Him still enslaves you.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, pp. 274–275.)

§ 148

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نَصْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ هَارُونَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ الْوَاحِدِ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الإِصْطَخْرِيَّ أَبَا الأَزْهَرِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنَ عُثْمَانَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ ابْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ دَخَلْتُ الْبَادِيَةَ بِعَقْدِ التَّوَكُّلِ فِي وَسَطِ السَّنَةِ فَمَضَتْ عَلَيَّ أَيَّامٌ فَانْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى مَجْمَعِ مَاءٍ وَخُضِرَةٍ فَتَوَضَّأْتُ وَمَلأْتُ رَكْوَتِي وَقُمْتُ أَرْكَعُ فَإِذَا بِشَابٍّ قَدْ أَقْبَلَ بِزِيِّ التُّجَّارِ كَأَنَّهُ قَدْ غَدَا مِنْ بَيْتِهِ إِلَى سُوقِهِ أَوْ يَرْجِعُ مِنْ سُوقِهِ إِلَى بَيْتِهِ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيَّ فَقُلْت الشَّابُّ مِنْ أَيْنَ فَقَالَ مِنْ بَغْدَادَ فَقُلْتُ مَتَى خَرَجْت مِنْ بَغْدَادَ قَالَ أَمْسِ فَتَعَجَّبْتُ مِنْهُ وَكَانَ قَدْ مَضَتْ عَلَيَّ أَيَّامٌ حَتَّى بَلَغْتُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ الْمَوْضِعِ فَجَلَسَ يُكَلِّمُنِي وَأُكَلِّمُهُ فَأَخْرَجَ شَيْئًا مِنْ كُمِّهِ يَأْكُلُهُ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ أَطْعِمْنِي مِمَّا تَأْكُلُ فَوَضَعَ فِي يَدِي حَنْظَلَةَ فَأَكَلْتُهُ فَوَجَدْتُ طَعَمَهُ كَالرُّطَبِ وَمَضَى وَتَرَكَنِي فَلَمَّا دَخَلْتُ مَكَّةَ بَدَأْتُ بِالطَّوَافِ فَجَذَبَ ثَوْبِي مِنْ وَرَائِي فَالْتَفَتُّ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِشَابٍّ كَالشَّنِّ الْبَالِي عَلَيْهِ قِطْعَةُ عَبَاءٍ وَعَلَى عَاتِقِهِ بَعْضُهُ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ زِدْنِي فِي الْمَعْرِفَةِ فَقَالَ أَنَا الشَّابُّ الَّذِي أَطْعَمْتُكَ الْحَنْظَلَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ مَا شَأْنُكَ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا الْقَسَّامِ ذَرِؤُنَا حَتَّى إِذَا أَوْقَعُونَا قَالُوا اسْتَمْسِكْ (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 275)

ḥaddathanā ʾabū naṣrin Muḥammadu bnu ʾaḥmada bni hārūna qāla samiʿtu ʿabda al-wāḥidi bna Muḥammadin al-ʾiṣṭakhriyya ʾabā al-ʾazhari yaqūlu samiʿtu Ibrāhīma bna ʿuthmāna yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda ibna Muḥammadin yaqūlu dakhaltu al-bādiyata biʿaqdi al-tawakkuli fī wasaṭi al-sanati famaḍat ʿalayya ʾayyāmun fa-intahaytu ʾilā majmaʿi māʾin wakhuḍiratin fatawaḍḍaʾtu wamalʾtu rakwatī waqumtu ʾarkaʿu faʾidhā bishābbin qad ʾaqbala biziyyi al-tujjāri kaʾannahu qad ghadā min baytihi ʾilā sūqihi ʾaw yarjiʿu min sūqihi ʾilā baytihi fasallama ʿalayya faqult al-shābbu min ʾayna faqāla min baghdāda faqultu matā kharajt min baghdāda qāla ʾamsi fataʿajjabtu minhu wakāna qad maḍat ʿalayya ʾayyāmun ḥattā balaghtu ʾilā dhalika al-mawḍiʿi fajalasa yukallimunī waʾukallimuhu faʾakhraja shayʾan min kummihi yaʾkuluhu faqultu lahu ʾaṭʿimnī mimmā taʾkulu fawaḍaʿa fī yadī ḥanẓalata faʾakaltuhu fawajadtu ṭaʿamahu ka-al-ruṭabi wamaḍā watarakanī falammā dakhaltu makkata badaʾtu bi-al-ṭawāfi fajadhaba thawbī min warāʾī fa-al-tafattu faʾidhā ʾanā bishābbin ka-al-shanni al-bālī ʿalayhi qiṭʿatu ʿabāʾin waʿalā ʿātiqihi baʿḍuhu faqultu lahu zidnī fī al-maʿrifati faqāla ʾanā al-shābbu alladhī ʾaṭʿamtuka al-ḥanẓala faqultu lahu mā shaʾnuka faqāla yā ʾabā al-qassāmi dhariʾunā ḥattā ʾidhā ʾawqaʿūnā qālū istamsik (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 275)

Abū Naṣr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Hārūn related to us, saying: I heard Abū al-Azhar ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Muḥammad al-Iṣṭakhrī say: I heard Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUthmān say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘I entered the desert in the middle of the year, having bound myself to trust in God. Several days passed until I reached water and greenery. I performed ablution, filled my waterskin, and stood to pray. Then a young man approached dressed like a merchant, as though he had just gone from his house to his market, or was returning from his market to his house. He greeted me. I asked, “Young man, where have you come from?” He replied, “Baghdad.” I asked, “When did you leave Baghdad?” He said, “Yesterday.” I marveled, for I had taken many days to reach that place. He sat speaking with me, and I with him. He took something from his sleeve and began eating it. I said, “Give me some of what you are eating.” He put a colocynth in my hand. I ate it and found that it tasted like fresh dates. Then he went on and left me. When I entered Mecca, I began with circumambulation. Someone pulled my garment from behind. I turned and saw a young man like a worn-out waterskin, with a piece of coarse wool around him and part of it over his shoulder. I said, “Increase me in knowledge.” He replied, “I am the young man who fed you the colocynth.” I asked, “What has happened to you?” He replied, “Abū al-Qāsim, they leave us alone; then, once they have made us fall, they say: Hold fast.”’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 275.)

الْعِلْمُ

Al-ʿilmu

Knowledge

§ 150

أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ فِيمَا كَتَبَ إِلَى وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ أَيُّمَا أَتَمَّ اسْتِغْرَاقُ الْعِلْمِ فِي الْوُجُودِ أَوْ اسْتِغْرَاقُ الْوُجُودِ فِي الْعِلْمِ قَالَ اسْتِغْرَاقُ الْعِلْمِ فِي الْوُجُودِ لَيْسَ الْعَالِمُونَ بِاللَّهِ كَالْوَاجِدِينَ لَهُ قَالَ وَسَأَلَهُ الْحَرِيرِيُّ عَنْ قَوْلِ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ تَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِي وَلَا أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِكَ قَالَ هُوَ وَاللَّهِ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ مَا أَنَا لَكَ عَلَيْهِ وَمَالُكَ عِنْدِي وَلَا أَعْلَمُ مَا لِي عِنْدَكَ إِلَّا مَا أَخْبَرْتنِي بِهِ وَأَطْلَعْتَنِي عَلَيْهِ فَهَذَا مَعْنَاهُ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 275)

ʾakhbaranā jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadin fīmā kataba ʾilā waḥaddathanī ʿanhu ʿuthmānu bnu Muḥammadin qāla suʾila al-Junaydu ʾayyumā ʾatamma istighrāqu al-ʿilmi fī al-wujūdi ʾaw istighrāqu al-wujūdi fī al-ʿilmi qāla istighrāqu al-ʿilmi fī al-wujūdi laysa al-ʿālimūna bi-llāhi ka-al-wājidīna lahu qāla wasaʾalahu al-ḥarīriyyu ʿan qawli ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu taʿlamu mā fī nafsī walā ʾaʿlamu mā fī nafsika qāla huwa wa-llāhi ʾalam taʿlam mā ʾanā laka ʿalayhi wamāluka ʿindī walā ʾaʿlamu mā lī ʿindaka ʾillā mā ʾakhbartnī bihi waʾaṭlaʿtanī ʿalayhi fahadhā maʿnāhu (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 275)

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad informed us in a letter to me, and ʿUthmān ibn Muḥammad related from him: Al-Junayd was asked, ‘Which is more complete: knowledge being submerged in direct finding, or direct finding being submerged in knowledge?’ He replied, ‘Knowledge being submerged in direct finding. Those who know about God are not like those who find Him.’ Al-Ḥarīrī asked him about Jesus’s words—peace be upon him—‘You know what is within me, while I do not know what is within You.’ He replied, ‘By God, it means: Do You not know the state in which I stand toward You and what You possess with me, while I do not know what I possess with You except what You have told me and disclosed to me? This is its meaning.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 275.)

§ 151

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ هَارُونَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا زُرْعَةَ الطَّبَرِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْحُسَيْنَ بْنَ يَسَنٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ الْأَقْوَاتُ ثَلَاثَةٌ فَقُوتٌ بِالطَّعَامِ وَهُوَ مُوَلَّدٌ لِلْأَعْرَاضِ وَقُوتٌ بِالذِّكْرِ فَهَذَا يُشَمِّمُهُمْ الصِّفَاتُ وَقُوتٌ بِرُؤْيَةِ الْمَذْكُورِ وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَفْنَى وَيَبِيدُ قَالَ ثُمَّ أَنْشَدَ يَقُولُ:

ḥaddathanā Muḥammadu bnu ʾaḥmada bni hārūna qāla samiʿtu ʾabā zurʿata al-ṭabariyya yaqūlu samiʿtu al-ḥusayna bna yasanin yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu al-ʾaqwātu thalāthatun faqūtun bi-al-ṭaʿāmi wahuwa muwalladun li-l-ʾaʿrāḍi waqūtun bi-al-dhikri fahadhā yushammimuhum al-ṣifātu waqūtun biruʾyati al-madhkūri wahuwa alladhī yafnā wayabīdu qāla thumma ʾanshada yaqūlu:

Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Hārūn related to us, saying: I heard Abū Zurʿa al-Ṭabarī say: I heard al-Ḥusayn ibn Yasan say: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘There are three kinds of nourishment. Nourishment by food gives rise to contingent bodily states. Nourishment by remembrance lets them breathe the fragrance of the divine attributes. Nourishment by seeing the One remembered is that by which the servant passes away and perishes.’ Then he recited:

§ 152

إِذَا كُنْتَ قُوتَ النَّفْسِ ثُمَّ هَجَرْتَهَا * فَلَمْ تَلْبَثِ النَّفْسُ الَّتِي أَنْتَ قُوتُهَا

ʾidhā kunta qūta al-nafsi thumma hajartahā * falam talbathi al-nafsu allatī ʾanta qūtuhā

If You are the soul’s nourishment and then forsake it, the soul whose nourishment You are will not long remain.

§ 153

(حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 275، 276).

(ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 275, 276).

(Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, pp. 275–276.)

§ 154 • SOURCE P 236

سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ هَانِئٍ يَقُولُ سَأَلْت أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ قُلْت مَتَى يَكُونُ الرَّجُلُ مَوْصُوفًا بِالْعَقْلِ قَالَ إِذَا كَانَ لِلْأُمُورِ مُمَيِّزًا وَلَهَا مُتَصَفِّحًا وَعَمَّا يُوجِبُهُ عَلَيْهِ الْعَقْلُ بَاحِثًا يَبْحَثُ يُلْتَمَسُ بِذَلِكَ طَلَبَ الَّذِي هُوَ بِهِ أَوْلَى لِيَعْمَلَ بِهِ وَيُؤْثِرَهُ عَلَى مَا سِوَاهُ فَإِذَا كَانَ كَذَلِكَ فَمِنْ صِفَتِهِ رُكُوبُ الْفَضْلِ فِي كُلِّ أَحْوَالِهِ بَعْدَ إِحْكَامِ الْعَمَلِ بِمَا قَدْ فُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ وَلَيْسَ مِنْ صِفَةِ الْعُقَلَاءِ إِغْفَالُ النَّظَرِ لِمَا هُوَ أَحَقُّ وَأَوْلَى وَلَا مِنْ صِفَتِهِمْ الرِّضَا بِالنَّقْصِ وَالتَّقْصِيرِ فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هَذِهِ صِفَتُهُ بَعْدَ إِحْكَامِهِ لِمَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ تَرْكُ التَّشَاغُلِ بِمَا يَزُولُ وَتَرْكُ الْعَمَلِ بِمَا يَفْنَى وَيَنْقَضِي وَذَلِكَ صِفَةُ كُلِّ مَا حَوَتْ عَلَيْهِ الدُّنْيَا وَكَذَلِكَ لَا يَرْضَى أَنْ يُشْغَلَ نَفْسَهُ بِقَلِيلٍ زَائِلٍ وَيَسِيرٍ حَائِلٍ يَصُدُّهُ التَّشَاغُلُ بِهِ وَالْعَمَلُ لَهُ عَنْ أُمُورِ الْآخِرَةِ الَّتِي يَدُومُ نَعِيمُهَا وَنَفْعُهَا وَيَتَّصِلُ بَقَاؤُهَا وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الَّذِي يَدُومُ نَفْعُهُ وَيَبْقَى عَلَى الْعَامِلِ لَهُ حَظُّهُ وَمَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ زَائِلٌ مَتْرُوكٌ مُفَارِقٌ مَوْرُوثٌ يَخَافُ مَعَ تَرْكِهِ سُوءَ الْعَاقِبَةِ فِيهِ وَمُحَاسَبَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ كَذَلِكَ صِفَةُ الْعَاقِلِ لِتُصَفِّحَهُ الْأُمُورُ بِعَقْلِهِ وَالْأَخْذِ مِنْهَا بِأَوْفَرِهِ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَاهُمْ اللَّهُ وَأُولَئِكَ أُولُوا الْأَلْبَابِ كَذَلِكَ وَصَفَهُمْ اللَّهُ وَذَوُو الْأَلْبَابِ هُمْ ذَوُو الْعُقُولِ وَإِنَّمَا وَقَعَ الثَّنَاءُ عَلَيْهِمْ بِمَا وَصَفَهُمْ اللَّهُ بِهِ لِلْأَخْذِ بِأَحْسَنِ الْأُمُورِ عِنْدَ اسْتِمَاعِهَا وَأَحْسَنُ الْأُمُورِ هُوَ أَفْضَلُهَا وَأَبْقَاهَا عَلَى أَهْلِهَا نَفْعًا فِي الْعَاجِلِ وَالْآجِلِ وَإِلَى ذَلِكَ نَدَبَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَنْ عَقَلَ فِي كِتَابِهِ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 277)

Samiʿtu ʾabī yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾaḥmada bna jaʿfari bni hāniʾin yaqūlu saʾalt ʾabā al-qāsimi al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin qult matā yakūnu al-rajulu mawṣūfan bi-al-ʿaqli qāla ʾidhā kāna li-l-ʾumūri mumayyizan walahā mutaṣaffiḥan waʿammā yūjibuhu ʿalayhi al-ʿaqlu bāḥithan yabḥathu yultamasu bidhalika ṭalaba alladhī huwa bihi ʾawlā liyaʿmala bihi wayuʾthirahu ʿalā mā siwāhu faʾidhā kāna kadhalika famin ṣifatihi rukūbu al-faḍli fī kulli ʾaḥwālihi baʿda ʾiḥkāmi al-ʿamali bimā qad furiḍa ʿalayhi walaysa min ṣifati al-ʿuqalāʾi ʾighfālu al-naẓari limā huwa ʾaḥaqqu waʾawlā walā min ṣifatihim al-riḍā bi-al-naqṣi wa-al-taqṣīri faman kānat hadhihi ṣifatuhu baʿda ʾiḥkāmihi limā yajibu ʿalayhi min ʿamalihi tarku al-tashāghuli bimā yazūlu watarku al-ʿamali bimā yafnā wayanqaḍī wadhalika ṣifatu kulli mā ḥawat ʿalayhi al-dunyā wakadhalika lā yarḍā ʾan yushghala nafsahu biqalīlin zāʾilin wayasīrin ḥāʾilin yaṣudduhu al-tashāghulu bihi wa-al-ʿamalu lahu ʿan ʾumūri al-ʾākhirati allatī yadūmu naʿīmuhā wanafʿuhā wayattaṣilu baqāʾuhā wadhalika ʾanna alladhī yadūmu nafʿuhu wayabqā ʿalā al-ʿāmili lahu ḥaẓẓuhu wamā siwā dhalika zāʾilun matrūkun mufāriqun mawrūthun yakhāfu maʿa tarkihi sūʾa al-ʿāqibati fīhi wamuḥāsabatu Allāhi ʿalayhi kadhalika ṣifatu al-ʿāqili lituṣaffiḥahu al-ʾumūru biʿaqlihi wa-al-ʾakhdhi minhā biʾawfarihi qāla Allāhu taʿālā alladhīna yastamiʿūna al-qawla fayattabiʿūna ʾaḥsanahu ʾūlaʾika alladhīna hadāhum Allāhu waʾūlaʾika ʾūlū al-ʾalbābi kadhalika waṣafahum Allāhu wadhawū al-ʾalbābi hum dhawū al-ʿuqūli waʾinnamā waqaʿa al-thanāʾu ʿalayhim bimā waṣafahum Allāhu bihi li-l-ʾakhdhi biʾaḥsani al-ʾumūri ʿinda istimāʿihā waʾaḥsanu al-ʾumūri huwa ʾafḍaluhā waʾabqāhā ʿalā ʾahlihā nafʿan fī al-ʿājili wa-al-ʾājili waʾilā dhalika nadaba Allāhu ʿazza wajalla man ʿaqala fī kitābihi (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 277)

I heard my father say: I heard Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Hāniʾ say: I asked Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad, ‘When may a man be described as intelligent?’ He replied, ‘When he distinguishes among matters, examines them, and investigates what reason requires of him, seeking through that inquiry the course most fitting for him, so that he may act upon it and prefer it to everything else. When he is like this, one of his qualities is to pursue what is most meritorious in all his states, after firmly performing the acts made obligatory upon him. The intelligent do not neglect to consider what is most right and fitting, nor are they content with deficiency and neglect. Once such a person has firmly performed the deeds required of him, his quality is to cease being occupied with what will pass away and to abandon labor for what will perish and come to an end. This describes everything the present world contains. He is unwilling to occupy himself with a small, vanishing thing or a paltry, transient object whose pursuit and service would turn him away from the affairs of the hereafter, whose bliss and benefit endure and whose continuance never ends. What offers lasting benefit preserves for the one who works for it his share; everything else passes away, is abandoned, separated from its owner, and inherited by another, while one fears a bad outcome after leaving it and an accounting before God for it. This is the intelligent person’s quality: he examines matters through his reason and takes from them the most abundant share. God Most High says: “Those who listen to the word and follow the best of it—it is they whom God has guided, and it is they who possess understanding.” Thus God describes them. Those who possess understanding are those who possess intellects. They earned this praise, in the terms by which God described them, because upon hearing matters they take the best of them. The best matters are those that are most meritorious and whose benefit remains longest for their people in this life and the next. This is what God—mighty and majestic—urged upon every person of reason in His Book.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 277.)

التَّصَوُّفُ هُوَ صَفَاءُ الْمُعَامَلَةِ مَعَ اللَّهِ

Al-taṣawwufu huwa ṣafāʾu al-muʿāmalati maʿa Allāhi

Sufism Is Purity in One’s Dealings with God

§ 156

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ مُوسَى قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الرَّازِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ الْجُرَيْرِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ مَا أَخَذْنَا التَّصَوُّفَ عَنْ الْقَالِ وَالْقِيلِ لَكِنْ عَنْ الْجُوعِ وَتَرْكِ الدُّنْيَا وَقَطْعِ الْمَأْلُوفَاتِ وَالْمُسْتَحْسَنَاتِ لِأَنَّ التَّصَوُّفَ هُوَ صَفَاءُ الْمُعَامَلَةِ مَعَ اللَّهِ وَأَصْلُهُ الْعُزُوفُ عَنْ الدُّنْيَا كَمَا قَالَ حَارِثَةُ عَزَفَتْ نَفْسِي عَنْ الدُّنْيَا فَأَسْهَرْتُ لَيْلِي وَأَظْمَأْتُ نَهَارِي (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 277، 278).

ḥaddathanā Muḥammadu bnu al-ḥusayni bni Mūsā qāla samiʿtu Muḥammada bna ʿabdi Allāhi al-rāziyya yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā Muḥammadin al-jurayriyya yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu mā ʾakhadhnā al-taṣawwufa ʿan al-qāli wa-al-qīli lakin ʿan al-jūʿi watarki al-dunyā waqaṭʿi al-maʾlūfāti wa-al-mustaḥsanāti liʾanna al-taṣawwufa huwa ṣafāʾu al-muʿāmalati maʿa Allāhi waʾaṣluhu al-ʿuzūfu ʿan al-dunyā kamā qāla ḥārithatu ʿazafat nafsī ʿan al-dunyā faʾashartu laylī waʾaẓmaʾtu nahārī (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 277, 278).

Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Mūsā related to us, saying: I heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Rāzī say: I heard Abū Muḥammad al-Jurayrī say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘We did not take Sufism from talk and hearsay, but from hunger, leaving the world, and breaking with familiar comforts and pleasant things. Sufism is purity in one’s dealings with God, and its foundation is turning away from the world. As Ḥāritha said: “My soul turned away from the world, so I kept vigil through my night and thirsted through my day.”’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, pp. 277–278.)

§ 157

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الرَّازِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ الْجُرَيْرِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ لِرَجُلٍ ذَكَرَ الْمَعْرِفَةَ فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ أَهْلُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِاللَّهِ يَصِلُونَ إِلَى تَرْكِ الْحَرَكَاتِ مِنْ بَابِ الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقَرُّبِ إِلَى اللَّهِ فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ إِنَّ هَذَا قَوْلُ قَوْمٍ تَكَلَّمُوا بِإِسْقَاطِ الْأَعْمَالِ وَهَذِهِ عِنْدِي عَظِيمَةٌ وَالَّذِي يَسْرِقُ وَيَزْنِي أَحْسَنُ حَالًا مِنَ الَّذِي يَقُولُ هَذَا وَإِنَّ الْعَارِفِينَ بِاللَّهِ أَخَذُوا الْأَعْمَالَ عَنِ اللَّهِ وَإِلَيْهِ رَجَعُوا فِيهَا وَلَوْ بَقِيتُ أَلْفَ عَامٍ لَمْ أُنْقُصْ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْبِرِّ ذَرَّةً إِلَّا أَنْ يُحَالَ بِي دُونَهَا وَإِنَّهُ لَأَوْكَدُ فِي مَعْرِفَتِي وَأَقْوَى فِي حَالَيْ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 278).

ḥaddathanā Muḥammadu bnu al-ḥusayni qāla samiʿtu ʾabā bakrin al-rāziyya yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā Muḥammadin al-jurayriyya yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu lirajulin dhakara al-maʿrifata faqāla al-rajulu ʾahlu al-maʿrifati bi-llāhi yaṣilūna ʾilā tarki al-ḥarakāti min bābi al-birri wa-al-taqarrubi ʾilā Allāhi faqāla al-Junaydu ʾinna hadhā qawlu qawmin takallamū biʾisqāṭi al-ʾaʿmāli wahadhihi ʿindī ʿaẓīmatun wa-alladhī yasriqu wayaznī ʾaḥsanu ḥālan mina alladhī yaqūlu hadhā waʾinna al-ʿārifīna bi-llāhi ʾakhadhū al-ʾaʿmāla ʿani Allāhi waʾilayhi rajaʿū fīhā walaw baqītu ʾalfa ʿāmin lam ʾunquṣ min ʾaʿmāli al-birri dharratan ʾillā ʾan yuḥāla bī dūnahā waʾinnahu laʾawkadu fī maʿrifatī waʾaqwā fī ḥālay (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 278).

Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: I heard Abū Bakr al-Rāzī say: I heard Abū Muḥammad al-Jurayrī say: I heard al-Junayd say to a man who had mentioned knowledge of God. The man said, ‘Those who know God reach a point at which they abandon outward acts of piety and nearness to God.’ Al-Junayd replied, ‘This is the doctrine of people who speak of dispensing with deeds. I regard it as a grave matter. A thief and adulterer is in a better state than one who says this. Those who know God receive their deeds from God and return to Him through them. If I were to live a thousand years, I would not diminish my works of piety by so much as an atom unless I were prevented from performing them. This is firmer for my knowledge and stronger for my state.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 278.)

§ 158 • SOURCE P 237

أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ حَاجَةُ الْعَارِفِينَ إِلَى كِلاءَتِهِ وَرِعَايَتِهِ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قُلْ مَنْ يَكْلَؤُكُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مِنْ الرَّحْمَٰنِ وَنَجَحَ قَضَاءَ كُلِّ حَاجَةٍ مِنْ الدُّنْيَا تَرْكَهَا وَفَتَحَ كُلَّ بَابٍ شَرِيفٍ بَذَلَ الْمَجْهُودَ قَالَ وَرَأَيْت الْجُنَيْدَ فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقُلْت أَلَيْسَ كَلامُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ إِشَارَاتٍ عَنْ مُشَاهَدَاتٍ فَتَبَسَّمَ وَقَالَ كَلَامُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ بِنَاءٌ عَنْ حُضُورٍ وَكَلَامُ الصِّدِّيقِينَ إِشَارَاتٌ عَنْ مُشَاهَدَاتٍ قَالَ وَكَتَبَ الْجُنَيْدُ إِلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ مَنْ أَشَارَ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَسَكَنَ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ ابْتَلَاهُ اللَّهُ وَحَجَبَ ذِكْرَهُ عَنْ قَلْبِهِ وَأَجْرَاهُ عَلَى لِسَانِهِ فَإِنْ انْتَبَهَ وَانْقَطَعَ عَمَّنْ سَكَنَ إِلَيْهِ وَرَجَعَ إِلَى مَنْ أَشَارَ إِلَيْهِ كَشَفَ اللَّهُ مَا بِهِ مِنْ الْمِحَنِ وَالْبَلْوَى فَإِنْ دَامَ نَزَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَى سُكُونِهِ مِنْ قُلُوبِ الْخَلْقِ الرَّحْمَةَ عَلَيْهِ وَأَلْبَسَ لِبَاسَ الطَّمَعِ لِتَزْدَادَ مُطَالَبَتُهُ مِنْهُمْ مَعَ فُقْدَانِ الرَّحْمَةِ مِنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَتَصِيرُ حَيَاتُهُ عَجْزًا وَمَوْتُهُ كَدًّا وَمَعَادُهُ أَسَفَا وَنَحْنُ نَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ السُّكُونِ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ لَوْ أَقْبَلَ صَادِقٌ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَلْفَ أَلْفِ سَنَةٍ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهُ لَحْظَةً كَانَ مَا فَاتَهُ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا نَالَهُ وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ لِلْجُنَيْدِ عَلَامَ يَتَأَسَّفُ الْمُحِبُّ قَالَ عَلَى زَمانِ بَسْطٍ أَوْرَثَ قَبْضًا أَوْ زَمانِ أُنْسٍ أَوْرَثَ وَحْشَةً وَأَنْشَأَ يَقُولُ:

ʾakhbaranā jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadin fī kitābihi waḥaddathanī ʿanhu Muḥammadu bnu Ibrāhīma qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu ḥājatu al-ʿārifīna ʾilā kilāʾatihi wariʿāyatihi qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla qul man yaklaʾukum bi-al-layli wa-al-nahāri min al-raḥmāni wanajaḥa qaḍāʾa kulli ḥājatin min al-dunyā tarkahā wafataḥa kulla bābin sharīfin badhala al-majhūda qāla waraʾayt al-Junayda fī al-manāmi faqult ʾalaysa kalāmu al-ʾanbiyāʾi ʾishārātin ʿan mushāhadātin fatabassama waqāla kalāmu al-ʾanbiyāʾi bināʾun ʿan ḥuḍūrin wakalāmu al-ṣiddīqīna ʾishārātun ʿan mushāhadātin qāla wakataba al-Junaydu ʾilā baʿḍi ʾikhwānihi man ʾashāra ʾilā Allāhi wasakana ʾilā ghayrihi ibtalāhu Allāhu waḥajaba dhikrahu ʿan qalbihi waʾajrāhu ʿalā lisānihi faʾin intabaha wa-inqaṭaʿa ʿamman sakana ʾilayhi warajaʿa ʾilā man ʾashāra ʾilayhi kashafa Allāhu mā bihi min al-miḥani wa-al-balwā faʾin dāma nazaʿa Allāhu ʿalā sukūnihi min qulūbi al-khalqi al-raḥmata ʿalayhi waʾalbasa libāsa al-ṭamaʿi litazdāda muṭālabatuhu minhum maʿa fuqdāni al-raḥmati min qulūbihim fataṣīru ḥayātuhu ʿajzan wamawtuhu kaddan wamaʿāduhu ʾasafā wanaḥnu naʿūdhu bi-llāhi min al-sukūni ʾilā ghayrihi waqāla al-Junaydu law ʾaqbala ṣādiqun ʿalā Allāhi ʾalfa ʾalfi sanatin thumma ʾaʿraḍa ʿanhu laḥẓatan kāna mā fātahu ʾakthara mimmā nālahu waqāla rajulun li-l-Junaydi ʿalāma yataʾassafu al-muḥibbu qāla ʿalā zamāni basṭin ʾawratha qabḍan ʾaw zamāni ʾunsin ʾawratha waḥshatan waʾanshaʾa yaqūlu:

Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad informed us in his book, and Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm related from him: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘Those who know God need His protection and care.’ God—mighty and majestic—says: ‘Say: Who can guard you by night and by day from the All-Merciful?’ He also said, ‘Success in meeting every worldly need lies in leaving it, and the opening of every noble gate lies in expending one’s utmost effort.’ I saw al-Junayd in a dream and asked, ‘Are the words of the prophets not allusions arising from acts of witnessing?’ He smiled and replied, ‘The words of the prophets are constructions arising from presence, while the words of the utterly truthful are allusions arising from witnessing.’ Al-Junayd wrote to one of his brethren: ‘Whoever points to God but reposes in another is tried by God: He veils remembrance from that person’s heart while allowing it to flow upon his tongue. If he awakens, cuts himself off from the one in whom he reposed, and returns to the One toward whom he pointed, God removes the ordeal and affliction within him. But if he persists, God removes mercy for him from the hearts of created beings because of his reliance, and clothes him in the garment of greed, so that his demands upon them increase while mercy disappears from their hearts. His life becomes helplessness, his death toil, and his return regret. We seek refuge in God from reposing in anyone besides Him.’ Al-Junayd said, ‘If a truthful servant turned toward God for a million years and then turned away from Him for a single moment, what escaped him would be greater than everything he had attained.’ A man asked al-Junayd, ‘What does the lover regret?’ He replied, ‘A time of expansion that bequeathed contraction, or a time of intimacy that bequeathed estrangement.’ Then he began to recite:

§ 159

قَدْ كَانَ لِي مَشْرَبٌ يَصْفُو بِرُؤْيَتِكُمْ * فَكَدّرَتْهُ يَدُ الأَيّامِ حِينَ صَفَا

Qad kāna lī mashrabun yaṣfū biruʾyatikum * fakaddrathu yadu al-ʾayyāmi ḥīna ṣafā

Once I had a drink made clear by seeing you; the hand of passing days clouded it just when it had grown pure.

§ 160

(حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 278، 279).

(ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 278, 279).

(Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, pp. 278–279.)

§ 161

كَتَبَ إِلَى جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَخْبَرَنِي عَنْهُ يُوسُفُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْقَوَّاسُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُخْلِصُ إِلَى الْقُلُوبِ مِنْ بِرِّهِ حَسْبَمَا خَلَصَتْ الْقُلُوبُ بِهِ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ ذِكْرِهِ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا خَالَطَ قَلْبُكَ (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 279).

Kataba ʾilā jaʿfari bni Muḥammadin waʾakhbaranī ʿanhu yūsufu bnu Muḥammadin al-qawwāsu qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu ʾinna Allāha ʿazza wajalla yukhliṣu ʾilā al-qulūbi min birrihi ḥasbamā khalaṣat al-qulūbu bihi ʾilayhi min dhikrihi fa-inẓur mādhā khālaṭa qalbuka (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 279).

He wrote to Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, and Yūsuf ibn Muḥammad al-Qawwās informed me from him: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘God—mighty and majestic—conveys His goodness purely into hearts in proportion to the purity with which hearts devote themselves to Him through remembrance. Look, then, at what has mingled with your heart.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 279.)

§ 162

كَتَبَ إِلَى جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَخْبَرَنِي عَنْهُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ يَا ذَاكِرَ الذَّاكِرِينَ بِمَا بِهِ ذَكَرُوهُ وَيَا بَادِئَ الْعَارِفِينَ بِمَا بِهِ عَرِّفُوهُ وَيَا مُوَفَّقَ الْعَامِلِينَ لِصَالِحِ مَا عَمِلُوهُ مِنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَكَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِكَ وَمَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَذْكُرُكَ إِلَّا بِفَضْلِكَ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 279).

Kataba ʾilā jaʿfari bni Muḥammadin waʾakhbaranī ʿanhu Muḥammadu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu yā dhākira al-dhākirīna bimā bihi dhakarūhu wayā bādiʾa al-ʿārifīna bimā bihi ʿarrifūhu wayā muwaffaqa al-ʿāmilīna liṣāliḥi mā ʿamilūhu min dhā alladhī yashfaʿu ʿindaka ʾillā biʾidhnika waman dhā alladhī yadhkuruka ʾillā bifaḍlika (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 279).

He wrote to Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, and Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh informed me from him: I heard al-Junayd say, ‘O You who cause those who remember to remember by that through which they remember You! O You who initiate those who know by that through which they know You! O You who enable those who act to perform the righteous deeds they perform! Who is it that can intercede with You except by Your permission, and who is it that can remember You except by Your grace?’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 279.)

§ 163

سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حُبَيْشٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَسُئِلَ عَنْ الرِّضَا فَقَالَ سَأَلْتُمْ عَنْ الْعَيْشِ الْهَنِيءِ وَقُرَّةِ الْعَيْنِ مَنْ كَانَ عَنْ اللَّهِ رَاضِيًا قَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ أَهْنَأُ الْعَيْشِ عَيْشُ الرَّاضِينَ عَنْ اللَّهِ فَالرِّضَا اسْتِقْبَالُ مَا نَزَلَ مِنْ الْبَلَاءِ بِالطَّاقَةِ وَالْبَشَرِ وَانْتِظَارُ مَا لَمْ يَنْزِلْ مِنْهُ بِالتَّفَكُّرِ وَالِاعْتِبَارِ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ رَبَّهُ عِنْدَهُ أَحْسَنُ صُنْعًا بِهِ وَأُرْحَمُ بِهِ وَأَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُصْلِحُهُ فَإِذَا نَزَلَ الْقَضَاءُ لَمْ يَكْرَهْهُ وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ إِرَادَتَهُ مُسْتَحْسِنًا ذَلِكَ الْفِعْلَ مِنْ رَبِّهِ فَإِذَا عُدَّ مَا نَزَلَ بِهِ إِحْسَانًا مِنْ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَقَدْ رَضِيَ فَالرِّضَى هُوَ الْإِرَادَةُ مَعَ الِاسْتِحْسَانِ أَنْ يَكُونَ مُرِيدًا لِمَا صَنَعَ مُحِبًّا رَاضِيًا عَنْ اللَّهِ بِقَلْبِهِ (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 280)

Samiʿtu Muḥammada bna ʿaliyyi bni ḥubayshin yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin wasuʾila ʿan al-riḍā faqāla saʾaltum ʿan al-ʿayshi al-hanīʾi waqurrati al-ʿayni man kāna ʿan Allāhi rāḍiyan qāla baʿḍu ʾahli al-ʿilmi ʾahnaʾu al-ʿayshi ʿayshu al-rāḍīna ʿan Allāhi fa-al-riḍā istiqbālu mā nazala min al-balāʾi bi-al-ṭāqati wa-al-bashari wa-intiẓāru mā lam yanzil minhu bi-al-tafakkuri wa-al-iʿtibāri wadhalika ʾanna rabbahu ʿindahu ʾaḥsanu ṣunʿan bihi waʾurḥamu bihi waʾaʿlamu bimā yuṣliḥuhu faʾidhā nazala al-qaḍāʾu lam yakrahhu wakāna dhalika ʾirādatahu mustaḥsinan dhalika al-fiʿla min rabbihi faʾidhā ʿudda mā nazala bihi ʾiḥsānan min Allāhi ʿazza wajalla faqad raḍiya fa-al-riḍā huwa al-ʾirādatu maʿa al-istiḥsāni ʾan yakūna murīdan limā ṣanaʿa muḥibban rāḍiyan ʿan Allāhi biqalbihi (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 280)

I heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Ḥubaysh say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad when he was asked about contentment with God. He replied, ‘You have asked about the pleasant life and the delight of the eye: the one who is content with God.’ One of the people of knowledge said, ‘The most pleasant life is the life of those who are content with God.’ Contentment means receiving an affliction that has descended with strength and cheerfulness, and awaiting one that has not yet descended with reflection and consideration. This is because, in the servant’s judgment, his Lord deals with him more beautifully, is more merciful toward him, and knows better what will set him right. When the decree descends, he does not dislike it; it accords with his own will, and he finds his Lord’s act beautiful. When he counts what has descended upon him as beneficence from God—mighty and majestic—he has become content. Contentment, then, is willing together with finding beautiful: that one should will what God has done and love it, the heart content with God. (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 280.)

§ 164 • SOURCE P 238

سَمِعْتُ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الْعُثْمَانِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ أَحْمَدَ الْبَغْدَادِيَّ يَقُولُ سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ الْمَحَبَّةِ أَمِنْ صِفَاتِ الذَّاتِ أَمْ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الْأَفْعَالِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ مَحَبَّةَ اللَّهِ لَهَا تَأْثِيرٌ فِي مَحْبُوبِهِ بَيِّنٌ فَالْمَحَبَّةُ نَفْسُهَا مِنْ صِفَاتِ الذَّاتِ وَلَمْ يَزَلْ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مُحِبًّا لِأَوْلِيَائِهِ وَأَصْفِيَائِهِ فَأَمَّا تَأْثِيرُهَا فِيمَنْ أَثَّرَتْ فِيهِ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الْأَفْعَالِ فَاعْلَمْ أَرْشَدَكَ اللَّهُ لِلصَّوَابِ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 281).

Samiʿtu ʿuthmāna bna Muḥammadin al-ʿuthmāniyya yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā bakrin Muḥammada bna ʾaḥmada al-baghdādiyya yaqūlu suʾila al-Junaydu bnu Muḥammadin ʿan al-maḥabbati ʾamin ṣifāti al-dhāti ʾam min ṣifāti al-ʾafʿāli faqāla ʾinna maḥabbata Allāhi lahā taʾthīrun fī maḥbūbihi bayyinun fa-al-maḥabbatu nafsuhā min ṣifāti al-dhāti walam yazal Allāhu taʿālā muḥibban liʾawliyāʾihi waʾaṣfiyāʾihi faʾammā taʾthīruhā fīman ʾaththarat fīhi faʾinna dhalika min ṣifāti al-ʾafʿāli fa-iʿlam ʾarshadaka Allāhu li-l-ṣawābi (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 281).

I heard ʿUthmān ibn Muḥammad al-ʿUthmānī say: I heard Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Baghdādī say: Al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad was asked whether love belongs to the attributes of the Essence or the attributes of acts. He replied, ‘God’s love has a clear effect upon His beloved. Love itself belongs to the attributes of the Essence, for God Most High has never ceased loving His friends and chosen ones. As for its effect upon the one in whom it takes effect, that belongs to the attributes of acts. Know this—may God guide you to what is right.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 281.)

§ 165

أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ اعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ إِذَا عَظُمَتْ فِيكَ الْمَعْرِفَةُ بِاللَّهِ وَامْتَلأَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَلْبُكَ وَانْشَرَحَ بِالِانْقِطَاعِ إِلَيْهِ صَدْرُكَ وَصْفًا لِذِكْرِهِ فُؤَادَكَ وَاتَّصَلَ بِاللَّهِ فَهَمُكَ ذَهَبَتْ آثَارُكَ وَامْتَحَيْتْ رُسُومُكَ وَاسْتَضَاءَتْ بِاللَّهِ عُلُومُكَ فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ يَبْدُو لَكَ عِلْمُ الْحَقِّ (حِلْيَةُ الأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 281).

ʾakhbaranā Muḥammadu bnu ʾaḥmada fī kitābihi waḥaddathanī ʿanhu ʿuthmānu bnu Muḥammadin qāla samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu iʿlam ʾannahu ʾidhā ʿaẓumat fīka al-maʿrifatu bi-llāhi wa-imtalʾa min dhalika qalbuka wa-insharaḥa bi-al-inqiṭāʿi ʾilayhi ṣadruka waṣfan lidhikrihi fuʾādaka wa-ittaṣala bi-llāhi fahamuka dhahabat ʾāthāruka wa-imtaḥayt rusūmuka wa-istaḍāʾat bi-llāhi ʿulūmuka faʿinda dhalika yabdū laka ʿilmu al-ḥaqqi (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 281).

Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad informed us in his book, and ʿUthmān ibn Muḥammad related from him: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say, ‘Know that when knowledge of God becomes immense within you, your heart is filled with it, your breast opens through cutting yourself off for Him, your inner heart grows pure for His remembrance, and your concern becomes joined to God, your traces disappear, your forms are effaced, and your sciences are illumined through God. At that point, knowledge of the Real appears to you.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 281.)

§ 166

سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ الْمُنْعِمِ بْنَ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا سَعِيدِ بْنَ الْأَعْرَابِيِّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الْعَطَّارَ يَقُولُ حَضَرْت الْجُنَيْدَ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا قَالَ وَكَانَ قَاعِدًا يُصَلِّي وَيَثْنِي رِجْلَهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَسْجُدَ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ كَذَلِكَ حَتَّى خَرَجَتْ الرُّوحُ مِنْ رِجْلِهِ فَثَقُلَتْ عَلَيْهِ حَرَكَتُهَا فَمَدَّ رِجْلَيْهِ فَرَآهُ بَعْضُ أَصْدِقَائِهِ مِمَّنْ حَضَرَ ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتَ يُقَالُ لَهُ الْبَسَامِيُّ وَكَانَتْ رِجْلَا أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ تَوَرَّمَتَا فَقَالَ مَا هَذَا يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ قَالَ هَذِهِ نِعَمُ اللَّهِ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ مِنْ صَلاتِهِ قَالَ لَهُ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ الْجُرَيْرِيُّ يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ لَوْ اضْطَجَعْتَ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ هَذَا وَقْتُ مِنَّةِ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ ذَلِكَ حَالُهُ حَتَّى مَاتَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ الشَّيْخُ كَانَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ مِمَّنْ أَحْكَمَ عِلْمَ الشَّرِيعَةِ فَكَانَ عِنْدَهُ اقْتِبَاسُ آثَارِ الشَّرِيعَةِ وَقَبُولِهِ الْمُدْرَجَةَ الْبَدِيعَةَ وَكَانَ الْقِيَامُ بِحَقَائِقِ الْآثَارِ يَدْفَعُهُ عَنْ الرِّوَايَةِ وَالْآثَارِ وَمِنْ مَسَانِيدِ حَدِيثِهِ مَا حَدَّثَنَاهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ الْحَافِظُ بِهَا قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي بُكَيْر بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الصُّوفِيُّ بِمَكَّةَ ثَنَا الْجُنَيْدُ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الصُّوفِيُّ ثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَرَفَةَ ثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ الْكُوفِيُّ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ قَيْسٍ الْمُلَائِيِّ عَنْ عَطِيَّةَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ احْذَرُوا فِرَاسَةَ الْمُؤْمِنِ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْظُرُ بِنُورِ اللَّهِ وَقَرَأَ:

Samiʿtu ʿabda al-munʿimi bna ʿumara yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā saʿīdi bna al-ʾaʿrābiyyi yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā bakrin al-ʿaṭṭāra yaqūlu ḥaḍart al-Junayda ʾabā al-qāsimi ʿinda al-mawti fī jamāʿatin min ʾaṣḥābinā qāla wakāna qāʿidan yuṣallī wayathnī rijlahu ʾidhā ʾarāda ʾan yasjuda falam yazal kadhalika ḥattā kharajat al-rūḥu min rijlihi fathaqulat ʿalayhi ḥarakatuhā famadda rijlayhi faraʾāhu baʿḍu ʾaṣdiqāʾihi mimman ḥaḍara dhalika al-waqta yuqālu lahu al-basāmiyyu wakānat rijlā ʾabī al-qāsimi tawarramatā faqāla mā hadhā yā ʾabā al-qāsimi qāla hadhihi niʿamu Allāhi Allāhu ʾakbaru falammā faragha min ṣalātihi qāla lahu ʾabū Muḥammadin al-jurayriyyu yā ʾabā al-qāsimi law iḍṭajaʿta faqāla yā ʾabā Muḥammadin hadhā waqtu minnati Allāhu ʾakbaru falam yazal dhalika ḥāluhu ḥattā māta raḥimahu Allāhu qāla al-shaykhu kāna al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu mimman ʾaḥkama ʿilma al-sharīʿati fakāna ʿindahu iqtibāsu ʾāthāri al-sharīʿati waqabūlihi al-mudrajata al-badīʿata wakāna al-qiyāmu biḥaqāʾiqi al-ʾāthāri yadfaʿuhu ʿan al-riwāyati wa-al-ʾāthāri wamin masānīdi ḥadīthihi mā ḥaddathanāhu ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi Muḥammadu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi al-naysābūriyyu al-ḥāfiẓu bihā qāla ḥaddathanī bukayr bnu ʾaḥmada al-ṣūfiyyu bimakkata thanā al-Junaydu ʾabū al-qāsimi al-ṣūfiyyu thanā al-ḥasanu bnu ʿarafata thanā Muḥammadu bnu kathīrin al-kūfiyyu ʿan ʿamriw bni qaysin al-mulāʾiyyi ʿan ʿaṭiyyata ʿan ʾabī saʿīdin al-khudriyyi qāla qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama iḥdharū firāsata al-muʾmini faʾinnahu yanẓuru binūri Allāhi waqaraʾa:

I heard ʿAbd al-Munʿim ibn ʿUmar say: I heard Abū Saʿīd ibn al-Aʿrābī say: I heard Abū Bakr al-ʿAṭṭār say, ‘I was present with Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd at the time of his death, together with a group of our companions. He was sitting and praying, bending one leg whenever he wished to prostrate. He continued in this way until life began to leave his leg and moving it became difficult, so he stretched out both legs. One of his friends present at that time, called al-Basāmī, saw him; both of Abū al-Qāsim’s legs had swollen. He asked, “What is this, Abū al-Qāsim?” He replied, “These are God’s blessings. God is greater!” When he finished his prayer, Abū Muḥammad al-Jurayrī said, “Abū al-Qāsim, if only you would lie down.” He replied, “Abū Muḥammad, this is the time of God’s favor. God is greater!” He remained in that state until he died—may God have mercy on him.’ The shaykh said: Al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—was among those who had mastered knowledge of the Sacred Law. For him, adopting the transmitted precedents of the Law and accepting its wondrous path were firmly established. His living out the realities of the transmitted precedents kept him from extensive transmission of reports. Among the reports in his chains is what Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Naysābūrī, the hadith master, related to us there. He said: Bukayr ibn Aḥmad the Sufi related to me in Mecca: Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd the Sufi related to us: al-Ḥasan ibn ʿArafa related to us: Muḥammad ibn Kathīr al-Kūfī related to us, from ʿAmr ibn Qays al-Mulāʾī, from ʿAṭiyya, from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, who said: The Messenger of God—may God bless him and his family and grant them peace—said, ‘Beware the believer’s spiritual insight, for he sees by the light of God.’ He then recited:

§ 167

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآياتٍ لِلْمُتَوَسِّمِينَ

ʾinna fī dhālika laʾāyātin li-l-mutawassimīna

‘Surely in that are signs for those who discern.’

§ 168

[الْحَجَرِ: 75] قَالَ:

[Al-ḥajari: 75] qāla:

[Al-Ḥijr 15:75]. He said:

§ 169 • SOURCE P 239

لِلْمُتَفَرِّسِينَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ ثَنَا عَبْدَانُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ ثَنَا عَبْدُ الْحَمِيدِ بْنُ بَيَانٍ ثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ ثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ قَيْسٍ عَنْ عَطِيَّةَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ عَنْ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِثْلُهُ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 281، 282).

Li-l-mutafarrisīna ḥaddathanā Muḥammadu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi bni saʿīdin thanā ʿabdānu bnu ʾaḥmada thanā ʿabdu al-ḥamīdi bnu bayānin thanā Muḥammadu bnu kathīrin thanā ʿamrū bnu qaysin ʿan ʿaṭiyyata ʿan ʾabī saʿīdin al-khudriyyi ʿan al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama mithluhu (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 281, 282).

‘For those who perceive through spiritual insight.’ Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Saʿīd related to us: ʿAbdān ibn Aḥmad related to us: ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Bayān related to us: Muḥammad ibn Kathīr related to us: ʿAmr ibn Qays related to us, from ʿAṭiyya, from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, from the Prophet—may God bless him and his family and grant them peace—the like of it. (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, pp. 281–282.)

§ 170

سَمِعْتُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ هَارُونَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَدْعُو بِهَذَا الدُّعَاءِ فَجَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ فَشَكَا إِلَيْهِ الضِّيقَ فَعَلَّمَهُ وَقَالَ قُلْ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْكَ مَا هُوَ لَكَ وَأَسْتَعِيذُكَ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ يُسْخَطُكَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ صَفَاءِ الصَّفَاءِ صَفَاءَ أَنَالُ بِهِ مِنْكَ شَرَفَ الْعَطَاءِ اللَّهُمَّ وَلَا تَشْغَلْنِي شُغْلَ مَنْ شَغَلَهُ عَنْكَ مَا أَرَادَ مِنْكَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ لَكَ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِمَّنْ يُذَكِّرُكَ ذِكْرَ مَنْ لَا يُرِيدُ بِذَاكِرِهِ مِنْكَ إِلَّا مَا هُوَ لَكَ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ غَايَةَ قَصْدِي إِلَيْكَ مَا أَطْلُبُهُ مِنْكَ اللَّهُمَّ امْلَأْ قَلْبِي بِكَ فَرَحًا وَلِسَانِي لَكَ ذِكْرًا وَجَوَارِحِي فِيمَا يُرْضِيكَ شُغْلًا اللَّهُمَّ امْحُ عَنْ قَلْبِي كُلَّ ذِكْرٍ إِلَّا ذِكْرَكَ وَكُلَّ حُبٍّ إِلَّا حُبَّكَ وَكُلَّ وُدٍّ إِلَّا وُدَّكَ وَكُلَّ إِجْلَالٍ إِلَّا إِجْلَالَكَ وَكُلَّ تَعْظِيمٍ إِلَّا تَعْظِيمَكَ وَكُلَّ رَجَاءٍ إِلَّا لَكَ وَكُلَّ خَوْفٍ إِلَّا مِنْكَ وَكُلَّ رَغْبَةٍ إِلَّا إِلَيْكَ وَكُلَّ رَهْبَةٍ إِلَّا لَكَ وَكُلُّ سُؤَالٍ إِلَّا مِنْكَ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِمَّنْ لَكَ يُعْطِي وَلَكَ يُمْنَعُ وَبِكَ يَسْتَعِينُ وَإِلَيْكَ يَلْجَأُ وَبِكَ يَتَعَزَّزُ وَلَكَ يَصْبِرُ وَبِحُكْمِكَ يَرْضَى اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِمَّنْ يَقْصِدُ إِلَيْكَ قَصْدَ مَنْ لَا رُجُوعَ لَهُ إِلَّا إِلَيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ رِضَائِي بِحُكْمِكَ فِيمَا ابْتَلَيْتَنِي فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ مُتَّصِلًا غَيْرَ مُنْفَصِلٍ وَاجْعَلْ صَبْرِي لَكَ عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ صَبْرَ مَنْ لَيْسَ لَهُ عَنْ الصَّبْرِ صَبْرٌ إِلَّا الْقِيَامِ بِالصَّبْرِ وَاجْعَلْ تَصَبَّرِي عَمَّا يُسْخِطُكَ فِيمَا نَهَيْتَنِي عَنْهُ تَصَبِرُ مَنْ اسْتَغْنَى عَنْ الصَّبْرِ بِقُوَّةِ الْعِصْمَةِ مِنْكَ لَهُ اللَّهُمَّ وَاجْعَلْنِي مِمَّنْ يَسْتَعِينُ بِكَ اسْتِعَانَةً مَنْ اسْتَغْنَى بِقُوَّتِكَ عَنْ جَمِيعِ خَلْقِكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَاجْعَلْنِي مِمَّنْ يَلْجَأُ إِلَيْكَ لَجَأَ مَنْ لَا مَلْجَأَ لَهُ إِلَّا إِلَيْكَ وَاجْعَلْنِي مِمَّنْ يَتَعَزَّى بِعَزَائِكَ وَيَصْبِرُ لِقَضَائِكَ أَبَدًا مَا أَبْقَيْتَنِي اللَّهُمَّ وَكُلُّ سُؤَالٍ سَأَلْتهُ فَمَنْ أَمَرَ مِنْكَ لِي بِالسُّؤَالِ فَاجْعَلْ سُؤَالِي لَكَ سُؤَالَ مُحَابِكَ وَلَا تَجْعَلْنِي مِمَّنْ يَتَعَمَّدُ بِسُؤَالِهِ مَوَاضِعَ الْحُظُوظِ بَلْ يَسْأَلُ الْقِيَامَ بِوَاجِبِ حَقِّكَ (حِلْيَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 282).

Samiʿtu ʿaliyya bna hārūna bni Muḥammadin yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yadʿū bihadhā al-duʿāʾi fajāʾahu rajulun fashakā ʾilayhi al-ḍīqa faʿallamahu waqāla qul Allāhumma ʾinnī ʾasʾaluka minka mā huwa laka waʾastaʿīdhuka min kulli ʾamrin yuskhaṭuka Allāhumma ʾinnī ʾasʾaluka min ṣafāʾi al-ṣafāʾi ṣafāʾa ʾanālu bihi minka sharafa al-ʿaṭāʾi Allāhumma walā tashghalnī shughla man shaghalahu ʿanka mā ʾarāda minka ʾillā ʾan yakūna laka Allāhumma ijʿalnī mimman yudhakkiruka dhikra man lā yurīdu bidhākirihi minka ʾillā mā huwa laka Allāhumma ijʿal ghāyata qaṣdī ʾilayka mā ʾaṭlubuhu minka Allāhumma imlaʾ qalbī bika faraḥan walisānī laka dhikran wajawāriḥī fīmā yurḍīka shughlan Allāhumma imḥu ʿan qalbī kulla dhikrin ʾillā dhikraka wakulla ḥubbin ʾillā ḥubbaka wakulla wuddin ʾillā wuddaka wakulla ʾijlālin ʾillā ʾijlālaka wakulla taʿẓīmin ʾillā taʿẓīmaka wakulla rajāʾin ʾillā laka wakulla khawfin ʾillā minka wakulla raghbatin ʾillā ʾilayka wakulla rahbatin ʾillā laka wakullu suʾālin ʾillā minka Allāhumma ijʿalnī mimman laka yuʿṭī walaka yumnaʿu wabika yastaʿīnu waʾilayka yaljaʾu wabika yataʿazzazu walaka yaṣbiru wabiḥukmika yarḍā Allāhumma ijʿalnī mimman yaqṣidu ʾilayka qaṣda man lā rujūʿa lahu ʾillā ʾilayka Allāhumma ijʿal riḍāʾī biḥukmika fīmā ibtalaytanī fī kulli waqtin muttaṣilan ghayra munfaṣilin wa-ijʿal ṣabrī laka ʿalā ṭāʿatika ṣabra man laysa lahu ʿan al-ṣabri ṣabrun ʾillā al-qiyāmi bi-al-ṣabri wa-ijʿal taṣabbarī ʿammā yuskhiṭuka fīmā nahaytanī ʿanhu taṣabiru man istaghnā ʿan al-ṣabri biquwwati al-ʿiṣmati minka lahu Allāhumma wa-ijʿalnī mimman yastaʿīnu bika istiʿānatan man istaghnā biquwwatika ʿan jamīʿi khalqika Allāhumma wa-ijʿalnī mimman yaljaʾu ʾilayka lajaʾa man lā maljaʾa lahu ʾillā ʾilayka wa-ijʿalnī mimman yataʿazzā biʿazāʾika wayaṣbiru liqaḍāʾika ʾabadan mā ʾabqaytanī Allāhumma wakullu suʾālin saʾalthu faman ʾamara minka lī bi-al-suʾāli fa-ijʿal suʾālī laka suʾāla muḥābika walā tajʿalnī mimman yataʿammadu bisuʾālihi mawāḍiʿa al-ḥuẓūẓi bal yasʾalu al-qiyāma biwājibi ḥaqqika (ḥilyata al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 282).

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Hārūn say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad offer this supplication. A man came to him and complained of hardship, so al-Junayd taught it to him and said: Say, ‘O God, I ask You for that which comes from You and belongs to You, and I seek Your protection from every matter that provokes Your displeasure. O God, I ask You, out of the purity beyond purity, for a purity through which I may receive from You the honor of Your gift. O God, do not occupy me as one is occupied from You by what he seeks from You, unless what he seeks is for Your sake. O God, make me one who remembers You with the remembrance of a person who desires from You, through his remembrance, only what belongs to You. O God, make the ultimate aim of my turning toward You the very thing I seek from You. O God, fill my heart with joy in You, my tongue with remembrance of You, and my limbs with occupation in what pleases You. O God, erase from my heart every remembrance but remembrance of You; every love but love of You; every affection but affection for You; every reverence but reverence for You; every magnification but magnification of You; every hope except hope in You; every fear except fear of You; every desire except desire for You; every awe except awe before You; and every request except a request made of You. O God, make me one who gives for Your sake, withholds for Your sake, seeks aid through You, takes refuge in You, finds might through You, patiently endures for You, and is content with Your judgment. O God, make me turn toward You like one who has nowhere to return but to You. O God, make my contentment with Your judgment in whatever trial You send upon me at every moment continuous and unbroken. Make my patient obedience to You the patience of one who has no choice regarding patience except to uphold it. Make my restraint from what angers You among the things You have forbidden me the restraint of one whom the strength of Your protection has freed from needing to struggle for patience. O God, make me seek Your aid as one whom Your strength has freed of need for all Your creatures. O God, make me take refuge in You as one who has no refuge but You. Make me one who finds consolation in Your consolation and patiently accepts Your decree for as long as You keep me alive. O God, every request I have made arose from Your command to me to ask. Make my request of You the request of those You love, and do not make me one who deliberately directs his request toward the places of personal shares; let me ask instead to fulfill the duty of Your right.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 282.)

§ 171 • SOURCE P 240

أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْعُثْمَانِيُّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ بْنَ أَحْمَدَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ وَهُوَ يَدْعُو بِهَذَا الدُّعَاءِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ إِلَٰهِي حَمْدًا كَإِحْصَاءِ عِلْمِكَ حَمْدًا يَرْقَى إِلَيْكَ عَلَى الأَلْسِنَةِ الطَّاهِرَةِ مُبَرَّأً مِنْ زَيْغٍ وَتُهْمَةً مُعَرًّى مِنْ الْعَاهَاتِ وَالشُّبُهَاتِ قَائِمًا فِي عَيْنِ مَحَبَّتِكَ بِحُنَيْنٍ صِدْقٍ إِخْلَاصِهِ لِيَكُونَ نُورُ وَجْهِكَ الْعَظِيمِ غَايَتَهُ وَقَدَّسَ عَظَمَتِكَ نِهَايَتَهُ لَا يَسْتَقِرُّ إِلَّا عِنْدَ مَرْضَاتِكَ خَالِصًا بِوَفَاءِ إِرَادَتِكَ نَصْبَ إِرَادَتِكَ حَتَّى يَكُونَ لِمَحَامِدِكَ سَائِقًا قَائِدًا إِلَٰهِي لَيْسَ فِي أُفُقِ سَمَاوَاتِكَ وَلَا فِي قَرَارِ أَرْضِكَ فِي فُسُحَاتِ أَقَالِيمِهَا مَنْ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَحْمَدَ غَيْرَكَ إِذْ أَنْتَ مُنْشِئُ الْمَنْشَآتِ لَا تَعْرِفُ شَيْئًا إِلَّا مِنْكَ وَكَيْفَ لَا تَعْرِفُكَ الْأَشْيَاءُ وَلَمْ يُقِرَّ الْخَلْقُ إِلَّا لَكَ وَبَدْؤُهُ مِنْكَ وَأَمْرُهُ إِلَيْكَ وَعَلَانَتِيهِ وَسِرُّهُ مُحْصِي فِي إِرَادَتِكَ فَأَنْتَ الْمُعْطِي وَالْمَانِعُ وَقَضَاؤُكَ الضَّارُّ وَالنَّافِعُ وَحِلْمُكَ يُمْهِلُ خَلْقَكَ وَقَضَاؤُكَ يَمْحُو مَا تَشَاءُ مِنْ قَدْرِكَ تُحَدِّثُ مَا شِئْتَ أَنْ تُحَدِّثَهُ وَتَسْتَأْثِرَ بِمَا شِئْتَ أَنْ تَسْتَأْثِرَهُ وَتَخْلُقَ مَا أَنْتَ مُسْتَغْنٍ عَنْ صُنْعِهِ وَتَصْنَعَ مَا يَبْهَرُ الْعُقُولَ مِنْ حُسْنِ حِكْمَتِهِ لَا تَسْأَلُ عَمَّا تَفْعَلُ لَكَ الْحُجَّةُ فِيمَا تَفْعَلُ وَعِنْدَكَ أزْمَةُ مَقَادِيرِ الْبَشَرِ وَتَصَارِيفُ الدُّهُورِ وَغَوَامِضُ سِرِّ النُّشُورِ وَمِنْكَ فَهْمُ مَعْرِفَةِ الْأَشْخَاصِ النَّاطِقَةِ بِتَفْرِيدِكَ لَا يَغِيبُ عَنْكَ مَا فِي أَكِنَّةِ سَرَائِرِ الْمُلْحِدِينَ وَلَا يَتَوَارَى عَنْ عِلْمِكَ اكْتِسَابُ خَوَاطِرِ الْمُبْطِلِينَ وَلَا يَهِيمُ فِي قَضَائِكَ إِلَّا الْجَاهِلُونَ وَلَا يَغْفُلُ عَنْ ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ إِلَّا الْغَافِلُونَ وَلَا تَحْتَجِبُ عَنْكَ وَسَاوِسُ الصُّدُورِ وَلَا وَهُمُ الْهَوَاجِسِ وَلَا إِرَادَةُ الْهِمَمِ وَلَا عُيُونَ الْهِمَمِ الَّتِي تَخْرُجُ بَصَائِرَ الْقُلُوبِ إِلَٰهِي فَكَيْفَ أَنْظُرُ إِنْ نَظَرْت إِلَّا إِلَى رَحْمَتِكَ وَإِنْ غَضِضْت فَعَلَى نِعَمِكَ فَمِنْ فَضْلِكَ جَعَلْت حُكْمَكَ يَحْتَمِلُ عَلَى عَطْفِكَ وَمِنْ فَضْلِكَ جَعَلْتَ نِعَمَكَ تَعُمُّ جَمِيعَ خَلْقِكَ فَهَبْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ مَا لَا يَمْلِكُ غَيْرُكَ مِمَّا تَعْلَمُهُ يَا وَهَّابُ يَا فَعَّالُ لِمَا يُرِيدُ وَاجْعَلْنِي مِنْ خَاصَّةِ أَوْلِيَائِكَ يَا خَيْرَ مَدْعُوٍّ وَأَكْرِمْ رَاحِمٍ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 283).

ʾakhbaranā ʾabū bakrin Muḥammadu bnu ʾaḥmada al-baghdādiyyu fī kitābihi waḥaddathanī ʿanhu ʿuthmānu bnu Muḥammadin al-ʿuthmāniyyu qāla samiʿtu ʿabda al-raḥmāni bna ʾaḥmada yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu wahuwa yadʿū bihadhā al-duʿāʾi al-ḥamdu li-llāhi ʾilāhī ḥamdan kaʾiḥṣāʾi ʿilmika ḥamdan yarqā ʾilayka ʿalā al-ʾalsinati al-ṭāhirati mubarraʾan min zayghin watuhmatan muʿarranā min al-ʿāhāti wa-al-shubuhāti qāʾiman fī ʿayni maḥabbatika biḥunaynin ṣidqin ʾikhlāṣihi liyakūna nūru wajhika al-ʿaẓīmi ghāyatahu waqaddasa ʿaẓamatika nihāyatahu lā yastaqirru ʾillā ʿinda marḍātika khāliṣan biwafāʾi ʾirādatika naṣba ʾirādatika ḥattā yakūna limaḥāmidika sāʾiqan qāʾidan ʾilāhī laysa fī ʾufuqi samāwātika walā fī qarāri ʾarḍika fī fusuḥāti ʾaqālīmihā man yuḥibbu ʾan yaḥmada ghayraka ʾidh ʾanta munshiʾu al-manshaʾāti lā taʿrifu shayʾan ʾillā minka wakayfa lā taʿrifuka al-ʾashyāʾu walam yuqirra al-khalqu ʾillā laka wabadʾuhu minka waʾamruhu ʾilayka waʿalānatīhi wasirruhu muḥṣī fī ʾirādatika faʾanta al-muʿṭī wa-al-māniʿu waqaḍāʾuka al-ḍārru wa-al-nāfiʿu waḥilmuka yumhilu khalqaka waqaḍāʾuka yamḥū mā tashāʾu min qadrika tuḥaddithu mā shiʾta ʾan tuḥaddithahu watastaʾthira bimā shiʾta ʾan tastaʾthirahu watakhluqa mā ʾanta mustaghnin ʿan ṣunʿihi wataṣnaʿa mā yabharu al-ʿuqūla min ḥusni ḥikmatihi lā tasʾalu ʿammā tafʿalu laka al-ḥujjatu fīmā tafʿalu waʿindaka ʾzmatu maqādīri al-bashari wataṣārīfu al-duhūri waghawāmiḍu sirri al-nushūri waminka fahmu maʿrifati al-ʾashkhāṣi al-nāṭiqati bitafrīdika lā yaghību ʿanka mā fī ʾakinnati sarāʾiri al-mulḥidīna walā yatawārā ʿan ʿilmika iktisābu khawāṭiri al-mubṭilīna walā yahīmu fī qaḍāʾika ʾillā al-jāhilūna walā yaghfulu ʿan dhikrika washukrika ʾillā al-ghāfilūna walā taḥtajibu ʿanka wasāwisu al-ṣudūri walā wahumu al-hawājisi walā ʾirādatu al-himami walā ʿuyūna al-himami allatī takhruju baṣāʾira al-qulūbi ʾilāhī fakayfa ʾanẓuru ʾin naẓart ʾillā ʾilā raḥmatika waʾin ghaḍiḍt faʿalā niʿamika famin faḍlika jaʿalt ḥukmaka yaḥtamilu ʿalā ʿaṭfika wamin faḍlika jaʿalta niʿamaka taʿummu jamīʿa khalqika fahab lī min ladunka mā lā yamliku ghayruka mimmā taʿlamuhu yā wahhābu yā faʿʿālu limā yurīdu wa-ijʿalnī min khāṣṣati ʾawliyāʾika yā khayra madʿuwwin waʾakrim rāḥimin ʾinnaka ʾanta ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīrun (ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 283).

Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Baghdādī informed us in his book, and ʿUthmān ibn Muḥammad al-ʿUthmānī related from him: I heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Aḥmad say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad offer this supplication: ‘Praise belongs to God. My God, I praise You with a praise as countless as Your knowledge: a praise that rises to You upon pure tongues, free of deviation and accusation, stripped of defects and doubts, standing within the very center of Your love with the yearning of true sincerity. Let the light of Your mighty countenance be its goal and the holiness of Your greatness its final end. Let it rest nowhere but in Your good pleasure, pure in fulfilling Your will and set before Your will, until it drives and leads toward all Your praises. My God, nowhere on the horizons of Your heavens, nor in the settled places of Your earth and the broad expanses of its regions, is there anyone who deserves to be praised besides You. You are the Originator of all originated things; they know nothing except from You. How could things fail to know You, when creation acknowledges none but You, its beginning is from You, its affair returns to You, and its outward and inward aspects are fully numbered within Your will? You are the Giver and Withholder; Your decree brings harm and benefit. Your forbearance grants respite to Your creation, and Your decree effaces whatever You will from Your determination. You bring into being whatever You will to bring into being, reserve for Yourself whatever You will to reserve, create what You have no need to fashion, and fashion what overwhelms intellects through the beauty of its wisdom. You are not questioned about what You do; Yours is the conclusive proof in all You do. With You are the reins of human destinies, the turnings of the ages, and the hidden secret of resurrection. From You comes the understanding by which speaking persons know and proclaim Your uniqueness. Nothing contained in the inward secrets of unbelievers is absent from You, nor is the activity of false thinkers’ thoughts concealed from Your knowledge. Only the ignorant wander lost concerning Your decree, and only the heedless neglect Your remembrance and gratitude. The whisperings within breasts, the illusions of passing thoughts, the intentions of aspirations, and the keen sights of aspiration that bring forth the heart’s insights are never veiled from You. My God, wherever I look, how can I see anything but Your mercy? And when I lower my gaze, it falls upon Your blessings. Out of Your grace, You made Your judgment carry Your tenderness; out of Your grace, You made Your blessings encompass all Your creation. Grant me from Yourself what no one besides You possesses, of what You know, O Bestower, O Doer of whatever He wills. Make me one of Your specially chosen friends, O Best of those called upon and Most Generous of those who show mercy. You truly have power over all things.’ (Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 283.)

§ 172 • SOURCE P 241

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ هَارُونَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ: اعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْمُنَاصَحَةَ مِنْكَ لِلْخَلْقِ وَالْإِقْبَالَ عَلَى مَا هُوَ أَوْلَى بِكَ فِيكَ وَفِيهِمْ أَفْضَلُ الْأَعْمَالِ لَكَ فِي حَيَاتِكَ وَأَقْرَبُهَا إِلَى أَوْلِيَائِكَ فِي وَقْتِكَ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ أَفْضَلَ الْخَلْقِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَنْزِلَةً وَأَعْظَمَهُمْ دَرَجَةً فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ وَزَمَنٍ وَفِي كُلِّ مَحَلٍّ وَوَطَنٍ أَحْسَنُهُمْ إِحْكَامًا لِمَا عَلَيْهِ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَأَسْبَقُهُمْ بِالْمُسَارَعَةِ إِلَى اللَّهِ فِيمَا يُحِبُّهُ وَأَنْفَعُهُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ لِعِبَادِهِ فَخُذْ بِالْحَظِّ الْمُوَفِّرِ لِنَفْسِكَ وَكُنْ عَاطِفًا بِالْمَنَافِعِ عَلَى غَيْرِكَ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّكَ لَنْ تَجِدَ سَبِيلًا تَسْلُكُهُ إِلَى غَيْرِكَ وَعَلَيْكَ بَقِيَّةٌ مُفْتَرَضَةٌ مِنْ حَالِكَ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْمُؤَهِّلِينَ لِلرِّعَايَةِ إِلَى سَبِيلِ الْهِدَايَةِ وَالْمُرَادِينَ لِمَنَافِعِ الْخَلِيقَةِ وَالْمُرَتَّبِينَ لِلنِّذَارَةِ وَالْبِشَارَةِ أَيَّدُوا بِالتَّمْكِينِ وَأَسْعِدُوا بَرَاسِخَ عِلْمٍ الْيَقِينِ وَكَشَفَ لَهُمْ عَنْ غَوَامِضِ مَعَالِمِ الدِّينِ وَفَتَحَ لَهُمْ فِي فَهْمِ الْكِتَابِ الْمُسْتَبِينِ فَبَلَغُوا مَا أَنْعَمَ بِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَجَادَ بِهِ مِنْ عَظِيمِ أَمْرِهِ إِحْكَامَ مَا بِهِ أُمِرُوا وَالْمُسَارَعَةِ إِلَى مَا إِلَيْهِ نَدَبُوا وَالدِّعَايَةُ إِلَى اللَّهِ بِمَا بِهِ مُكِّنُوا وَهَذِهِ سِيرَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ فِيمَنْ بُعِثُوا إِلَيْهِمْ مِنَ الْأُمَمِ وَسِيرَتُهُمْ فِي تَأْدِيَةِ مَا عَلِمُوهُ مِنَ الْحُكَمِ وَسِيرَةِ الْمُتَّبِعِينَ لِآثَارِهِمْ مِنَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَسَائِرِ الدُّعَاةِ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ صَالِحِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ.

Samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥasani ʿaliyya bna hārūna yaqūlu samiʿtu al-Junayda bna Muḥammadin yaqūlu: iʿlam ʾanna al-munāṣaḥata minka li-l-khalqi wa-al-ʾiqbāla ʿalā mā huwa ʾawlā bika fīka wafīhim ʾafḍalu al-ʾaʿmāli laka fī ḥayātika waʾaqrabuhā ʾilā ʾawliyāʾika fī waqtika wa-iʿlam ʾanna ʾafḍala al-khalqi ʿinda Allāhi manzilatan waʾaʿẓamahum darajatan fī kulli waqtin wazamanin wafī kulli maḥallin wawaṭanin ʾaḥsanuhum ʾiḥkāman limā ʿalayhi fī nafsihi waʾasbaquhum bi-al-musāraʿati ʾilā Allāhi fīmā yuḥibbuhu waʾanfaʿuhum baʿda dhalika liʿibādihi fakhudh bi-al-ḥaẓẓi al-muwaffiri linafsika wakun ʿāṭifan bi-al-manāfiʿi ʿalā ghayrika wa-iʿlam ʾannaka lan tajida sabīlan taslukuhu ʾilā ghayrika waʿalayka baqiyyatun muftaraḍatun min ḥālika wa-iʿlam ʾanna al-muʾahhilīna li-l-riʿāyati ʾilā sabīli al-hidāyati wa-al-murādīna limanāfiʿi al-khalīqati wa-al-murattabīna li-l-nidhārati wa-al-bishārati ʾayyadū bi-al-tamkīni waʾasʿidū barāsikha ʿilmin al-yaqīni wakashafa lahum ʿan ghawāmiḍi maʿālimi al-dīni wafataḥa lahum fī fahmi al-kitābi al-mustabīni fabalaghū mā ʾanʿama bihi ʿalayhim min faḍlihi wajāda bihi min ʿaẓīmi ʾamrihi ʾiḥkāma mā bihi ʾumirū wa-al-musāraʿati ʾilā mā ʾilayhi nadabū wa-al-diʿāyatu ʾilā Allāhi bimā bihi mukkinū wahadhihi sīratu al-ʾanbiyāʾi ṣalawātu Allāhi ʿalayhim fīman buʿithū ʾilayhim mina al-ʾumami wasīratuhum fī taʾdiyati mā ʿalimūhu mina al-ḥukami wasīrati al-muttabiʿīna liʾāthārihim mina al-ʾawliyāʾi wa-al-ṣiddīqīna wasāʾiri al-duʿāti ʾilā Allāhi min ṣāliḥī al-muʾminīna.

I heard Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Hārūn say: I heard al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad say: ‘Know that your sincere counsel to created people, together with turning toward what is most incumbent upon you concerning yourself and them, is the best work for you in your lifetime and the one that brings you nearest to God’s friends in your time. Know that the created person of highest station and greatest degree before God—in every time and age, every place and homeland—is the one who most firmly fulfills what he owes concerning himself, who is swiftest in hastening toward God in what He loves, and who thereafter brings the greatest benefit to His servants. Take the fullest share for yourself, then bend your benefits toward others. Know that you will find no path by which to reach others while any obligatory remainder of your own state still rests upon you. Know that those qualified to shepherd others along the path of guidance, those intended to benefit creation, and those appointed to warn and give glad tidings were strengthened with firm establishment, blessed with deeply rooted knowledge of certainty, shown the hidden landmarks of religion, and granted an opening in understanding the clear Book. They conveyed what God graciously bestowed upon them from His bounty and generously granted from His immense affair: firmly fulfilling what they were commanded, hastening toward what they were urged to do, and calling to God through that for which they had been empowered. This is the way of the prophets—God’s blessings be upon them—among the communities to whom they were sent, their way in conveying the wisdom they had learned, and the way of those who followed in their footsteps among the friends of God, the utterly truthful, and all the callers to God among the righteous believers.’

§ 173

كَتَبَ إِلَى جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمّدٍ وَقَالَ أَنْشَدَنِي الْجُنَيْدُ بْنُ مُحَمّدٍ:

Kataba ʾilā jaʿfari bni muḥammdin waqāla ʾanshadanī al-Junaydu bnu muḥammdin:

He wrote to Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, who said: Al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad recited to me:

§ 174

سَرَتْ بِنَاسٍ فِي الْغُيُوبِ قُلُوبُهُمْ * وَجَالُوا بِقُرْبِ الْمَاجِدِ الْمُتَفَضِّلِ

Sarat bināsin fī al-ghuyūbi qulūbuhum * wajālū biqurbi al-mājidi al-mutafaḍḍili

Their hearts carried a people through unseen things; they ranged in nearness to the Glorious, Bountiful One.

§ 175

وَنَالُوا مِنْ الْجَبَّارِ عَطْفًا وَرَأْفَةً * وَفَضْلًا وَإِحْسَانًا وَبِرًّا يُعَجِّلُ

Wanālū min al-jabbāri ʿaṭfan waraʾfatan * wafaḍlan waʾiḥsānan wabirran yuʿajjilu

From the Compeller they received tenderness and compassion, bounty, beneficence, and goodness swiftly bestowed.

§ 176

أُولَئِكَ نَحْوَ الْعَرْشِ هَامَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ * وَفِي مَلَكُوتِ الْعِزِّ تَأْوِي وَتَنْزِلُ

ʾūlaʾika naḥwa al-ʿarshi hāmat qulūbuhum * wafī malakūti al-ʿizzi taʾwī watanzilu

Their hearts yearned toward the Throne; in the dominion of might they find shelter and descend.

§ 177

(حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 284).

(ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 284).

(Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 284.)

§ 178

أَنْشَدَنِي عُثْمَانُ بْنُ مُحَمّدٍ الْعُثْمَانِيّ قَالَ أَنْشَدَنِي الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مَنْصُورٍ الصُّوفِيُّ لِلْجُنَيْدِ بْنِ مُحَمّدٍ:

ʾanshadanī ʿuthmānu bnu muḥammdin al-ʿuthmāniyy qāla ʾanshadanī al-ḥusaynu bnu ʾaḥmada bni manṣūrin al-ṣūfiyyu li-l-Junaydi bni muḥammdin:

ʿUthmān ibn Muḥammad al-ʿUthmānī recited to me, saying: Al-Ḥusayn ibn Aḥmad ibn Manṣūr the Sufi recited to me these verses by al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad:

§ 179

تُرِيدُ مِنِّي اخْتِبَارَ سِرِّي * وَقَدْ عَلِمْت الْمُرَادَ مِنِّي

Turīdu minnī ikhtibāra sirrī * waqad ʿalimt al-murāda minnī

You wish to test my inward secret, though You already know what You desire of me.

§ 180

فَلَيْسَ لِي مِنْ سِوَاكَ حَظٌّ * فَكَيْفَمَا شِئْت فَامْتَحْنِي

Falaysa lī min siwāka ḥaẓẓun * fakayfamā shiʾt fa-imtaḥnī

I have no share in anyone but You; test me, then, however You will.

§ 181

كُلَّ بَلَاءٍ عَلَيَّ مِنِّي * يَا لَيْتَنِي قَدْ أَخَذْت عَنِّي

Kulla balāʾin ʿalayya minnī * yā laytanī qad ʾakhadht ʿannī

Every affliction upon me comes from me. If only You had taken me away from myself!

§ 182

(حِلْيَةُ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، ج: 10، ص: 284)

(ḥilyatu al-ʾawliyāʾi, j: 10, ṣ: 284)

(Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10, p. 284.)

الصَّبْرُ

Al-ṣabru

Patience

§ 184

يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْمَسِيرُ مِنْ الدُّنْيَا إِلَى الْآخِرَةِ سَهْلٌ هَيِّنٌ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِ، وَهَجْرُ الْخَلْقِ فِي جَنْبِ اللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ، وَالْمَسِيرُ مِنْ النَّفْسِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى صَعْبٌ شَدِيدٌ، وَالصَّبْرُ مَعَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَشَدُّ. فَسُئِلَ عَنِ الصَّبْرِ فَقَالَ: تَجَرُّعُ الْمَرَارَةِ مِنْ غَيْرِ تَعْبِيسٍ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 183)

Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: al-masīru min al-dunyā ʾilā al-ʾākhirati sahlun hayyinun ʿalā al-muʾmini, wahajru al-khalqi fī janbi Allāhi shadīdun, wa-al-masīru min al-nafsi ʾilā Allāhi taʿālā ṣaʿbun shadīdun, wa-al-ṣabru maʿa Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾashaddu. fasuʾila ʿani al-ṣabri faqāla: tajarruʿu al-marārati min ghayri taʿbīsin (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 183)

Al-Junayd says: ‘The journey from this world to the hereafter is simple and easy for the believer. Forsaking created beings for God’s sake is hard. The journey from the lower self to God Most High is extremely difficult, and patience with God—mighty and majestic—is harder still.’ He was asked about patience and replied, ‘To swallow bitterness without a grimace.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 183.)

الْمُرَاقَبَةُ

Al-murāqabatu

Watchfulness

§ 186

وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: مَنْ تَحَقَّقَ فِي الْمُرَاقَبَةِ خَافَ عَلَى فَوْتِ حَظِّهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَا غَيْرُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 191)

Waqāla al-Junaydu: man taḥaqqaqa fī al-murāqabati khāfa ʿalā fawti ḥaẓẓihi min rabbihi ʿazza wajalla lā ghayru (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 191)

Al-Junayd said, ‘One who has realized watchfulness fears nothing but losing his allotted share from his Lord—mighty and majestic.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 191.)

الرِّضَا

Al-riḍā

Contentment

§ 188

وَقِيلَ: قَالَ الشِّبْلِيُّ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ الْجُنَيْدِ: لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ، فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: قَوْلُكَ هَذَا ضِيقُ صَدْرٍ، وَضِيِّقُ الصَّدْرِ لِتَرْكِ الرِّضَا بِالْقَضَاءِ، فَسَكَتَ الشِّبْلِيُّ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 195).

Waqīla: qāla al-shibliyyu bayna yaday al-Junaydi: lā ḥawla walā quwwata ʾillā bi-llāhi al-ʿaliyyi al-ʿaẓīmi, faqāla al-Junaydu: qawluka hadhā ḍīqu ṣadrin, waḍiyyiqu al-ṣadri litarki al-riḍā bi-al-qaḍāʾi, fasakata al-shibliyyu (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 195).

It is related that al-Shiblī said in al-Junayd’s presence, ‘There is no power and no strength except through God, the Most High, the Magnificent.’ Al-Junayd said, ‘These words of yours come from a constricted breast, and constriction of the breast comes from abandoning contentment with the decree.’ Al-Shiblī fell silent. (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 195.)

§ 189

وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: الرِّضَا رَفْعُ الِاخْتِيَارِ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 196)

Waqāla al-Junaydu: al-riḍā rafʿu al-ikhtiyāri. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 196)

Al-Junayd said, ‘Contentment is the relinquishing of personal choice.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 196.)

الْعُبُودِيَّةُ

Al-ʿubūdiyyatu

Servanthood

§ 191

وَيَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْعُبُودِيَّةُ تَرْكُ الْأَشْغَالِ وَالِاشْتِغَالُ بِالشُّغْلِ الَّذِي هُوَ أَصْلُ الْفَرَاغَةِ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 201)

Wayaqūlu al-Junaydu: al-ʿubūdiyyatu tarku al-ʾashghāli wa-al-ishtighālu bi-al-shughli alladhī huwa ʾaṣlu al-farāghati. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 201)

Al-Junayd says, ‘Servanthood is to leave all occupations and occupy oneself with the one concern that is the source of true freedom from care.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 201.)

الْإِرَادَةُ

Al-ʾirādatu

Aspiration

§ 193

وَيَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: إِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِالْمُرِيدِ خَيْرًا أَوْقَعَهُ إِلَى الصُّوفِيَّةِ، وَمَنَعَهُ مِنْ صُحْبَةِ الْقُرَّاءِ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 203).

Wayaqūlu al-Junaydu: ʾidhā ʾarāda Allāhu taʿālā bi-al-murīdi khayran ʾawqaʿahu ʾilā al-ṣūfiyyati, wamanaʿahu min ṣuḥbati al-qurrāʾi (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 203).

Al-Junayd says, ‘When God Most High intends good for an aspirant, He casts him among the Sufis and keeps him from the company of mere reciters.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 203.)

§ 194

وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ: مَا لِلْمُرِيدِينَ فِي مَجْرَى الْحِكَايَاتِ؟ فَقَالَ: الْحِكَايَاتُ جُنْدٌ مِنْ جُنُودِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى يُقَوِّي بِهَا قُلُوبَ الْمُرِيدِينَ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ: فَهَلْ لَكَ فِي ذَلِكَ شَاهِدٌ؟

Wasuʾila al-Junaydu: mā li-l-murīdīna fī majrā al-ḥikāyāti? faqāla: al-ḥikāyātu jundun min junūdi Allāhi taʿālā yuqawwī bihā qulūba al-murīdīna, faqīla lahu: fahal laka fī dhalika shāhidun?

Al-Junayd was asked, ‘What benefit do aspirants find in the circulation of stories?’ He replied, ‘Stories are soldiers among the soldiers of God Most High; through them He strengthens the hearts of aspirants.’ He was asked, ‘Do you have a proof for this?’

§ 195

فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: وَكُلا نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنْبَاءِ الرُّسُلِ مَا نُثَبِّتُ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ، (الرِّسَالَةَ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةَ، ص: 203).

Faqāla: naʿam qawluhu ʿazza wajalla: wakulā naquṣṣu ʿalayka min ʾanbāʾi al-rusuli mā nuthabbitu bihi fuʾādaka, (al-risālata al-qushayriyyata, ṣ: 203).

He replied, ‘Yes: God’s words—mighty and majestic—“We relate to you each of the accounts of the messengers in order to make your heart firm through it.”’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 203.)

§ 196 • SOURCE P 243

يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْمُرِيدُ الصَّادِقُ غَنِيٌّ عَنْ عِلْمِ الْعُلَمَاءِ، فَأَمَّا الْفَرْقُ بَيْنَ الْمُرِيدِ وَالْمُرَادِ: فَكُلُّ مُرِيدٍ عَلَى الْحَقِيقَةِ مُرَادٌ، إِذْ لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مُرَادُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِأَنْ يُرِيدَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ مُرِيدًا إِذْ لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا مَا أَرَادَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، وَكُلُّ مُرَادٍ مُرِيدٌ لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا أَرَادَهُ الْحَقُّ سُبْحَانَهُ بِالْخُصُوصِيَّةِ وَفَّقَهُ لِلْإِرَادَةِ، وَلَكِنَّ الْقَوْمَ فَرَّقُوا بَيْنَ الْمُرِيدِ وَالْمُرَادِ، فَالْمُرِيدُ عِنْدَهُمْ هُوَ الْمُبْتَدَى، وَالْمُرَادُ هُوَ الْمُنْتَهَى، وَالْمُرِيدُ الَّذِي نُصِبَ بِعَيْنِ التَّعَبِ، وَأَلْقَى فِي مُقَاسَاةِ الْمَشَاقِّ، وَالْمُرَادُ الَّذِي كَفَى بِالْأَمْرِ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَشَقَّةٍ، فَالْمُرِيدُ مُتَعَنٍّ، وَالْمُرَادُ مَرْفُوقٌ بِهِ مَرَفَّهٌ، وَسُنَّةُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مَعَ الْقَاصِدِينَ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ، فَأَكْثَرُهُمْ يُوَفَّقُونَ لِلْمُجَاهَدَاتِ، ثُمَّ يَصِلُونَ بَعْدَ مُقَاسَاةِ اللَّتَيَّا وَالَّتِي إِلَى سِنِيِّ الْمَعَالِي، وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ يُكَاشِفُونَ فِي الِابْتِدَاءِ بِجَلِيلِ الْمَعَانِي، وَيَصِلُونَ إِلَى مَا لَمْ يَصِلْ إِلَيْهِ كَثِيرٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الرِّيَاضَاتِ، إِلَّا أَنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَى الْمُجَاهَدَاتِ بَعْدَ الْإِرْفَاقِ، لِيَسْتَوْفِيَ مِنْهُمْ مَا فَاتَهُمْ مِنْ أَحْكَامِ أَهْلِ الرِّيَاضَةِ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 204)

Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: al-murīdu al-ṣādiqu ghaniyyun ʿan ʿilmi al-ʿulamāʾi, faʾammā al-farqu bayna al-murīdi wa-al-murādi: fakullu murīdin ʿalā al-ḥaqīqati murādun, ʾidh law lam yakun murādu Allāhi ʿazza wajalla biʾan yurīdahu lam yakun murīdan ʾidh lā yakūnu ʾillā mā ʾarādahu Allāhu taʿālā, wakullu murādin murīdun liʾannahu ʾidhā ʾarādahu al-ḥaqqu subḥānahu bi-al-khuṣūṣiyyati waffaqahu li-l-ʾirādati, walakinna al-qawma farraqū bayna al-murīdi wa-al-murādi, fa-al-murīdu ʿindahum huwa al-mubtadā, wa-al-murādu huwa al-muntahā, wa-al-murīdu alladhī nuṣiba biʿayni al-taʿabi, waʾalqā fī muqāsāti al-mashāqqi, wa-al-murādu alladhī kafā bi-al-ʾamri min ghayri mashaqqatin, fa-al-murīdu mutaʿannin, wa-al-murādu marfūqun bihi maraffahun, wasunnatu Allāhi taʿālā maʿa al-qāṣidīna mukhtalifatun, faʾaktharuhum yuwaffaqūna li-l-mujāhadāti, thumma yaṣilūna baʿda muqāsāti al-latayyā wa-allatī ʾilā siniyyi al-maʿālī, wakathīrun minhum yukāshifūna fī al-ibtidāʾi bijalīli al-maʿānī, wayaṣilūna ʾilā mā lam yaṣil ʾilayhi kathīrun min ʾaṣḥābi al-riyāḍāti, ʾillā ʾanna ʾaktharahum yuraddūna ʾilā al-mujāhadāti baʿda al-ʾirfāqi, liyastawfiya minhum mā fātahum min ʾaḥkāmi ʾahli al-riyāḍati (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 204)

Al-Junayd says, ‘The sincere aspirant has no need of the learned knowledge of scholars.’ As for the distinction between the aspirant and the one sought: every true aspirant is one whom God seeks, for had God—mighty and majestic—not sought for him to aspire, he would not be an aspirant, since only what God Most High wills can occur. And everyone whom God seeks is an aspirant, for when the Real—glory be to Him—seeks someone for special favor, He enables that person to aspire. The people of the path nevertheless distinguish the aspirant from the one sought. For them, the aspirant is the beginner and the one sought is the one at the end. The aspirant is set in the very midst of toil and cast into enduring hardships. The one sought is spared the matter without hardship. The aspirant labors; the one sought receives tender care and ease. God Most High follows differing ways with those who journey toward Him. Most are enabled to undertake disciplines and reach the heights of lofty stations only after enduring every manner of hardship. Many, however, are shown sublime meanings at the beginning and reach what many practitioners of discipline never reach. Yet most of these are returned to discipline after receiving tender ease, so that what they missed of the rules governing the disciplined may be exacted from them. (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 204.)

الاِسْتِقَامَةُ

Al-istiqāmatu

Steadfastness

§ 198

قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: لَقِيتُ شَابًّا مِنَ الْمُرِيدِينَ فِي الْبَادِيَةِ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ مِنْ شَجَرِ أُمِّ غَيْلانَ، فَقُلْتُ: مَا أَجْلَسَكَ هَهُنَا؟ فَقَالَ: حَالٌ افْتَقَدْتُهُ فَمَضَيْتُ وَتَرَكْتُهُ، فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفْتُ مِنْ الْحَجِّ إِذَا أَنَا بِالشَّابِّ قَدْ انْتَقَلَ إِلَى مَوْضِعٍ قَرِيبٍ مِنْ الشَّجَرَةِ، فَقُلْتُ مَا جُلُوسُكَ هَهُنَا؟ ! فَقَالَ وَجَدْت مَا كُنْت أَطْلُبُهُ فِي هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ فَلَزِمْته، قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ:

Qāla al-Junaydu: laqītu shābban mina al-murīdīna fī al-bādiyati taḥta shajaratin min shajari ʾummi ghaylāna, faqultu: mā ʾajlasaka hahunā? faqāla: ḥālun iftaqadtuhu famaḍaytu wataraktuhu, falammā inṣaraftu min al-ḥajji ʾidhā ʾanā bi-al-shābbi qad intaqala ʾilā mawḍiʿin qarībin min al-shajarati, faqultu mā julūsuka hahunā?! faqāla wajadt mā kunt ʾaṭlubuhu fī hadhā al-mawḍiʿi falazimth, qāla al-Junaydu:

Al-Junayd said, ‘In the desert I met a young aspirant beneath an acacia tree. I asked, “What has made you sit here?” He replied, “A state I once possessed has gone missing.” I went on and left him. When I returned from the pilgrimage, I found that the young man had moved to a place near the tree. I asked, “Why are you sitting here?” He replied, “I found in this place what I had been seeking, so I have remained here.”’ Al-Junayd said:

§ 199

فَلَا أَدْرِي أَيَّهُمَا كَانَ أَشْرَفَ، لُزُومُهُ لِافْتِقَادِ حَالِهِ، أَوْ لُزُومُهُ لِلْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي نَالَ بِهِ مُرَادَهُ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 207)

Falā ʾadrī ʾayyahumā kāna ʾashrafa, luzūmuhu li-iftiqādi ḥālihi, ʾaw luzūmuhu li-l-mawḍiʿi alladhī nāla bihi murādahu. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 207)

‘I do not know which of the two was nobler: his remaining there because he had lost his state, or his remaining in the place where he attained what he sought.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 207.)

الْإِخْلَاصُ

Al-ʾikhlāṣu

Sincerity

§ 201

وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْإِخْلَاصُ سِرٌّ بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَالْعَبْدِ، وَلَا يَعْلَمُهُ مَلَكٌ فَيَكْتُبُهُ، وَلَا شَيْطَانٌ فَيُفْسِدُهُ، وَلَا هَوًى فَيُمِيلُهُ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 209)

Waqāla al-Junaydu: al-ʾikhlāṣu sirrun bayna Allāhi wa-al-ʿabdi, walā yaʿlamuhu malakun fayaktubuhu, walā shayṭānun fayufsiduhu, walā hawanā fayumīluhu. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 209)

Al-Junayd said, ‘Sincerity is a secret between God and the servant. No angel knows it and so records it; no devil knows it and so corrupts it; and no caprice knows it and so bends it aside.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 209.)

الصِّدْقُ

Al-ṣidqu

Truthfulness

§ 203

يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: الصَّادِقُ يَتَقَلَّبُ فِي الْيَوْمِ أَرْبَعِينَ مَرَّةً، وَالْمُرَائِي يَثْبُتُ عَلَى حَالٍ وَاحِدَةٍ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 211).

Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: al-ṣādiqu yataqallabu fī al-yawmi ʾarbaʿīna marratan, wa-al-murāʾī yathbutu ʿalā ḥālin wāḥidatin ʾarbaʿīna sanatan. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 211).

Al-Junayd says, ‘The truthful person turns through forty different states in a single day, while the person who acts for show remains fixed in one state for forty years.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 211.)

§ 204

يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: حَقِيقَةُ الصِّدْقِ أَنْ تَصَدُقَ فِي مُوَاطِنَ لَا يُنْجِيكَ مِنْهَا إِلَّا الْكَذِبُ.

Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: ḥaqīqatu al-ṣidqi ʾan taṣaduqa fī muwāṭina lā yunjīka minhā ʾillā al-kadhibu.

Al-Junayd says, ‘The reality of truthfulness is that you speak the truth in situations from which only a lie could save you.’

§ 205

(الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 212)

(Al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 212)

(Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 212.)

الْحَيَاءُ

Al-ḥayāʾu

Modesty before God

§ 207

وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ الْحَيَاءِ فَقَالَ: رُؤْيَةُ الْآلَاءِ وَرُؤْيَةُ التَّقْصِيرِ، فَيَتَوَلَّدُ مِنْ بَيْنِهِمَا حَالَةٌ تُسَمَّى الْحَيَاءَ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 218)

Wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿan al-ḥayāʾi faqāla: ruʾyatu al-ʾālāʾi waruʾyatu al-taqṣīri, fayatawalladu min baynihimā ḥālatun tusammā al-ḥayāʾa. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 218)

Al-Junayd was asked about modesty before God and replied, ‘Seeing the divine blessings and seeing one’s own neglect: between the two, a state is born that is called modesty.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 218.)

الْحُرِّيَّةُ

Al-ḥurriyyatu

Freedom

§ 209

وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَمَّنْ لَمْ يَبْقَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مِقْدَارُ مَصِّ نَوَاةٍ فَقَالَ: الْمُكَاتَبُ عَبْدٌ مَا بَقِيَ عَلَيْهِ دِرْهَمٌ، وَيَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ أَيْضًا: إِنَّكَ لَا تَصِلُ إِلَى صَرِيحِ الْحُرِّيَّةِ وَعَلَيْكَ مِنْ حَقِيقَةِ عُبُودِيَّتِهِ بَقِيَّةُ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 220)

Wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿamman lam yabqa ʿalayhi min al-dunyā ʾillā miqdāru maṣṣi nawātin faqāla: al-mukātabu ʿabdun mā baqiya ʿalayhi dirhamun, wayaqūlu al-Junaydu ʾayḍan: ʾinnaka lā taṣilu ʾilā ṣarīḥi al-ḥurriyyati waʿalayka min ḥaqīqati ʿubūdiyyatihi baqiyyatu. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 220)

Al-Junayd was asked about someone to whom there remained of this world no more than the sucking of a date-stone. He replied, ‘A slave purchasing his freedom remains a slave so long as even one dirham remains unpaid.’ Al-Junayd also says, ‘You do not reach unalloyed freedom while any remnant of the reality of servanthood to Him remains unfulfilled upon you.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 220.)

الْفُتُوَّةُ

Al-futuwwatu

Spiritual Chivalry

§ 211

يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْفُتُوَّةُ بِالشَّامِ، وَاللِّسَانُ بِالْعِرَاقِ، وَالصِّدْقُ بِخُرَاسَانَ.

Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: al-futuwwatu bi-al-shāmi, wa-al-lisānu bi-al-ʿirāqi, wa-al-ṣidqu bikhurāsāna.

Al-Junayd says, ‘Spiritual chivalry is found in Syria, eloquence in Iraq, and truthfulness in Khurāsān.’

§ 212

(الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 226).

(Al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 226).

(Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 226.)

§ 213

وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ الْفُتُوَّةِ فَقَالَ: أَنْ لَا تُنَافِرَ فَقِيرًا وَلَا تُعَارِضَ غَنِيًّا. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 227).

Wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿan al-futuwwati faqāla: ʾan lā tunāfira faqīran walā tuʿāriḍa ghaniyyan. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 227).

Al-Junayd was asked about spiritual chivalry and replied, ‘That you neither shun a poor person nor contend with a rich person.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 227.)

§ 214

وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْفُتُوَّةُ كَفٌّ عَنْ الْأَذَى وَبَذْلُ النَّدَى. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 227)

Waqāla al-Junaydu: al-futuwwatu kaffun ʿan al-ʾadhā wabadhlu al-nadā. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 227)

Al-Junayd said, ‘Spiritual chivalry is withholding harm and freely giving bounty.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 227.)

الْفِرَاسَةُ

Al-firāsatu

Spiritual Insight

§ 216

كَانَ شَابٌّ يَصْحَبُ الْجُنَيْدَ، وَكَانَ يَتَكَلَّمُ عَنْ خَوَاطِرِ النَّاسِ، فَذُكِرَ لِلْجُنَيْدِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ الْجُنَيْدُ: مَا هَذَا الَّذِي ذُكِرَ عَنْكَ؟ فَقَالَ لِلْجُنَيْدِ: اعْتَقِدْ شَيْئًا، فَقَالَ:

Kāna shābbun yaṣḥabu al-Junayda, wakāna yatakallamu ʿan khawāṭiri al-nāsi, fadhukira li-l-Junaydi, faqāla lahu al-Junaydu: mā hadhā alladhī dhukira ʿanka? faqāla li-l-Junaydi: iʿtaqid shayʾan, faqāla:

A young man used to accompany al-Junayd and speak of the thoughts within people. This was mentioned to al-Junayd, who asked him, ‘What is this that has been related about you?’ The young man said to al-Junayd, ‘Form a thought within yourself.’ Al-Junayd said:

§ 217

اعْتَقَدْتَ، فَقَالَ الشَّابُّ: اعْتَقَدْت كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: لَا. فَقَالَ: اعْتَقِدْ ثَانِيًا، فَفَعَلَ، فَقَالَ: اعْتَقَدْتَ كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَقَالَ: لَا، فَقَالَ ثَالِثًا، فَقَالَ مِثْلَهُ. فَقَالَ الشَّابُّ: هَذَا عَجَبٌ أَنْتَ صَدُوقٌ، وَأَنَا أَعْرِفُ قَلْبِي، فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: صَدَقْتَ فِي الْأَوَّلِ وَالثَّانِي وَالثَّالِثِ، وَلَكِنِّي أَرَدْت أَنْ أَمْتَحِنَكَ هَلْ يَتَغَيَّرُ قَلْبُكَ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 238).

Iʿtaqadta, faqāla al-shābbu: iʿtaqadt kadhā wakadhā, faqāla al-Junaydu: lā. faqāla: iʿtaqid thāniyan, fafaʿala, faqāla: iʿtaqadta kadhā wakadhā, faqāla: lā, faqāla thālithan, faqāla mithlahu. faqāla al-shābbu: hadhā ʿajabun ʾanta ṣadūqun, waʾanā ʾaʿrifu qalbī, faqāla al-Junaydu: ṣadaqta fī al-ʾawwali wa-al-thānī wa-al-thālithi, walakinnī ʾaradt ʾan ʾamtaḥinaka hal yataghayyaru qalbuka. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 238).

‘I have formed one.’ The young man said, ‘You have thought such-and-such.’ Al-Junayd replied, ‘No.’ The young man said, ‘Form another.’ He did so, and the young man said, ‘You have thought such-and-such.’ Al-Junayd replied, ‘No.’ A third time the young man asked, and then said the same. The young man exclaimed, ‘This is astonishing! You are truthful, and I know my own heart.’ Al-Junayd replied, ‘You were right the first, second, and third times; I only wished to test whether your heart would change.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 238.)

§ 218

وَيُحْكَى عَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ أَنَّ السَّرِيَّ السَّقَطِيَّ كَانَ يَقُولُ لَهُ: تَكَلَّمْ عَلَى النَّاسِ، فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: وَكَانَ فِي قَلْبِي حِشْمَةٌ مِنَ الْكَلَامِ عَلَى النَّاسِ، فَإِنِّي كُنْتُ اتَّهِمُ نَفْسِي فِي اسْتِحْقَاقِ ذَلِكَ، فَرَأَيْتُ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الْمَنَامِ، وَكَانَتْ لَيْلُهُ جُمْعَةً، فَقَالَ لِي:

Wayuḥkā ʿani al-Junaydi ʾanna al-sariyya al-saqaṭiyya kāna yaqūlu lahu: takallam ʿalā al-nāsi, faqāla al-Junaydu: wakāna fī qalbī ḥishmatun mina al-kalāmi ʿalā al-nāsi, faʾinnī kuntu ittahimu nafsī fī istiḥqāqi dhalika, faraʾaytu dhāta laylati al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama fī al-manāmi, wakānat layluhu jumʿatan, faqāla lī:

It is related of al-Junayd that al-Sarī al-Saqaṭī used to tell him, ‘Speak publicly to the people.’ Al-Junayd said, ‘I felt a reverent reluctance in my heart about speaking to people, because I distrusted my worthiness for it. Then one Friday night I saw the Prophet—may God bless him and his family and grant them peace—in a dream. He said to me:

§ 219

تَكَلَّمْ عَلَى النَّاسِ، فَانْتَبَهْتُ وَأَتَيْتُ بَابَ السَّرِيِّ السَّقَطِيِّ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَصْبَحَ، فَدَقَقْتُ عَلَيْهِ الْبَابَ، فَقَالَ: لِمَ لَمْ تُصَدِّقْنَا حَتَّى قِيلَ لَكَ، فَقَعَدَ لِلنَّاسِ بِالْغَدِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ، فَانْتَشَرَ الْخَبَرُ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَنَّ الْجُنَيْدَ قَعَدَ يَتَكَلَّمُ عَلَى النَّاسِ، فَوَقَفَ عَلَيْهِ غُلَامٌ نَصْرَانِيٌّ مُتَنَكِّرًا، وَقَالَ لَهُ أَيُّهَا الشَّيْخُ: مَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " اتَّقُوا فِرَاسَةَ الْمُؤْمِنِ، فَإِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ يَنْظُرُ بِنُورِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى " فَأَطْرَقَ الْجُنَيْدَ، ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ، وَقَالَ: أَسْلِمْ فَقَدْ حَانَ وَقْتُ إِسْلَامُكَ، فَأَسْلَمَ الْغُلَامُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 241)

Takallam ʿalā al-nāsi, fa-intabahtu waʾataytu bāba al-sariyyi al-saqaṭiyyi qabla ʾan ʾaṣbaḥa, fadaqaqtu ʿalayhi al-bāba, faqāla: lima lam tuṣaddiqnā ḥattā qīla laka, faqaʿada li-l-nāsi bi-al-ghadi fī al-masjidi, fa-intashara al-khabaru bayna al-nāsi ʾanna al-Junayda qaʿada yatakallamu ʿalā al-nāsi, fawaqafa ʿalayhi ghulāmun naṣrāniyyun mutanakkiran, waqāla lahu ʾayyuhā al-shaykhu: mā maʿnā qawli rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama: " ittaqū firāsata al-muʾmini, faʾinna al-muʾmina yanẓuru binūri Allāhi taʿālā " faʾaṭraqa al-Junayda, thumma rafaʿa raʾsahu, waqāla: ʾaslim faqad ḥāna waqtu ʾislāmuka, faʾaslama al-ghulāmu (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 241)

“Speak publicly to the people.” I awoke and went to al-Sarī al-Saqaṭī’s door before dawn and knocked. He said, “Why did you not believe us until you were told?” The following day al-Junayd sat in the mosque to address the people, and word spread among them that al-Junayd had begun speaking publicly. A Christian youth in disguise stopped before him and asked, “Shaykh, what is the meaning of the Messenger of God’s saying—may God bless him and his family and grant them peace—‘Beware the believer’s spiritual insight, for the believer sees by the light of God Most High’?” Al-Junayd bowed his head, then raised it and said, “Accept Islam, for the time of your Islam has come.” The young man accepted Islam. (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 241.)

الْفَقْرُ

Al-faqru

Spiritual Poverty

§ 221

يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: يَا مَعْشَرَ الْفُقَرَاءِ، إِنَّكُمْ تُعْرَفُونَ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَتَكْرِمُونَ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى، فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ تَكُونُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى إِذَا خَلَوْتُمْ بِهِ. وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ الاِفْتِقَارِ إِلَى اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى: أَهُوَ أَتَمُّ أَمْ الاِسْتِغْنَاءُ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى؟ فَقَالَ: إِذَا صَحَّ الاِفْتِقَارُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَقَدْ صَحَّ الاِسْتِغْنَاءُ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَإِذَا صَحَّ الاِسْتِغْنَاءُ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى كَمُلَ الْغِنَى بِهِ، فَلَا يُقَالُ: أَيُّهُمَا أَتَمَّ الاِفْتِقَارُ أَمْ الْغِنَى؟ لِأَنَّهُمَا حَالَتَانِ لَا تَتِمُّ إِحْدَاهُمَا إِلَّا بِالْأُخْرَى. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 273).

Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: yā maʿshara al-fuqarāʾi, ʾinnakum tuʿrafūna bi-llāhi taʿālā, watakrimūna li-llāhi taʿālā, fa-inẓurū kayfa takūnūna maʿa Allāhi taʿālā ʾidhā khalawtum bihi. wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿan al-iftiqāri ʾilā Allāhi subḥānahu wataʿālā: ʾahuwa ʾatammu ʾam al-istighnāʾu bi-llāhi taʿālā? faqāla: ʾidhā ṣaḥḥa al-iftiqāru ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, faqad ṣaḥḥa al-istighnāʾu bi-llāhi taʿālā, waʾidhā ṣaḥḥa al-istighnāʾu bi-llāhi taʿālā kamula al-ghinā bihi, falā yuqālu: ʾayyuhumā ʾatamma al-iftiqāru ʾam al-ghinā? liʾannahumā ḥālatāni lā tatimmu ʾiḥdāhumā ʾillā bi-al-ʾukhrā. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 273).

Al-Junayd says, ‘Company of the poor, you are known through God Most High and honored for God Most High. Consider, then, how you are with God Most High when alone with Him.’ Al-Junayd was asked, ‘Which is more complete: neediness toward God—glory be to Him and exalted is He—or freedom from need through God Most High?’ He replied, ‘When neediness toward God—mighty and majestic—is sound, freedom from need through God Most High is sound; and when freedom from need through God Most High is sound, wealth through Him is complete. One therefore cannot ask which is more complete, neediness or wealth, for they are two states neither of which is complete without the other.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 273.)

§ 222

يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: إِذَا لَقِيتَ الْفَقِيرَ فَالْقِهُ بِالرِّفْقِ، وَلَا تَلْقَهِ بِالْعِلْمِ، فَإِنَّ الرِّفْقَ يُؤْنِسُهُ وَالْعِلْمَ يُوحِشُهُ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ، وَهَلْ هُنَاكَ فَقِيرًا يُوحِشُهُ الْعِلْمُ؟

Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: ʾidhā laqīta al-faqīra fa-al-qihu bi-al-rifqi, walā talqahi bi-al-ʿilmi, faʾinna al-rifqa yuʾnisuhu wa-al-ʿilma yūḥishuhu, faqultu: yā ʾabā al-qāsimi, wahal hunāka faqīran yūḥishuhu al-ʿilmu?

Al-Junayd says, ‘When you meet a poor person, meet him with gentleness, not with displays of knowledge, for gentleness gives him intimacy while knowledge makes him feel estranged.’ I asked, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, is there truly a poor person whom knowledge makes feel estranged?’

§ 223

فَقَالَ: نِعْمَ، الْفَقِيرُ إِذَا كَانَ صَادِقًا فِي فَقْرِهِ فَطَرَحْتَ عَلَيْهِ عِلْمَكَ ذَابَ كَمَا يَذُوبُ الرَّصَاصُ فِي النَّارِ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 276)

Faqāla: niʿma, al-faqīru ʾidhā kāna ṣādiqan fī faqrihi faṭaraḥta ʿalayhi ʿilmaka dhāba kamā yadhūbu al-raṣāṣu fī al-nāri. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 276)

He replied, ‘Yes. If the poor person is truthful in his poverty and you cast your knowledge upon him, he melts as lead melts in fire.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 276.)

التَّصَوُّفُ

Al-taṣawwufu

Sufism

§ 225

وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ التَّصَوُّفِ، فَقَالَ: هُوَ أَنْ يُمِيتَكَ الْحَقُّ عَنْكَ، وَيُحْيِيكَ بِهِ.

Wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿan al-taṣawwufi, faqāla: huwa ʾan yumītaka al-ḥaqqu ʿanka, wayuḥyīka bihi.

Al-Junayd was asked about Sufism and replied, ‘It is for the Real to cause you to die to yourself and to bring you alive through Him.’

§ 226

(الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 280).

(Al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 280).

(Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 280.)

§ 227

وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنِ التَّصَوُّفِ، فَقَالَ: هُوَ أَنْ تَكُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى بِلَا عَلَاقَةٍ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 280).

Wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿani al-taṣawwufi, faqāla: huwa ʾan takūna maʿa Allāhi taʿālā bilā ʿalāqatin (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 280).

Al-Junayd was asked about Sufism and replied, ‘It is to be with God Most High without any attachment.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 280.)

§ 228

وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: التَّصَوُّفُ عَنْوَةً لَا صُلْحَ فِيهَا. وَقَالَ أَيْضًا: هُمْ أَهْلُ بَيْتٍ وَاحِدٍ لَا يَدْخُلُ فِيهِمْ غَيْرُهُمْ. وَقَالَ أَيْضًا التَّصَوُّفُ ذِكْرٌ مَعَ اجْتِمَاعٍ، وَوَجْدٌ مَعَ اسْتِمَاعٍ وَعَمَلٌ مَعَ اتِّبَاعٍ. وَقَالَ أَيْضًا: الصُّوفِيُّ كَالْأَرْضِ، يُطْرَحُ عَلَيْهَا كُلُّ قَبِيحٍ، وَلَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا إِلَّا كُلُّ مَلِيحٍ. وَقَالَ أَيْضًا: إِنَّهُ كَالْأَرْضِ يَطَؤُهَا الْبَرُّ وَالْفَاجِرُ، وَكَالسَّحَابِ يُظِلُّ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ، وَكَالْقَطْرِ يَسْقِي كُلَّ شَيْءٍ. وَقَالَ إِذَا رَأَيْت الصُّوفِيَّ يُعْنَى بِظَاهِرِهِ، فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ بَاطِنَهُ خَرَابٌ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 281)

Waqāla al-Junaydu: al-taṣawwufu ʿanwatan lā ṣulḥa fīhā. waqāla ʾayḍan: hum ʾahlu baytin wāḥidin lā yadkhulu fīhim ghayruhum. waqāla ʾayḍan al-taṣawwufu dhikrun maʿa ijtimāʿin, wawajdun maʿa istimāʿin waʿamalun maʿa ittibāʿin. waqāla ʾayḍan: al-ṣūfiyyu ka-al-ʾarḍi, yuṭraḥu ʿalayhā kullu qabīḥin, walā yakhruju minhā ʾillā kullu malīḥin. waqāla ʾayḍan: ʾinnahu ka-al-ʾarḍi yaṭaʾuhā al-barru wa-al-fājiru, wa-ka-al-saḥābi yuẓillu kulla shayʾin, wa-ka-al-qaṭri yasqī kulla shayʾin. waqāla ʾidhā raʾayt al-ṣūfiyya yuʿnā biẓāhirihi, fa-iʿlam ʾanna bāṭinahu kharābun. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 281)

Al-Junayd said, ‘Sufism is conquest by force, with no truce in it.’ He also said, ‘They are the people of a single household into which no outsider enters.’ He also said, ‘Sufism is remembrance with gathered concentration, ecstatic finding through attentive audition, and action with faithful following.’ He also said, ‘The Sufi is like the earth: every ugly thing is cast upon it, yet nothing but what is lovely comes forth from it.’ He also said, ‘He is like the earth, which the righteous and the sinner both tread; like the cloud, which shades everything; and like the rain, which waters everything.’ He said, ‘When you see a Sufi preoccupied with his outward appearance, know that his inward being is in ruins.’ (Al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 281.)

END OF PART FOUR