رَسَائِلُ الْجُنَيْدِ الْبَغْدَادِيِّ
Rasāʾil al Junayd al Baghdādī
THE EPISTLES OF AL JUNAYD AL BAGHDADI
PART FIVE
The Remaining Topical Sayings and Principal Sources
Editorial Note
Part Five completes the topical sayings attributed to al-Junayd, continuing from Courtesy through the later selections from al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya and Kitāb al-Lumaʿ. It closes with the principal Arabic editions used for the complete five-part reading text.
TEXTUAL BASIS
The supplied Arabic reading text from the Dār Iqraʾ collection controls this edition. The cited passages in al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya and Kitāb al-Lumaʿ 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
الْأَدَبُ
Courtesy and the Topical Sayings
246–255
صِفَةُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ
The Character of the Sufis
256–260
بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ مَا اسْتَنْبَطُوا مِنْ مَعَانِي أَخْبَارِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
Insights into Prophetic Reports
261–269
مُكَاتَبَاتٌ
Correspondence
269–271
بَابٌ فِي أَشْعَارِهِمْ فِي مَعَانِي أَحْوَالِهِمْ وَإِشَارَاتِهِمْ
Poetry, Supplications, and Counsel
271–274
السَّمَاعُ وَاخْتِلَافُ أَقَاوِيلِهِمْ فِي مَعْنَاهُ
Spiritual Audition and Ecstasy
274–277
إِثْبَاتُ الْآيَاتِ وَالْكَرَامَاتِ
Signs and Charismatic Gifts
277–279
بَيَانُ هَذِهِ الْأَلْفَاظِ
Explanation of Sufi Expressions
279–282
كَلِمَاتٌ شَطْحِيَّاتٌ تُحْكَى عَنْ أَبِي يَزِيدَ
Ecstatic Utterances of Abū Yazīd
282–285
الْمَصَادِرُ الْمُعْتَمَدَةُ
Principal Sources
—
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
الْأَدَبُ
Al-ʾadabu
Courtesy
§ 007 • SOURCE P 246
يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: جَاءَنِي بَعْضُ الصَّالِحِينَ يَوْمَ جُمُعَةٍ، فَقَالَ لِي: ابْعَثْ مَعِي فَقِيرًا يُدْخِلَ عَلَيَّ سُرُورًا، وَيَأْكُلَ مَعِي شَيْئًا فَالْتَفَتُّ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِفَقِيرٍ شَهِدْتُ فِيهِ الْفَاقَةَ فَدَعَوْتُهُ وَقُلْتُ لَهُ: امْضِ مَعَ هَذَا الشَّيْخِ وَأَدْخِلْ عَلَيْهِ سُرُورًا فَمَضَى فَلَمْ أَلْبَثْ أَنْ جَاءَنِي الرَّجُلُ وَقَالَ لِي: يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ لَمْ يَأْكُلْ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ إِلَّا لُقْمَةً وَخَرَجَ فَقُلْتُ: لَعَلَّكَ قُلْتَ كَلِمَةَ جَفَاءٍ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ لِي: لَمْ أَقُلْ لَهُ شَيْئًا فَالْتَفَتُّ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِالْفَقِيرِ جَالِسٌ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ لِمَ لَمْ تُتِمَّ عَلَيْهِ السُّرُورَ؟ فَقَالَ يَا سَيِّدِي خَرَجْتُ مِنْ الْكُوفَةِ وَقَدِمْتُ بَغْدَادَ وَلَمْ أَكُلْ شَيْئًا وَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ يَبْدُوَ سُوءُ أَدَبٍ مِنِّي مِنْ جِهَةِ الْفَاقَةِ فِي حَضْرَتِكَ فَلَمَّا دَعَوْتَنِي سُرِرْتُ إِذْ جَرَى ذَلِكَ ابْتِدَاءً مِنْكَ فَمَضَيْتُ وَأَنَا لَا أَرْضَى لَهُ الْجِنَانَ فَلَمَّا جَلَسْتُ عَلَى مَائِدَتِهِ سَوَّى لُقْمَةً وَقَالَ كُلْ فَهَذَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ عَشَرَةِ آلَافِ دِرْهَمٍ فَلَمَّا سَمِعْتُ هَذَا مِنْهُ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ دَنِيءُ الْهِمَّةِ فَتَظَرَّفْتُ أَنْ آكُلَ طَعَامَهُ فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكَ إِنَّكَ أَسَأْتَ أَدَبَكَ مَعَهُ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ التَّوْبَةُ فَسَأَلَهُ أَنْ يَمْضِيَ مَعَهُ وَيُفْرِّحَهُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 287)
Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: jāʾanī baʿḍu al-ṣāliḥīna yawma jumuʿatin, faqāla lī: ibʿath maʿī faqīran yudkhila ʿalayya surūran, wayaʾkula maʿī shayʾan fa-al-tafattu faʾidhā ʾanā bifaqīrin shahidtu fīhi al-fāqata fadaʿawtuhu waqultu lahu: imḍi maʿa hadhā al-shaykhi waʾadkhil ʿalayhi surūran famaḍā falam ʾalbath ʾan jāʾanī al-rajulu waqāla lī: yā ʾabā al-qāsimi lam yaʾkul dhalika al-rajulu ʾillā luqmatan wakharaja faqultu: laʿallaka qulta kalimata jafāʾin ʿalayhi faqāla lī: lam ʾaqul lahu shayʾan fa-al-tafattu faʾidhā ʾanā bi-al-faqīri jālisun faqultu lahu lima lam tutimma ʿalayhi al-surūra? faqāla yā sayyidī kharajtu min al-kūfati waqadimtu baghdāda walam ʾakul shayʾan wakarihtu ʾan yabduwa sūʾu ʾadabin minnī min jihati al-fāqati fī ḥaḍratika falammā daʿawtanī surirtu ʾidh jarā dhalika ibtidāʾan minka famaḍaytu waʾanā lā ʾarḍā lahu al-jināna falammā jalastu ʿalā māʾidatihi sawwā luqmatan waqāla kul fahadhā ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min ʿasharati ʾālāfi dirhamin falammā samiʿtu hadhā minhu ʿalimtu ʾannahu danīʾu al-himmati fataẓarraftu ʾan ʾākula ṭaʿāmahu faqāla al-Junaydu: ʾalam ʾaqul laka ʾinnaka ʾasaʾta ʾadabaka maʿahu faqāla yā ʾabā al-qāsimi al-tawbatu fasaʾalahu ʾan yamḍiya maʿahu wayufrriḥahu (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 287)
Al-Junayd said: One Friday, a righteous man came to me and said, ‘Send a poor man with me, so that he may bring me joy and eat something with me.’ I looked around and saw a poor man whose need was plain to me. I called him and said, ‘Go with this shaykh and bring him joy.’ He went, but before long the man returned and said, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, the man ate only one morsel and left.’ I said, ‘Perhaps you spoke a harsh word to him.’ He replied, ‘I said nothing to him.’ I looked around and saw the poor man sitting there. I asked him, ‘Why did you not complete the joy you were to give him?’ He said, ‘My master, I left Kufa and came to Baghdad without eating anything. I did not want any breach of courtesy caused by need to appear from me in your presence. When you invited me, I was glad that it began with you, and I went with him ready to prefer him even to the gardens of Paradise. But when I sat at his table, he prepared a morsel and said, “Eat! This is dearer to me than ten thousand dirhams.” When I heard that, I knew him to be a man of low aspiration, and I considered myself too refined to eat his food.’ Al-Junayd said to the host, ‘Did I not tell you that you had behaved discourteously toward him?’ The man said, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, I repent.’ He then asked the poor man to go with him and make him happy. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 287)
الصُّحْبَةُ
Al-ṣuḥbatu
Companionship
§ 009
قَالَ الْأُسْتَاذُ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: لَمَّا أَثْبَتَ سُبْحَانَهُ لِلصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ الصُّحْبَةَ بَيَّنَ أَنَّهُ أَظْهَرَ عَلَيْهِ الشَّفَقَةَ فَقَالَ تَعَالَى:
Qāla al-ʾustādhu ʾabū al-qāsimi al-Junaydu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu: lammā ʾathbata subḥānahu li-l-ṣiddīqi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu al-ṣuḥbata bayyana ʾannahu ʾaẓhara ʿalayhi al-shafaqata faqāla taʿālā:
The master Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd, may God be pleased with him, said: When God—glory be to Him—affirmed companionship for the Truthful One, may God be pleased with him, He made clear that the Prophet showed him tender concern. God Most High said:
§ 010
إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا
ʾidh humā fī al-ghāri ʾidh yaqūlu liṣāḥibihi lā taḥzan ʾinna Allāha maʿanā
When the two were in the cave, and he said to his companion, ‘Do not grieve; God is with us.’
§ 011
[التَّوْبَةُ: 40] فَالْحُرُّ شَفِيقٌ عَلَى مَنْ يَصْحَبُهُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 294).
[Al-tawbatu: 40] fa-al-ḥurru shafīqun ʿalā man yaṣḥabuhu (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 294).
[al-Tawba 9:40] Thus, the truly free person is tender toward the one who accompanies him. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 294)
§ 012
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: لَمَّا دَخَلَ أَبُو حَفْصٍ بَغْدَادَ كَانَ مَعَهُ إِنْسَانٌ أَصْلَعُ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُ بِشَيْءٍ فَسَأَلْتُ أَصْحَابَ أَبِي حَفْصٍ عَنْ حَالِهِ فَقَالُوا هَذَا رَجُلٌ أَنْفَقَ عَلَيْهِ مِائَةَ أَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ وَاسْتَدَانَ مِائَةَ أَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ أَنْفَقَهَا عَلَيْهِ وَلَا يُرَخِّصُ أَبُو حَفْصٍ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ بِحَرْفِ (الرِّسَالَةِ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةِ، ص: 296)
Waqāla al-Junaydu: lammā dakhala ʾabū ḥafṣin baghdāda kāna maʿahu ʾinsānun ʾaṣlaʿu lā yatakallamu bishayʾin fasaʾaltu ʾaṣḥāba ʾabī ḥafṣin ʿan ḥālihi faqālū hadhā rajulun ʾanfaqa ʿalayhi miāʾata ʾalfi dirhamin wa-istadāna miāʾata ʾalfi dirhamin ʾanfaqahā ʿalayhi walā yurakhkhiṣu ʾabū ḥafṣin ʾan yatakallama biḥarfi (al-risālati al-qushayriyyati, ṣ: 296)
Al-Junayd said: When Abū Ḥafṣ entered Baghdad, a bald man accompanied him and never spoke a word. I asked Abū Ḥafṣ’s companions about him. They said, ‘This man spent one hundred thousand dirhams on Abū Ḥafṣ, then borrowed another hundred thousand and spent that on him as well; yet Abū Ḥafṣ does not permit him to utter a single letter.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 296)
مَعْرِفَةُ اللَّهِ
Maʿrifatu Allāhi
Knowledge of God
§ 014 • SOURCE P 247
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ الْحِكْمَةِ مَعْرِفَةُ الْمَصْنُوعِ صَانِعَهُ وَالْمُحَدِّثُ كَيْفَ كَانَ إِحْدَاثُهُ فَيُعْرِفُ صِفَةَ الْخَالِقِ مِنْ الْمَخْلُوقِ وَصِفَةَ الْقَدِيمِ مِنْ الْمُحْدَثِ وَيُذِلُّ لِدَعْوَتِهِ وَيَعْتَرِفُ بِوُجُوبِ طَاعَتِهِ فَإِنَّ مَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ مَالِكَهُ لَمْ يَعْتَرِفْ بِالْمِلْكِ لِمَنْ اسْتَوْجَبَهُ وَقَالَ أَبُو الطَّيِّبِ الْمُرَاغِيُّ لِلْعَقْلِ دَلَالَةً وَلِلْحِكْمَةِ إِشَارَةٌ وَلِلْمَعْرِفَةِ شَهَادَةٌ فَالْعَقْلُ يَدُلُّ وَالْحِكْمَةُ تُشِيرُ وَالْمَعْرِفَةُ تَشْهَدُ بِأَنَّ صَفَاءَ الْعِبَادَاتِ لَا يُنَالُ إِلَّا بِصَفَاءِ التَّوْحِيدِ وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنِ التَّوْحِيدِ فَقَالَ إِفْرَادُ الْمُوَحِّدِ بِتَحْقِيقِ وَحْدَانِيِّتِهِ بِكَمَالِ أَحَدِيَتِهِ: إِنَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ بِنَفْيِ الْأَضْدَادِ وَالْأَنْدَادِ وَالْأَشْبَاهِ بِلَا تَشْبِيهٍ وَلَا تَكْيِيفٍ وَلَا تَصْوِيرٍ وَلَا تَمْثِيلٍ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 42)
Waqāla al-Junaydu: ʾinna ʾawwala mā yaḥtāju ʾilayhi al-ʿabdu min al-ḥikmati maʿrifatu al-maṣnūʿi ṣāniʿahu wa-al-muḥaddithu kayfa kāna ʾiḥdāthuhu fayuʿrifu ṣifata al-khāliqi min al-makhlūqi waṣifata al-qadīmi min al-muḥdathi wayudhillu lidaʿwatihi wayaʿtarifu biwujūbi ṭāʿatihi faʾinna man lam yaʿrif mālikahu lam yaʿtarif bi-al-milki liman istawjabahu waqāla ʾabū al-ṭayyibi al-murāghiyyu li-l-ʿaqli dalālatan walilḥikmati ʾishāratun walilmaʿrifati shahādatun fa-al-ʿaqlu yadullu wa-al-ḥikmatu tushīru wa-al-maʿrifatu tashhadu biʾanna ṣafāʾa al-ʿibādāti lā yunālu ʾillā biṣafāʾi al-tawḥīdi wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿani al-tawḥīdi faqāla ʾifrādu al-muwaḥḥidi bitaḥqīqi waḥdāniyyitihi bikamāli ʾaḥadiyatihi: ʾinnahu al-wāḥidu alladhī lam yalid walam yūlad binafyi al-ʾaḍdādi wa-al-ʾandādi wa-al-ʾashbāhi bilā tashbīhin walā takyīfin walā taṣwīrin walā tamthīlin laysa kamithlihi shayʾun wahuwa al-samīʿu al-baṣīru (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 42)
Al-Junayd said: The first wisdom a servant needs is the created being’s knowledge of its Maker, and knowledge from the originated thing of how its origination came about. He thereby distinguishes the Creator’s attribute from that of the creature, and the Eternal from the originated; he humbles himself before God’s summons and acknowledges the binding duty of obedience to Him. Whoever does not know his Master will not acknowledge that dominion belongs to the One who rightfully possesses it. Abū al-Ṭayyib al-Marāghī said: Reason has an indication, wisdom a sign, and direct knowledge a testimony. Reason indicates, wisdom points, and direct knowledge testifies that purity of worship is attained only through purity of divine unity. Al-Junayd was asked about divine unity and said: It is the one who affirms unity singling out God through the realization of His oneness in the perfection of His absolute unity: He is the One who neither begot nor was begotten, with all opposites, rivals, and likenesses denied—without assimilation, specification of manner, imaging, or comparison. ‘Nothing is like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 42)
صِفَاتُ اللَّهِ
ṣifātu Allāhi
The Attributes of God
§ 016
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: التَّوْحِيدُ عِلْمُكَ وَإِقْرَارُكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ فَرَدَ فِي أَزَلِيَّتِهِ لَا ثَانِيَ مَعَهُ وَلَا شَيْءَ يَفْعَلُ فِعْلَهُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 43)
Waqāla al-Junaydu: al-tawḥīdu ʿilmuka waʾiqrāruka biʾanna Allāha farada fī ʾazaliyyatihi lā thāniya maʿahu walā shayʾa yafʿalu fiʿlahu (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 43)
Al-Junayd said: Divine unity is your knowledge and affirmation that God is unique in His beginningless eternity: no second is with Him, and nothing performs an act like His. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 43)
التَّوْحِيدُ
Al-tawḥīdu
Divine Unity
§ 018
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ التَّوْحِيدِ، فَقَالَ: إِفْرَادُ الْمُوَحِّدِ بِتَحْقِيقِ وَحْدَانِيِّتِهِ بِكَمَالِ أَحَدِيَتِهِ، أَنَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ بِنَفْيِ الْأَضْدَادِ وَالْأَنْدَادِ وَالْأَشْبَاهِ بِلَا تَشْبِيهٍ وَلَا تَكْيِيفٍ وَلَا تَصْوِيرٍ وَلَا تَمْثِيلٍ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ.
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿan al-tawḥīdi, faqāla: ʾifrādu al-muwaḥḥidi bitaḥqīqi waḥdāniyyitihi bikamāli ʾaḥadiyatihi, ʾannahu al-wāḥidu alladhī lam yalid walam yūlad binafyi al-ʾaḍdādi wa-al-ʾandādi wa-al-ʾashbāhi bilā tashbīhin walā takyīfin walā taṣwīrin walā tamthīlin laysa kamithlihi shayʾun wahuwa al-samīʿu al-baṣīru.
Al-Junayd was asked about divine unity and said: It is the one who affirms unity singling out God through the realization of His oneness in the perfection of His absolute unity: He is the One who neither begot nor was begotten, with all opposites, rivals, and likenesses denied—without assimilation, specification of manner, imaging, or comparison. ‘Nothing is like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.’
§ 019
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: إِذَا تَنَاهَتْ عُقُولُ الْعُقَلَاءِ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ تَنَاهَتْ إِلَى الْحَيْرَةِ. وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ التَّوْحِيدِ فَقَالَ: مَعْنَى تَضْمَحِلُّ فِيهِ الرُّسُومُ، وَتَنْدَرِجُ فِيهِ الْعُلُومُ، وَيَكُونُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى كَمَا لَمْ يَزَلْ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 299).
Waqāla al-Junaydu: ʾidhā tanāhat ʿuqūlu al-ʿuqalāʾi fī al-tawḥīdi tanāhat ʾilā al-ḥayrati. wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿan al-tawḥīdi faqāla: maʿnā taḍmaḥillu fīhi al-rusūmu, watandariju fīhi al-ʿulūmu, wayakūnu Allāhu taʿālā kamā lam yazal. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 299).
Al-Junayd said: When the minds of the intelligent reach their furthest limit in divine unity, they end in bewilderment. Asked about divine unity, he said: It is a meaning in which all traces vanish, all branches of knowledge are gathered up, and God Most High is as He has ever been. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 299)
§ 020
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ تَوْحِيدِ الْخَاصِّ فَقَالَ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْعَبْدُ شَبْحًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ تَجْرِي عَلَيْهِ تَصَارِيفُ تَدْبِيرِهِ فِي مَجَارِي أَحْكَامِ قُدْرَتِهِ فِي لُجَجِ بِحَارِ تَوْحِيدِهِ بِالْفَنَاءِ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ، وَعَنْ دَعْوَةِ الْخَلْقِ لَهُ وَعَنْ اسْتِجَابَتِهِ بِحَقَائِقِ وُجُودِهِ وَوَحْدَانِيِّتِهِ فِي حَقِيقَةِ قُرْبِهِ، بِذَهَابِ حِسِّهِ وَحَرَكَتِهِ لِقِيَامِ الْحَقِّ سُبْحَانَهُ فِيمَا أَرَادَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ أَنْ يَرْجِعَ آخِرُ الْعَبْدِ إِلَى أَوَّلِهِ، فَيَكُونُ كَمَا كَانَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَكُونَ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 299، 300).
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿan tawḥīdi al-khāṣṣi faqāla ʾan yakūna al-ʿabdu shabḥan bayna yaday Allāhi subḥānahu tajrī ʿalayhi taṣārīfu tadbīrihi fī majārī ʾaḥkāmi qudratihi fī lujaji biḥāri tawḥīdihi bi-al-fanāʾi ʿan nafsihi, waʿan daʿwati al-khalqi lahu waʿan istijābatihi biḥaqāʾiqi wujūdihi wawaḥdāniyyitihi fī ḥaqīqati qurbihi, bidhahābi ḥissihi waḥarakatihi liqiyāmi al-ḥaqqi subḥānahu fīmā ʾarāda minhu wahuwa ʾan yarjiʿa ʾākhiru al-ʿabdi ʾilā ʾawwalihi, fayakūnu kamā kāna qabla ʾan yakūna (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 299, 300).
Al-Junayd was asked about the divine unity of the elect. He said: The servant is to be a shadow before God—glory be to Him—while the workings of His governance pass over him through the courses of the decrees of His power, amid the surging seas of His unity. He is annihilated from himself, from the summons of created beings to him, and from his response to them, through the realities of God’s existence and oneness in the reality of His nearness. His sensation and movement depart because the Real—glory be to Him—undertakes in him what He wills. This is for the servant’s end to return to his beginning, so that he is as he was before he came to be. (The Qushayrī Epistle, pp. 299–300)
§ 021 • SOURCE P 248
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: أَشْرَفُ كَلِمَةٍ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ مَا قَالَهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، سُبْحَانَهُ مَنْ لَمْ يَجْعَلْ لِخَلْقِهِ سَبِيلًا إِلَى مَعْرِفَتِهِ إِلَّا بِالْعَجْزِ عَنْ مَعْرِفَتِهِ. وَقَالَ الْأُسْتَاذُ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدُ: لَيْسَ يُرِيدُ الصِّدِّيقُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ لَا يَعْرِفُ لِأَنَّ عِنْدَ الْمُحَقِّقِينَ الْعَجْزُ عَجْزٌ عَنْ الْمَوْجُودِ دُونَ الْمَعْدُومِ كَالْمُقْعَدِ عَاجِزٌ عَنْ قُعُودِهِ إِذْ لَيْسَ بِكَسْبٍ لَهُ وَلَا فِعْلٍ وَالْقُعُودُ مَوْجُودٌ فِيهِ، وَكَذَلِكَ الْعَارِفُ عَاجِزٌ عَنْ مَعْرِفَتِهِ، وَالْمَعْرِفَةُ مَوْجُودَةٌ فِيهِ لِأَنَّهَا ضَرُورِيَّةٌ، وَعِنْدَ هَذِهِ الطَّائِفَةِ: الْمُعْرَّفَةُ بِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ فِي الِانْتِهَاءِ ضَرُورِيَّةٌ، فَالْمَعْرِفَةُ الْكَسْبِيَّةُ فِي الِابْتِدَاءِ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مَعْرِفَةً عَلَى التَّحْقِيقِ، فَلَمْ يَعُدَّهَا الصِّدِّيقُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ شَيْئًا بِالْإِضَافَةِ إِلَى الْمَعْرِفَةِ الضَّرُورِيَّةِ كَالسِّرَاجِ عِنْدَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَانْبِسَاطِ شُعَاعِهَا عَلَيْهِ.
Waqāla al-Junaydu: ʾashrafu kalimatin fī al-tawḥīdi mā qālahu ʾabū bakrin al-ṣiddīqu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, subḥānahu man lam yajʿal likhalqihi sabīlan ʾilā maʿrifatihi ʾillā bi-al-ʿajzi ʿan maʿrifatihi. waqāla al-ʾustādhu ʾabū al-qāsimi al-Junaydu: laysa yurīdu al-ṣiddīqu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʾannahu lā yaʿrifu liʾanna ʿinda al-muḥaqqiqīna al-ʿajzu ʿajzun ʿan al-mawjūdi dūna al-maʿdūmi ka-al-muqʿadi ʿājizun ʿan quʿūdihi ʾidh laysa bikasbin lahu walā fiʿlin wa-al-quʿūdu mawjūdun fīhi, wakadhalika al-ʿārifu ʿājizun ʿan maʿrifatihi, wa-al-maʿrifatu mawjūdatun fīhi liʾannahā ḍarūriyyatun, waʿinda hadhihi al-ṭāʾifati: al-muʿrrafatu bihi subḥānahu fī al-intihāʾi ḍarūriyyatun, fa-al-maʿrifatu al-kasbiyyatu fī al-ibtidāʾi waʾin kānat maʿrifatan ʿalā al-taḥqīqi, falam yaʿuddahā al-ṣiddīqu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu shayʾan bi-al-ʾiḍāfati ʾilā al-maʿrifati al-ḍarūriyyati ka-al-sirāji ʿinda ṭulūʿi al-shamsi wa-inbisāṭi shuʿāʿihā ʿalayhi.
Al-Junayd said: The noblest statement on divine unity is what Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, may God be pleased with him, said: ‘Glory be to the One who gave His creatures no path to knowing Him except their inability to know Him.’ The master Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd said: The Truthful One did not mean that he had no knowledge. For those who have realized the truth, inability applies to something existent, not to something nonexistent. A person unable to rise is incapable of rising, even though his sitting is neither an acquisition nor an act of his, and sitting is present in him. Likewise, the knower is incapable of knowing God, while knowledge is present in him because it is immediate and necessary. According to this community, knowledge of God—glory be to Him—is immediate and necessary at the end. Acquired knowledge at the beginning, though truly knowledge, was therefore counted as nothing by the Truthful One beside necessary knowledge, just as a lamp counts for nothing when the sun rises and spreads its rays over it.
§ 022
(الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 300).
(Al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 300).
(The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 300)
§ 023
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: التَّوْحِيدُ الَّذِي انْفَرَدَ بِهِ الصُّوفِيَّةُ هُوَ إِفْرَادُ الْقَدَمِ عَنْ الْحَدَثِ وَالْخُرُوجِ عَنْ الْأَوْطَانِ، وَقَطْعِ الْمُحَابِّ، وَتَرْكِ مَا عَلِمَ وَجَهِلَ، وَأَنْ يَكُونَ الْحَقُّ سُبْحَانَهُ مَكَانَ الْجَمِيعِ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 300).
Qāla al-Junaydu: al-tawḥīdu alladhī infarada bihi al-ṣūfiyyatu huwa ʾifrādu al-qadami ʿan al-ḥadathi wa-al-khurūji ʿan al-ʾawṭāni, waqaṭʿi al-muḥābbi, watarki mā ʿalima wajahila, waʾan yakūna al-ḥaqqu subḥānahu makāna al-jamīʿi. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 300).
Al-Junayd said: The divine unity distinctive to the Sufis is to separate the Beginningless from the originated, leave familiar homelands, sever attachments, abandon what one knows and does not know, and let the Real—glory be to Him—stand in place of all else. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 300)
§ 024
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: عِلْمُ التَّوْحِيدِ مُبَايِنٌ لِوُجُودِهِ، وَوُجُودُهُ مُفَارِقٌ لِعِلْمِهِ. وَقَالَ أَيْضًا: عِلْمُ التَّوْحِيدِ طَوَى بِسَاطَهُ مُنْذُ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً، وَالنَّاسُ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ فِي حَوَاشِيهِ.
Waqāla al-Junaydu: ʿilmu al-tawḥīdi mubāyinun liwujūdihi, wawujūduhu mufāriqun liʿilmihi. waqāla ʾayḍan: ʿilmu al-tawḥīdi ṭawā bisāṭahu mundhu ʿishrīna sanatan, wa-al-nāsu yatakallamūna fī ḥawāshīhi.
Al-Junayd said: Knowledge of divine unity is distinct from its realization, and its realization is separate from knowledge of it. He also said: The knowledge of divine unity rolled up its carpet twenty years ago; people now speak only around its edges.
§ 025
(الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 301).
(Al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 301).
(The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 301)
§ 026
وَقَدْ سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ التَّوْحِيدِ فَقَالَ: سَمِعْتُ قَائِلًا يَقُولُ:
Waqad suʾila al-Junaydu ʿan al-tawḥīdi faqāla: samiʿtu qāʾilan yaqūlu:
Al-Junayd was asked about divine unity and said: I heard someone recite:
§ 027
وَغَنَّى لِي مِنِّي قَلْبِي * وَغَنَّيْتُ كَمَا غَنَّى * وَكُنَّا حَيْثُمَا كَانُوا * وَكَانُوا حَيْثُمَا كُنَّا
Waghannā lī minnī qalbī * waghannaytu kamā ghannā * wakunnā ḥaythumā kānū * wakānū ḥaythumā kunnā
My own heart sang to me, and I sang as it sang; / wherever they were, we were—and wherever we were, they were.
§ 028
فَقَالَ السَّائِلُ: أَهْلِكَ الْقُرْآنُ وَالْأَخْبَارُ؟ فَقَالَ: لَا، وَلَكِنَّ الْمُوَحِّدَ يَأْخُذُ أَعْلَى التَّوْحِيدِ مِنْ أَدْنَى الْخِطَابِ وَأَيْسَرِهِ!. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 302، 303).
Faqāla al-sāʾilu: ʾahlika al-qurʾānu wa-al-ʾakhbāru? faqāla: lā, walakinna al-muwaḥḥida yaʾkhudhu ʾaʿlā al-tawḥīdi min ʾadnā al-khiṭābi waʾaysarihi!. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 302, 303).
The questioner said, ‘What of the people of the Qurʾan and the transmitted reports?’ He replied, ‘No—but one who affirms unity can take its highest meaning from the humblest and simplest form of speech.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, pp. 302–303)
§ 029
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ سُئِلَ بَعْضٌ عَنِ التَّوْحِيدِ فَقَالَ هُوَ الْيَقِينُ فَقَالَ السَّائِلُ: بَيِّنْ لِي مَا هُوَ فَقَالَ هُوَ مَعْرِفَتُكَ أَنَّ حَرَكَاتِ الْخَلْقِ وَسُكُونَهُمْ فِعْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ فَإِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ وَحَّدَتْهُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 44)
Waqāla al-Junaydu suʾila baʿḍun ʿani al-tawḥīdi faqāla huwa al-yaqīnu faqāla al-sāʾilu: bayyin lī mā huwa faqāla huwa maʿrifatuka ʾanna ḥarakāti al-khalqi wasukūnahum fiʿlu Allāhi ʿazza wajalla waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu faʾidhā faʿalta dhalika faqad waḥḥadathu (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 44)
Al-Junayd said: Someone was asked about divine unity and answered, ‘It is certainty.’ The questioner said, ‘Make its nature clear to me.’ He replied, ‘It is your knowing that the movements and stillness of creatures are the act of God, mighty and majestic, alone, without partner. When you realize that, you have affirmed His unity.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 44)
§ 030
وَسَأَلَ ابْنُ شَاهِينَ الْإِمَامَ الْجُنَيْدَ عَنْ مَعْنَى مَعَ فَقَالَ «مَعَ» عَلَى مَعْنَيَيْنِ مَعَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ بِالنُّصْرَةِ وَالْكَلَاءَةِ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:
Wasaʾala ibnu shāhīna al-ʾimāma al-Junayda ʿan maʿnā maʿa faqāla «maʿa» ʿalā maʿnayayni maʿa al-ʾanbiyāʾi bi-al-nuṣrati wa-al-kalāʾati qāla Allāhu taʿālā:
Ibn Shāhīn asked Imam al-Junayd about the meaning of ‘with.’ He said: God’s being ‘with’ has two meanings: with the prophets, it is by aid and protection. God Most High said:
§ 031
إِنَّنِي مَعَكُمَا أَسْمَعُ وَأَرَى
ʾinnanī maʿakumā ʾasmaʿu waʾarā
‘I am indeed with you both; I hear and I see.’
§ 032
[طَهَ: 46] وَمَعَ الْعَامَّةِ بِالْعِلْمِ وَالْإِحَاطَةِ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:
[ṭaha: 46] wamaʿa al-ʿāmmati bi-al-ʿilmi wa-al-ʾiḥāṭati qāla Allāhu taʿālā:
[Ṭā Hā 20:46] With people generally, it is by knowledge and all-encompassing awareness. God Most High said:
§ 033
مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلَاثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ
Mā yakūnu min najwā thalāthatin ʾillā huwa rābiʿuhum
‘There is no secret counsel of three but He is their fourth.’
§ 034
[الْمُجَادَلَةِ: 7] فَقَالَ ابْنُ شَاهِينَ: مِثْلُكَ يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يَكُونَ دَالًّا لِلْأُمَةِ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 46)
[Al-mujādalati: 7] faqāla ibnu shāhīna: mithluka yaṣluḥu ʾan yakūna dāllan li-l-ʾumati ʿalā Allāhi taʿālā. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 46)
[al-Mujādila 58:7] Ibn Shāhīn said: A man like you is fit to guide the community to God Most High. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 46)
الْقَبْضُ وَالْبَسْطُ
Al-qabḍu wa-al-basṭu
Constriction and Expansion
§ 036
يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْخَوْفُ مِنَ اللَّهِ يَقْبِضُنِي وَالرَّجَاءُ مِنْهُ يَبْسُطُنِي وَالْحَقِيقَةُ تَجْمَعُنِي وَالْحَقُّ يُفَرِّقُنِي إِذَا قَبَضَنِي بِالْخَوْفِ أَفْنَانِي عَنِّي وَإِذَا بَسَطَنِي بِالرَّجَاءِ رَدَّنِي عَلَيَّ وَإِذَا جَمَعَنِي بِالْحَقِيقَةِ أَحْضَرَنِي وَإِذَا فَرَّقَنِي بِالْحَقِّ أَشْهَدَنِي غَيْرِي فَغَطَّانِي فَهُوَ تَعَالَى فِي ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ مُحَرِّكِي غَيْرُ مُمْسِكِي وَمُوحِشِي غَيْرُ مُؤْنِسِي فَأَنَا بِحُضُورِي أَذُوقُ طَعْمَ وُجُودِي فَلَيْتَهُ أَفْنَانِي عَنِّي فَمَتَّعَنِي أَوْ غَيَّبَنِي فَرَوَّحَنِي (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 59)
Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: al-khawfu mina Allāhi yaqbiḍunī wa-al-rajāʾu minhu yabsuṭunī wa-al-ḥaqīqatu tajmaʿunī wa-al-ḥaqqu yufarriqunī ʾidhā qabaḍanī bi-al-khawfi ʾafnānī ʿannī waʾidhā basaṭanī bi-al-rajāʾi raddanī ʿalayya waʾidhā jamaʿanī bi-al-ḥaqīqati ʾaḥḍaranī waʾidhā farraqanī bi-al-ḥaqqi ʾashhadanī ghayrī faghaṭṭānī fahuwa taʿālā fī dhalika kullihi muḥarrikī ghayru mumsikī wamūḥishī ghayru muʾnisī faʾanā biḥuḍūrī ʾadhūqu ṭaʿma wujūdī falaytahu ʾafnānī ʿannī famattaʿanī ʾaw ghayyabanī farawwaḥanī (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 59)
Al-Junayd said: Fear of God constricts me, hope in Him expands me, the reality gathers me, and the Real separates me. When He constricts me through fear, He annihilates me from myself; when He expands me through hope, He restores me to myself; when He gathers me through the reality, He brings me into presence; and when He separates me through the Real, He makes me witness what is other than me and so veils me. In all of this He Most High moves me without holding me, and leaves me estranged without giving me intimacy. In my presence I taste the flavor of my own existence. If only He would annihilate me from myself and give me delight, or make me absent and give me rest. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 59)
التَّوَاجُدُ وَالتَّوَجُّدُ وَالْوُجُودُ
Al-tawājudu wa-al-tawajjudu wa-al-wujūdu
Affected Ecstasy, the Stirring of Ecstasy, and Finding
§ 038
وَالْحِكَايَةِ الْمَعْرُوفَةِ لِأَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ الْجُرَيْرِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ الْجُنَيْدِ وَهُنَاكَ ابْنُ مَسْرُوقٍ فَقَامَ ابْنُ مَسْرُوقٍ وَغَيْرُهُ وَالْجُنَيْدُ سَاكِتٌ فَقُلْتُ يَا سَيِّدِي أَلَيْسَ لَكَ فِي السَّمَاعِ شَيْءٌ فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ:
Wa-al-ḥikāyati al-maʿrūfati liʾabī Muḥammadin al-jurayriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qāla kuntu ʿinda al-Junaydi wahunāka ibnu masrūqin faqāma ibnu masrūqin waghayruhu wa-al-Junaydu sākitun faqultu yā sayyidī ʾalaysa laka fī al-samāʿi shayʾun faqāla al-Junaydu:
There is the well-known account of Abū Muḥammad al-Jurayrī, may God have mercy on him. He said: I was with al-Junayd, and Ibn Masrūq was there. Ibn Masrūq and others rose in ecstasy while al-Junayd remained still. I said, ‘My master, do you feel nothing when listening?’ Al-Junayd replied:
§ 039
وَتَرَى الْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَهِيَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ
Watarā al-jibāla taḥsabuhā jāmidatan wahiya tamurru marra al-saḥābi
‘You see the mountains and suppose them fixed, while they pass like the passing of clouds.’
§ 040
[النَّمْلِ: 88] ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَأَنْتَ يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَلَيْسَ لَكَ فِي السَّمَاعِ شَيْءٌ فَقُلْتُ: يَا سَيِّدِي أَنَا إِذَا حَضَرْتُ مَوْضِعًا فِيهِ سَمَاعٌ وَهُنَاكَ مُحْتَشِمٌ أَمْسَكْتُ عَلَى نَفْسِي وَجْدِي فَإِذَا خَلَوْتُ أَرْسَلْتُ وَجْدِي فَتَوَاجَدْتُ فَأَطْلَقَ التَّوَاجُدَ فِي هَذِهِ الْحِكَايَةِ وَلَمْ يُنْكِرْ عَلَيْهِ الْجُنَيْدُ ذَلِكَ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 62)
[Al-namli: 88] thumma qāla: waʾanta yā ʾabā Muḥammadin ʾalaysa laka fī al-samāʿi shayʾun faqultu: yā sayyidī ʾanā ʾidhā ḥaḍartu mawḍiʿan fīhi samāʿun wahunāka muḥtashimun ʾamsaktu ʿalā nafsī wajdī faʾidhā khalawtu ʾarsaltu wajdī fatawājadtu faʾaṭlaqa al-tawājuda fī hadhihi al-ḥikāyati walam yunkir ʿalayhi al-Junaydu dhalika (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 62)
[al-Naml 27:88] Then he said, ‘And you, Abū Muḥammad—do you feel nothing when listening?’ I said, ‘My master, when I attend a gathering of audition and someone whose dignity restrains me is present, I hold my ecstasy in check. When I am alone, I release it and enact ecstasy.’ In this account he permitted enacted ecstasy, and al-Junayd did not object to it. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 62)
الْمُشَاهَدَةُ
Al-mushāhadatu
Witnessing
§ 042
وَحَقُّ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ مَا قَالَهُ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: وُجُودُ الْحَقِّ مَعَ فُقْدَانِكَ فَصَاحِبُ الْمُحَاضَرَةِ مَرْبُوطٌ بِآيِلَتِهِ وَصَاحِبُ الْمُكَاشَفَةِ مَبْسُوطٌ بِصِفَاتِهِ وَصَاحِبُ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ مُلْقًى بِذَاتِهِ وَصَاحِبُ الْمُحَاضَرَةِ يَهْدِيهِ عَقْلُهُ وَصَاحِبُ الْمُكَاشَفَةِ يُدْنِيهِ عِلْمُهُ وَصَاحِبُ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ تَمْحُوهُ مَعْرِفَتُهُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 75)
Waḥaqqu al-mushāhadati mā qālahu al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: wujūdu al-ḥaqqi maʿa fuqdānika faṣāḥibu al-muḥāḍarati marbūṭun biʾāyilatihi waṣāḥibu al-mukāshafati mabsūṭun biṣifātihi waṣāḥibu al-mushāhadati mulqanā bidhātihi waṣāḥibu al-muḥāḍarati yahdīhi ʿaqluhu waṣāḥibu al-mukāshafati yudnīhi ʿilmuhu waṣāḥibu al-mushāhadati tamḥūhu maʿrifatuhu (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 75)
The true meaning of witnessing is what al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: ‘The presence of the Real together with your own absence.’ The person in presence is bound to His signs; the person in unveiling is opened out through His attributes; and the person in witnessing is cast away through his own essence. The person in presence is guided by his reason, the person in unveiling is drawn near by his knowledge, and the person in witnessing is effaced by his direct knowledge. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 75)
الْخَوَاطِرُ
Al-khawāṭiru
Passing Thoughts
§ 044 • SOURCE P 250
وَفَرَّقَ الْجُنَيْدُ بَيْنَ هَوَاجِسِ النَّفْسِ وَوَسَاوِسِ الشَّيْطَانِ بِأَنَّ النَّفْسَ إِذَا طَالَبَتْكَ بِشَيْءٍ أَلَحَّتْ فَلَا تَزَالُ تُعَاوِدُكَ وَلَوْ بَعْدَ حِينٍ حَتَّى تَصِلَ إِلَى مُرَادِهَا وَيَحْصُلَ مَقْصُودُهَا اللَّهُمَّ إِلَّا أَنْ يَدُومَ صِدْقُ الْمُجَاهَدَةِ ثُمَّ إِنَّهَا تُعَاوِدُكَ وَتُعَاوِدُكَ وَأَمَّا الشَّيْطَانُ إِذَا دَعَاكَ إِلَى زَلَّةٍ فَخَالَفْتَهُ بِتَرْكِ ذَلِكَ يُوَسْوِسُ بِزَلَّةٍ أُخْرَى لِأَنَّ جَمِيعَ الْمُخَالَفَاتِ لَهُ سَوَاءٌ وَإِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَكُونَ دَاعِيًا دَائِمًا إِلَى زَلَّةٍ مَا وَلَا غَرَضَ لَهُ فِي تَخْفِيفِ وَاحِدٍ وَقِيلَ كُلُّ خَاطِرٍ يَكُونُ مِنْ الْمُلْكِ فَرُبَّمَا يُوَافِقُهُ صَاحِبُهُ وَرُبَّمَا يُخَالِفُهُ وَإِذَا كَانَ الْخَاطِرُ مِنْ الْحَقِّ سُبْحَانَهُ فَلَا يَحْصُلُ خِلَافٌ مِنْ الْعَبْدِ لَهُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 84).
Wafarraqa al-Junaydu bayna hawājisi al-nafsi wawasāwisi al-shayṭāni biʾanna al-nafsa ʾidhā ṭālabatka bishayʾin ʾalaḥḥat falā tazālu tuʿāwiduka walaw baʿda ḥīnin ḥattā taṣila ʾilā murādihā wayaḥṣula maqṣūduhā Allāhumma ʾillā ʾan yadūma ṣidqu al-mujāhadati thumma ʾinnahā tuʿāwiduka watuʿāwiduka waʾammā al-shayṭānu ʾidhā daʿāka ʾilā zallatin fakhālaftahu bitarki dhalika yuwaswisu bizallatin ʾukhrā liʾanna jamīʿa al-mukhālafāti lahu sawāʾun waʾinnamā yurīdu ʾan yakūna dāʿiyan dāʾiman ʾilā zallatin mā walā gharaḍa lahu fī takhfīfi wāḥidin waqīla kullu khāṭirin yakūnu min al-mulki farubbamā yuwāfiquhu ṣāḥibuhu warubbamā yukhālifuhu waʾidhā kāna al-khāṭiru min al-ḥaqqi subḥānahu falā yaḥṣulu khilāfun min al-ʿabdi lahu (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 84).
Al-Junayd distinguished the impulses of the lower self from Satan’s whisperings in this way: when the lower self demands something of you, it insists and keeps returning—even after a time—until it obtains what it wants and achieves its purpose, unless, God willing, sincere striving is maintained. Even then it returns again and again. But when Satan calls you to a lapse and you oppose him by leaving it, he whispers another lapse, because every act of disobedience is the same to him. He wants only to keep inviting you to some lapse or other; he has no concern for one particular fault. It is said that every thought from the angel may be obeyed or disobeyed by its recipient, but when a thought comes from the Real—glory be to Him—the servant does not oppose it. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 84)
§ 045
وَتَكَلَّمَ الشُّيُوخُ فِي الْخَاطِرِ الثَّانِي فَقَالُوا إِذَا كَانَ الْخَاطِرُ مِنْ الْحَقِّ سُبْحَانَهُ فَهَلْ هُوَ أَقْوَى مِنْ الْأَوَّلِ؟ : قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْخَاطِرُ الْأَوَّلُ أَقْوَى لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا بَقِيَ رَجَعَ صَاحِبُهُ إِلَى التَّأَمُّلِ وَهَذَا بِشَرْطِ الْعِلْمِ فَتَرْكُ الْأَوَّلِ يُضْعِفُ الثَّانِي (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 84)
Watakallama al-shuyūkhu fī al-khāṭiri al-thānī faqālū ʾidhā kāna al-khāṭiru min al-ḥaqqi subḥānahu fahal huwa ʾaqwā min al-ʾawwali?: qāla al-Junaydu: al-khāṭiru al-ʾawwalu ʾaqwā liʾannahu ʾidhā baqiya rajaʿa ṣāḥibuhu ʾilā al-taʾammuli wahadhā bisharṭi al-ʿilmi fatarku al-ʾawwali yuḍʿifu al-thānī (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 84)
The shaykhs discussed a thought that returns a second time. They asked: when a thought comes from the Real—glory be to Him—is the second stronger than the first? Al-Junayd said: The first thought is stronger, for if it remains, its recipient returns to reflection. This is subject to the measure of knowledge: abandoning the first weakens the second. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 84)
التَّوْبَةُ
Al-tawbatu
Repentance
§ 047
سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ التَّوْبَةُ عَلَى ثَلَاثِ مَعَانٍ: أَوَّلُهَا النَّدَمُ وَثَانِيهَا الْعَزْمُ عَلَى تَرْكِ الْمُعَاوَدَةِ إِلَى مَا نَهَى اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَثَالِثُهَا السَّعْيُ فِي أَدَاءِ الْمَظَالِمِ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 95).
Samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu al-tawbatu ʿalā thalāthi maʿānin: ʾawwaluhā al-nadamu wathānīhā al-ʿazmu ʿalā tarki al-muʿāwadati ʾilā mā nahā Allāhu ʿanhu wathālithuhā al-saʿyu fī ʾadāʾi al-maẓālimi (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 95).
I heard al-Junayd say: Repentance has three meanings. The first is remorse; the second is resolve never to return to what God has forbidden; and the third is striving to restore the rights one has wrongfully taken. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 95)
§ 048
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى السَّرِيِّ يَوْمًا فَرَأَيْتُهُ مُتَغَيِّرًا فَقُلْتُ لَهُ مَالَكَ فَقَالَ دَخَلَ عَلَيَّ شَابٌّ فَسَأَلَنِي عَنْ التَّوْبَةِ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ لَا تَنْسَ ذَنْبَكَ فَعَارَضَنِي وَقَالَ بَلِ التَّوْبَةُ أَنْ تَنْسَى ذَنْبَكَ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّ الْأَمْرَ عِنْدِي مَا قَالَهُ الشَّابُّ فَقَالَ: لِمَ قُلْتَ؟ قَالَ لِأَنِّي كُنْتُ فِي حَالِ الْجَفَاءِ فَنَقَلَنِي إِلَى حَالِ الْوَفَاءِ فَذِكْرُ الْجَفَاءِ فِي حَالِ الصَّفَاءِ جَفَاءٌ فَسَكَتَ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 95).
Waqāla al-Junaydu: dakhaltu ʿalā al-sariyyi yawman faraʾaytuhu mutaghayyiran faqultu lahu mālaka faqāla dakhala ʿalayya shābbun fasaʾalanī ʿan al-tawbati faqultu lahu lā tansa dhanbaka faʿāraḍanī waqāla bali al-tawbatu ʾan tansā dhanbaka faqultu ʾinna al-ʾamra ʿindī mā qālahu al-shābbu faqāla: lima qulta? qāla liʾannī kuntu fī ḥāli al-jafāʾi fanaqalanī ʾilā ḥāli al-wafāʾi fadhikru al-jafāʾi fī ḥāli al-ṣafāʾi jafāʾun fasakata (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 95).
Al-Junayd said: One day I went in to al-Sarī and found him changed. I asked, ‘What is the matter?’ He said, ‘A young man came and asked me about repentance. I told him, “Never forget your sin.” He opposed me and said, “Rather, repentance is that you forget your sin.”’ I said, ‘In my view the matter is as the young man said.’ He asked, ‘Why?’ I replied, ‘Because I was in a state of estrangement, and He transferred me to a state of fidelity. To recall estrangement while in a state of purity is itself estrangement.’ Al-Sarī fell silent. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 95)
§ 049
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنِ التَّوْبَةِ فَقَالَ أَنْ تَنْسَى ذَنْبَكَ (الرِّسَالَةَ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةَ، ص: 95)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿani al-tawbati faqāla ʾan tansā dhanbaka (al-risālata al-qushayriyyata, ṣ: 95)
Al-Junayd was asked about repentance and said: It is to forget your sin. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 95)
الْعُزْلَةُ
Al-ʿuzlatu
Seclusion
§ 051
يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: مُكَابَدَةُ الْعُزْلَةِ أَيْسَرُ مِنْ مُدَارَاةِ الْخُلْطَةِ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 103).
Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: mukābadatu al-ʿuzlati ʾaysaru min mudārāti al-khulṭati (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 103).
Al-Junayd said: Enduring the hardship of seclusion is easier than managing the demands of social company. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 103)
§ 052
سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ يَقُولُ: مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَسْلَمَ لَهُ دِينَهُ وَيَسْتَرِيحَ بَدَنَهُ وَقَلْبَهُ فَلْيَعْتَزِلِ النَّاسَ فَإِنَّ هَذَا زَمَانُ وَحْشَةٍ وَالْعَاقِلُ مَنِ اخْتَارَ فِيهِ الْوَحْدَةَ وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الرَّازِيَّ يَقُولُ: قَالَ أَبُو يَعْقُوبَ السُّوسِيُّ: لَا يَقْوَى عَلَى الِانْفِرَادِ إِلَّا الْأَقْوِيَاءُ وَلِأَمْثَالِنَا الِاجْتِمَاعُ أَوْفَرُ وَأَنْفَعُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 104)
Samiʿtu al-Junayda yaqūlu: man ʾarāda ʾan yaslama lahu dīnahu wayastarīḥa badanahu waqalbahu falyaʿtazili al-nāsa faʾinna hadhā zamānu waḥshatin wa-al-ʿāqilu mani ikhtāra fīhi al-waḥdata wasamiʿtuhu yaqūlu samiʿtu ʾabā bakrin al-rāziyya yaqūlu: qāla ʾabū yaʿqūba al-sūsiyyu: lā yaqwā ʿalā al-infirādi ʾillā al-ʾaqwiyāʾu waliʾamthālinā al-ijtimāʿu ʾawfaru waʾanfaʿu (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 104)
I heard al-Junayd say: Whoever wants his religion to remain sound and his body and heart to find rest should withdraw from people. This is an age of estrangement, and the intelligent person is the one who chooses solitude in it. I also heard him say: I heard Abū Bakr al-Rāzī say that Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sūsī said, ‘Only the strong can bear complete isolation. For people like us, gathering with others is safer and more beneficial.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 104)
التَّقْوَى
Al-taqwā
Godfearingness
§ 054
كَانَ الْجُنَيْدُ جَالِسًا مَعَ رُوَيْمٍ وَالْحَرِيرِيِّ وَابْنِ عَطَاءٍ فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ مَا نَجَا مِنْ نَجَا إِلَّا بِصِدْقِ اللَّجَأِ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:
Kāna al-Junaydu jālisan maʿa ruwaymin wa-al-ḥarīriyyi wa-ibni ʿaṭāʾin faqāla al-Junaydu mā najā min najā ʾillā biṣidqi al-lajaʾi qāla Allāhu taʿālā:
Al-Junayd was sitting with Ruwaym, al-Ḥarīrī, and Ibn ʿAṭāʾ. He said: Whoever was saved was saved only through sincere recourse. God Most High said:
§ 055 • SOURCE P 251
وَعَلَى الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا حَتَّى إِذَا ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ
Waʿalā al-thalāthati alladhīna khullifū ḥattā ʾidhā ḍāqat ʿalayhimu al-ʾarḍu bimā raḥubat waḍāqat ʿalayhim ʾanfusuhum
‘And He turned in mercy toward the three who were left behind, until the earth, vast as it is, became narrow for them, and their own souls became narrow for them.’
§ 056
[التَّوْبَةُ: 118] (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 108)
[Al-tawbatu: 118] (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 108)
[al-Tawba 9:118] (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 108)
الزُّهْدُ
Al-zuhdu
Renunciation
§ 058
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: الزُّهْدُ خُلُوُّ الْقَلْبِ عَمَّا خَلَتْ مِنْهُ الْيَدُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 116)
Waqāla al-Junaydu: al-zuhdu khuluwwu al-qalbi ʿammā khalat minhu al-yadu (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 116)
Al-Junayd said: Renunciation is the heart’s being empty of what the hand no longer holds. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 116)
§ 059
سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ وَقَدْ سَأَلَهُ رُوَيْمٌ عَنِ الزُّهْدِ فَقَالَ: اسْتِصْغَارُ الدُّنْيَا وَمَحْوُ آثَارِهَا مِنَ الْقَلْبِ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 117).
Samiʿtu al-Junayda waqad saʾalahu ruwaymun ʿani al-zuhdi faqāla: istiṣghāru al-dunyā wamaḥwu ʾāthārihā mina al-qalbi (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 117).
I heard al-Junayd when Ruwaym asked him about renunciation. He said: It is to regard this world as little and erase its traces from the heart. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 117)
§ 060
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنِ الزُّهْدِ فَقَالَ: خُلُوُّ الْيَدِ مِنَ الْمُلْكِ وَالْقَلْبِ مِنَ التَّتَبُّعِ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 117)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿani al-zuhdi faqāla: khuluwwu al-yadi mina al-mulki wa-al-qalbi mina al-tatabbuʿi (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 117)
Al-Junayd was asked about renunciation and said: It is the hand’s being empty of possessions and the heart’s being free of pursuing them. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 117)
§ 062
سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنِ الْخَوْفِ فَقَالَ: تَوَقُّعُ الْعُقُوبَةِ مَعَ مَجَارَى الْأَنْفَاسِ (الرِّسَالَةِ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةِ، ص: 127)
Suʾila al-Junaydu ʿani al-khawfi faqāla: tawaqquʿu al-ʿuqūbati maʿa majārā al-ʾanfāsi (al-risālati al-qushayriyyati, ṣ: 127)
Al-Junayd was asked about fear and said: It is expecting punishment with every passing breath. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 127)
التَّوَاضُعُ
Al-tawāḍuʿu
Humility
§ 064
سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنِ التَّوَاضُعِ فَأَجَابَ: خَفْضَ الْجَنَاحِ لِلْخَلْقِ وَلِينُ الْجَانِبِ لَهُمُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 148)
Suʾila al-Junaydu ʿani al-tawāḍuʿi faʾajāba: khafḍa al-janāḥi li-l-khalqi walīnu al-jānibi lahumu (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 148)
Al-Junayd was asked about humility and answered: It is lowering one’s wing to people and treating them gently. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 148)
مُخَالَفَةُ النَّفْسِ
Mukhālafatu al-nafsi
Opposing the Lower Self
§ 066
يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ النَّفْسُ الْأَمَّارَةُ بِالسُّوءِ هِيَ الدَّاعِيَةُ إِلَى الْمَهَالِكِ الْمُعِينَةُ لِلْأَعْدَاءِ الْمُتَّبَعَةِ لِلْهَوَى الْمُتَّهَمَةِ بِأَصْنَافِ الْأَسْوَاءِ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 152).
Yaqūlu al-Junaydu al-nafsu al-ʾammāratu bi-al-sūʾi hiya al-dāʿiyatu ʾilā al-mahāliki al-muʿīnatu li-l-ʾaʿdāʾi al-muttabaʿati li-l-hawā al-muttahamati biʾaṣnāfi al-ʾaswāʾi (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 152).
Al-Junayd said: The self that commands evil calls one to ruin, aids one’s enemies, follows caprice, and stands accused of every kind of evil. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 152)
§ 067 • SOURCE P 252
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ أَرِقْتُ لَيْلَةً فَقُمْتُ إِلَى وِرْدِي فَلَمْ أَجِدْ مَا كُنْتُ أَجِدُ مِنْ الْحَلَاوَةِ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَنَامَ فَلَمْ أَقْدِرْ عَلَيْهِ فَقَعَدْتُ فَلَمْ أُطِقْ الْقُعُودَ فَفَتَحْتُ الْبَابَ وَخَرَجْتُ فَإِذَا رَجُلٌ مُلْتَفٍ فِي عَبَاءَةٍ مَطْرُوحٌ عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ بِي رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ وَقَالَ يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ إِلَى السَّاعَةِ فَقُلْتُ يَا سَيِّدِي مَنْ غَيْرُ مَوْعِدٍ فَقَالَ بَلَى قَدْ سَأَلْتُ مُحَرِّكَ الْقُلُوبِ أَنْ يُحَرِّكَ لِي قَلْبَكَ فَقُلْتُ قَدْ فَعَلَ فَمَا حَاجَتُكَ فَقَالَ مَتَى يَصِيرُ دَاءُ النَّفْسِ دَوَاءً؟ فَقُلْتُ إِذَا خَالَفَتْ النَّفْسُ هَوَاهَا صَارَ دَاؤُهَا دَوَاءَهَا فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَقَالَ اسْمَعِي قَدْ أَجَبْتُكَ بِهَذَا الْجَوَابِ سَبْعَ مَرَّاتٍ فَأَبَيْتِ إِلَّا أَنْ تَسْمَعِيهِ مِنْ الْجُنَيْدِ وَقَدْ سَمِعْتِ. وَانْصَرَفَ عَنِّي وَلَمْ أَعْرِفْهُ وَلَمْ أَقِفْ عَلَيْهِ (الرِّسَالَةَ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةَ، ص: 152)
Qāla al-Junaydu ʾariqtu laylatan faqumtu ʾilā wirdī falam ʾajid mā kuntu ʾajidu min al-ḥalāwati faʾaradtu ʾan ʾanāma falam ʾaqdir ʿalayhi faqaʿadtu falam ʾuṭiq al-quʿūda fafataḥtu al-bāba wakharajtu faʾidhā rajulun multafin fī ʿabāʾatin maṭrūḥun ʿalā al-ṭarīqi falammā ʾaḥassa bī rafaʿa raʾsahu waqāla yā ʾabā al-qāsimi ʾilā al-sāʿati faqultu yā sayyidī man ghayru mawʿidin faqāla balā qad saʾaltu muḥarrika al-qulūbi ʾan yuḥarrika lī qalbaka faqultu qad faʿala famā ḥājatuka faqāla matā yaṣīru dāʾu al-nafsi dawāʾan? faqultu ʾidhā khālafat al-nafsu hawāhā ṣāra dāʾuhā dawāʾahā faʾaqbala ʿalā nafsihi waqāla ismaʿī qad ʾajabtuka bihadhā al-jawābi sabʿa marrātin faʾabayti ʾillā ʾan tasmaʿīhi min al-Junaydi waqad samiʿti. wa-inṣarafa ʿannī walam ʾaʿrifhu walam ʾaqif ʿalayhi (al-risālata al-qushayriyyata, ṣ: 152)
Al-Junayd said: One night I lay awake, so I rose to perform my customary devotions, but I did not find the sweetness I usually found. I wanted to sleep but could not; I sat down but could not bear sitting. I opened the door and went out. A man wrapped in a cloak lay in the road. When he sensed me, he raised his head and said, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, at last!’ I asked, ‘My master, without an appointment?’ He replied, ‘Indeed. I asked the Mover of hearts to move your heart for me.’ I said, ‘He has done so. What do you need?’ He asked, ‘When does the sickness of the lower self become its cure?’ I replied, ‘When the self opposes its desire, its sickness becomes its cure.’ He turned to himself and said, ‘Listen! I have given you this answer seven times, but you insisted on hearing it from al-Junayd. Now you have heard it.’ Then he left me. I neither knew who he was nor discovered his identity. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 152)
التَّوَكُّلُ
Al-tawakkulu
Trust in God
§ 069
وَقِيلَ: دَخَلَ جَمَاعَةٌ عَلَى الْجُنَيْدِ فَقَالُوا: أَيْنَ نَطْلُبُ الرِّزْقَ؟ فَقَالَ: إِنْ عَلِمْتُمْ فِي أَيِّ مَوْضِعٍ فَاطْلُبُوهُ، قَالُوا: فَنَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ: إِنْ عَلِمْتُمْ أَنَّهُ يَنْسَاكُمْ فَاذْكُرُوهُ، فَقَالُوا: نَدْخُلُ الْبَيْتَ فَنَتَوَكَّلُ، فَقَالَ التَّجْرِبَةُ شَكَّ، قَالُوا: فَمَا الْحِيلَةُ؟ فَقَالَ: تَرْكُ الْحِيلَةِ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 168، 169)
Waqīla: dakhala jamāʿatun ʿalā al-Junaydi faqālū: ʾayna naṭlubu al-rizqa? faqāla: ʾin ʿalimtum fī ʾayyi mawḍiʿin fa-iṭlubūhu, qālū: fanasʾalu Allāha taʿālā dhalika, faqāla: ʾin ʿalimtum ʾannahu yansākum fa-idhkurūhu, faqālū: nadkhulu al-bayta fanatawakkalu, faqāla al-tajribatu shakka, qālū: famā al-ḥīlatu? faqāla: tarku al-ḥīlati. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 168, 169)
It is related that a group came to al-Junayd and asked, ‘Where should we seek our provision?’ He replied, ‘If you know where it is, seek it there.’ They said, ‘Then we shall ask God Most High for it.’ He replied, ‘If you think He may forget you, remind Him.’ They said, ‘We shall stay at home and put our trust in God.’ He answered, ‘Putting Him to the test is doubt.’ They asked, ‘What course remains?’ He said, ‘Abandon all contrivance.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, pp. 168–169)
الشُّكْرُ
Al-shukru
Gratitude
§ 071
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: الشُّكْرُ أَنْ لَا تَرَى نَفْسَكَ أَهْلًا لِلنِّعْمَةِ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 174).
Waqāla al-Junaydu: al-shukru ʾan lā tarā nafsaka ʾahlan li-l-niʿmati (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 174).
Al-Junayd said: Gratitude is not to consider yourself worthy of the blessing. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 174)
§ 072
يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: كُنْتُ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ السَّرِيِّ أَلْعَبُ، وَأَنَا ابْنُ سَبْعِ سِنِينَ، وَبَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ جَمَاعَةٌ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ فِي الشُّكْرِ، فَقَالَ لِي: يَا غُلَامُ مَا الشُّكْرُ؟ فَقُلْتُ: أَنْ لَا تَعْصِيَ اللَّهَ بِنِعَمِهِ. فَقَالَ: يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَكُونَ حَظُّكَ مِنْ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لِسَانَكَ. قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: فَلَا أَزَالُ أَبْكِي عَلَى هَذِهِ الْكَلِمَةِ الَّتِي قَالَهَا السَّرِيُّ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 175).
Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: kuntu bayna yadayi al-sariyyi ʾalʿabu, waʾanā ibnu sabʿi sinīna, wabayna yadayhi jamāʿatun yatakallamūna fī al-shukri, faqāla lī: yā ghulāmu mā al-shukru? faqultu: ʾan lā taʿṣiya Allāha biniʿamihi. faqāla: yūshiku ʾan yakūna ḥaẓẓuka min Allāhi taʿālā lisānaka. qāla al-Junaydu: falā ʾazālu ʾabkī ʿalā hadhihi al-kalimati allatī qālahā al-sariyyu. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 175).
Al-Junayd said: I was playing before al-Sarī when I was seven years old, while a group before him were discussing gratitude. He asked me, ‘Boy, what is gratitude?’ I replied, ‘That you do not disobey God by means of His blessings.’ He said, ‘Your share from God Most High may soon be nothing but your tongue.’ Al-Junayd said: I have never ceased weeping over that statement of al-Sarī. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 175)
§ 073
يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: كَانَ السَّرِيُّ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَنْفَعَنِي يَسْأَلُنِي، فَقَالَ لِي يَوْمًا: يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ مَا الشُّكْرُ؟ فَقُلْتُ: أَنْ لَا يُسْتَعَانَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ نِعَمِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَى مَعَاصِيهِ، فَقَالَ: مِنْ أَيْنَ لَكَ هَذَا؟ فَقُلْتُ: مِنْ مُجَالَسَتِكَ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 176)
Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: kāna al-sariyyu ʾidhā ʾarāda ʾan yanfaʿanī yasʾalunī, faqāla lī yawman: yā ʾabā al-qāsimi mā al-shukru? faqultu: ʾan lā yustaʿāna bishayʾin min niʿami Allāhi taʿālā ʿalā maʿāṣīhi, faqāla: min ʾayna laka hadhā? faqultu: min mujālasatika. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 176)
Al-Junayd said: When al-Sarī wanted to benefit me, he would question me. One day he asked, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, what is gratitude?’ I replied, ‘That none of God Most High’s blessings be used to disobey Him.’ He asked, ‘Where did you learn that?’ I said, ‘From sitting with you.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 176)
الْغِيبَةُ
Al-ghībatu
Backbiting
§ 075 • SOURCE P 253
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: كُنْتُ جَالِسًا فِي مَسْجِدِ الشُّونِيزِيَّةِ أَنْتَظِرُ جِنَازَةً أُصَلِّي عَلَيْهَا، وَأَهْلُ بَغْدَادَ عَلَى طَبَقَاتِهِمْ يَنْتَظِرُونَ الْجِنَازَةَ، فَرَأَيْتُ فَقِيرًا عَلَيْهِ أَثَرُ النُّسُكِ يَسْأَلُ النَّاسَ، فَقُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي: لَوْ عَمِلَ هَذَا عَمَلًا يَصُونُ بِهِ نَفْسَهُ كَانَ أَجْمَلَ بِهِ. فَلَمَّا اِنْصَرَفْتُ إِلَى مَنْزِلِي، وَكَانَ لَدَيَّ شَيْءٌ مِنْ الْوَرْدِ بِاللَّيْلِ حَتَّى الْبُكَاءِ وَالصَّلَاةِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، فَثَقُلَتْ عَلَيَّ جَمِيعُ أَوْرَادِي فَسَهِرْتُ وَأَنَا قَاعِدٌ فَغَلَبَنِي النُّعَاسُ، فَرَأَيْتُ ذَلِكَ الْفَقِيرَ قَدْ جَاءُوا بِهِ عَلَى خِوَانٍ مَمْدُودٍ، وَقَالُوا لِي: كُلْ لَحْمَهُ فَقَدِ اغْتَبْتَهُ وَكَشَفَ لِي عَنْ الْحَالِ، فَقُلْتُ: مَا اغْتَبْتُهُ. إِنَّمَا قُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي شَيْئًا، فَقِيلَ لِي: مَا أَنْتَ مِمَّنْ يُرْضَى مِنْكَ بِمِثْلِهِ، فَاذْهَبْ فَاسْتَحِلَّهُ، وَلَمْ أَزَلْ أَتَرَدَّدُ حَتَّى رَأَيْتُهُ فِي مَوْضِعٍ يَلْتَقِطُ عِنْدَ تَرَادِّ الْمَاءِ أَوْرَاقًا مِنْ الْبَقْلِ، فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ، أَتَعُودُ؟ فَقُلْتُ: لَا. فَقَالَ: غَفَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَنَا وَلَكَ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 158، 159)
Qāla al-Junaydu: kuntu jālisan fī masjidi al-shūnīziyyati ʾantaẓiru jināzatan ʾuṣallī ʿalayhā, waʾahlu baghdāda ʿalā ṭabaqātihim yantaẓirūna al-jināzata, faraʾaytu faqīran ʿalayhi ʾatharu al-nusuki yasʾalu al-nāsa, faqultu fī nafsī: law ʿamila hadhā ʿamalan yaṣūnu bihi nafsahu kāna ʾajmala bihi. falammā ʾinṣaraftu ʾilā manzilī, wakāna ladayya shayʾun min al-wardi bi-al-layli ḥattā al-bukāʾi wa-al-ṣalāti waghayri dhalika, fathaqulat ʿalayya jamīʿu ʾawrādī fasahirtu waʾanā qāʿidun faghalabanī al-nuʿāsu, faraʾaytu dhalika al-faqīra qad jāʾū bihi ʿalā khiwānin mamdūdin, waqālū lī: kul laḥmahu faqadi ightabtahu wakashafa lī ʿan al-ḥāli, faqultu: mā ightabtuhu. ʾinnamā qultu fī nafsī shayʾan, faqīla lī: mā ʾanta mimman yurḍā minka bimithlihi, fa-idhhab fa-istaḥillahu, walam ʾazal ʾataraddadu ḥattā raʾaytuhu fī mawḍiʿin yaltaqiṭu ʿinda tarāddi al-māʾi ʾawrāqan min al-baqli, fasallamtu ʿalayhi, faqāla: yā ʾabā al-qāsimi, ʾataʿūdu? faqultu: lā. faqāla: ghafara Allāhu taʿālā lanā walaka. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 158, 159)
Al-Junayd said: I was sitting in the Shūnīziyya Mosque, waiting to pray over a funeral. People from every rank of Baghdad were waiting for the bier. I saw a poor man bearing the marks of devotion begging from people. I thought to myself, ‘It would be more becoming if he did some work by which he could preserve his dignity.’ When I returned home, I had my nightly devotions—recitation, weeping, prayer, and other acts—but all of them weighed heavily on me. I remained sitting awake until drowsiness overcame me. I saw that poor man brought on a spread-out serving table, and I was told, ‘Eat his flesh, for you have backbitten him.’ My state was disclosed to me. I said, ‘I did not backbite him; I merely thought something to myself.’ I was told, ‘You are not one from whom the like of that is accepted. Go and ask him to release you.’ I kept searching until I saw him at a place where water flowed back, gathering vegetable leaves. I greeted him. He said, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, will you do it again?’ I replied, ‘No.’ He said, ‘May God Most High forgive us and you.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, pp. 158–159)
الْيَقِينُ
Al-yaqīnu
Certainty
§ 077
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْيَقِينُ هُوَ اسْتِقْرَارُ الْعِلْمِ الَّذِي لَا يَنْقَلِبُ، وَلَا يَتَحَوَّلُ، وَلَا يَتَغَيَّرُ فِي الْقَلْبِ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 180).
Waqāla al-Junaydu: al-yaqīnu huwa istiqrāru al-ʿilmi alladhī lā yanqalibu, walā yataḥawwalu, walā yataghayyaru fī al-qalbi. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 180).
Al-Junayd said: Certainty is firmly settled knowledge that is neither overturned, transformed, nor changed within the heart. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 180)
§ 078
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: قَدْ مَشَى رِجَالٌ بِالْيَقِينِ عَلَى الْمَاءِ، وَمَاتَ بِالْعَطَشِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْهُمْ يَقِينًا. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 181).
Waqāla al-Junaydu: qad mashā rijālun bi-al-yaqīni ʿalā al-māʾi, wamāta bi-al-ʿaṭashi ʾafḍalu minhum yaqīnan. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 181).
Al-Junayd said: Some men have walked on water through certainty, while a man who died of thirst possessed greater certainty than they did. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 181)
§ 079
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْيَقِينُ ارْتِفَاعُ الرَّيْبِ فِي مَشْهَدِ الْغَيْبِ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 181)
Waqāla al-Junaydu: al-yaqīnu irtifāʿu al-raybi fī mashhadi al-ghaybi (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 181)
Al-Junayd said: Certainty is the removal of doubt in the witnessing of the unseen. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 181)
الْمَعْرِفَةُ
Al-maʿrifatu
Direct Knowledge
§ 081
وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ لِلْجُنَيْدِ: مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ أَقْوَامٌ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ تَرْكَ الْحَرَكَاتِ مِنْ بَابِ الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى، فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: إِنَّ هَذَا قَوْلُ قَوْمٍ تَكَلَّمُوا بِإِسْقَاطِ الْأَعْمَالِ وَهُوَ عِنْدِي عَظِيمٌ، وَاَلَّذِي يَسْرِقُ وَيَزْنِي أَحْسَنُ حَالًا مِنْ الَّذِي يَقُولُ هَذَا، فَإِنَّ الْعَارِفِينَ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَخَذُوا الْأَعْمَالَ عَنْ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَإِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى رَجَعُوا فِيهَا، وَلَوْ بَقِيتُ أَلْفَ عَامٍ لَمْ أَنْقُصْ مِنْ أَعْمَالٍ الْبُرّ ذَرَّة. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 314).
Waqāla rajulun li-l-Junaydi: min ʾahli al-maʿrifati ʾaqwāmun yaqūlūna: ʾinna tarka al-ḥarakāti min bābi al-birri wa-al-taqwā, faqāla al-Junaydu: ʾinna hadhā qawlu qawmin takallamū biʾisqāṭi al-ʾaʿmāli wahuwa ʿindī ʿaẓīmun, wa-alladhī yasriqu wayaznī ʾaḥsanu ḥālan min alladhī yaqūlu hadhā, faʾinna al-ʿārifīna bi-llāhi taʿālā ʾakhadhū al-ʾaʿmāla ʿan Allāhi taʿālā, waʾilā Allāhi taʿālā rajaʿū fīhā, walaw baqītu ʾalfa ʿāmin lam ʾanquṣ min ʾaʿmālin al-burr dharrah. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 314).
A man said to al-Junayd: ‘Some of the people of direct knowledge say that abandoning outward acts belongs to righteousness and godfearingness.’ Al-Junayd replied: ‘That is the doctrine of people who speak of dispensing with works, and in my view it is a grave matter. A thief and an adulterer are in a better state than one who says this. Those who know God Most High received their works from God Most High and returned through them to God Most High. Were I to live a thousand years, I would not diminish my righteous works by a single atom.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 314)
§ 082
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: لَا يَكُونُ الْعَارِفُ عَارِفًا حَتَّى يَكُونَ كَالْأَرْضِ يَطَؤُهُ الْبَرُّ وَالْفَاجِرُ وَكَالسَّحَابِ يَظَلُّ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَكَالْمَطَرِ يَسْقِي مَا يُحِبُّ وَمَا لَا يُحِبُّ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 315).
Waqāla al-Junaydu: lā yakūnu al-ʿārifu ʿārifan ḥattā yakūna ka-al-ʾarḍi yaṭaʾuhu al-barru wa-al-fājiru wa-ka-al-saḥābi yaẓallu kulla shayʾin wa-ka-al-maṭari yasqī mā yuḥibbu wamā lā yuḥibbu. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 315).
Al-Junayd said: A knower does not truly know until he is like the earth, trodden by the righteous and the sinner alike; like a cloud, shading everything; and like rain, watering what it loves and what it does not love. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 315)
§ 083
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْعَارِفُ مَنْ نَطَقَ الْحَقَّ عَنْ سِرِّهِ وَهُوَ سَاكِتٌ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 316).
Waqāla al-Junaydu: al-ʿārifu man naṭaqa al-ḥaqqa ʿan sirrihi wahuwa sākitun. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 316).
Al-Junayd said: The knower is one through whose innermost heart the Real speaks while he remains silent. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 316)
§ 084
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ الْمَحَبَّةِ فَقَالَ دُخُولُ صِفَاتِ الْمَحْبُوبِ عَلَى الْبَدَلِ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الْمُحِبِّ أَشَارَ بِهَذَا إِلَى اسْتِيلَاءِ ذِكْرِ الْمَحْبُوبِ حَتَّى لَا يَكُونَ الْغَالِبُ عَلَى قَلْبِ الْمُحِبِّ إِلَّا ذِكْرَ صِفَاتِ الْمَحْبُوبِ وَالتَّغَافُلَ بِالْكُلِّيَّةِ عَنْ صِفَاتِ نَفْسِهِ وَالْإِحْسَاسَ بِهَا. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 321)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿan al-maḥabbati faqāla dukhūlu ṣifāti al-maḥbūbi ʿalā al-badali min ṣifāti al-muḥibbi ʾashāra bihadhā ʾilā istīlāʾi dhikri al-maḥbūbi ḥattā lā yakūna al-ghālibu ʿalā qalbi al-muḥibbi ʾillā dhikra ṣifāti al-maḥbūbi wa-al-taghāfula bi-al-kulliyyati ʿan ṣifāti nafsihi wa-al-ʾiḥsāsa bihā. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 321)
Al-Junayd was asked about love and said: It is the beloved’s attributes entering in place of the lover’s attributes. By this he indicated that remembrance of the beloved takes such complete possession that nothing dominates the lover’s heart except remembrance of the beloved’s attributes, while he becomes wholly heedless of his own attributes and no longer senses them. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 321)
الْمَحَبَّةُ
Al-maḥabbatu
Love
§ 086
وَقَالَ الْأُسْتَاذُ الْجُنَيْدُ: إِذَا صَحَّتْ الْمَحَبَّةُ سَقَطَتْ شُرُوطُ الْأَدَبِ وَفِي هَذَا الْمَعْنَى يَقُولُ الْأُسْتَاذُ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:
Waqāla al-ʾustādhu al-Junaydu: ʾidhā ṣaḥḥat al-maḥabbatu saqaṭat shurūṭu al-ʾadabi wafī hadhā al-maʿnā yaqūlu al-ʾustādhu ʾabū ʿaliyyin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā:
The master al-Junayd said: When love becomes true, the formal conditions of courtesy fall away. In this sense the master Abū ʿAlī, may God Most High have mercy on him, said:
§ 087
إِذَا صَفَتِ الْمَوَدَّةُ بَيْنَ قَوْمٍ * وَدَامَ وُدُّهُمْ سَمُجَ الثَّنَاءُ
ʾidhā ṣafati al-mawaddatu bayna qawmin * wadāma wudduhum samuja al-thanāʾu
When affection between a people grows pure / and their love endures, formal praise becomes ungainly.
§ 088
(الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص 322).
(Al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ 322).
(The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 322)
§ 089
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْمَحَبَّةُ إِفْرَاطُ الْمَيْلِ بِلَا نَيْلٍ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص 323).
Waqāla al-Junaydu: al-maḥabbatu ʾifrāṭu al-mayli bilā naylin. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ 323).
Al-Junayd said: Love is an overflowing inclination without attainment. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 323)
§ 090
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: دَفَعَ السَّرِيُّ إِلَيَّ رُقْعَةً وَقَالَ: هَذِهِ لَكَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ سَبْعِ مِائَةِ قِصَّةٍ أَوْ حَدِيثٍ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص 324).
Waqāla al-Junaydu: dafaʿa al-sariyyu ʾilayya ruqʿatan waqāla: hadhihi laka khayrun min sabʿi miāʾati qiṣṣatin ʾaw ḥadīthin (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ 324).
Al-Junayd said: Al-Sarī gave me a note and said, ‘This is better for you than seven hundred stories or reports.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 324)
§ 091
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: كُلُّ مَحَبَّةٍ كَانَتْ لِغَرَضٍ إِذَا زَالَ الْغَرَضُ زَالَتْ تِلْكَ الْمَحَبَّةُ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص 325)
Waqāla al-Junaydu: kullu maḥabbatin kānat ligharaḍin ʾidhā zāla al-gharaḍu zālat tilka al-maḥabbatu (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ 325)
Al-Junayd said: Every love founded on a purpose disappears when that purpose disappears. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 325)
الشَّوْقُ
Al-shawqu
Longing
§ 093
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ مِنْ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ يَكُونُ بُكَاءُ الْمُحِبِّ إِذَا لَقِيَ الْمَحْبُوبَ؟ فَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ سُرُورًا بِهِ وَوُجِدَا مِنْ شِدَّةِ الشَّوْقِ إِلَيْهِ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص 333)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu min ʾayyi shayʾin yakūnu bukāʾu al-muḥibbi ʾidhā laqiya al-maḥbūba? faqāla: ʾinnamā yakūnu dhalika surūran bihi wawujidā min shiddati al-shawqi ʾilayhi. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ 333)
Al-Junayd was asked, ‘Why does the lover weep when he meets the beloved?’ He replied, ‘It comes from joy in him and from ecstasy born of intense longing for him.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 333)
حِفْظُ قُلُوبِ الْمَشَايِخِ
ḥifẓu qulūbi al-mashāyikhi
Guarding the Hearts of the Shaykhs
§ 095
قَالَ الْإِمَامُ الْجُنَيْدُ: لَمَّا أَرَادَ مُوسَى صُحْبَةَ الْخَضِرِ حَفِظَ شَرْطَ الْأَدَبِ فَاسْتَأْذَنَ أَوَّلًا فِي الصُّحْبَةِ ثُمَّ شَرَطَ عَلَيْهِ الْخَضِرُ أَنْ لَا يُعَارِضَهُ فِي شَيْءٍ وَلَا يَعْتَرِضَ عَلَيْهِ فِي حُكْمٍ ثُمَّ لَمَّا خَالَفَهُ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ تَجَاوَزَ عَنْهُ فِي الْمَرَّةِ الْأُولَى وَالثَّانِيَةِ فَلَمَّا صَارَ إِلَى الثَّالِثَةِ وَالثَّلَاثِ آخِرُ حَدِّ الْقِلَّةِ وَأَوَّلُ حَدِّ الْكَثْرَةِ سَامَهُ الْفُرْقَةُ فَقَالَ: هَذَا فِرَاقُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنِكَ) (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص 333).
Qāla al-ʾimāmu al-Junaydu: lammā ʾarāda Mūsā ṣuḥbata al-khaḍiri ḥafiẓa sharṭa al-ʾadabi fa-istaʾdhana ʾawwalan fī al-ṣuḥbati thumma sharaṭa ʿalayhi al-khaḍiru ʾan lā yuʿāriḍahu fī shayʾin walā yaʿtariḍa ʿalayhi fī ḥukmin thumma lammā khālafahu Mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu tajāwaza ʿanhu fī al-marrati al-ʾūlā wa-al-thāniyati falammā ṣāra ʾilā al-thālithati wa-al-thalāthi ʾākhiru ḥaddi al-qillati waʾawwalu ḥaddi al-kathrati sāmahu al-furqatu faqāla: hadhā firāqu baynī wabaynika) (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ 333).
Imam al-Junayd said: When Moses wished to accompany al-Khiḍr, he observed the condition of courtesy by first asking permission to accompany him. Al-Khiḍr then stipulated that Moses should neither oppose him in anything nor object to any judgment of his. When Moses, peace be upon him, differed with him, he overlooked it the first and second times. When it came to the third—and three is the furthest limit of fewness and the first limit of multiplicity—he required separation, saying, ‘This is the parting between me and you.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 333)
§ 096
وَمِنْ الْمَعْرُوفِ أَنَّ الْجُنَيْدَ قَالَ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى سَرِيٍّ السَّقَطِيِّ يَوْمًا فَأَمَرَنِي شَيْئًا فَقَضَيْتُ حَاجَتَهُ سَرِيعًا فَلَمَّا رَجَعْتُ إِلَيْهِ نَاوَلَنِي رُقْعَةً وَقَالَ هَذَا لِمَكَانِ قَضَائِكَ لِحَاجَتِي سَرِيعًا فَقَرَأْتُ الرُّقْعَةَ فَإِذَا فِيهَا مَكْتُوبٌ: سَمِعْتُ حَادِيًا يَحْدُو فِي الْبَادِيَةِ:
Wamin al-maʿrūfi ʾanna al-Junayda qāla: dakhaltu ʿalā sariyyin al-saqaṭiyyi yawman faʾamaranī shayʾan faqaḍaytu ḥājatahu sarīʿan falammā rajaʿtu ʾilayhi nāwalanī ruqʿatan waqāla hadhā limakāni qaḍāʾika liḥājatī sarīʿan faqaraʾtu al-ruqʿata faʾidhā fīhā maktūbun: samiʿtu ḥādiyan yaḥdū fī al-bādiyati:
It is well known that al-Junayd said: One day I entered upon Sarī al-Saqaṭī. He asked me to do something, and I fulfilled his need quickly. When I returned, he handed me a note and said, ‘This is because you fulfilled my need quickly.’ I read the note, and it said: I heard a camel driver singing in the desert:
§ 097 • SOURCE P 255
أَبْكِي وَهَلْ يُدْرِيكِ مَا يُبْكِينِي * أَبْكِي حَذَارِ أَنْ تُفَارِقِينِي
ʾabkī wahal yudrīki mā yubkīnī * ʾabkī ḥadhāri ʾan tufāriqīnī
I weep—do you know what makes me weep? / I weep for fear that you may leave me,
§ 098
وَتَقْطَعِي حَبْلِي وَتَهْجُرِينِي
Wataqṭaʿī ḥablī watahjurīnī
sever my bond, and forsake me.
§ 099
(الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص 334)
(Al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ 334)
(The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 334)
السَّمَاعُ
Al-samāʿu
Spiritual Audition
§ 101
سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ: مَا بَالُ الْإِنْسَانِ يَكُونُ هَادِئًا فَإِذَا سَمِعَ السَّمَاعَ اضْطَرَبَ؟ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لَمَّا خَاطَبَ الذَّرَّ فِي الْمِيثَاقِ الْأَوَّلِ بِقَوْلِهِ:
Suʾila al-Junaydu: mā bālu al-ʾinsāni yakūnu hādiʾan faʾidhā samiʿa al-samāʿa iḍṭaraba? faqāla ʾinna Allāha taʿālā lammā khāṭaba al-dharra fī al-mīthāqi al-ʾawwali biqawlihi:
Al-Junayd was asked: ‘Why is a person calm, yet becomes agitated when he hears spiritual audition?’ He replied: When God Most High addressed the primordial particles at the first covenant with His words:
§ 102
أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ؟ قَالُوا بَلَى
ʾalastu birabbikum? qālū balā
‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said, ‘Yes indeed.’
§ 103
[الْأَعْرَافُ: 172] اسْتَفْرَغَتْ عُذُوبَةُ سَمَاعِ الْكَلَامِ الْأَرْوَاحَ فَلَمَّا سَمِعُوا السَّمَاعَ حَرَّكَهُمْ ذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص 339).
[Al-ʾaʿrāfu: 172] istafraghat ʿudhūbatu samāʿi al-kalāmi al-ʾarwāḥa falammā samiʿū al-samāʿa ḥarrakahum dhakara dhalika. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ 339).
[al-Aʿrāf 7:172] The sweetness of hearing that speech exhausted the spirits. Thus, when they hear spiritual audition, remembrance of it stirs them. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 339)
§ 104
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ تَتَنَزَّلُ الرَّحْمَةُ عَلَى الْفُقَرَاءِ فِي ثَلَاثَةِ مُوَاطِنَ عِنْدَ السَّمَاعِ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ إِلَّا عَنْ حَقٍّ وَلَا يَقُولُونَ إِلَّا عَنْ وَجْدٍ وَعِنْدَ أَكْلِ الطَّعَامِ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَأْكُلُونَ إِلَّا عَنْ فَاقَةٍ وَعِنْدَ مُجَارَاةِ الْعِلْمِ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَذْكُرُونَ إِلَّا صِفَةَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص 340).
Waqāla al-Junaydu tatanazzalu al-raḥmatu ʿalā al-fuqarāʾi fī thalāthati muwāṭina ʿinda al-samāʿi faʾinnahum lā yasmaʿūna ʾillā ʿan ḥaqqin walā yaqūlūna ʾillā ʿan wajdin waʿinda ʾakli al-ṭaʿāmi faʾinnahum lā yaʾkulūna ʾillā ʿan fāqatin waʿinda mujārāti al-ʿilmi faʾinnahum lā yadhkurūna ʾillā ṣifata al-ʾawliyāʾi (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ 340).
Al-Junayd said: Mercy descends upon the poor in three settings: during spiritual audition, for they hear only from a truth and speak only from an ecstasy; while eating, for they eat only from need; and while discussing knowledge, for they mention only the qualities of God’s friends. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 340)
§ 105
يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ السَّمَاعُ فِتْنَةٌ لِمَنْ طَلَبَهُ وَتَرْوِيحٌ لِمَنْ صَادَفَهُ وَقَالَ أَيْضًا: السَّمَاعُ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَشْيَاءَ: الزَّمَانِ وَالْمَكَانُ وَالْإِخْوَانُ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص 340).
Yaqūlu al-Junaydu al-samāʿu fitnatun liman ṭalabahu watarwīḥun liman ṣādafahu waqāla ʾayḍan: al-samāʿu yaḥtāju ʾilā thalāthati ʾashyāʾa: al-zamāni wa-al-makānu wa-al-ʾikhwānu. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ 340).
Al-Junayd said: Spiritual audition is a trial for one who seeks it and a relief for one who encounters it. He also said: Spiritual audition requires three things—a fitting time, a fitting place, and true companions. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 340)
§ 106
يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: إِذَا رَأَيْتَ الْمُرِيدَ يُحِبُّ السَّمَاعَ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ فِيهِ بَقِيَّةً مِنَ الْبِطَالَةِ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص 344).
Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: ʾidhā raʾayta al-murīda yuḥibbu al-samāʿa fa-iʿlam ʾanna fīhi baqiyyatan mina al-biṭālati (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ 344).
Al-Junayd said: When you see a novice who loves spiritual audition, know that some frivolity remains in him. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 344)
§ 107
رَوَى الْجُنَيْدُ قَالَ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى سَرِيٍّ السَّقَطِيِّ يَوْمًا فَرَأَيْتُ عِنْدَهُ رَجُلًا مَغْشِيًّا عَلَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ مَا لَهُ؟ فَقَالَ سَمِعَ آيَةً مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَقُلْتُ أَعِدْ قِرَاءَتَهَا عَلَيْهِ ثَانِيَةً فَقَرَأَهَا فَقَالَ لِي مِنْ أَيْنَ عَلِمْتَ هَذَا؟ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّ قَمِيصَ يُوسُفَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ذَهَبَ بِسَبَبِهِ بَصَرُ يَعْقُوبَ ثُمَّ عَادَ بَصَرُهُ فَاسْتَحْسَنَ مِنِّي ذَلِكَ (الرِّسَالَةَ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص 345)
Rawā al-Junaydu qāla: dakhaltu ʿalā sariyyin al-saqaṭiyyi yawman faraʾaytu ʿindahu rajulan maghshiyyan ʿalayhi faqultu mā lahu? faqāla samiʿa ʾāyatan min kitābi Allāhi taʿālā faqultu ʾaʿid qirāʾatahā ʿalayhi thāniyatan faqaraʾahā faqāla lī min ʾayna ʿalimta hadhā? faqultu ʾinna qamīṣa yūsufa ʿalayhi al-salāmu dhahaba bisababihi baṣaru yaʿqūba thumma ʿāda baṣaruhu fa-istaḥsana minnī dhalika (al-risālata al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ 345)
Al-Junayd related: One day I entered upon Sarī al-Saqaṭī and saw a man lying unconscious before him. I asked, ‘What happened to him?’ He replied, ‘He heard a verse from the Book of God Most High.’ I said, ‘Recite it to him again.’ He recited it, and the man revived. Al-Sarī asked me, ‘How did you know that?’ I replied, ‘Joseph’s shirt was the cause of Jacob’s loss of sight, and then by it his sight returned.’ He approved of my answer. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 345)
رُؤْيَا الْقَوْمِ
Ruʾyā al-qawmi
The Visions of the Sufis
§ 109 • SOURCE P 256
وَقِيلَ رَأَى الْجُنَيْدَ إِبْلِيسَ فِي مَنَامِهِ عُرْيَانًا فَقَالَ لَهُ أَلَا تَسْتَحْيِي مِنْ النَّاسِ فَقَالَ هَؤُلَاءِ لَا نَاسَ إِنَّمَا النَّاسُ أَقْوَامٌ فِي مَسْجِدِ الشُّونِيزِيَّةِ أَضْنَوْا جَسَدِي وَأَحْرَقُوا كَبِدِي قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ فَلَمَّا اِنْتَبَهْتُ غَدَوْتُ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَرَأَيْتُ جَمَاعَةً وَضَعُوا رُؤُوسَهُمْ عَلَى رُكْبِهِمْ مُتَفَكِّرِينَ فَلَمَّا رَأَوْنِي قَالُوا لَا يَغُرّنَّكَ حَدِيثُ الْخَبِيثِ (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيّةُ، ص: 370).
Waqīla raʾā al-Junayda ʾiblīsa fī manāmihi ʿuryānan faqāla lahu ʾalā tastaḥyī min al-nāsi faqāla haʾulāʾi lā nāsa ʾinnamā al-nāsu ʾaqwāmun fī masjidi al-shūnīziyyati ʾaḍnawā jasadī waʾaḥraqū kabidī qāla al-Junaydu falammā ʾintabahtu ghadawtu ʾilā al-masjidi faraʾaytu jamāʿatan waḍaʿū ruʾūsahum ʿalā rukbihim mutafakkirīna falammā raʾawnī qālū lā yaghurrnnaka ḥadīthu al-khabīthi (al-risālatu al-qushayriyytu, ṣ: 370).
It is related that al-Junayd saw Iblīs naked in a dream and asked him, ‘Are you not ashamed before people?’ He replied, ‘These are not people. The real people are a group in the Shūnīziyya Mosque; they have worn out my body and burned my liver.’ Al-Junayd said: When I awoke, I went to the mosque early and saw a group with their heads bowed upon their knees in reflection. When they saw me, they said, ‘Do not let the wicked one’s words deceive you.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 370)
§ 110
وَرُوِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ فِي الْمَنَامِ كَأَنِّي أَتَكَلَّمُ عَنْ النَّاسِ فَوَقَفَ عَلَيَّ مَلَكٌ فَقَالَ: مَا أَقْرَبُ مَا تَقَرَّبَ بِهِ الْمُتَقَرِّبُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَقُلْتُ عَمَلٌ خَفِيٌّ بِمِيزَانٍ وَفِيٍّ فَوَلَّى الْمَلِكُ عَنِّي وَهُوَ يَقُولُ: كَلَامٌ مُوَفَّقٌ وَاللَّهِ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 374).
Waruwiya ʿan al-Junaydi ʾannahu qāla: raʾaytu fī al-manāmi kaʾannī ʾatakallamu ʿan al-nāsi fawaqafa ʿalayya malakun faqāla: mā ʾaqrabu mā taqarraba bihi al-mutaqarribūna ʾilā Allāhi taʿālā faqultu ʿamalun khafiyyun bimīzānin wafiyyin fawallā al-maliku ʿannī wahuwa yaqūlu: kalāmun muwaffaqun wa-llāhi. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 374).
It is related that al-Junayd said: I saw myself in a dream speaking before the people. An angel stood over me and asked, ‘What brings those who draw near closest to God Most High?’ I replied, ‘A hidden deed, [weighed] on a true balance.’ The angel turned away from me saying, ‘By God, these are words granted right guidance.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 374)
§ 111
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: رَأَيْتُ فِي الْمَنَامِ كَأَنَّ مَلَكَيْنِ نَزَلَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا لِي: مَا الصِّدْقُ؟ فَقُلْتُ الْوَفَاءُ بِالْعَهْدِ فَقَالَ الْآخَرُ صَدَقَ، ثُمَّ صَعِدَا (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 375).
Waqāla al-Junaydu: raʾaytu fī al-manāmi kaʾanna malakayni nazalā mina al-samāʾi faqāla ʾaḥaduhumā lī: mā al-ṣidqu? faqultu al-wafāʾu bi-al-ʿahdi faqāla al-ʾākharu ṣadaqa, thumma ṣaʿidā (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 375).
Al-Junayd said: In a dream I saw two angels descend from heaven. One of them asked me, ‘What is truthfulness?’ I replied, ‘Fidelity to the covenant.’ The other said, ‘He has spoken truly.’ Then they ascended. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 375)
§ 112
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: رَأَيْتُ فِي الْمَنَامِ كَأَنِّي وَاقِفٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَقَالَ لِي: يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ مِنْ أَيْنَ لَكَ هَذَا الْكَلَامُ الَّذِي تَقُولُهُ؟ فَقُلْتُ لَا أَقُولُ إِلَّا حَقًّا فَقَالَ صَدَقْتَ (الرِّسَالَةَ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 376)
Waqāla al-Junaydu: raʾaytu fī al-manāmi kaʾannī wāqifun bayna yaday Allāhi taʿālā faqāla lī: yā ʾabā al-qāsimi min ʾayna laka hadhā al-kalāmu alladhī taqūluhu? faqultu lā ʾaqūlu ʾillā ḥaqqan faqāla ṣadaqta (al-risālata al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 376)
Al-Junayd said: In a dream I saw myself standing before God Most High. He asked me, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, where did you get these words that you speak?’ I replied, ‘I speak nothing but truth.’ He said, ‘You have spoken truly.’ (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 376)
الْوَصِيَّةُ لِلْمُرِيدِينَ
Al-waṣiyyatu li-l-murīdīna
Counsel to the Novices
§ 114
يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ: لَوْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى عِلْمًا تَحْتَ أَدِيمِ السَّمَاءِ أَشْرَفَ مِنْ هَذَا الْعِلْمِ الَّذِي نَتَكَلَّمُ فِيهِ مَعَ أَصْحَابِنَا وَإِخْوَانِنَا لَسَعَيْتُ إِلَيْهِ وَلَقَصَدْتُهُ. (الرِّسَالَةُ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةُ، ص: 379)
Yaqūlu al-Junaydu: law ʿalimtu ʾanna Allāha taʿālā ʿilman taḥta ʾadīmi al-samāʾi ʾashrafa min hadhā al-ʿilmi alladhī natakallamu fīhi maʿa ʾaṣḥābinā waʾikhwāninā lasaʿaytu ʾilayhi walaqaṣadtuhu. (al-risālatu al-qushayriyyatu, ṣ: 379)
Al-Junayd said: If I knew that beneath the vault of heaven God Most High possessed a branch of knowledge nobler than this knowledge that we discuss with our companions and brothers, I would strive toward it and make it my aim. (The Qushayrī Epistle, p. 379)
صِفَةُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ
ṣifatu al-ṣūfiyyati
The Character of the Sufis
§ 116
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ: رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ التَّصَوُّفِ، فَقَالَ: اسْتِرْسَالُ النَّفْسِ مَعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى بِلَا عَلَاقَةٍ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 45)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu: raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan al-taṣawwufi, faqāla: istirsālu al-nafsi maʿa Allāhi taʿālā bilā ʿalāqatin. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 45)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about Sufism. He said: It is the self’s going freely with God Most High, without any attachment. (The Book of Gleams, p. 45)
بَابُ صِفَةِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ
Bābu ṣifati al-ṣūfiyyati
Chapter on the Character of the Sufis
§ 118
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ الصُّوفِيَّةِ: مَنْ هُمْ؟ فَقَالَ: أَثَرَةُ اللَّهِ فِي خَلْقِهِ يُخْفِيهَا إِذَا أَحَبَّ وَيُظْهِرُهَا إِذَا أَحَبَّ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 46)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu bnu Muḥammadin raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan al-ṣūfiyyati: man hum? faqāla: ʾatharatu Allāhi fī khalqihi yukhfīhā ʾidhā ʾaḥabba wayuẓhiruhā ʾidhā ʾaḥabba. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 46)
Al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad, may God have mercy on him, was asked, ‘Who are the Sufis?’ He replied: ‘They are God’s chosen ones among His creation. He conceals them when He wills and makes them manifest when He wills.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 46)
صِفَةُ الْمُوَحِّدِ
ṣifatu al-muwaḥḥidi
The Character of One Who Affirms Divine Unity
§ 120 • SOURCE P 257
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَقَدْ سُئِلَ عَنْ التَّوْحِيدِ فَقَالَ: إِفْرَادُ الْمُوَحَّدِ بِتَحْقِيقٍ وَحْدَانِيِّتِهِ بِكَمَالِ أَحَدِيَّتِهِ بِأَنَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ بِنَفْيِ الْأَضْدَادِ وَالْأَنْدَادِ وَالْأَشْبَاهِ وَمَا عُبِدَ مِنْ دُونِهِ بِلَا تَشْبِيهٍ وَلَا تَكْيِيفٍ وَلَا تَصْوِيرٍ وَلَا تَمْثِيلٍ إِلَٰهًا وَاحِدًا صَمَدًا فَرْدًا لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 49).
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu waqad suʾila ʿan al-tawḥīdi faqāla: ʾifrādu al-muwaḥḥadi bitaḥqīqin waḥdāniyyitihi bikamāli ʾaḥadiyyatihi biʾannahu al-wāḥidu alladhī lam yalid walam yūlad binafyi al-ʾaḍdādi wa-al-ʾandādi wa-al-ʾashbāhi wamā ʿubida min dūnihi bilā tashbīhin walā takyīfin walā taṣwīrin walā tamthīlin ʾilāhan wāḥidan ṣamadan fardan laysa kamithlihi shayʾun wahuwa al-samīʿu al-baṣīru. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 49).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about divine unity and said: It is the one who affirms unity singling out the One affirmed as one through true realization of His oneness in the perfection of His absolute unity: He is the One who neither begot nor was begotten, with opposites, rivals, likenesses, and everything worshiped besides Him denied—without assimilation, specification of manner, imaging, or comparison. He is one God, the Everlasting Refuge, unique: ‘Nothing is like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 49)
§ 121
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ عَنْ التَّوْحِيدِ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى فَقَالَ: مَعْنَى تَضْمَحِلُّ فِيهِ الرُّسُومُ وَتَنْدَرِجُ فِيهِ الْعُلُومُ وَيَكُونُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى كَمَا لَمْ يَزَلْ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 49).
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu ʿan al-tawḥīdi marratan ʾukhrā faqāla: maʿnā taḍmaḥillu fīhi al-rusūmu watandariju fīhi al-ʿulūmu wayakūnu Allāhu taʿālā kamā lam yazal. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 49).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about divine unity another time and said: It is a meaning in which all traces vanish, all branches of knowledge are gathered up, and God Most High is as He has ever been. (The Book of Gleams, p. 49)
§ 122
وَقَدْ سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ تَوْحِيدِ الْخَاصَّةِ فَقَالَ: أَنْ يَكُونَ الْعَبْدُ شَبَحًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ تَجْرِي عَلَيْهِ تَصَارِيفُ تَدْبِيرِهِ فِي مَجَارِي أَحْكَامِ قُدْرَتِهِ فِي لُجَجِ بِحَارِ تَوْحِيدِهِ بِالْفِنَاءِ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَعَنْ دَعْوَةِ الْخَلْقِ لَهُ وَعَنْ اسْتِجَابَتِهِ بِحَقَائِقِ وُجُودِ وَحْدَانِيِّتِهِ فِي حَقِيقَةِ قُرْبِهِ بِذَهَابِ حِسِّهِ وَحَرَكَتِهِ لِقِيَامِ الْحَقِّ لَهُ فِيمَا أَرَادَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ أَنْ يَرْجِعَ آخِرُ الْعَبْدِ إِلَى أَوَّلِهِ فَيَكُونُ كَمَا كَانَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَكُونَ وَقَالَ أَيْضًا. التَّوْحِيدُ هُوَ الْخُرُوجُ مِنْ ضِيقِ رُسُومِ الزَّمَانِيَّةِ إِلَى سَعَةِ فِنَاءِ السَّرْمَدِيَّةِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 49).
Waqad suʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan tawḥīdi al-khāṣṣati faqāla: ʾan yakūna al-ʿabdu shabaḥan bayna yaday Allāhi ʿazza wajalla tajrī ʿalayhi taṣārīfu tadbīrihi fī majārī ʾaḥkāmi qudratihi fī lujaji biḥāri tawḥīdihi bi-al-fināʾi ʿan nafsihi waʿan daʿwati al-khalqi lahu waʿan istijābatihi biḥaqāʾiqi wujūdi waḥdāniyyitihi fī ḥaqīqati qurbihi bidhahābi ḥissihi waḥarakatihi liqiyāmi al-ḥaqqi lahu fīmā ʾarāda minhu wahuwa ʾan yarjiʿa ʾākhiru al-ʿabdi ʾilā ʾawwalihi fayakūnu kamā kāna qabla ʾan yakūna waqāla ʾayḍan. al-tawḥīdu huwa al-khurūju min ḍīqi rusūmi al-zamāniyyati ʾilā saʿati fināʾi al-sarmadiyyati. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 49).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about the divine unity of the elect. He said: The servant is to be a shadow before God, mighty and majestic, while the workings of His governance pass over him through the courses of the decrees of His power, amid the surging seas of His unity. He is annihilated from himself, from the summons of created beings to him, and from his response to them, through the realities of the existence of His oneness in the reality of His nearness. His sensation and movement depart because the Real undertakes for him what He wills from him. This is for the servant’s end to return to his beginning, so that he is as he was before he came to be. He also said: Divine unity is departure from the confinement of temporal traces into the breadth of everlasting annihilation. (The Book of Gleams, p. 49)
§ 123
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي مَعْنَى ذَلِكَ: فَمِنْ أَيْنَ كَانَ وَكَيْفَ كَانَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَكُونَ؟
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu fī maʿnā dhalika: famin ʾayna kāna wakayfa kāna qabla ʾan yakūna?
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said in explanation: From where was the servant, and how was he, before he came to be?
§ 124
وَهَلْ أَجَابَتْ إِلَّا الْأَرْوَاحَ الظَّاهِرَةَ بِإِقَامَةِ الْقُدْرَةِ وَإِنْقَاذِ الْمَشِيئَةِ؟ فَهُوَ الْآنَ فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ كَمَا كَانَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَكُونَ وَهَذَا غَايَةُ حَقِيقَةِ التَّوْحِيدِ لِلْوَاحِدِ: أَنْ يَكُونَ الْعَبْدُ كَمَا لَمْ يَكُنْ وَيَبْقَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى كَمَا لَمْ يَزَلْ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 50)
Wahal ʾajābat ʾillā al-ʾarwāḥa al-ẓāhirata biʾiqāmati al-qudrati waʾinqādhi al-mashīʾati? fahuwa al-ʾāna fī al-ḥaqīqati kamā kāna qabla ʾan yakūna wahadhā ghāyatu ḥaqīqati al-tawḥīdi li-l-wāḥidi: ʾan yakūna al-ʿabdu kamā lam yakun wayabqā Allāhu taʿālā kamā lam yazal. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 50)
Was it anything but the spirits, made manifest by the establishment of power and the execution of the will, that answered? In reality, the servant is now as he was before he came to be. This is the furthest reality of unity for the One: that the servant be as though he had never been, while God Most High remains as He has ever been. (The Book of Gleams, p. 50)
صِفَةُ التَّوْحِيدِ
ṣifatu al-tawḥīdi
The Description of Divine Unity
§ 126
وَبَيَانُ ذَلِكَ كَمَا قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ:
Wabayānu dhalika kamā qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla:
Its explanation is found in what al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said regarding the words of God, mighty and majestic:
§ 127
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ
Waʾidh ʾakhadha rabbuka min banī ʾādama
‘When your Lord took from the children of Adam …’
§ 128
[الْأَعْرَافِ: 172] الْآيَةَ وَقَدْ ذَكَرْنَاهُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 51)
[Al-ʾaʿrāfi: 172] al-ʾāyata waqad dhakarnāhu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 51)
[al-Aʿrāf 7:172]—to the end of the verse, which we have already mentioned. (The Book of Gleams, p. 51)
الْمَعْرِفَةُ وَصِفَةُ الْعَارِفِ
Al-maʿrifatu waṣifatu al-ʿārifi
Direct Knowledge and the Character of the Knower
§ 130
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ مَعْقُولِ الْعَارِفِينَ فَقَالَ: ذَهَبُوا عَنْ وَصْفِ الْوَاصِفِينَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 57).
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan maʿqūli al-ʿārifīna faqāla: dhahabū ʿan waṣfi al-wāṣifīna. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 57).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about what may be understood of the knowers. He said: They have passed beyond the descriptions of those who describe. (The Book of Gleams, p. 57)
§ 131
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ مَا حَاجَةُ الْعَارِفِينَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى؟
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu faqīla lahu yā ʾabā al-qāsimi mā ḥājatu al-ʿārifīna ʾilā Allāhi taʿālā?
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, what do the knowers need from God Most High?’
§ 132
قَالَ: حَاجَتُهُمْ إِلَيْهِ: كَلَائَةٌ وَرِعَايَةٌ لَهُمْ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 58)
Qāla: ḥājatuhum ʾilayhi: kalāʾatun wariʿāyatun lahum. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 58)
He replied: Their need of Him is that He protect and care for them. (The Book of Gleams, p. 58)
بَابُ الْكَشْفِ عَنِ اسْمِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ
Bābu al-kashfi ʿani ismi al-ṣūfiyyati
Chapter Disclosing the Name ‘Sufis’
§ 134
وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: أَنَّهُ قَالَ: الْحَالُ نَازِلَةٌ تَنْزِلُ بِالْقُلُوبِ فَلَا تَدُومُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 66)
Waqad ḥukiya ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾannahu qāla: al-ḥālu nāzilatun tanzilu bi-al-qulūbi falā tadūmu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 66)
It is related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: A spiritual state is something that descends into hearts but does not remain. (The Book of Gleams, p. 66)
مَعْنَى الْأَحْوَالِ
Maʿnā al-ʾaḥwāli
The Meaning of Spiritual States
§ 136
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ، رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: لَا يُوصَلُ إِلَى رِعَايَةِ الْحُقُوقِ إِلَّا بِحِرَاسَةِ الْقُلُوبِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ فَهُوَ مُصِرٌّ، وَالْمُصِرُّ لَا تَصْفُو لَهُ حَسَنَةٌ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 67)
Waqāla al-Junaydu, raḥimahu Allāhu: lā yūṣalu ʾilā riʿāyati al-ḥuqūqi ʾillā biḥirāsati al-qulūbi waman lam yakun lahu fahuwa muṣirrun, wa-al-muṣirru lā taṣfū lahu ḥasanatun. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 67)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: The rights of God cannot be observed except by guarding hearts. Whoever does not guard his heart persists in sin, and no good deed is pure for one who persists. (The Book of Gleams, p. 67)
بَابُ مَقَامِ الزُّهْدِ
Bābu maqāmi al-zuhdi
Chapter on the Station of Renunciation
§ 138
كَمَا سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الزُّهْدِ فَقَالَ: تَخْلِّي الْأَيْدِي مِنَ الْأَمْلَاكِ وَتَخَلِّي الْقُلُوبِ عَنِ الطَّمَعِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 72)
Kamā suʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿani al-zuhdi faqāla: takhllī al-ʾaydī mina al-ʾamlāki watakhallī al-qulūbi ʿani al-ṭamaʿi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 72)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about renunciation and said: It is the hands’ release of possessions and the hearts’ release of covetousness. (The Book of Gleams, p. 72)
بَابُ مَقَامِ الْفَقْرِ
Bābu maqāmi al-faqri
Chapter on the Station of Poverty
§ 140
وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: عَلَّامَةُ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ أَنْ لَا يُسْأَلَ وَلَا يُعَارَضَ وَإِذَا عُورِضَ سَكَتَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 75)
Waqad ḥukiya ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qāla: ʿallāmatu al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi ʾan lā yusʾala walā yuʿāraḍa waʾidhā ʿūriḍa sakata. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 75)
It is related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: The sign of a sincerely poor person is that he does not ask, does not object, and remains silent when challenged. (The Book of Gleams, p. 75)
بَابُ مَقَامِ الصَّبْرِ
Bābu maqāmi al-ṣabri
Chapter on the Station of Patience
§ 142
وَقَدْ سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ الصَّبْرِ فَقَالَ: حَمْلُ الْمُؤَنِ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى حَتَّى تَنْقَضِيَ أَوْقَاتُ الْمَكْرُوهِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 76)
Waqad suʾila al-Junaydu ʿan al-ṣabri faqāla: ḥamlu al-muʾani li-llāhi taʿālā ḥattā tanqaḍiya ʾawqātu al-makrūhi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 76)
Al-Junayd was asked about patience and said: It is bearing burdens for God Most High until the times of adversity have passed. (The Book of Gleams, p. 76)
بَابُ مَقَامِ التَّوَكُّلِ
Bābu maqāmi al-tawakkuli
Chapter on the Station of Trust in God
§ 144
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ التَّوَكُّلِ فَقَالَ: اعْتِمَادُ الْقَلْبِ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى.
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan al-tawakkuli faqāla: iʿtimādu al-qalbi ʿalā Allāhi taʿālā.
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about trust and said: It is the heart’s reliance upon God Most High.
§ 145
(كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 79)
(Kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 79)
(The Book of Gleams, p. 79)
بَابُ مَقَامِ الرِّضَا وَصِفَةِ أَهْلِهِ
Bābu maqāmi al-riḍā waṣifati ʾahlihi
Chapter on the Station of Contentment and the Character of Its People
§ 147
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ الرِّضَا فَقَالَ: الرِّضَا رَفْعُ الِاخْتِيَارِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 80)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan al-riḍā faqāla: al-riḍā rafʿu al-ikhtiyāri. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 80)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about contentment and said: Contentment is the relinquishing of personal choice. (The Book of Gleams, p. 80)
بَابُ حَالِ الْمُرَاقَبَةِ وَحَقَائِقِهَا وَصِفَةِ أَهْلِهَا
Bābu ḥāli al-murāqabati waḥaqāʾiqihā waṣifati ʾahlihā
Chapter on the State of Watchfulness, Its Realities, and the Character of Its People
§ 149 • SOURCE P 259
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: قَالَ لِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْآجُرِّيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: يَا غُلَامُ، لَأَنْ تُرَدَّ مِنْ هَمُّكَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى ذَرَّةُ خَيْرٍ لَكَ مِمَّا طَلَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّمْسُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 82)
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: qāla lī Ibrāhīmu al-ʾājurriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu: yā ghulāmu, laʾan turadda min hammuka ʾilā Allāhi taʿālā dharratu khayrin laka mimmā ṭalaʿat ʿalayhi al-shamsu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 82)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: Ibrāhīm al-Ājurrī, may God have mercy on him, said to me, ‘Young man, for even an atom of your concern to be turned back toward God Most High is better for you than everything upon which the sun rises.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 82)
بَابُ حَالِ الْمَحَبَّةِ
Bābu ḥāli al-maḥabbati
Chapter on the State of Love
§ 151
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: وَعَلِمَ أَنَّهُ يَقْرُبُ مِنْ قُلُوبِ عِبَادِهِ عَلَى حَسَبِ مَا يَرَى مِنْ قُرْبِ قُلُوبِ عِبَادِهِ مِنْهُ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا يَقْرُبُ مِنْ قَلْبِكَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 85)
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: waʿalima ʾannahu yaqrubu min qulūbi ʿibādihi ʿalā ḥasabi mā yarā min qurbi qulūbi ʿibādihi minhu fa-inẓur mādhā yaqrubu min qalbika. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 85)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: Know that He draws near to the hearts of His servants according to the nearness to Him that He sees in their hearts. Consider, then, what is drawing near to your heart. (The Book of Gleams, p. 85)
حَالُ الْمَحَبَّةِ
ḥālu al-maḥabbati
The State of Love
§ 153
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ الْمَحَبَّةِ فَقَالَ: دُخُولُ صِفَاتِ الْمَحْبُوبِ عَلَى الْبَدَلِ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الْمُحِبِّ فَهَذَا عَلَى مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ: " حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ فَإِذَا أَحْبَبْتُهُ كُنْتُ عَيْنَهُ الَّتِي يُبْصِرُ بِهَا وَسَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ وَيَدُهُ الَّتِي يَبْطِشُ بِهَا " (كِتَابَ اللَّمَعِ، ص: 88)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan al-maḥabbati faqāla: dukhūlu ṣifāti al-maḥbūbi ʿalā al-badali min ṣifāti al-muḥibbi fahadhā ʿalā maʿnā qawlihi: " ḥattā ʾuḥibbahu faʾidhā ʾaḥbabtuhu kuntu ʿaynahu allatī yubṣiru bihā wasamʿahu alladhī yasmaʿu bihi wayaduhu allatī yabṭishu bihā " (kitāba al-lamaʿi, ṣ: 88)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about love and said: It is the beloved’s attributes entering in place of the lover’s attributes. This accords with the divine saying: ‘Until I love him; and when I love him, I become the eye with which he sees, the hearing with which he hears, and the hand with which he grasps.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 88)
بَابُ حَالِ الْأُنْسِ
Bābu ḥāli al-ʾunsi
Chapter on the State of Intimacy
§ 155
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ الْأُنْسِ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ارْتِفَاعُ الْحِشْمَةِ مَعَ وُجُودِ الْهَيْبَةِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 97)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan al-ʾunsi bi-llāhi taʿālā: irtifāʿu al-ḥishmati maʿa wujūdi al-haybati. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 97)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about intimacy with God Most High. He said: It is the lifting of reserve while awe remains present. (The Book of Gleams, p. 97)
حَالُ الْيَقِينِ
ḥālu al-yaqīni
The State of Certainty
§ 157
وَهُوَ مَا قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ، رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، حَيْثُ سُئِلَ عَنْ الْيَقِينِ، فَقَالَ: الْيَقِينُ ارْتِفَاعُ الشَّكِّ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 103)
Wahuwa mā qāla al-Junaydu, raḥimahu Allāhu, ḥaythu suʾila ʿan al-yaqīni, faqāla: al-yaqīnu irtifāʿu al-shakki. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 103)
This is what al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said when asked about certainty: Certainty is the disappearance of doubt. (The Book of Gleams, p. 103)
وَصْفُ مَنْ أَصَابَ الاِسْتِنْبَاطَ
Waṣfu man ʾaṣāba al-istinbāṭa
The Character of One Granted Sound Insight
§ 159
وَكَمَا كَانَ يُشِيرُ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: إِذَا سُئِلَ عَنْ سُكُونِهِ وَقِلَّةِ اضْطِرَابِ جَوَارِحِهِ عِنْدَ السَّمَاعِ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ:
Wakamā kāna yushīru al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾidhā suʾila ʿan sukūnihi waqillati iḍṭirābi jawāriḥihi ʿinda al-samāʿi ʾilā qawlihi:
When al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about his stillness and the slight agitation of his limbs during spiritual audition, he would point to God’s words:
§ 160
وَتَرَى الْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَهِيَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ صُنْعَ اللَّهِ الَّذِي أَتْقَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ
Watarā al-jibāla taḥsabuhā jāmidatan wahiya tamurru marra al-saḥābi ṣunʿa Allāhi alladhī ʾatqana kulla shayʾin
‘You see the mountains and suppose them fixed, while they pass like the passing of clouds—the handiwork of God, who has perfected everything.’
§ 161
[النَّمْلُ: 88] (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 128)
[Al-namlu: 88] (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 128)
[al-Naml 27:88] (The Book of Gleams, p. 128)
بَابُ مَا ذُكِرَ عَنْ الْمَشَايِخِ فِي اتِّبَاعِهِمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ
Bābu mā dhukira ʿan al-mashāyikhi fī ittibāʿihim rasūla Allāhi
Chapter on What Is Related of the Shaykhs in Following God’s Messenger
§ 163
قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَمْرٍو عَبْدَ الْوَاحِدِ بْنَ عَلْوَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ:
Qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu: samiʿtu ʾabā ʿamrinw ʿabda al-wāḥidi bna ʿalwāna raḥimahu Allāhu:
The shaykh, may God have mercy on him, said: I heard Abū ʿAmr ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn ʿAlwān, may God have mercy on him, say:
§ 164
سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ: عِلْمُنَا هَذَا مُشْتَبِكٌ بِحَدِيثِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 144)
Samiʿtu al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu: ʿilmunā hadhā mushtabikun biḥadīthi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 144)
I heard al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, say: This knowledge of ours is interwoven with the teaching of God’s Messenger, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace. (The Book of Gleams, p. 144)
كَيْفِيَّةُ الاِخْتِلَافِ
Kayfiyyatu al-ikhtilāfi
The Nature of Difference
§ 166
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ فَقَالَ: هُوَ أَنْ لَا يَسْتَغْنِيَ بِشَيْءٍ وَيَسْتَغْنِيَ بِهِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 151)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi faqāla: huwa ʾan lā yastaghniya bishayʾin wayastaghniya bihi kulla shayʾin. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 151)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about the sincerely poor person and said: He is one who finds sufficiency in nothing, yet through God finds sufficiency from everything. (The Book of Gleams, p. 151)
مُسْتَنْبَطَاتُهُمْ مِنْ مَعَانِي الْأَخْبَارِ الْمَرْوِيَّةِ
Mustanbaṭātuhum min maʿānī al-ʾakhbāri al-marwiyyati
Their Insights into the Distinctive Rank of the Prophet, May God Bless Him and His Family and Grant Them Peace
§ 168
قِيلَ لِلْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: مَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ " وَأَنَا سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ وَلَا فَخْرَ " فَقَالَ لِي: هَاتِ أَيْشْ وَقَعَ لَكَ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقُلْتُ مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ " أَنَا سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ وَلَا فَخْرَ " وَهَذَا عَطَاؤُهُ وَأَنَا لَا أَفْتَخِرُ بِالْعَطَاءِ لِأَنَّ فَخْرِي بِالْمُعْطَى. فَقَالَ لِي:
Qīla li-l-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu: mā maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama " waʾanā sayyidu waladi ʾādama walā fakhra " faqāla lī: hāti ʾaysh waqaʿa laka fī dhalika faqultu maʿnā qawlihi " ʾanā sayyidu waladi ʾādama walā fakhra " wahadhā ʿaṭāʾuhu waʾanā lā ʾaftakhiru bi-al-ʿaṭāʾi liʾanna fakhrī bi-al-muʿṭā. faqāla lī:
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about the Prophet’s words, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace: ‘I am the master of the children of Adam, and I do not boast.’ He said to me, ‘Tell me what occurred to you about it.’ I replied, ‘The meaning of “I am the master of the children of Adam, and I do not boast” is: “This is His gift, and I do not take pride in the gift, for my pride is in the Giver.”’ He said to me:
§ 169
أَحْسَنْتَ يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ.
ʾaḥsanta yā ʾabā Muḥammadin ʾaw kamā qāla.
‘You have understood well, Abū Muḥammad’—or words to that effect.
§ 170
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي زَيْنَبَ امْرَأَةِ زَيْدٍ، يُدْعَى ابْنَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَكَانَ ابْنُ الدِّعَايَةِ لَا ابْنُ الْوِلَادَةِ، فَأَرَادَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَ بِخَلِيلَتِهِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ فَرْقًا بَيْنَ أَبْنَاءِ الْوِلَادَةِ وَأَبْنَاءِ الدِّعَايَةِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 160).
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu ʿan maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama fī zaynaba imraʾati zaydin, yudʿā ibna al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama, wakāna ibnu al-diʿāyati lā ibnu al-wilādati, faʾarāda Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʾan yatazawwaja bikhalīlatihi ḥattā yakūna farqan bayna ʾabnāʾi al-wilādati waʾabnāʾi al-diʿāyati. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 160).
Al-Junayd was asked about the meaning of the Prophet’s action, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, regarding Zaynab, the wife of Zayd. Zayd was called the Prophet’s son, though he was a son by designation rather than birth. God, mighty and majestic, willed that the Prophet marry Zayd’s former wife so that a distinction would be established between sons by birth and sons by designation. (The Book of Gleams, p. 160)
§ 171
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " اسْتَغْفِرُوا اللَّهَ وَتُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ، فَإِنِّي أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْيَوْمِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ " أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، قَالُوا كَانَ حَالُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى زِيَادَةً فِي كُلِّ نَفْسٍ وَطَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ فَكَانَ إِذَا رُقِيَ بِهِ إِلَى الزِّيَادَةِ حَالٌ أَشْرَفُ مِنْ زِيَادَتِهِ عَلَى حَالَتِهِ فِي النَّفْسِ الْمَاضِي اسْتَغْفَرَ اللَّهَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَتَابَ إِلَيْهِ.
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu fī maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama: " istaghfirū Allāha watūbū ʾilayhi, faʾinnī ʾastaghfiru Allāha waʾatūbu ʾilayhi fī al-yawmi miāʾata marratin " ʾaw kamā qāla, qālū kāna ḥālu al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama maʿa Allāhi taʿālā ziyādatan fī kulli nafsin waṭarfata ʿaynin fakāna ʾidhā ruqiya bihi ʾilā al-ziyādati ḥālun ʾashrafu min ziyādatihi ʿalā ḥālatihi fī al-nafsi al-māḍī istaghfara Allāha min dhalika watāba ʾilayhi.
Regarding the Prophet’s words, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, ‘Ask God for forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance, for I ask God for forgiveness and repent to Him one hundred times a day’—or words to that effect—al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: The Prophet’s state with God Most High increased with every breath and blink of the eye. Whenever he was raised to an increase and a state nobler than his state during the preceding breath, he sought God’s forgiveness for that former state and turned to Him in repentance.
§ 172 • SOURCE P 261
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَيْضًا كَمَا بَلَغَنِي عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ " رَحِمَ اللَّهُ أَخِي عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لَوْ ازْدَادَ يَقِينًا لَمَشَى فِي الْهَوَاءِ " فَقَالَ: مَعْنَاهُ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: مَشَى عَلَى الْمَاءِ بِيَقِينِهِ، وَالنَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَشَى فِي الْهَوَاءِ لَيْلَةَ الْمِعْرَاجِ بِزِيَادَةِ يَقِينِهِ عَلَى يَقِينِ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، فَقَالَ: " لَوْ ازْدَادَ يَقِينًا " يَعْنِي لَوْ أُعْطِيَ مِنْ زِيَادَةِ الْيَقِينِ مِثْلَ مَا أُعْطِيتُ لَمَشَى فِي الْهَوَاءِ، يُخْبِرُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ حَالَتِهِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص 161:).
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʾayḍan kamā balaghanī ʿan maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama " raḥima Allāhu ʾakhī ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu law izdāda yaqīnan lamashā fī al-hawāʾi " faqāla: maʿnāhu wa-llāhu ʾaʿlamu ʾanna ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu: mashā ʿalā al-māʾi biyaqīnihi, wa-al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama mashā fī al-hawāʾi laylata al-miʿrāji biziyādati yaqīnihi ʿalā yaqīni ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu, faqāla: " law izdāda yaqīnan " yaʿnī law ʾuʿṭiya min ziyādati al-yaqīni mithla mā ʾuʿṭītu lamashā fī al-hawāʾi, yukhbiru al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama ʿan ḥālatihi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ 161:).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was also asked—as I was told—about the Prophet’s words, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace: ‘May God have mercy on my brother Jesus, peace be upon him. Had he increased in certainty, he would have walked through the air.’ Al-Junayd said: Its meaning—and God knows best—is that Jesus, peace be upon him, walked upon water through his certainty, while the Prophet, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, traveled through the air on the Night Journey and Ascension through a certainty greater than that of Jesus, peace be upon him. His words ‘Had he increased in certainty’ mean: ‘Had he been given the same increase of certainty as I was given, he would have walked through the air.’ Thus the Prophet, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, described his own state. (The Book of Gleams, p. 161)
بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ مَا اسْتَنْبَطُوا مِنْ مَعَانِي أَخْبَارِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
Bābun fī dhikri mā istanbaṭū min maʿānī ʾakhbāri al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama
Chapter on Their Insights into the Meanings of Reports Transmitted from God’s Messenger, May God Bless Him and His Family and Grant Them Peace, by Way of Discernment and Understanding
§ 174
سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَأَنَا عِنْدَهُ جَالِسٌ عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " لَوْ تَوَكَّلْتُمْ عَلَى اللَّهِ حَقَّ تَوَكُّلِهِ لَغَذَّاكُمْ كَمَا يَغْذُو الطَّيْرُ تَغْدُو خِمَاصًا وَتَرُوحُ بِطَانًا " وَهُوَ ذَا تَرَى أَنَّ الطَّيْرَ يَطِيرُ فِي طَلَبِ الرِّزْقِ مِنْ مَوْضِعٍ إِلَى مَوْضِعٍ وَيَتَحَرَّكُ وَيُطْلَبُ وَيَنْبَعِثُ.
Saʾala rajulun al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu waʾanā ʿindahu jālisun ʿan maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama: " law tawakkaltum ʿalā Allāhi ḥaqqa tawakkulihi laghadhdhākum kamā yaghdhū al-ṭayru taghdū khimāṣan watarūḥu biṭānan " wahuwa dhā tarā ʾanna al-ṭayra yaṭīru fī ṭalabi al-rizqi min mawḍiʿin ʾilā mawḍiʿin wayataḥarraku wayuṭlabu wayanbaʿithu.
A man, while I sat with al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, asked him about the meaning of the Prophet’s words, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace: ‘If you relied upon God as He deserves, He would nourish you as He nourishes the birds: they go out in the morning empty-bellied and return full.’ Yet, as you see, birds fly in search of provision from place to place; they move, seek, and set out.
§ 175
فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:
Faqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: qāla Allāhu taʿālā:
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, replied: God Most High said:
§ 176
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَهَا
ʾinnā jaʿalnā mā ʿalā al-ʾarḍi zīnatan lahā
‘We have made whatever is upon the earth an adornment for it.’
§ 177
[الْكَهْفِ: 7] وَإِنَّمَا طَيَرَانُ الطَّيْرِ وَحَرَكَتُهُ مِنْ مَوْضِعٍ إِلَى مَوْضِعٍ وَنَقَلْتُهُ مِنْ مَكَانٍ إِلَى مَكَانٍ مِنْ أَجْلِ الزِّينَةِ الَّتِي ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، فَقَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى طَيَرَانَهُمْ لِلزِّينَةِ الَّتِي ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَا طَلَبَ الرِّزْقِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 162).
[Al-kahfi: 7] waʾinnamā ṭayarānu al-ṭayri waḥarakatuhu min mawḍiʿin ʾilā mawḍiʿin wanaqaltuhu min makānin ʾilā makānin min ʾajli al-zīnati allatī dhakara Allāhu taʿālā, faqad jaʿala Allāhu taʿālā ṭayarānahum li-l-zīnati allatī dhakara Allāhu taʿālā lā ṭalaba al-rizqi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 162).
[al-Kahf 18:7] The birds’ flight and movement from place to place, and their transfer from one location to another, are only for the adornment that God Most High mentioned. God made their flight for that adornment, not in pursuit of provision. (The Book of Gleams, p. 162)
§ 178
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ " حُبُّكَ لِلشَّيْءِ يُعْمِي وَيُصِمُّ " فَقَالَ: حُبُّكَ لِلدُّنْيَا يَعْمَى وَيُصِمُّ عَنْ الْآخِرَةِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 164)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama " ḥubbuka li-l-shayʾi yuʿmī wayuṣimmu " faqāla: ḥubbuka li-l-dunyā yaʿmā wayuṣimmu ʿan al-ʾākhirati. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 164)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about the Prophet’s words, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace: ‘Your love for a thing makes you blind and deaf.’ He said: Your love of this world makes you blind and deaf to the Hereafter. (The Book of Gleams, p. 164)
ذِكْرُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصّدّيقِ
Dhikru ʾabī bakrin al-ṣddyqi
Mention of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq
§ 180
وَحُكِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: أَشْرَفُ كَلِمَةٍ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ قَوْلُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ سُبْحَانَ مَنْ لَمْ يَجْعَلْ لِلْخَلْقِ طَرِيقًا إِلَى مَعْرِفَتِهِ إِلَّا الْعَجْزَ عَنْ مَعْرِفَتِهِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 172)
Waḥukiya ʿan al-Junaydi ʾannahu qāla: ʾashrafu kalimatin fī al-tawḥīdi qawlu ʾabī bakrin subḥāna man lam yajʿal li-l-khalqi ṭarīqan ʾilā maʿrifatihi ʾillā al-ʿajza ʿan maʿrifatihi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 172)
It is related that al-Junayd said: The noblest statement on divine unity is that of Abū Bakr: ‘Glory be to the One who gave creation no path to knowing Him except inability to know Him.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 172)
ذِكْرُ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
Dhikru ʿuthmāna bni ʿaffāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu
Mention of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, May God Be Pleased with Him
§ 182 • SOURCE P 262
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَمْرِو بْنَ عَلْوَانَ يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ لَيْلَةً مِنْ اللَّيَالِي وَهُوَ (يَقُولُ) فِي مُنَاجَاتِهِ: إِلَٰهِي أَتُرِيدُ أَنْ تَخْدَعَنِي عَنْكَ بِقُرْبِكَ أَمْ تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَقْطَعَنِي عَنْكَ بِوَصْلِكَ، هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ، قُلْتُ لأَبِي عَمْرٍو: مَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ: هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ؟ قَالَ التَّمْكِينُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 178)
Samiʿtu ʾabā ʿamriw bna ʿalwāna yaqūlu: samiʿtu al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu laylatan min al-layālī wahuwa (yaqūlu) fī munājātihi: ʾilāhī ʾaturīdu ʾan takhdaʿanī ʿanka biqurbika ʾam turīdu ʾan taqṭaʿanī ʿanka biwaṣlika, hayhāta hayhāta, qultu lʾabī ʿamrinw: mā maʿnā qawlihi: hayhāta hayhāta? qāla al-tamkīnu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 178)
I heard Abū ʿAmr ibn ʿAlwān say: One night I heard al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, say in his intimate prayer, ‘My God, do You wish to distract me from You by Your nearness, or to cut me off from You by Your union? Far from it, far from it!’ I asked Abū ʿAmr, ‘What did he mean by “Far from it, far from it”?’ He replied, ‘Firm establishment.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 178)
ذِكْرُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَغَيْرِهِ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ
Dhikru ʿaliyyi bni ʾabī ṭālibin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu waghayrihi mina al-ṣaḥābati
Mention of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, May God Be Pleased with Him
§ 184
سَمِعْتُ جُنَيْدًا رَحِمَهُ اللهُ يَقُولُ: رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَى أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَوْلَا أَنَّهُ اشْتَغَلَ بِالْحُرُوبِ لَأَفَادَنَا مِنْ عِلْمِنَا هَذَا مَعَانِيَ كَثِيرَةً ذَاكَ امْرُؤٌ أُعْطِيَ عِلْمَ اللَّدُنِّي وَالْعِلْمُ اللَّدُنِّيُّ هُوَ الْعِلْمُ الَّذِي خُصَّ بِهِ الْخَضِرُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:
Samiʿtu Junaydan raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu: riḍwānu Allāhi ʿalā ʾamīri al-muʾminīna ʿaliyyin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu lawlā ʾannahu ishtaghala bi-al-ḥurūbi laʾafādanā min ʿilminā hadhā maʿāniya kathīratan dhāka imruʾun ʾuʿṭiya ʿilma al-ladunnī wa-al-ʿilmu al-ladunniyyu huwa al-ʿilmu alladhī khuṣṣa bihi al-khaḍiru ʿalayhi al-salāmu qāla Allāhu taʿālā:
I heard Junayd, may God have mercy on him, say: May God’s good pleasure rest upon the Commander of the Faithful, ʿAlī, may God be pleased with him. Had he not been occupied by wars, he would have imparted to us many meanings from this knowledge of ours. He was a man given knowledge from God’s own presence, the knowledge specially granted to al-Khiḍr, peace be upon him. God Most High said:
§ 185
وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِنْ لَدُنَّا عِلْمًا
Waʿallamnāhu min ladunnā ʿilman
‘And We taught him knowledge from Our own presence.’
§ 186
[الْكَهْفُ: 65] (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 179)
[Al-kahfu: 65] (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 179)
[al-Kahf 18:65] (The Book of Gleams, p. 179)
آدَابُهُمْ فِي الصَّلَاةِ
ʾādābuhum fī al-ṣalāti
Their Courtesies in Prayer
§ 188
وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ صَفْوَةٌ وَصَفْوَةُ الصَّلَاةِ التَّكْبِيرَةُ الْأُولَى وَالْمَعْنَى فِي ذَلِكَ أَنَّ التَّكْبِيرَةَ الْأُولَى هِيَ مَقْرُونَةٌ بِالنِّيَّةِ الَّتِي لَا يَجُوزُ الصَّلَاةُ إِلَّا بِهَا وَهُوَ عَقْدُكَ بِأَنَّ صَلَاتَكَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَإِذَا صَحَّ الْعَقْدُ فَمَا دَخَلَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فِي صَلَاتِكَ مِنْ الْآفَاتِ الْبَاطِنَةِ لَمْ يُفْسِدْ الصَّلَاةَ بَلْ يُنْقِصُ مِنْ فَضْلِهَا وَيُبْقِي لِلْمُصَلِّي عَقْدَهَا وَنِيَّتُهَا. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 204)
Waqad ḥukiya ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qāla: likulli shayʾin ṣafwatun waṣafwatu al-ṣalāti al-takbīratu al-ʾūlā wa-al-maʿnā fī dhalika ʾanna al-takbīrata al-ʾūlā hiya maqrūnatun bi-al-niyyati allatī lā yajūzu al-ṣalātu ʾillā bihā wahuwa ʿaqduka biʾanna ṣalātaka li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla faʾidhā ṣaḥḥa al-ʿaqdu famā dakhala baʿda dhalika fī ṣalātika min al-ʾāfāti al-bāṭinati lam yufsid al-ṣalāta bal yunqiṣu min faḍlihā wayubqī li-l-muṣallī ʿaqdahā waniyyatuhā. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 204)
It is related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: Everything has a purest part, and the purest part of prayer is the opening declaration of God’s greatness. This is because that first declaration is joined to the intention without which prayer is not valid: your firm resolve that your prayer is for God, mighty and majestic. When that resolve is sound, any inward defects that later enter your prayer do not invalidate it, though they diminish its merit; the worshiper’s initial resolve and intention remain. (The Book of Gleams, p. 204)
ذِكْرُ الصَّوْمِ وَآدَابِهُمْ فِيهِ
Dhikru al-ṣawmi waʾādābihum fīhi
Mention of Fasting and Their Courtesies in It
§ 190
حُكِيَ عَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَصُومُ عَلَى الدَّوَامِ، فَإِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ إِخْوَانُهُ أَفْطَرَ مَعَهُمْ، وَيَقُولُ: لَيْسَ فَضْلُ الْمُسَاعَدَةِ مَعَ الْإِخْوَانِ بِأَقَلَّ مِنْ فَضْلِ الصَّوْمِ لِلصَّائِمِ (إِذَا كَانَ مُتَطَوِّعًا) أَوْ كَلَامًا نَحْوَ هَذَا (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 220)
ḥukiya ʿani al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu kāna yaṣūmu ʿalā al-dawāmi, faʾidhā dakhala ʿalayhi ʾikhwānuhu ʾafṭara maʿahum, wayaqūlu: laysa faḍlu al-musāʿadati maʿa al-ʾikhwāni biʾaqalla min faḍli al-ṣawmi li-l-ṣāʾimi (ʾidhā kāna mutaṭawwiʿan) ʾaw kalāman naḥwa hadhā (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 220)
It is related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, fasted continually. Yet when his brothers visited him, he would break his fast with them and say: ‘The merit of joining one’s brothers is no less than the merit of fasting for a person observing a voluntary fast’—or words to that effect. (The Book of Gleams, p. 220)
آدَابُ الْفُقَرَاءِ بَعْضُهُمْ مَعَ بَعْضٍ
ʾādābu al-fuqarāʾi baʿḍuhum maʿa baʿḍin
The Courtesy of the Poor toward One Another
§ 192
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: كُلُّ شَيْءٍ يَقْدِرُ الْفَقِيرُ أَنْ يَعْمَلَهُ إِلَّا صَبْرَهُ عَلَى وَقْتِهِ إِلَى انْقِضَاءِ وَقْتِهِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 231).
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: kullu shayʾin yaqdiru al-faqīru ʾan yaʿmalahu ʾillā ṣabrahu ʿalā waqtihi ʾilā inqiḍāʾi waqtihi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 231).
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: The poor person can do everything except patiently endure his present moment until its term has ended. (The Book of Gleams, p. 231)
§ 193
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِذَا لَقِيتَ الْفَقِيرَ فَالْقَهُ بِالرِّفْقِ وَلَا تَلْقِهِ بِالْعِلْمِ، فَإِنَّ الرِّفْقَ يُؤْنِسُهُ وَالْعِلْمُ يُوحِشُهُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 233)
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: ʾidhā laqīta al-faqīra fa-al-qahu bi-al-rifqi walā talqihi bi-al-ʿilmi, faʾinna al-rifqa yuʾnisuhu wa-al-ʿilmu yūḥishuhu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 233)
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: When you meet a poor person, meet him with gentleness, not with knowledge; gentleness gives him intimacy, while knowledge may estrange him. (The Book of Gleams, p. 233)
ذِكْرُ آدَابِهِمْ فِي الصُّحْبَةِ
Dhikru ʾādābihim fī al-ṣuḥbati
Mention of Their Courtesies in Companionship
§ 195 • SOURCE P 263
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: لَأَنْ يَصْحَبَنِي رَجُلٌ فَاسِقٌ حُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ أُحِبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ يَصْحَبَنِي قَارِئٌ سَيِّئُ الْخُلُقِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 235).
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: laʾan yaṣḥabanī rajulun fāsiqun ḥusnu al-khuluqi ʾuḥibbu ʾilayya min ʾan yaṣḥabanī qāriʾun sayyiʾu al-khuluqi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 235).
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: I would rather be accompanied by a sinner of fine character than by a Qurʾan reciter of bad character. (The Book of Gleams, p. 235)
§ 196
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: رَأَيْتُ مَعَ أَبِي حَفْصٍ النَّيْسَابُورِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِنْسَانًا أَصْلَعَ كَثِيرَ الصَّمْتِ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُ فَقُلْتُ لِأَصْحَابِهِ: مَنْ هَذَا؟ فَقِيلَ لِي: هَذَا إِنْسَانٌ يَصْحَبُ أَبَا حَفْصٍ وَيَخْدُمُنَا وَقَدْ أَنْفَقَ عَلَيْهِ مِائَةَ أَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ كَانَتْ لَهُ وَاسْتَدَانَ مِائَةَ أَلْفٍ أُخْرَى أَنْفَقَهَا عَلَيْهِ مَا يُسَوِّغُهُ أَبُو حَفْصٍ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ بِكَلِمَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 235)
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: raʾaytu maʿa ʾabī ḥafṣin al-naysābūriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʾinsānan ʾaṣlaʿa kathīra al-ṣamti lā yatakallamu faqultu liʾaṣḥābihi: man hadhā? faqīla lī: hadhā ʾinsānun yaṣḥabu ʾabā ḥafṣin wayakhdumunā waqad ʾanfaqa ʿalayhi miāʾata ʾalfi dirhamin kānat lahu wa-istadāna miāʾata ʾalfin ʾukhrā ʾanfaqahā ʿalayhi mā yusawwighuhu ʾabū ḥafṣin ʾan yatakallama bikalimatin wāḥidatin. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 235)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: I saw with Abū Ḥafṣ al-Naysābūrī, may God Most High have mercy on him, a bald man who was very silent and did not speak. I asked his companions, ‘Who is this?’ I was told, ‘This man accompanies Abū Ḥafṣ and serves us. He spent one hundred thousand dirhams of his own upon him and borrowed another hundred thousand, which he also spent upon him, yet Abū Ḥafṣ does not allow him to say a single word.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 235)
آدَابُهُمْ عِنْدَ مُجَارَاةِ الْعِلْمِ
ʾādābuhum ʿinda mujārāti al-ʿilmi
Their Courtesies When Discussing Knowledge
§ 198
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: لَوْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ عِلْمًا (تَحْتَ أَدِيمِ السَّمَاءِ) أَشْرَفُ مِنْ عِلْمِنَا هَذَا لَسَعَيْتُ إِلَيْهِ وَإِلَى أَهْلِهِ حَتَّى أَسْمَعَ مِنْهُمْ ذَلِكَ، وَلَوْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ وَقْتًا أَشْرَفَ مِنْ وَقْتِنَا هَذَا مَعَ أَصْحَابِنَا وَمَشَايِخِنَا وَمَسَائِلِنَا وَمَجَارَاتِنَا هَذَا الْعِلْمَ لَنَهَضْتْ إِلَيْهِ (كِتَابَ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 239).
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: law ʿalimtu ʾanna ʿilman (taḥta ʾadīmi al-samāʾi) ʾashrafu min ʿilminā hadhā lasaʿaytu ʾilayhi waʾilā ʾahlihi ḥattā ʾasmaʿa minhum dhalika, walaw ʿalimtu ʾanna waqtan ʾashrafa min waqtinā hadhā maʿa ʾaṣḥābinā wamashāyikhinā wamasāʾilinā wamajārātinā hadhā al-ʿilma lanahaḍt ʾilayhi (kitāba al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 239).
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: If I knew of any knowledge beneath the vault of heaven nobler than this knowledge of ours, I would strive toward it and its people until I heard it from them. If I knew of any time nobler than this time of ours with our companions and shaykhs, our questions, and our discussion of this knowledge, I would rise and go to it. (The Book of Gleams, p. 239)
§ 199
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: مَا عِنْدِي عِصَابَةٌ وَلَا قَوْمٌ اجْتَمَعُوا عَلَى عِلْمٍ مِنْ الْعُلُومِ أَشْرَفَ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْعِصَابَةِ وَلَا أَشْرَفُ مِنْ عِلْمِهِمْ وَلَوْلَا ذَلِكَ مَا جَالَسْتُهُمْ وَلَكِنَّهُمْ كَذَا عِنْدِي وَبِهَذِهِ الصُّورَةِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 239).
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: mā ʿindī ʿiṣābatun walā qawmun ijtamaʿū ʿalā ʿilmin min al-ʿulūmi ʾashrafa min hadhihi al-ʿiṣābati walā ʾashrafu min ʿilmihim walawlā dhalika mā jālastuhum walakinnahum kadhā ʿindī wabihadhihi al-ṣūrati. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 239).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: In my judgment no band or people who have gathered around any branch of knowledge are nobler than this band, nor is any knowledge nobler than theirs. Otherwise I would not sit with them. This is how they stand with me and how I see them. (The Book of Gleams, p. 239)
§ 200
وَحُكِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ: لَوْ كَانَ عَلِمْنَا هَذَا مَطْرُوحًا عَلَى مَزْبَلَةٍ لَمْ يَأْخُذْ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُ إِلَّا حَظَّهُ عَلَى مِقْدَارِهِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 239).
Waḥukiya ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʾannahu qāla: law kāna ʿalimnā hadhā maṭrūḥan ʿalā mazbalatin lam yaʾkhudh kullu wāḥidin minhu ʾillā ḥaẓẓahu ʿalā miqdārihi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 239).
It is related that al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: If this knowledge of ours were cast upon a rubbish heap, each person would take from it only the share proportionate to his capacity. (The Book of Gleams, p. 239)
§ 201
وَعَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: كَانَ سِرِيٌّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يُفِيدَنِي شَيْئًا سَأَلَنِي مَسْأَلَةً، فَقَالَ لِي يَوْمًا: مَا الشُّكْرُ يَا غُلَامُ؟ فَقُلْتُ: أَنْ لَا تَعْصِيَ اللَّهَ بِنِعَمَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ بِهَا عَلَيْكَ، فَاسْتَحْسِنَ ذَلِكَ مِنِّي، وَكَانَ يَسْتَعِيدُهُ مِنِّي وَيَقُولُ: كَيْفَ قُلْتَ فِي الشُّكْرِ؟ أَعِدْهَا عَلَيٌّ فَأُعِيدَهَا عَلَيْهِ (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 240).
Waʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qāla: kāna siriyyun raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʾidhā ʾarāda ʾan yufīdanī shayʾan saʾalanī masʾalatan, faqāla lī yawman: mā al-shukru yā ghulāmu? faqultu: ʾan lā taʿṣiya Allāha biniʿama ʾanʿama Allāhu bihā ʿalayka, fa-istaḥsina dhalika minnī, wakāna yastaʿīduhu minnī wayaqūlu: kayfa qulta fī al-shukri? ʾaʿidhā ʿalayyun faʾuʿīdahā ʿalayhi (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 240).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: When Sarī, may God Most High have mercy on him, wanted to teach me something, he would ask me a question. One day he asked, ‘Young man, what is gratitude?’ I replied, ‘That you not disobey God by means of blessings God has bestowed upon you.’ He approved my answer and would ask me to repeat it, saying, ‘What did you say about gratitude? Repeat it to me,’ and I would repeat it. (The Book of Gleams, p. 240)
§ 202
بِقَوْلِ الْجُنَيْدِ: لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ فَإِذَا كُرِّرَ عَلَيْهِ السُّؤَالُ يَقُولُ: حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ (كِتَابَ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 241)
Biqawli al-Junaydi: lā ḥawla walā quwwata ʾillā bi-llāhi faʾidhā kurrira ʿalayhi al-suʾālu yaqūlu: ḥasbunā Allāhu waniʿma al-wakīlu (kitāba al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 241)
Al-Junayd would say, ‘There is no power and no strength except through God.’ When the question was repeated to him, he would say, ‘God is sufficient for us, and He is the best Guardian.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 241)
آدَابُهُمْ فِي وَقْتِ الطَّعَامِ وَالِاجْتِمَاعِيَّاتِ
ʾādābuhum fī waqti al-ṭaʿāmi wa-al-ijtimāʿiyyāti
Their Courtesies at Meals and Social Gatherings
§ 204
وَعَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ مِنْ النَّذَالَةِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ الرَّجُلُ بِدَيْنِهِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 244)
Waʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʾannahu qāla min al-nadhālati ʾan yaʾkula al-rajulu bidaynihi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 244)
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: It is base for a man to eat at the expense of his religion. (The Book of Gleams, p. 244)
آدَابُهُمْ عِنْدَ الْمُؤَاكَلَةِ
ʾādābuhum ʿinda al-muʾākalati
Their Courtesies during Spiritual Audition and Ecstasy
§ 206
حُكِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ: السَّمَاعُ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَشْيَاءَ وَإِلَّا فَتَرْكُهُ أَوْلَى: الْإِخْوَانُ وَالزَّمَانُ وَالْمَكَانُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 246).
ḥukiya ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʾannahu kāna yaqūlu: al-samāʿu yaḥtāju ʾilā thalāthati ʾashyāʾa waʾillā fatarkuhu ʾawlā: al-ʾikhwānu wa-al-zamānu wa-al-makānu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 246).
It is related that al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, used to say: Spiritual audition requires three things; otherwise, leaving it is better—true companions, a fitting time, and a fitting place. (The Book of Gleams, p. 246)
§ 207
وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: لَا يَضُرُّ نُقْصَانُ الْوَجْدِ مَعَ فَضْلِ الْعِلْمِ وَإِنَّمَا يَضُرُّ فَضْلُ الْوَجْدِ مَعَ نُقْصَانِ الْعِلْمِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 247)
Waqad ḥukiya ʿan al-Junaydi ʾannahu qāla: lā yaḍurru nuqṣānu al-wajdi maʿa faḍli al-ʿilmi waʾinnamā yaḍurru faḍlu al-wajdi maʿa nuqṣāni al-ʿilmi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 247)
It is related that al-Junayd said: A lack of ecstasy does no harm when knowledge is abundant; what causes harm is abundant ecstasy when knowledge is deficient. (The Book of Gleams, p. 247)
آدَابُهُمْ عِنْدَ السَّفَرِ
ʾādābuhum ʿinda al-safari
Their Courtesies in Earning a Livelihood
§ 209
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ الْكَسْبِ، فَقَالَ: يُسْتَقَى الْمَاءُ وَيُلْتَقَطُ النَّوَى.
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan al-kasbi, faqāla: yustaqā al-māʾu wayultaqaṭu al-nawā.
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about earning. He said: One draws water and gathers date stones.
§ 210
(كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 259)
(Kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 259)
(The Book of Gleams, p. 259)
آدَابُهُمْ فِي الْأَخْذِ وَالْعَطَاءِ
ʾādābuhum fī al-ʾakhdhi wa-al-ʿaṭāʾi
Their Courtesies in Receiving and Giving
§ 212
وَحُكِيَ عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ الْخَلَدِيِّ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ: ذَهَبْتُ يَوْمًا إِلَى ابْنِ الْكُرِينِيِّ وَمَعِي دَرَاهِمُ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَدْفَعَهَا إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ عِنْدِي أَنَّهُ لَا يَعْرِفُنِي، وَسَأَلْتُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: أَنَا عَنْهُ مُسْتَغْنٍ، وَأَبَى أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مِنِّي، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: إِنْ كُنْتَ أَنْتَ عَنْهَا مُسْتَغْنِيًا فَأَنَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ الْمُسْلِمِينَ أُسِرُّ بِأَخْذِكَ لَهَا فَتَأْخُذَهَا لِإِدْخَالِ السُّرُورِ عَلَى قَلْبِي. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 263)
Waḥukiya ʿan jaʿfarin al-khaladiyyi ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʾannahu qāla: dhahabtu yawman ʾilā ibni al-kurīniyyi wamaʿī darāhimu ʾurīdu ʾan ʾadfaʿahā ʾilayhi wakāna ʿindī ʾannahu lā yaʿrifunī, wasaʾaltu ʾan yaʾkhudha dhalika faqāla: ʾanā ʿanhu mustaghnin, waʾabā ʾan yaʾkhudha minnī, faqultu lahu: ʾin kunta ʾanta ʿanhā mustaghniyan faʾanā rajulun min al-muslimīna ʾusirru biʾakhdhika lahā fataʾkhudhahā liʾidkhāli al-surūri ʿalā qalbī. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 263)
It is related by Jaʿfar al-Khuldī that al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: One day I went to Ibn al-Kuraynī carrying dirhams that I wished to give him. I thought he did not know me, and I asked him to accept them. He said, ‘I have no need of them,’ and refused to take them from me. I said, ‘If you have no need of them, I am still a Muslim who would be delighted by your taking them. Accept them, then, to bring joy to my heart.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 263)
آدَابُ الْجُلُوسِ وَالْمُجَالَسَةِ
ʾādābu al-julūsi wa-al-mujālasati
The Courtesies of Sitting and Keeping Company
§ 214
وَقَالَ جَعْفَرٌ: كَانَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ: لَوْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ صَلَاةَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ جُلُوسِي عِنْدَكُمْ مَا جَالَسْتُكُمْ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 268)
Waqāla jaʿfarun: kāna al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu: law ʿalimtu ʾanna ṣalāta rakʿatayni ʾafḍalu min julūsī ʿindakum mā jālastukum. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 268)
Jaʿfar said: Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, used to say: If I knew that praying two cycles was better than sitting with you, I would not sit with you. (The Book of Gleams, p. 268)
آدَابُ الْمَشَايِخِ مَعَ الْمُرِيدِينَ
ʾādābu al-mashāyikhi maʿa al-murīdīna
The Shaykhs’ Courtesy and Gentleness toward Their Companions
§ 216
وَعَنْ جَعْفَرٍ الْخَلْدِيِّ قَالَ: دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يُخْرِجَ مِنْ مِلْكِهِ كُلِّهِ وَيَجْلِسَ مَعَهُمْ عَلَى الْفَقْرِ، قَالَ: فَسَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ: لَا تُخْرِجْ كُلَّ مَا مَعَكَ، احْبِسْ مِقْدَارَ مَا يَكْفِيكَ وَأَخْرِجْ الْفَضْلَ وَتَقَوَّتْ بِمَا حَبَسْتَ وَاجْتَهِدْ فِي طَلَبِ الْحَلَالِ، لَا تُخْرِجْ كُلَّ مَا عِنْدَكَ فَلَسْتُ آمَنُ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تُطَالِبَكَ نَفْسَكَ، وَالنَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ شَيْئًا أَثْبَتَهُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 274)
Waʿan jaʿfarin al-khaldiyyi qāla: dakhala rajulun ʾilā al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā faʾarāda ʾan yukhrija min milkihi kullihi wayajlisa maʿahum ʿalā al-faqri, qāla: fasamiʿtu al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu: lā tukhrij kulla mā maʿaka, iḥbis miqdāra mā yakfīka waʾakhrij al-faḍla wataqawwat bimā ḥabasta wa-ijtahid fī ṭalabi al-ḥalāli, lā tukhrij kulla mā ʿindaka falastu ʾāmanu ʿalayka ʾan tuṭālibaka nafsaka, wa-al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama kāna ʾidhā ʾarāda ʾan yaʿmala shayʾan ʾathbatahu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 274)
Jaʿfar al-Khuldī related: A man came to al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, intending to give away everything he owned and sit with them in poverty. I heard al-Junayd say: ‘Do not give away everything you have. Keep enough for your needs, give away the surplus, sustain yourself from what you retain, and strive to earn what is lawful. Do not give away all that you possess, for I do not trust that your lower self will not later make demands of you. When the Prophet, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, undertook an act, he made it constant.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 274)
فِي ذِكْرِ آدَابِ الْمُرِيدِينَ وَالْمُبْتَدِئِينَ
Fī dhikri ʾādābi al-murīdīna wa-al-mubtadiʾīna
Mention of the Courtesies of Novices and Beginners
§ 218
وَحُكِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَدْ سَأَلَهُ بَعْضُ الْفُقَرَاءِ أَوْ بَعْضُ الشُّيُوخِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: مَا لِلْمُرِيدِينَ فِي مُجَارَاةِ الْحِكَايَاتِ؟ فَقَالَ: الْحِكَايَاتُ جُنْدٌ مِنْ جُنُودِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، يَقْوَى بِهَا قُلُوبَ الْمُرِيدِينَ، قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ: هَلْ فِي ذَلِكَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى؟ فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ: قَالَ:
Waḥukiya ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʾannahu qad saʾalahu baʿḍu al-fuqarāʾi ʾaw baʿḍu al-shuyūkhi, faqāla lahu: mā li-l-murīdīna fī mujārāti al-ḥikāyāti? faqāla: al-ḥikāyātu jundun min junūdi Allāhi taʿālā, yaqwā bihā qulūba al-murīdīna, qāla: faqultu: hal fī dhalika shāhidun min kitābi Allāhi taʿālā? faqāla: naʿam: qāla:
It is related that one of the poor—or one of the shaykhs—asked al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, ‘What benefit do novices gain from discussing stories?’ He replied, ‘Stories are a host among the hosts of God Most High; through them He strengthens the hearts of novices.’ I asked, ‘Is there evidence for this in the Book of God Most High?’ He said, ‘Yes. He said:’
§ 219
وَكُلًّا نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنْبَاءِ الرُّسُلِ مَا نُثَبِّتُ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ
Wakullan naquṣṣu ʿalayka min ʾanbāʾi al-rusuli mā nuthabbitu bihi fuʾādaka
‘All that We relate to you from the accounts of the messengers is that by which We make your heart firm.’
§ 220
[هُودٌ: 120] (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 275)
[Hūdun: 120] (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 275)
[Hūd 11:120] (The Book of Gleams, p. 275)
آدَابُ مَنْ دَخَلَ عَلَى الْمَشَايِخِ
ʾādābu man dakhala ʿalā al-mashāyikhi
The Courtesy of One Who Withdraws and Chooses Seclusion
§ 222
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْ الْخَلْوَةِ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ السَّلَامَةَ مُصَاحِبَةٌ لِمَنْ طَلَبَ فَتَرَكَ الْمُخَالَفَةَ وَتَرَكَ التَّطَلُّعَ إِلَى مَا أَوْجَبَ الْعِلْمُ مُفَارَقَتَهُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 277)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʿan al-khalwati, faqāla: ʾinna al-salāmata muṣāḥibatun liman ṭalaba fataraka al-mukhālafata wataraka al-taṭalluʿa ʾilā mā ʾawjaba al-ʿilmu mufāraqatahu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 277)
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, was asked about seclusion and said: Safety accompanies the one who seeks it, abandons opposition, and ceases looking toward what knowledge has required him to leave. (The Book of Gleams, p. 277)
آدَابُهُمْ فِي لُبْسِ الْمُرَقَّعَاتِ
ʾādābuhum fī lubsi al-muraqqaʿāti
Their Courtesies in Friendship and Affection
§ 224
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: لَقَدْ كُنْتُ أَرَى أَقْوَامًا تُجْزِينِي مِنْهُمْ النَّظْرَةُ فَهِيَ زَادِي مِنْ الْجُمُعَةِ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 279).
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: laqad kuntu ʾarā ʾaqwāman tujzīnī minhum al-naẓratu fahiya zādī min al-jumuʿati ʾilā al-jumuʿati. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 279).
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: I once saw people from whom a single glance sufficed me; it was my provision from one Friday to the next. (The Book of Gleams, p. 279)
§ 225
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِذَا كَانَ لَكَ صَدِيقٌ فَلَا تَسُؤْهُ فِيكَ بِمَا يَكْرَهُهُ.
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: ʾidhā kāna laka ṣadīqun falā tasuʾhu fīka bimā yakrahuhu.
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: If you have a friend, do not cause him distress on your account by doing what he dislikes.
§ 226
(كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 279)
(Kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 279)
(The Book of Gleams, p. 279)
آدَابُهُمْ فِي الْحَدَثِ وَالطَّهَارَةِ
ʾādābuhum fī al-ḥadathi wa-al-ṭahārati
Their Courtesies at Death
§ 228
وَقَالَ الْجُرَيْرِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: حَضَرْتُ وَفَاةَ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ: الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ سَاجِدًا: فَقُلْتُ لَهُ يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ: أَلَيْسَ بَلَغْتَ هَذَا الْمَكَانَ وَبَلَغَ بِكَ مَا أَرَى مِنْ الْجَهْدِ لَوْ اسْتَرَحْتَ؟ فَقَالَ لِي: يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ، أَحْوَجُ مَا كُنْتُ إِلَيْهِ هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ سَاجِدًا حَتَّى فَارَقَ الدُّنْيَا، وَأَنَا حَاضِرُهُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 281)
Waqāla al-jurayriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: ḥaḍartu wafāta ʾabī al-qāsimi: al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā, falam yazal sājidan: faqultu lahu yā ʾabā al-qāsimi: ʾalaysa balaghta hadhā al-makāna wabalagha bika mā ʾarā min al-jahdi law istaraḥta? faqāla lī: yā ʾabā Muḥammadin, ʾaḥwaju mā kuntu ʾilayhi hadhihi al-sāʿata, falam yazal sājidan ḥattā fāraqa al-dunyā, waʾanā ḥāḍiruhu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 281)
Al-Jurayrī, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: I was present at the death of Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him. He remained in prostration. I said, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, have you not reached this station, and has not the exertion I see overtaken you? If only you would rest.’ He replied, ‘Abū Muḥammad, I have never needed it more than at this hour.’ He remained in prostration until he departed this world while I was present. (The Book of Gleams, p. 281)
وَلِلْجُنَيْدِ فِي مَعْرِفَةِ الْجَمْعِ وَالتَّفْرِيقِ
Waliljunaydi fī maʿrifati al-jamʿi wa-al-tafrīqi
Al-Junayd on Knowing Gathering and Separation
§ 230
فَتَحَقَّقْتُكَ فِي سِرِّي فَنَاجَاكَ لِسَانِي * فَاجْتَمَعْنَا لِمَعَانٍ وَافْتَرَقْنَا لِمَعَانِي
Fataḥaqqaqtuka fī sirrī fanājāka lisānī * fa-ijtamaʿnā limaʿānin wa-iftaraqnā limaʿānī
I realized You within my secret, and my tongue conversed with You; / we were gathered for certain meanings and parted for others.
§ 231 • SOURCE P 266
إِنْ يَكُنْ غَيَّبَكَ التَّعْظِيمُ عَنْ لَحْظِ عِيَانِي فَلَقَدْ صَيَّرَكَ الْوَجْدُ مِنْ الْأَحْشَاءِ دَانِيَ
ʾin yakun ghayyabaka al-taʿẓīmu ʿan laḥẓi ʿiyānī falaqad ṣayyaraka al-wajdu min al-ʾaḥshāʾi dāniya
If reverence has hidden You from the gaze of my direct sight, / ecstasy has brought You near within my innermost being.
§ 232
(كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 383).
(Kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 383).
(The Book of Gleams, p. 383)
§ 233
وَقَدْ ذَهَبَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَى أَنَّ قُرْبَهُ بِالْوَجْدِ جَمْعٌ وَغَيْبَتُهُ فِي الْبَشَرِيَّةِ تَفْرِقَةٌ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 284).
Waqad dhahaba al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʾilā ʾanna qurbahu bi-al-wajdi jamʿun waghaybatuhu fī al-bashariyyati tafriqatun. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 284).
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, held that nearness through ecstasy is gathering, while absence within human nature is separation. (The Book of Gleams, p. 284)
§ 234
وَعَنْ جَعْفَرٍ الْخَلْدِيِّ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ، وَسُئِلَ عَنْ الْفَنَاءِ، فَقَالَ: إِذَا فَنِيَ الْعَبْدُ عَنْ أَوْصَافِهِ أَدْرَكَ الْبَقَاءَ بِتَمَامِهِ. قَالَ: وَسَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ، وَقَدْ سُئِلَ عَنْ الْفِنَاءِ، فَقَالَ: اسْتِعْجَامُ كُلِّكَ عَنْ أَوْصَافِكَ وَاسْتِعْمَالُ الْكُلِّ مِنْكَ بِكُلِّيَّتِكَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 285).
Waʿan jaʿfarin al-khaldiyyi qāla: samiʿtu al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu, wasuʾila ʿan al-fanāʾi, faqāla: ʾidhā faniya al-ʿabdu ʿan ʾawṣāfihi ʾadraka al-baqāʾa bitamāmihi. qāla: wasamiʿtu al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu, waqad suʾila ʿan al-fināʾi, faqāla: istiʿjāmu kullika ʿan ʾawṣāfika wa-istiʿmālu al-kulli minka bikulliyyatika. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 285).
Jaʿfar al-Khuldī related: I heard al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, when asked about annihilation, say: ‘When the servant is annihilated from his own attributes, he realizes subsistence in its fullness.’ I also heard al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, when asked about annihilation, say: ‘It is your whole being becoming inarticulate regarding your attributes, and the employment of everything in you with your entire being.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 285)
§ 235
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْ الْحَقِيقَةِ، فَقَالَ: أَذْكُرُهُ ثُمَّ أَدَعُ هَذَا وَهَذَا.
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʿan al-ḥaqīqati, faqāla: ʾadhkuruhu thumma ʾadaʿu hadhā wahadhā.
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, was asked about reality and said: I remember Him, then leave aside both this and that.
§ 236
(كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 286).
(Kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 286).
(The Book of Gleams, p. 286)
§ 237
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: أَبَتْ الْحَقَائِقُ أَنْ تَدَعَ فِي الْقُلُوبِ مَقَالَةً لِلتَّأْوِيلاتِ.
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾabat al-ḥaqāʾiqu ʾan tadaʿa fī al-qulūbi maqālatan li-l-taʾwīlāti.
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: Realities refuse to leave room in hearts for the claims of interpretation.
§ 238
(كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 287).
(Kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 287).
(The Book of Gleams, p. 287)
§ 239
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِنَّ الْحَقَائِقَ اللَّازِمَةَ وَالْقُصُودَ الْقَوِيَّةَ الْمُحَكَّمَةَ لَمْ تُبْقَ عَلَى أَهْلِهَا سَبَبًا إِلَّا قَطَعَتْهُ وَلَا مُعْتَرِضًا إِلَّا مَنَعَتْهُ وَلَا تَأْوِيلًا مُوهِمًا لِصِحَّةِ الْمُرَادِ إِلَّا كَشَفَتْهُ فَالْحَقُّ عِنْدَهُمْ لِصِحَّةِ الْحَالِ مُجَرَّدٌ، وَالْجِدُّ فِي دَوَامِ السِّيَرِ مُحَدَّدٌ، عَلَى بَرَاهِينَ مِنْ الْعِلْمِ وَاضِحَةٍ وَدَلَائِلَ مِنْ الْحَقِّ بَيِّنَةٍ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 288)
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: ʾinna al-ḥaqāʾiqa al-lāzimata wa-al-quṣūda al-qawiyyata al-muḥakkamata lam tubqa ʿalā ʾahlihā sababan ʾillā qaṭaʿathu walā muʿtariḍan ʾillā manaʿathu walā taʾwīlan mūhiman liṣiḥḥati al-murādi ʾillā kashafathu fa-al-ḥaqqu ʿindahum liṣiḥḥati al-ḥāli mujarradun, wa-al-jiddu fī dawāmi al-siyari muḥaddadun, ʿalā barāhīna min al-ʿilmi wāḍiḥatin wadalāʾila min al-ḥaqqi bayyinatin. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 288)
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: Binding realities and firm, powerful aims leave their people no tie without severing it, no obstacle without barring it, and no misleading interpretation without exposing it so that the true intent may be sound. For them, the truth is stripped bare through the soundness of the state, and earnestness in continuous journeying is sharply defined upon clear proofs from knowledge and manifest indications from the Real. (The Book of Gleams, p. 288)
مَسْأَلَةٌ فِي الصِّدْقِ
Masʾalatun fī al-ṣidqi
A Question on Truthfulness
§ 241
قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَخْبَرَنِي جَعْفَرٌ الْخَلْدِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، قَالَ:
Qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: ʾakhbaranī jaʿfarun al-khaldiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā, qāla:
The shaykh, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: Jaʿfar al-Khuldī, may God Most High have mercy on him, informed me, saying:
§ 242
سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ: مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ طَلَبَ أَمْرًا بِصِدْقٍ وُجِدَ إِلَّا أَدْرَكَهُ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يُدْرِكْ الْكُلَّ أَدْرَكَ الْبَعْضَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 287، 288)
Samiʿtu al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu: mā min ʾaḥadin ṭalaba ʾamran biṣidqin wujida ʾillā ʾadrakahu, waʾin lam yudrik al-kulla ʾadraka al-baʿḍa. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 287, 288)
I heard al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, say: No one sincerely seeks a matter that truly exists without attaining it; if he does not attain all of it, he attains some of it. (The Book of Gleams, pp. 287–288)
مَسْأَلَةٌ فِي الْإِخْلَاصِ
Masʾalatun fī al-ʾikhlāṣi
A Question on Sincerity
§ 244
سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ الْإِخْلَاصِ فَقَالَ: ارْتِفَاعُ رُؤْيَتِكَ وَفِنَاؤُكَ عَنْ الْفِعْلِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 289).
Suʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan al-ʾikhlāṣi faqāla: irtifāʿu ruʾyatika wafināʾuka ʿan al-fiʿli. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 289).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about sincerity and said: It is the disappearance of your seeing yourself and your annihilation from your own act. (The Book of Gleams, p. 289)
§ 245 • SOURCE P 267
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مَرَّةً أُخْرَى عَنْ الْإِخْلَاصِ، فَقَالَ: إِخْرَاجُ الْخَلْقِ مِنْ مُعَامَلَةِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَالنَّفْسُ أَوَّلُ الْخَلْقِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 290).
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā marratan ʾukhrā ʿan al-ʾikhlāṣi, faqāla: ʾikhrāju al-khalqi min muʿāmalati Allāhi taʿālā, wa-al-nafsu ʾawwalu al-khalqi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 290).
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, was asked about sincerity another time and said: It is removing created beings from one’s dealings with God Most High—and the lower self is the first of created beings. (The Book of Gleams, p. 290)
§ 246
سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَيُّهُمَا أَتَمُّ: الاِسْتِغْنَاءُ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَمْ الاِفْتِقَارُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ؟ فَقَالَ: الاِفْتِقَارُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُوجِبٌ لِلْغِنَاءِ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَإِذَا صَحَّ الاِفْتِقَارُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ كَمَّلَ الْغِنَاءَ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى، فَلَا يُقَالُ: أَيُّمَا أَتَمَّ؟ لِأَنَّهُمَا حَالَانِ لَا يَتِمُّ أَحَدُهُمَا إِلَّا بِتَمَامِ الْآخَرِ. وَمَنْ صَحَّحَ الِافْتِقَارَ صَحَّحَ الْغِنَاءَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 291)
Suʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: ʾayyuhumā ʾatammu: al-istighnāʾu bi-llāhi taʿālā ʾam al-iftiqāru ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla? faqāla: al-iftiqāru ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla mūjibun li-l-ghināʾi bi-llāhi ʿazza wajalla, faʾidhā ṣaḥḥa al-iftiqāru ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla kammala al-ghināʾa bi-llāhi taʿālā, falā yuqālu: ʾayyumā ʾatamma? liʾannahumā ḥālāni lā yatimmu ʾaḥaduhumā ʾillā bitamāmi al-ʾākhari. waman ṣaḥḥaḥa al-iftiqāra ṣaḥḥaḥa al-ghināʾa. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 291)
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, was asked: Which is more complete—finding sufficiency in God Most High, or being in need of God, mighty and majestic? He replied: Need of God, mighty and majestic, necessarily brings sufficiency through God, mighty and majestic. When need of God becomes true, sufficiency through God Most High becomes complete. One therefore cannot ask which is more complete, for they are two states, neither of which is complete without the other. Whoever makes his need true makes his sufficiency true. (The Book of Gleams, p. 291)
مَسْأَلَةٌ فِي الْفَقْرِ
Masʾalatun fī al-faqri
A Question on Poverty
§ 248
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: الْفَقْرُ بَحْرُ الْبَلَاءِ، وَبَلَاؤُهُ كُلُّهُ عِزٌّ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 292).
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: al-faqru baḥru al-balāʾi, wabalāʾuhu kulluhu ʿizzun. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 292).
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: Poverty is a sea of trial, and every part of its trial is honor. (The Book of Gleams, p. 292)
§ 249
وَسُئِلَ عَنْ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ، مَتَى يَكُونُ مُسْتَوْجِبًا لِدُخُولِ الْجَنَّةِ قَبْلَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ بِخَمْسِمِائَةِ عَامٍ؟ فَقَالَ: إِذَا كَانَ هَذَا الْفَقِيرُ مُعَامِلًا لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِقَلْبِهِ مُوَافِقًا لِلَّهِ فِيمَا مَنَعَ، حَتَّى يَعَدَّ الْفَقْرُ مِنْ اللَّهِ نِعْمَةً عَلَيْهِ يَخَافُ مِنْ زَوَالِهَا كَمَا يَخَافُ عَلَى زَوَالِ غِنَاهُ، وَكَانَ صَابِرًا مُحْتَسِبًا مَسْرُورًا بِاخْتِيَارِ اللَّهِ لَهُ الْفَقْرَ صَائِنًا لِدِينِهِ كَاتِمًا لِلْفَقْرِ مُظْهِرًا لِلْإِيَاسِ مِنْ النَّاسِ مُسْتَغْنِيًا بِرَبِّهِ فِي فَقْرِهِ، كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ:
Wasuʾila ʿan al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi, matā yakūnu mustawjiban lidukhūli al-jannati qabla al-ʾaghniyāʾi bikhamsimiāʾati ʿāmin? faqāla: ʾidhā kāna hadhā al-faqīru muʿāmilan li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla biqalbihi muwāfiqan li-llāhi fīmā manaʿa, ḥattā yaʿadda al-faqru min Allāhi niʿmatan ʿalayhi yakhāfu min zawālihā kamā yakhāfu ʿalā zawāli ghināhu, wakāna ṣābiran muḥtasiban masrūran bi-ikhtiyāri Allāhi lahu al-faqra ṣāʾinan lidīnihi kātiman li-l-faqri muẓhiran li-l-ʾiyāsi min al-nāsi mustaghniyan birabbihi fī faqrihi, kamā qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla:
He was asked: When does the sincerely poor person deserve to enter the Garden five hundred years before the rich? He replied: When the poor person deals with God, mighty and majestic, through his heart, accords with God in what He withholds, counts poverty from God as a blessing whose loss he fears just as he would fear the loss of wealth, patiently seeks the divine reward, rejoices in God’s choice of poverty for him, safeguards his religion, conceals his poverty, openly gives up hope in people, and finds sufficiency in his Lord amid his poverty—as God, mighty and majestic, said:
§ 250
لِلْفُقَرَاءِ الَّذِينَ أُحْصِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
Li-l-fuqarāʾi alladhīna ʾuḥṣirū fī sabīli Allāhi
‘For the poor who are constrained in the path of God …’
§ 251
[الْبَقَرَةُ: 273] الْآيَةَ، فَإِذَا كَانَ الْفَقِيرُ بِهَذِهِ الصِّفَةِ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ قَبْلَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ بِخَمْسِمِائَةِ عَامٍ، وَيُكْفَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَؤُونَةُ الْوُقُوفِ وَالْحِسَابِ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 292).
[Al-baqaratu: 273] al-ʾāyata, faʾidhā kāna al-faqīru bihadhihi al-ṣifati yadkhulu al-jannata qabla al-ʾaghniyāʾi bikhamsimiāʾati ʿāmin, wayukfā yawma al-qiyāmati maʾūnatu al-wuqūfi wa-al-ḥisābi ʾin shāʾa Allāhu taʿālā. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 292).
[al-Baqara 2:273]—to the end of the verse. When the poor person has these qualities, he enters the Garden five hundred years before the rich and, if God Most High wills, is spared the burden of standing and reckoning on the Day of Resurrection. (The Book of Gleams, p. 292)
§ 252
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْ أَعَزِّ النَّاسِ، فَقَالَ: الْفَقِيرُ الرَّاضِي. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 293)
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʿan ʾaʿazzi al-nāsi, faqāla: al-faqīru al-rāḍī. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 293)
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, was asked who is dearest in honor among people. He replied: The poor person who is content. (The Book of Gleams, p. 293)
مَسْأَلَةٌ فِي الظَّرْفِ
Masʾalatun fī al-ẓarfi
A Question on Spiritual Refinement
§ 254
سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْ الظَّرْفِ مَا هُوَ؟ فَقَالَ: اجْتِنَابُ كُلِّ خُلُقٍ دَنِيٍّ وَاسْتِعْمَالُ كُلِّ خُلُقٍ سُنِّيٍّ، وَأَنْ تَعْمَلَ لِلَّهِ ثُمَّ لَا تَرَى أَنَّكَ عَمِلْتَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 296)
Suʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʿan al-ẓarfi mā huwa? faqāla: ijtinābu kulli khuluqin daniyyin wa-istiʿmālu kulli khuluqin sunniyyin, waʾan taʿmala li-llāhi thumma lā tarā ʾannaka ʿamilta. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 296)
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, was asked, ‘What is spiritual refinement?’ He replied: ‘Avoiding every base trait, practicing every noble trait, and acting for God without then seeing that you have acted.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 296)
مَسْأَلَةٌ سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِذَا ذَهَبَ اسْمُ الْعَبْدِ، وَثَبَتَ حُكْمُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى
Masʾalatun suʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: ʾidhā dhahaba ismu al-ʿabdi, wathabata ḥukmu Allāhi taʿālā
A Question Put to al-Junayd, May God Most High Have Mercy on Him: When Does the Servant’s Name Vanish and God’s Judgment Stand Firm
§ 256
قَالَ: اعْلَمْ رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ إِذَا عَظُمَتْ الْمَعْرِفَةُ بِاللَّهِ ذَهَبَتْ آثَارُ الْعَبْدِ، وَامَّحَتْ رُسُومُهُ، فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ يَبْدُو عِلْمُ الْحَقِّ وَيَثْبُتُ حُكْمُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 297)
Qāla: iʿlam raḥimaka Allāhu taʿālā ʾannahu ʾidhā ʿaẓumat al-maʿrifatu bi-llāhi dhahabat ʾāthāru al-ʿabdi, wa-immaḥat rusūmuhu, faʿinda dhalika yabdū ʿilmu al-ḥaqqi wayathbutu ḥukmu Allāhi taʿālā. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 297)
He said: Know—may God Most High have mercy on you—that when knowledge of God becomes immense, the servant’s effects disappear and his traces are effaced. Then knowledge of the Real’s knowledge appears, and the name of God Most High’s judgment stands firm. (The Book of Gleams, p. 297)
مَسْأَلَةٌ سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مَتَى يَسْتَوِي عِنْدَ الْعَبْدِ حَامِدُهُ وَذَامُّهُ
Masʾalatun suʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā matā yastawī ʿinda al-ʿabdi ḥāmiduhu wadhāmmuhu
A Question Put to al-Junayd, May God Most High Have Mercy on Him: When Do the One Who Praises a Servant and the One Who Blames Him Become Equal in His Eyes
§ 258
فَقَالَ: إِذَا تَحَقَّقَ أَنَّهُ مَخْلُوقٌ، فَشَهِقَ الرَّجُلُ شَهْقَةً وَمَاتَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 297)
Faqāla: ʾidhā taḥaqqaqa ʾannahu makhlūqun, fashahiqa al-rajulu shahqatan wamāta. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 297)
He replied: When the servant realizes that he is created. The man cried out once and died. (The Book of Gleams, p. 297)
مَسْأَلَةٌ فِي الشَّاهِدِ
Masʾalatun fī al-shāhidi
A Question on the Witness
§ 260
سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: لِمَ سُمِّيَ الشَّاهِدُ شَاهِدًا؟ فَقَالَ: الشَّاهِدُ الْحَقُّ شَاهِدٌ فِي ضَمِيرِكَ وَأَسْرَارِكَ مُطَّلِعًا عَلَيْهَا وَشَاهِدًا لِجَمَالِهِ فِي خَلْقِهِ وَعِبَادِهِ، فَإِذَا نَظَرَ النَّاظِرُ إِلَيْهِ شَهِدَ عِلْمَهُ بِنَظَرِهِ إِلَيْهِ. وَشَاهِدُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ هُوَ أَنْ يَقْطَعَ مَنْزِلَ الْمُرِيدِينَ فَيَشْهَدَ عُمُومَ الْعَارِفِينَ وَحَامِلُ اسْمِ الشَّاهِدِ الْحَاضِرِ فِي الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْرُجُ وَلَا يَفْتُرُ وَلَا يَتَغَافَلُ فَإِنْ غَفَلَ غَفْلَةً مُرِيدٍ فَلَيْسَ بِشَاهِدٍ، وَكُلُّ مَا يُجْرَى فِيهِ غَيْرُ هَذَا فِي ظَاهِرِ الْخَلِيقَةِ فَهُوَ بَاطِلٌ فَلَيْسَ هُوَ طَرِيقُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 301)
Suʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: lima summiya al-shāhidu shāhidan? faqāla: al-shāhidu al-ḥaqqu shāhidun fī ḍamīrika waʾasrārika muṭṭaliʿan ʿalayhā washāhidan lijamālihi fī khalqihi waʿibādihi, faʾidhā naẓara al-nāẓiru ʾilayhi shahida ʿilmahu binaẓarihi ʾilayhi. washāhidu al-ṣūfiyyati huwa ʾan yaqṭaʿa manzila al-murīdīna fayashhada ʿumūma al-ʿārifīna waḥāmilu ismi al-shāhidi al-ḥāḍiri fī al-ghaybi lā yaʿruju walā yafturu walā yataghāfalu faʾin ghafala ghaflatan murīdin falaysa bishāhidin, wakullu mā yujrā fīhi ghayru hadhā fī ẓāhiri al-khalīqati fahuwa bāṭilun falaysa huwa ṭarīqu al-ṣūfiyyati. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 301)
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, was asked: Why is the witness called a witness? He replied: The true witness is one who witnesses the Real within your conscience and secrets, aware of them, and witnesses His beauty in His creation and servants. When the observer looks toward Him, his knowledge bears witness through that gaze. The witness among the Sufis is one who has passed beyond the station of novices and witnesses the generality of the knowers. The bearer of the name ‘witness’ is present amid absence: he does not turn aside, slacken, or become heedless. If he becomes heedless with the heedlessness of a novice, he is no witness. Whatever else is current under this name in the outward life of creation is false and is not the Sufi path. (The Book of Gleams, p. 301)
مَسْأَلَةٌ: مَا الْكَرِيمُ
Masʾalatun: mā al-karīmu
A Question: Who Is the Generous One
§ 262
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: الْكَرِيمُ مَنْ لَا يُحُوجُكَ إِلَى وَسِيلَةٍ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 302)
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: al-karīmu man lā yuḥūjuka ʾilā wasīlatin. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 302)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: The generous one is he who does not make you need an intermediary. (The Book of Gleams, p. 302)
مَسْأَلَةٌ: مَا النِّيَّةُ
Masʾalatun: mā al-niyyatu
A Question: What Is Intention
§ 264
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: النِّيَّةُ تَصْوِيرُ الْأَفْعَالِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 303)
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: al-niyyatu taṣwīru al-ʾafʿāli. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 303)
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: Intention gives form to actions. (The Book of Gleams, p. 303)
مَسْأَلَةٌ: مَا الصَّوَابُ
Masʾalatun: mā al-ṣawābu
A Question: What Is Right
§ 266
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: الصَّوَابُ كُلُّ نُطْقٍ عَنْ إِذْنٍ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 303)
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: al-ṣawābu kullu nuṭqin ʿan ʾidhnin. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 303)
Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, said: What is right is every utterance made by permission. (The Book of Gleams, p. 303)
مَسْأَلَةٌ سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ الشَّفَقَةِ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ مَا هُوَ
Masʾalatun suʾila al-Junaydu ʿan al-shafaqati ʿalā al-khalqi mā huwa
A Question Put to al-Junayd: What Is Compassion for Created Beings
§ 268
قَالَ: تُعْطِيهِمْ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ مَا يَطْلُبُونَ، وَلَا تُحَمِّلْهُمْ مَا لَا يُطِيقُونَ، وَلَا تُخَاطِبُهُمْ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 303)
Qāla: tuʿṭīhim min nafsika mā yaṭlubūna, walā tuḥammilhum mā lā yuṭīqūna, walā tukhāṭibuhum bimā lā yaʿlamūna. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 303)
He replied: Give them from yourself what they ask; do not burden them with what they cannot bear; and do not address them with what they do not understand. (The Book of Gleams, p. 303)
مَسْأَلَةٌ فِي التَّقِيَّةِ
Masʾalatun fī al-taqiyyati
A Question on Guardedness (Taqiyya)
§ 270
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: التَّقِيَّةُ اسْتِوَاءُ السِّرِّ وَالْعَلَانِيَةِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 303)
Waqāla al-Junaydu: al-taqiyyatu istiwāʾu al-sirri wa-al-ʿalāniyati. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 303)
Al-Junayd said: True Godfearingness is that one’s inward and outward states be equal. (The Book of Gleams, p. 303)
مُكَاتَبَاتٌ
Mukātabātun
Correspondence
§ 272
وَفِيمَا ذُكِرَ عَنْ الشِّبْلِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، أَنَّهُ كَتَبَ إِلَى الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ كِتَابًا فَكَتَبَ فِيهِ: يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ مَا تَقُولُ فِي حَالٍ عَلَا فَظَهَرَ وَظَهَرَ فَقَهَرَ وَقَهَرَ فَبَهَرَ فَاسْتَنَاخَ وَاسْتَقَرَّ؟ فَالشُّهُودُ مُنْطَمِسَةٌ وَالْأَوْهَامُ خَنِسَةٌ وَالْأَلْسُنُ خِرْسَةٌ وَالْعُلُومُ مُنْدَرِسَةٌ وَلَوْ تَكَاثَفَتْ الْخَلِيقَةُ عَلَى مَنْ هَذَا حَالُهُ لَمْ يَزِدْهُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا تَوَحُّشًا وَلَوْ أَقْبَلَتْ الْخَلِيقَةُ إِلَيْهِ تَعَطُّفًا لَمْ يَزِدْهُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا تَبَعُّدًا فَالْحَاصِلُ فِي هَذِهِ الْحَالِ قَدْ صُفِّدَ بِالْأَغْلَالِ وَالْأَنْكَالِ وَغَلَبَهُ عَلَى عَقْلِهِ فَحَالَ وَحَادَ الْحَقَّ بِالْحَقِّ وَصَارَ الْخَلْقُ عِقَالًا وَكَتَبَ تَحْتَهَا هَذَيْنِ الْبَيْتَيْنِ:
Wafīmā dhukira ʿan al-shibliyyi raḥimahu Allāhu, ʾannahu kataba ʾilā al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu kitāban fakataba fīhi: yā ʾabā al-qāsimi mā taqūlu fī ḥālin ʿalā faẓahara waẓahara faqahara waqahara fabahara fa-istanākha wa-istaqarra? fa-al-shuhūdu munṭamisatun wa-al-ʾawhāmu khanisatun wa-al-ʾalsunu khirsatun wa-al-ʿulūmu mundarisatun walaw takāthafat al-khalīqatu ʿalā man hadhā ḥāluhu lam yazidhu dhalika ʾillā tawaḥḥushan walaw ʾaqbalat al-khalīqatu ʾilayhi taʿaṭṭufan lam yazidhu dhalika ʾillā tabaʿʿudan fa-al-ḥāṣilu fī hadhihi al-ḥāli qad ṣuffida bi-al-ʾaghlāli wa-al-ʾankāli waghalabahu ʿalā ʿaqlihi faḥāla waḥāda al-ḥaqqa bi-al-ḥaqqi waṣāra al-khalqu ʿiqālan wakataba taḥtahā hadhayni al-baytayni:
Among what is related of al-Shiblī, may God have mercy on him, is that he wrote al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, a letter saying: ‘Abū al-Qāsim, what do you say of a state that rose and appeared, appeared and prevailed, prevailed and dazzled, then settled down and became established? Acts of witnessing are extinguished, imaginings withdraw, tongues fall mute, and branches of knowledge are effaced. If all creation crowded around one in this state, it would only increase his estrangement; if all creation approached him tenderly, it would only make him more distant. The one overtaken by this state is shackled in chains and fetters; it has overwhelmed his reason, changed him, set the Real apart through the Real, and made creation a hobble.’ Beneath it he wrote these two lines:
§ 273
يَا هِلَالَ السَّمَا لِطَرَفٍ كَلِيلٍ فَإِذَا مَا بَدَا أَضَاءَ طَرَفَيْهِ * كُنْتُ أَبْكِي عَلَيَّ مِنْهُ فَلَمَّا أَنْ تَوَلَّى بَكَيْتُ مِنْهُ عَلَيْهِ
Yā hilāla al-samā liṭarafin kalīlin faʾidhā mā badā ʾaḍāʾa ṭarafayhi * kuntu ʾabkī ʿalayya minhu falammā ʾan tawallā bakaytu minhu ʿalayhi
O crescent of the sky before a wearied eye: when it appears, it lights both edges of that gaze. / I once wept for myself because of it; but when it departed, I wept for it instead.
§ 274
قَالَ: فَتَرَكَ الرُّقْعَةَ عِنْدَهُ مِنْ الْأَرْبِعَاءِ إِلَى الْأَرْبِعَاءِ وَكَتَبَ تَحْتَهَا يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ: اللَّهُ اللَّهُ فِي الْخَلْقِ كُنَّا نَأْخُذُ الْكَلِمَةَ فَنَنْشُقُّهَا وَنَقْرِّظُهَا وَنَتَكَلَّمُ بِهَا فِي السَّرَادِيبِ وَقَدْ جِئْتَ أَنْتَ فَخَلَعْتَ الْعِذَارَ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ أَكَابِرِ الْخَلْقِ أَلْفُ طَبَقَةٍ فِي أَوَّلِ طَبَقَةٍ يَذْهَبُ مَا وَصَفْتُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 305).
Qāla: fataraka al-ruqʿata ʿindahu min al-ʾarbiʿāʾi ʾilā al-ʾarbiʿāʾi wakataba taḥtahā yā ʾabā bakrin: Allāhu Allāhu fī al-khalqi kunnā naʾkhudhu al-kalimata fananshuqquhā wanaqrriẓuhā wanatakallamu bihā fī al-sarādībi waqad jiʾta ʾanta fakhalaʿta al-ʿidhāra baynaka wabayna ʾakābiri al-khalqi ʾalfu ṭabaqatin fī ʾawwali ṭabaqatin yadhhabu mā waṣaftu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 305).
Al-Junayd left the note with him from one Wednesday to the next, then wrote beneath it: ‘Abū Bakr, for God’s sake, take care with creation! We used to take a saying, refine and polish it, and speak it in underground chambers. You have now cast off all restraint. Between you and the greatest of created beings are a thousand levels; at the very first, all that you have described disappears.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 305)
§ 275
وَقَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: وَإِنَّمَا وَضَعْتُ فِي هَذَا الْكِتَابِ هَذِهِ الْحِكَايَةُ وَالرِّسَالَةُ حَتَّى يَتَأَمَّلَ مَنْ يَنْظُرُ فِيهِ. وَيَسْتَفِيدُ مِنْهَا بِمَا فِيهَا مِنْ الْإِشَارَاتِ الصَّحِيحَةِ وَالْعِبَارَاتِ الْفَصِيحَةِ وَيَقِفُ عَلَى مَقَاصِدِ الْقَوْمِ فِي مُكَاتَبَاتِهِمْ لِأَنَّ بَيْنَ كُلِّ طَائِفَةٍ مِنْ النَّاسِ مُكَاتَبَاتٍ وَمُرَاسَلَاتٍ عَلَى حَسَبِ مَا يَلِيقُ بِهِمْ. وَبِاللَّهِ التَّوْفِيقُ. 312
Waqāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu: waʾinnamā waḍaʿtu fī hadhā al-kitābi hadhihi al-ḥikāyatu wa-al-risālatu ḥattā yataʾammala man yanẓuru fīhi. wayastafīdu minhā bimā fīhā min al-ʾishārāti al-ṣaḥīḥati wa-al-ʿibārāti al-faṣīḥati wayaqifu ʿalā maqāṣidi al-qawmi fī mukātabātihim liʾanna bayna kulli ṭāʾifatin min al-nāsi mukātabātin wamurāsalātin ʿalā ḥasabi mā yalīqu bihim. wa-bi-llāhi al-tawfīqu. 312
The shaykh, may God have mercy on him, said: I included this account and letter in this book so that its reader may reflect, benefit from its sound allusions and eloquent expressions, and grasp the Sufis’ aims in their correspondence. Every group of people exchanges letters and messages in a manner suited to them. Success comes through God. (p. 312)
بَابٌ فِي صُدُورِ الْكُتُبِ وَالرَّسَائِلِ
Bābun fī ṣudūri al-kutubi wa-al-rasāʾili
Chapter on the Opening Formulas of Letters and Epistles
§ 277 • SOURCE P 270
صَدَرَ لِلْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ: آثَرَكَ اللَّهُ يَا أَخِي بِالْاِصْطِفَاءِ وَجَمَعَكَ بِالْاِحْتِواءِ وَخَصَّكَ بِعِلْمِ أَهْلِ النُّهَى وَأَطْلَعَكَ مِنْ الْمَعْرِفَةِ عَلَى مَا هُوَ أَوْلَى وَتَمِّمَ لَكَ مَا تُرِيدُ مِنْكَ لَهُ ثُمَّ أَخْلَاكَ مِنْكَ لَهُ وَمِنْهُ لَهُ بِهِ لِيُفْرِدَكَ فِي تَقَلُّبِهِ لَكَ بِمَا يَشْهِدُكَ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَلْحَقُكَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ الشَّوَاهِدِ يُخْرِجُكَ فَذَلِكَ: أَوَّلُ الْأَوَّلِ الَّذِي مَحَا بِهِ رُسُومَ مَا تَرَادَفَ مِمَّا غَيَّبَهُ بِهِ عَنْكَ بِعُلُوِّ مَا اسْتَأْثَرَ بِهِ مِنْهُ لَهُ ثُمَّ أَفْرَدَكَ مِنْكَ لَكَ فِي أَوَّلِ تَفْرِيدِ التَّجْرِيدِ وَحَقِيقَةِ كَائِنٌ التَّفْرِيدِ فَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا انْفَرَدَ بِذَلِكَ أَبَادَ وَأَفْنَى الْإِبَادَةَ مَا سَلَفَ مِنْ الْحَقِّ مِنْ الشَّاهِدِ بَعْدَ إِفْنَاءِ مَحَاضِرِ الْخَلْقِ فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ يَقَعُ حَقِيقَةُ الْحَقِيقَةِ مِنْ الْحَقِّ لِلْحَقِّ وَمِنْ ذَلِكَ: مَا جَرَى بِحَقِيقَةِ عِلْمِ الِانْتِهَاءِ إِلَى عِلْمِ التَّوْحِيدِ عَلَى عِلْمِ تَفْرِيدِ التَّجْرِيدِ فَقَدْ عَزَّرَهُ اللَّهُ وَحَجَبَهُ عَنْ كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ يَنْتَحِلُهُ وَيَدَّعِيهِ وَيَتَحَقَّقُهُ وَيَصْطَفِيهِ.
ṣadara li-l-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾātharaka Allāhu yā ʾakhī bi-al-iṣṭifāʾi wajamaʿaka bi-al-iḥtiwāʾi wakhaṣṣaka biʿilmi ʾahli al-nuhā waʾaṭlaʿaka min al-maʿrifati ʿalā mā huwa ʾawlā watammima laka mā turīdu minka lahu thumma ʾakhlāka minka lahu waminhu lahu bihi liyufridaka fī taqallubihi laka bimā yashhiduka min ḥaythu lā yalḥaquka shāhidun min al-shawāhidi yukhrijuka fadhalika: ʾawwalu al-ʾawwali alladhī maḥā bihi rusūma mā tarādafa mimmā ghayyabahu bihi ʿanka biʿuluwwi mā istaʾthara bihi minhu lahu thumma ʾafradaka minka laka fī ʾawwali tafrīdi al-tajrīdi waḥaqīqati kāʾinun al-tafrīdi fakadhalika ʾidhā infarada bidhalika ʾabāda waʾafnā al-ʾibādata mā salafa min al-ḥaqqi min al-shāhidi baʿda ʾifnāʾi maḥāḍiri al-khalqi faʿinda dhalika yaqaʿu ḥaqīqatu al-ḥaqīqati min al-ḥaqqi li-l-ḥaqqi wamin dhalika: mā jarā biḥaqīqati ʿilmi al-intihāʾi ʾilā ʿilmi al-tawḥīdi ʿalā ʿilmi tafrīdi al-tajrīdi faqad ʿazzarahu Allāhu waḥajabahu ʿan kathīrin mimman yantaḥiluhu wayaddaʿīhi wayataḥaqqaquhu wayaṣṭafīhi.
An opening formula of al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him: May God favor you, my brother, by choosing you; gather you through all-embracing inclusion; single you out for the knowledge of people of understanding; disclose to you the worthiest share of direct knowledge; and complete for you what He seeks from you for Himself. Then may He empty you of yourself for Him, and of Him for Him through Him, so that He alone may turn you as He wills and make you witness from where no created witness can overtake you and draw you out. That is the first of the first: its effacement is the traces of all that followed in succession, through what He used to hide it from you by the loftiness of what He reserved from Himself for Himself. Then He singles you out from yourself for yourself in the first isolation of pure detachment and the reality of the being of singularization. When He alone undertakes that, He destroys and annihilates; annihilation erases what previously remained of the Real in the witness after the presences of creation have been effaced. Then the reality of reality occurs—from the Real, for the Real. From this comes what proceeds, through the reality of knowledge at the end, to the knowledge of divine unity upon the knowledge of isolating pure detachment. God has made it mighty and veiled it from many who profess it, claim it, assert its realization, and appropriate it.
§ 278
صَدْرٌ آخَرُ: مَوْتِكَ حَقِيقَةُ الِاخْتِصَاصِ عَنْ لَوَائِحِ الِانْتِقَاصِ وَآوَاكَ الْحَقُّ فِي خَفِيٍّ مِنْ الْمُلَاحَظَةِ لِحَظِّكَ شُغْلًا بِالْإِجْلَالِ لَهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِ نَفْسِكَ وَحَالِكَ فِي أَوَانِ ذِكْرِهِ ثُمَّ أَذْكُرُكَ أَنَّهُ ذَكَرَكَ فِي قَدِيمِ الْأَزَلِ قَبْلَ حِينِ الْبَلْوَى وَقَبْلَ حَالِ الْبَلْوَى إِنَّهُ فَعَّالٌ لِمَا يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ قَدِيرٌ.
ṣadrun ʾākharu: mawtika ḥaqīqatu al-ikhtiṣāṣi ʿan lawāʾiḥi al-intiqāṣi waʾāwāka al-ḥaqqu fī khafiyyin min al-mulāḥaẓati liḥaẓẓika shughlan bi-al-ʾijlāli lahu ʿan dhikri nafsika waḥālika fī ʾawāni dhikrihi thumma ʾadhkuruka ʾannahu dhakaraka fī qadīmi al-ʾazali qabla ḥīni al-balwā waqabla ḥāli al-balwā ʾinnahu faʿʿālun limā yashāʾu wahuwa qadīrun.
Another opening: May your death be the reality of being singled out, beyond the flashes of diminution. May the Real shelter you in a hidden mode of observation, turning you from your own share through occupation with reverence for Him, so that you forget yourself and your state at the moment of remembering Him. Then I remind you that He remembered you in beginningless eternity, before the time and state of trial. He does whatever He wills, and He has power over all things.
§ 279
صَدْرٌ آخَرُ: أَكْرَمَكَ بِطَاعَتِهِ وَخَصَّكَ بِوِلَايَتِهِ وَجَلَّلَكَ بِسِتْرِهِ وَوَفَّقَكَ لِسُنَّةِ نَبِيِّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَطْلَعَكَ عَلَى فَهْمِ كِتَابِهِ وَأَنْطَقَكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَآنَسَكَ بِالْقُرْبِ وَخَصَّكَ بِالْفَوَائِدِ وَمَنَحَكَ الزِّيَادَاتِ وَأَلْزَمَكَ بَابَهُ وَكَلَّفَكَ خِدْمَتَهُ حَتَّى تَكُونَ لَهُ مُوَفِقًا وَلِكَأْسِ مَحَبَّتِهِ ذَائِقًا فَيَتَّصِلُ الْعَيْشُ بِالْعَيْشِ وَالْحَيَاةُ بِالْحَيَاةِ وَالرُّوحُ بِالرُّوحِ فَتَتِمَّ النِّعْمَةُ وَتَسْلَمَ مِنْ الْمُعْتَبَةُ فَتَصِحُّ الْعَافِيَةُ وَتَكْمُلُ بِالسَّلَامَةِ.
ṣadrun ʾākharu: ʾakramaka biṭāʿatihi wakhaṣṣaka biwilāyatihi wajallalaka bisitrihi wawaffaqaka lisunnati nabiyyihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi waʾālihi wasallama waʾaṭlaʿaka ʿalā fahmi kitābihi waʾanṭaqaka bi-al-ḥikmati waʾānasaka bi-al-qurbi wakhaṣṣaka bi-al-fawāʾidi wamanaḥaka al-ziyādāti waʾalzamaka bābahu wakallafaka khidmatahu ḥattā takūna lahu muwafiqan walikaʾsi maḥabbatihi dhāʾiqan fayattaṣilu al-ʿayshu bi-al-ʿayshi wa-al-ḥayātu bi-al-ḥayāti wa-al-rūḥu bi-al-rūḥi fatatimma al-niʿmatu wataslama min al-muʿtabatu fataṣiḥḥu al-ʿāfiyatu watakmulu bi-al-salāmati.
Another opening: May He honor you through obedience to Him, single you out for His friendship, cover you with His veil, grant you success in following the practice of His Prophet—may God bless him and his family and grant them peace—open to you understanding of His Book, make you speak with wisdom, give you intimacy through nearness, single you out for benefits, grant you increase, keep you at His door, and charge you with His service, until you are granted accord with Him and taste the cup of His love. Then life joins life, living joins living, and spirit joins spirit; the blessing is completed, you are safe from reproach, well-being becomes sound, and safety is perfected.
§ 280
صَدْرٌ آخَرُ: بَدَتْ لَكَ عَجَائِبُ مَا فِي الْغُيُوبِ مِنْ أَنْبَائِهَا وَكَشَفْتْ لَكَ عَنْ حَقَائِقَ مَا تَكِنُّ مِنْ أَكْنَانِهَا وَأَوْضَحَتْ لَكَ عَنْ سِرِّ غَرَائِبِ إِخْفَائِهَا وَخَاطَبَتْكَ بِكُلِّ مَا كَمَنَ مِنْ عَطَائِهَا بِلِسَانِهِ الَّذِي يَنْطِقُ بِهِ عَنْ خَفِيِّ مَكَانِهِ فَأَوْضَحَ مَنْطِقٍ يُوضِحُ عَنْ حُكْمِ بَيَانُهُ لَيْسَ بِمَا صَرَّحَ بِهِ مِنْ الْفِصْحِ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ لَكِنْ بِمَا أَوْقَفَهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ مُرَادِ إِعْلَانِهِ وَذَلِكَ غَيْرُ كَائِنٍ قَبْلَ حِينِهِ وَأَوَانِهِ وَالْمُرَادُ بِفَهْمِ ذَلِكَ: هُوَ الْمُفْرَدُ الْمَوْجُودُ مِنْ أَهْلِ دَهْرِهِ وَزَمَانِهِ.
ṣadrun ʾākharu: badat laka ʿajāʾibu mā fī al-ghuyūbi min ʾanbāʾihā wakashaft laka ʿan ḥaqāʾiqa mā takinnu min ʾaknānihā waʾawḍaḥat laka ʿan sirri gharāʾibi ʾikhfāʾihā wakhāṭabatka bikulli mā kamana min ʿaṭāʾihā bilisānihi alladhī yanṭiqu bihi ʿan khafiyyi makānihi faʾawḍaḥa manṭiqin yūḍiḥu ʿan ḥukmi bayānuhu laysa bimā ṣarraḥa bihi min al-fiṣḥi min lisānihi lakin bimā ʾawqafahu al-ḥaqqu min murādi ʾiʿlānihi wadhalika ghayru kāʾinin qabla ḥīnihi waʾawānihi wa-al-murādu bifahmi dhalika: huwa al-mufradu al-mawjūdu min ʾahli dahrihi wazamānihi.
Another opening: May the wonders of the unseen and its tidings appear to you; may its hidden recesses disclose their realities; and may the secret of its strange concealments be made clear to you. May it address you with every gift contained in it, through the tongue by which it speaks from its hidden station. The clearest utterance that makes its judgment plain is not the explicit eloquence of its tongue, but what the Real causes it to convey of the intent of its declaration. That does not occur before its proper time and occasion. The one intended to understand this is the unique person found among the people of his age and time.
§ 281 • SOURCE P 271
صَدْرٌ آخَرُ: حَاطَكَ اللَّهُ بِحِيَاطَتِهِ الَّتِي يَحُوطُ بِهَا الْمُسْتَخْلِصِينَ مِنْ أَحْبَابِهِ وَثَبَّتَكَ وَإِيَّانَا عَلَى سُبُلِ مَرْضَاتِهِ وَأَوْلَجَ بِكَ قِبَابَ أُنْسِهِ وَأَرْقَاكَ فِي رِيَاضِ فُنُونٍ كَرَامَتِهِ وَكَلَأَكَ فِي الْأَحْوَالِ كُلِّهَا كَلَآةُ الْجَنِينِ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ ثُمَّ أَدَامَ لَكَ الْحَيَاةَ الْمُسْتَخْلَصَةَ مِنْ قَيُّومِيَّةِ الْحَيَاةِ عَلَى دَوَامِ دَيْمُومِيَّةٍ أَبَدَيْتَهُ وَأَفْرَدَكَ عَمَّا لَكَ بِهِ وَعَمَّا لَهُ بِكَ حَتَّى تَكُونَ فَرْدًا بِهِ فِي دَوَامِهَا لَا أَنْتَ وَلَا مَالُكَ وَلَا الْعِلْمُ بِهِ وَيَكُونُ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ.
ṣadrun ʾākharu: ḥāṭaka Allāhu biḥiyāṭatihi allatī yaḥūṭu bihā al-mustakhliṣīna min ʾaḥbābihi wathabbataka waʾiyyānā ʿalā subuli marḍātihi waʾawlaja bika qibāba ʾunsihi waʾarqāka fī riyāḍi funūnin karāmatihi wakalaʾaka fī al-ʾaḥwāli kullihā kalaʾātu al-janīni fī baṭni ʾummihi thumma ʾadāma laka al-ḥayāta al-mustakhlaṣata min qayyūmiyyati al-ḥayāti ʿalā dawāmi daymūmiyyatin ʾabadaytahu waʾafradaka ʿammā laka bihi waʿammā lahu bika ḥattā takūna fardan bihi fī dawāmihā lā ʾanta walā māluka walā al-ʿilmu bihi wayakūnu Allāhu waḥdahu.
Another opening: May God surround you with the protection by which He surrounds the purified among His beloved; keep you and us firm upon the paths of His good pleasure; admit you into the pavilions of intimacy with Him; raise you through gardens of the varied forms of His generosity; and guard you in every state as an embryo is guarded in its mother’s womb. Then may He sustain for you the life drawn from the self-subsistence of Life throughout unending perpetuity, separate you from what is yours through Him and from what is His through you, until you are alone through Him in its continuance—neither you, nor what is yours, nor even knowledge of Him—and God alone remains.
§ 282
هَذِهِ الصُّدُورُ كُلُّهَا لِلْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَفِيهَا إِشَارَاتٌ لَطِيفَةٌ وَرُمُوزٌ خَفِيفَةٌ تُعَبِّرُ عَنْ الْحَقَائِقِ الْمُشْكِلَةِ وَتُنْبِئُ عَنْ السَّرَائِرِ وَالْخُصُوصِيَّةِ الَّتِي تَنْفَرِدُ بِهَا هَذِهِ الْعِصَابَةُ فِي تَجْرِيدِ التَّوْحِيدِ وَحَقِيقَةِ التَّفْرِيدِ فَمَنْ نَظَرَ فِيهِ فَلْيُتَأَمَّلْ فَإِنَّ فِيهِ لِأَهْلِ الْفَهْمِ فَوَائِدَ وَلِأَهْلِ الْعِنَايَةِ بِهَذَا الْعِلْمِ زَوَائِدَ وَعَلَى الْقُلُوبِ مِنْ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِذَلِكَ جَمِيلُ عَوَائِدَ وَاللَّهُ الْمُوَفَّقُ لِلصَّوَابِ
Hadhihi al-ṣudūru kulluhā li-l-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu wafīhā ʾishārātun laṭīfatun warumūzun khafīfatun tuʿabbiru ʿan al-ḥaqāʾiqi al-mushkilati watunbiʾu ʿan al-sarāʾiri wa-al-khuṣūṣiyyati allatī tanfaridu bihā hadhihi al-ʿiṣābatu fī tajrīdi al-tawḥīdi waḥaqīqati al-tafrīdi faman naẓara fīhi falyutaʾammal faʾinna fīhi liʾahli al-fahmi fawāʾida waliʾahli al-ʿināyati bihadhā al-ʿilmi zawāʾida waʿalā al-qulūbi min al-maʿrifati bidhalika jamīlu ʿawāʾida wa-llāhu al-muwaffaqu li-l-ṣawābi
All these opening formulas belong to al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him. They contain subtle allusions and delicate symbols that express difficult realities and disclose the secrets and special qualities by which this band is distinguished in stripping divine unity bare and realizing singularization. Whoever reads them should reflect: they contain benefits for people of understanding, further gifts for those devoted to this knowledge, and beautiful, recurring graces for hearts that know it. God grants success in what is right.
بَابٌ فِي أَشْعَارِهِمْ فِي مَعَانِي أَحْوَالِهِمْ وَإِشَارَاتِهِمْ
Bābun fī ʾashʿārihim fī maʿānī ʾaḥwālihim waʾishārātihim
Chapter on Their Poetry Concerning the Meanings and Allusions of Their Spiritual States
§ 284
أَنْشَدَنِي أَبُو عَمْرِو بْنُ عَلْوَانَ لِلْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللّهُ هَذِهِ الْأَبْيَاتَ:
ʾanshadanī ʾabū ʿamriw bnu ʿalwāna li-l-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu hadhihi al-ʾabyāta:
Abū ʿAmr ibn ʿAlwān recited to me these verses by al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him:
§ 285
تَغَرَّبَ أَمْرِي عِنْدَ كُلِّ غَرِيبٍ فَصِرْتُ عَجِيبًا عِنْدَ كُلِّ عَجِيبٍ * وَذَاكَ لِأَنَّ الْعَارِفِينَ رَأَيْتُهُمْ عَلَى طَبَقَاتٍ فِي الْهَوَاءِ رُتَبٍ
Tagharraba ʾamrī ʿinda kulli gharībin faṣirtu ʿajīban ʿinda kulli ʿajībin * wadhāka liʾanna al-ʿārifīna raʾaytuhum ʿalā ṭabaqātin fī al-hawāʾi rutabin
My affair became strange to every stranger, until I became a wonder to every wondrous one. / That was because I saw the knowers ranked in ordered levels in the air.
§ 286
فَأَصْبَحَ أَمْرِي لَيْسَ يُدْرِكُ غَوْرَهُ سِوَى أَنَّنِي لِلْعَارِفِينَ خَطِيبٌ
Faʾaṣbaḥa ʾamrī laysa yudriku ghawrahu siwā ʾannanī li-l-ʿārifīna khaṭībun
My affair became one whose depths no one could fathom, though I am an orator for the knowers.
§ 287
وَلِلْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي الِاحْتِرَاقِ وَالتَّعْذِيبِ
Waliljunaydi raḥimahu Allāhu fī al-iḥtirāqi wa-al-taʿdhībi
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, also said concerning burning and torment:
§ 288
يَا مُوقِدَ النَّارِ فِي قَلْبِي بِقُدْرَتِهِ * لَوْ شِئْتَ أَطْفَأْتَ عَنْ قَلْبِي بِكَ النَّارُ
Yā mūqida al-nāri fī qalbī biqudratihi * law shiʾta ʾaṭfaʾta ʿan qalbī bika al-nāru
O You who by Your power kindle fire in my heart—had You willed, You could have quenched the fire from my heart through Yourself.
§ 289
لَا عَارٌ إِنْ مِتَّ مِنْ خَوْفٍ وَمِنْ حَذَرٍ * عَلَى فِعَالِكَ بِي لَا عَارَ لَا عَارًا
Lā ʿārun ʾin mitta min khawfin wamin ḥadharin * ʿalā fiʿālika bī lā ʿāra lā ʿāran
There is no shame if I die in fear and dread because of what You do with me—no shame, no shame at all.
§ 290
وَلَهُ أَيْضًا:
Walahu ʾayḍan:
He also said:
§ 291
يَا مِسْعَرِي أَسَفًا يَا مُتْلَفِي شَغَفًا * لَوْ شِئْتَ أَنْزَلْتَ تَعْذِيبِي بِمِقْدَارِ
Yā misʿarī ʾasafan yā mutlafī shaghafan * law shiʾta ʾanzalta taʿdhībī bimiqdāri
O You who inflame my grief, who destroy me through passion—had You willed, You would have sent down my torment in due measure.
§ 292
حَاشَاكَ مِنْ اسْتِغَاثَاتِي فَكَيْفَ وَقَدْ * أَوْلَيْتَنِي نِعَمًا طَاحَتْ بِأَذْكَارِ
ḥāshāka min istighāthātī fakayfa waqad * ʾawlaytanī niʿaman ṭāḥat biʾadhkāri
Far be it from You to heed my cries for help—for how could I complain, when You have bestowed blessings that sweep remembrance away?
§ 293
(كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 318).
(Kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 318).
(The Book of Gleams, p. 318)
§ 294
أَخْبَرَنِي جَعْفَرٌ الْخَلْدِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِيمَا قَرَأْتُ عَلَيْهِ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ: كَانَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ سُرِّيَّ السّقَطِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ كَثِيرًا يُنْشِدُ هَذِهِ الأَبْيَاتَ:
ʾakhbaranī jaʿfarun al-khaldiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu fīmā qaraʾtu ʿalayhi, qāla: samiʿtu al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu: kāna ʾabū al-ḥasani surriyya al-sqaṭiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu kathīran yunshidu hadhihi al-ʾabyāta:
Jaʿfar al-Khuldī, may God have mercy on him, informed me among what I read to him. He said: I heard al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, say that Abū al-Ḥasan Sarī al-Saqaṭī, may God have mercy on him, often recited these verses:
§ 295 • SOURCE P 272
وَلَمَّا ادَّعَيْتُ الْحُبَّ قَالَتْ: كَذَّبْتَنِي * فَمَا لِي أَرَى الْأَعْضَاءَ مِنْكَ كَوَاسِبًا
Walammā iddaʿaytu al-ḥubba qālat: kadhdhabtanī * famā lī ʾarā al-ʾaʿḍāʾa minka kawāsiban
When I claimed love, she said, ‘You have lied to me—why do I see your limbs still busy earning?’
§ 296
فَمَا الْحُبُّ حَتَّى يَلْصَقَ الْجِلْدُ بِالْحَشَا * وَتَذْبُلَ حَتَّى لَا تُجِيبَ الْمُنَادِيَا
Famā al-ḥubbu ḥattā yalṣaqa al-jildu bi-al-ḥashā * watadhbula ḥattā lā tujība al-munādiyā
There is no love until the skin clings to the innards, and you wither until you cannot answer one who calls.
§ 297
وَتَنْحَلَّ حَتَّى لَا يَبْقَى لَكَ الْهَوَى * سِوَى مُقْلَةٍ تَبْكِي بِهَا أَوْ تُنَاجِيَا
Watanḥalla ḥattā lā yabqā laka al-hawā * siwā muqlatin tabkī bihā ʾaw tunājiyā
You must waste away until desire leaves you nothing but an eye with which to weep or whisper intimately.
§ 298
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: دَخَلْتُ غُرْفَتَهُ وَهُوَ يَكْنُسُ بَيْتَهُ بِخِرْقَةٍ وَيَقُولُ:
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: dakhaltu ghurfatahu wahuwa yaknusu baytahu bikhirqatin wayaqūlu:
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: I entered his room while he was sweeping his house with a rag and saying:
§ 299
وَمَا رُمْتُ الدُّخُولَ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى * حَلَلْتُ مَحَلَّةَ الْعَبْدِ الذَّلِيلِ
Wamā rumtu al-dukhūla ʿalayhi ḥattā * ḥalaltu maḥallata al-ʿabdi al-dhalīli
I did not seek admission to Him until I had taken the station of a humbled servant.
§ 300
وَأَغْضَيْتُ الْجُفُونَ عَلَى قَذَاهَا * وَصُنْتُ النَّفْسَ عَنْ قَالَ وَقِيلَ
Waʾaghḍaytu al-jufūna ʿalā qadhāhā * waṣuntu al-nafsa ʿan qāla waqīla
I lowered my eyelids over the mote that pained them, and guarded the soul from gossip and dispute.
§ 301
قَالَ: وَكَانَ يَقُولُ كَثِيرًا هَذَا الْبَيْتَ:
Qāla: wakāna yaqūlu kathīran hadhā al-bayta:
He said: Al-Sarī also often recited this line:
§ 302
مَا فِي النَّهَارِ وَلَا فِي اللَّيْلِ لِي فَرَجٌ * فَمَا أُبَالِي أَطَالَ اللَّيْلَ أَمْ قَصُرَ
Mā fī al-nahāri walā fī al-layli lī farajun * famā ʾubālī ʾaṭāla al-layla ʾam qaṣura
Neither day nor night brings me relief; / I therefore care not whether the night grows long or short.
§ 303
(كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 321).
(Kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 321).
(The Book of Gleams, p. 321)
§ 304 • SOURCE P 273
دُعَاءٌ لِلْجُنَيْدِ رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ، مُسْتَخْرَجٌ مِنْ كِتَابِ الْمُنَاجَاةِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ يَا خَيْرَ السَّامِعِينَ وَبِجُودِكَ وَمَجْدِكَ يَا أَكْرَمَ الْأَكْرَمِينَ وَبِكَرَمِكَ وَفَضْلِكَ يَا أَسْمَحَ السَّامِحِينَ وَبِإِحْسَانِكَ وَرَأْفَتِكَ يَا خَيْرَ الْمُعْطِينَ أَسْأَلُكَ سُؤَالَ خَاضِعٍ خَاشِعٍ مُتَذَلِّلٍ مُتَوَاضِعٍ ضَارٍّ اشْتَدَّتْ إِلَيْكَ فَاقَتُهُ وَأَنْزَلَ بِكَ عَلَى قَدْرِ الضَّرُورَةِ حَاجَتَهُ وَعَظُمَتْ فِيمَا عِنْدَكَ رَغْبَتُهُ وَعَلِمَ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ شَيْءٌ إِلَّا بِمَشِيئَتِكَ وَلَا يَشْفَعُ شَافِعٌ إِلَيْكَ إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ إِذْنِكَ فَكَمْ مِنْ قَبِيحٍ قَدْ سَتَرْتَهُ وَكَمْ مِنْ بَلَاءٍ قَدْ صَرَفْتُهُ وَكَمْ مِنْ عَثْرَةٍ قَدْ أَقَلْتْهَا وَكَمْ مِنْ زَلَّةٍ قَدْ سَهِّلَتْ بِهَا وَكَمْ مِنْ مَكْرُوهٍ قَدْ رَفَعْتُهُ وَكَمْ مِنْ ثَنَاءٍ قَدْ نَشَرْتَهُ أَسْأَلُكَ يَا سَامِعَ أَصْوَاتِ الْمُسْتَغِيثِينَ وَعَالِمٌ خَفِيٍّ إِضْمَارُ الصَّامَتِينَ وَمُطَّلِعٌ فِي الْخَلَوَاتِ عَلَى أَفْعَالِ الْمُتَحَرِّكِينَ وَنَاظِرٌ إِلَى مَا دَقَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ آثَارُ السَّاعِينَ أَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ لَا تُحْجَبَ بِسُوءٍ فَعَلِي عَنْكَ صَوْتِي وَلَا تَفْضَحْنِي بِخَفَّيٍّ مَا اطَّلَعْتُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ سِرِّي وَلَا تُعَاجِلْنِي الْعُقُوبَةَ عَلَى مَا عَمِلْتُهُ مِنْ خَلَوَاتِي وَكُنْ بِي فِي كُلِّ الْأَحْوَالِ رَافِقًا وَعَلَى فِي كُلِّ الْأَحْوَالِ عَاطِفًا إِلَٰهِي وَسَيِّدِي وَسِنْدِي أَنَا بِكَ عَائِذٌ لَائِذٌ مُسْتَغِيثٌ مُسْتَجِيرٌ مِنْ تَكَاثُفِ مَخَاوِفِ عِلَلٍ سِرِّي وَمِنْ لُزُومِ ذَلِكَ ضَمِيرِي وَقَلْبِي حَتَّى يَكَادَ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَمْلَأَ صَدْرِي وَيُوقَفُ عَلَى الِانْبِسَاطِ إِلَى ذِكْرِكَ عَقْلِي وَلِسَانِي وَيُمْنَعُ مِنْ الْحَرَكَةِ فِي الْخِدْمَةِ جِسْمِي فَأَنَا فِي حَبْسِ مَا يُعَارِضُنِي مِنْ ذَلِكَ مِنْ النَّقْصِ وَالتَّقْصِيرِ أَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تُخْرِجُ ذَلِكَ عَنْ ذِكْرِي وَتَمْنَعُهُ مِنْ قَلْبِي وَاجْعَلْ أَوْقَائِي مِنْ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ بِذِكْرِ مَعْمُورَةٍ وَبِخِدْمَتِكَ وَعِبَادَتِكَ مَوْصُولَةٌ حَتَّى يَكُونَ الْوُرُودُ وُرُودًا وَاحِدٌ وَالْحَالُ حَالًا وَاحِدًا لَا سَآمَةَ فِيهِ وَلَا فُتُورَ وَلَا مَلَلَ وَلَا تَقْصِيرَ حَتَّى أَسْرِعَ بِهِ إِلَيْكَ فِي حِينِ الْمُبَادَرَةِ وَأَسْرَحَ بِذَلِكَ إِلَيْكَ فِي مَيَادِينِ الْمُسَابَقَةِ وَارْزُقْنِي مِنْ طَعْمِ ذَلِكَ اللَّذَائِذِ السَّابِغَةِ يَا أَكْرَمَ الْأَكْرَمِينَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 329)
Duʿāʾun li-l-Junaydi raḥmatu Allāhi ʿalayhi, mustakhrajun min kitābi al-munājāti, Allāhumma ʾinnī ʾasʾaluka yā khayra al-sāmiʿīna wabijūdika wamajdika yā ʾakrama al-ʾakramīna wabikaramika wafaḍlika yā ʾasmaḥa al-sāmiḥīna wabiʾiḥsānika waraʾfatika yā khayra al-muʿṭīna ʾasʾaluka suʾāla khāḍiʿin khāshiʿin mutadhallilin mutawāḍiʿin ḍārrin ishtaddat ʾilayka fāqatuhu waʾanzala bika ʿalā qadri al-ḍarūrati ḥājatahu waʿaẓumat fīmā ʿindaka raghbatuhu waʿalima ʾan lā yakūna shayʾun ʾillā bimashīʾatika walā yashfaʿu shāfiʿun ʾilayka ʾillā min baʿdi ʾidhnika fakam min qabīḥin qad satartahu wakam min balāʾin qad ṣaraftuhu wakam min ʿathratin qad ʾaqalthā wakam min zallatin qad sahhilat bihā wakam min makrūhin qad rafaʿtuhu wakam min thanāʾin qad nashartahu ʾasʾaluka yā sāmiʿa ʾaṣwāti al-mustaghīthīna waʿālimun khafiyyin ʾiḍmāru al-ṣāmatīna wamuṭṭaliʿun fī al-khalawāti ʿalā ʾafʿāli al-mutaḥarrikīna wanāẓirun ʾilā mā daqqa wajalla min ʾāthāru al-sāʿīna ʾasʾaluka ʾan lā tuḥjaba bisūʾin faʿalī ʿanka ṣawtī walā tafḍaḥnī bikhaffayyin mā iṭṭalaʿtu ʿalayhi min sirrī walā tuʿājilnī al-ʿuqūbata ʿalā mā ʿamiltuhu min khalawātī wakun bī fī kulli al-ʾaḥwāli rāfiqan waʿalā fī kulli al-ʾaḥwāli ʿāṭifan ʾilāhī wasayyidī wasindī ʾanā bika ʿāʾidhun lāʾidhun mustaghīthun mustajīrun min takāthufi makhāwifi ʿilalin sirrī wamin luzūmi dhalika ḍamīrī waqalbī ḥattā yakāda dhalika ʾan yamlaʾa ṣadrī wayūqafu ʿalā al-inbisāṭi ʾilā dhikrika ʿaqlī walisānī wayumnaʿu min al-ḥarakati fī al-khidmati jismī faʾanā fī ḥabsi mā yuʿāriḍunī min dhalika min al-naqṣi wa-al-taqṣīri ʾasʾaluka ʾan tukhriju dhalika ʿan dhikrī watamnaʿuhu min qalbī wa-ijʿal ʾawqāʾī min al-layli wa-al-nahāri bidhikri maʿmūratin wabikhidmatika waʿibādatika mawṣūlatun ḥattā yakūna al-wurūdu wurūdan wāḥidun wa-al-ḥālu ḥālan wāḥidan lā saʾāmata fīhi walā futūra walā malala walā taqṣīra ḥattā ʾasriʿa bihi ʾilayka fī ḥīni al-mubādarati waʾasraḥa bidhalika ʾilayka fī mayādīni al-musābaqati wa-irzuqnī min ṭaʿmi dhalika al-ladhāʾidhi al-sābighati yā ʾakrama al-ʾakramīna. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 329)
A supplication of al-Junayd, may God’s mercy be upon him, drawn from the Book of Intimate Prayers: O God, I ask You—O best of those who hear—by Your munificence and glory, O most generous of the generous; by Your generosity and bounty, O most open-handed of givers; and by Your goodness and tenderness, O best of those who grant. I ask You with the asking of one humbled, reverent, abased, modest, and afflicted—one whose need of You has become intense, who has brought his need before You in the full measure of necessity, whose desire for what is with You has grown immense, and who knows that nothing comes to be except by Your will and that no intercessor intercedes with You except after Your permission. How many ugly things have You concealed; how many trials have You turned away; how many stumbles have You pardoned; how many lapses have You made easy to pass beyond; how many hated things have You removed; and how much praise have You spread abroad. I ask You, O Hearer of the voices of those who cry for aid, Knower of the hidden thoughts of the silent, Observer in private places of the deeds of all who move, and Watcher of the smallest and greatest traces of those who strive: do not let my voice be veiled from You because of the evil of my deeds; do not disgrace me by exposing what You have seen hidden in my secret; and do not hasten punishment upon me for what I have done in solitude. Be gentle with me in every state, and in every state turn toward me with tenderness. My God, my Master, and my Support, in You I seek refuge and shelter; to You I cry for aid and protection from the gathering fears born of the ailments of my secret and from their fastening upon my conscience and heart, until they nearly fill my breast, arrest my mind and tongue from freely remembering You, and keep my body from moving in service. I am imprisoned by the deficiency and neglect that confront me in these things. I ask You to remove them from my remembrance and bar them from my heart. Make my hours of night and day inhabited by remembrance of You and joined together in Your service and worship, until every arrival is one arrival and every state one state, without weariness, slackening, boredom, or neglect—so that I may hasten through it toward You when it is time to race forward and range freely toward You in the fields of competition. Grant me the abundant delights of tasting this, O most generous of the generous. (The Book of Gleams, p. 329)
بَابُ الدَّعَوَاتِ الَّتِي كَانَ يَدْعُو بِهَا الشَّيْخُ
Bābu al-daʿawāti allatī kāna yadʿū bihā al-shaykhu
Chapter on the Supplications with Which the Shaykh Used to Pray
§ 306
سَمِعْتُ جَعْفَرَ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ: كَانَ سَرِيٌّ السَّقَطِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ إِذَا دَعَا يَقُولُ: اللَّهُمَّ مَهْمَا عَذَّبْتَنِي بِشَيْءٍ فَلَا تُعَذِّبْنِي بَذْلَ الْحِجَابِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 332).
Samiʿtu jaʿfara qāla: samiʿtu al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu qāla: kāna sariyyun al-saqaṭiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ʾidhā daʿā yaqūlu: Allāhumma mahmā ʿadhdhabtanī bishayʾin falā tuʿadhdhibnī badhla al-ḥijābi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 332).
I heard Jaʿfar say: I heard al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, say: When Sarī al-Saqaṭī, may God have mercy on him, prayed, he would say, ‘O God, whatever You punish me with, do not punish me with the abasement of being veiled.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 332)
§ 307
دُعَاءٌ لِلْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، إِلَٰهِي وَسَيِّدِي وَمَوْلَايَ مَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنْكَ حُكْمًا لِمَنْ أَيْقَنَ بِكَ وَمَنْ أَوْسَعَ مِنْكَ رَحْمَةً لِمَنْ اتَّقَاكَ وَقَصَدَكَ؟ وَمَنْ أَسْرَعُ مِنْكَ عَطْفًا وَرَأْفَةً لِمَنْ أَرَادَكَ وَأَقْبَلَ عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ؟ فَكُلُّهُمْ فِي نَعْمَائِكَ يَتَقَلَّبُونَ وَلَكَ بِفَضْلِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ يَعْبُدُونَ سِرْتَ هُمُومُهُمْ بِكَ إِلَيْكَ وَانْفَرَدَتْ إِرَادَتُهُمْ لَدَيْكَ وَأَقْبَلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ بِكَ عَلَيْكَ وَفَنِيَتْ حُظُوظُهُمْ مِنْ دُونِكَ وَاجْتَمَعَتْ لَكَ وَحْدَكَ فَهُمْ إِلَيْكَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مُتَوَجِّهُونَ وَعَلَيْكَ فِي كُلِّ الْأَحْوَالِ مُقْبِلُونَ وَلَكَ عَلَى الْأَحْوَالِ مُؤْثِرُونَ فَأَنَا أَسْأَلُكَ إِلَٰهِي وَسَيِّدِي وَمَوْلَايَ أَنْ تَكُونَ لِي بِفَضْلِكَ كَالِئًا كَافِيًا عَاصِمًا رَاحِمًا فَإِنِّي إِلَيْكَ لَاحٌ وَبِكَ مُسْتَغِيثٌ وَإِلَيْكَ رَاغِبٌ وَمِنْكَ رَاهِبٌ وَعَلَيْكَ فِي أُمُورِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ مُتَوَكِّلٌ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنْ الظَّالِمِينَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 333).
Duʿāʾun li-l-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā, ʾilāhī wasayyidī wamawlāya man ʾaḥsanu minka ḥukman liman ʾayqana bika waman ʾawsaʿa minka raḥmatan liman ittaqāka waqaṣadaka? waman ʾasraʿu minka ʿaṭfan waraʾfatan liman ʾarādaka waʾaqbala ʿalā ṭāʿatika? fakulluhum fī naʿmāʾika yataqallabūna walaka bifaḍlika ʿalayhim yaʿbudūna sirta humūmuhum bika ʾilayka wa-infaradat ʾirādatuhum ladayka waʾaqbalat qulūbuhum bika ʿalayka wafaniyat ḥuẓūẓuhum min dūnika wa-ijtamaʿat laka waḥdaka fahum ʾilayka fī al-layli wa-al-nahāri mutawajjihūna waʿalayka fī kulli al-ʾaḥwāli muqbilūna walaka ʿalā al-ʾaḥwāli muʾthirūna faʾanā ʾasʾaluka ʾilāhī wasayyidī wamawlāya ʾan takūna lī bifaḍlika ka-al-ʾan kāfiyan ʿāṣiman rāḥiman faʾinnī ʾilayka lāḥun wabika mustaghīthun waʾilayka rāghibun waminka rāhibun waʿalayka fī ʾumūri al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati mutawakkilun lā ʾilāha ʾillā ʾanta subḥānaka ʾinnī kuntu min al-ẓālimīna. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 333).
A supplication of al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him: My God, my Master, and my Lord, whose judgment is finer than Yours for one who is certain of You? Whose mercy is vaster than Yours for one who fears You and seeks You? Who turns more swiftly with tenderness and compassion toward one who desires You and devotes himself to obeying You? They all move within Your blessings, and through Your bounty toward them they worship You. Their concerns travel through You to You; their wills become devoted before You; their hearts turn through You toward You; their shares apart from You vanish and become gathered for You alone. By night and day they face You; in every state they turn to You; and in every state they prefer You. I therefore ask You, my God, my Master, and my Lord, by Your bounty, to be my Protector, Sufficer, Defender, and Merciful Guardian. To You I flee, through You I seek aid, toward You I aspire, of You I stand in awe, and upon You I rely in the affairs of this world and the Hereafter. There is no god but You. Glory be to You; truly, I have been among the wrongdoers. (The Book of Gleams, p. 333)
§ 308
وَعَنْ جَعْفَرٍ الْخَلْدِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ: كَانَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يُوصِي لِرَجُلٍ وَيَقُولُ: قَدِّمْ نَفْسَكَ وَأَخِّرْ عَزْمَكَ وَلَا تُقَدِّمْ عَزْمَكَ وَتُؤَخِّرُ نَفْسَكَ فَيَكُونُ فِيهَا إِبْطَاءٌ كَثِيرٌ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 334)
Waʿan jaʿfarin al-khaldiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu, ʾannahu qāla: kāna al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu yūṣī lirajulin wayaqūlu: qaddim nafsaka waʾakhkhir ʿazmaka walā tuqaddim ʿazmaka watuʾakhkhiru nafsaka fayakūnu fīhā ʾibṭāʾun kathīrun. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 334)
Jaʿfar al-Khuldī, may God have mercy on him, related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, advised a man, saying: ‘Bring yourself forward and let your resolve follow. Do not send your resolve ahead while leaving yourself behind, for that creates much delay.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 334)
وَصَايَاهُمْ الَّتِي أَوْصَى بِهَا بَعْضٌ لِبَعْضٍ
Waṣāyāhum allatī ʾawṣā bihā baʿḍun libaʿḍin
Counsels They Gave One Another
§ 310 • SOURCE P 274
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي كَلَامٍ لَهُ لِبَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ: أُوصِيكَ بِقِلَّةِ الِالْتِفَاتِ إِلَى الْحَالِ الْمَاضِيَةِ عِنْدَ وُرُودِ الْحَالِ الْكَائِنَةِ قَالَ: وَقُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْخَيَّاطِ الدِّينَوَرِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: أَوْصِنِي بِشَيْءٍ فَقَالَ: أُوصِيكَ بِخَصْلَةٍ مَا أَعْلَمُ أَنْ يَكُونَ خَصْلَةً لَمْ تَصْحَبُهُ آفَةٌ غَيْرُهَا قُلْتُ: وَمَا هِيَ؟ قَالَ ذِكْرُكَ لِأَخِيكَ بِالْجَمِيلِ فِي ظَهْرِ الْغَيْبِ وَدُعَاؤُكَ لَهُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 335)
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu fī kalāmin lahu libaʿḍi ʾaṣḥābihi: ʾūṣīka biqillati al-iltifāti ʾilā al-ḥāli al-māḍiyati ʿinda wurūdi al-ḥāli al-kāʾinati qāla: waqultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi al-khayyāṭi al-dīnawariyyi raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾawṣinī bishayʾin faqāla: ʾūṣīka bikhaṣlatin mā ʾaʿlamu ʾan yakūna khaṣlatan lam taṣḥabuhu ʾāfatun ghayruhā qultu: wamā hiya? qāla dhikruka liʾakhīka bi-al-jamīli fī ẓahri al-ghaybi waduʿāʾuka lahu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 335)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said in counsel to one of his companions: ‘I advise you to look only rarely toward a past state when the present state arrives.’ He said: I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Khayyāṭ al-Dīnawarī, may God have mercy on him, ‘Give me counsel.’ He replied, ‘I counsel you to one quality beside which I know of no quality that carries no harm.’ I asked, ‘What is it?’ He said, ‘Speaking beautifully of your brother in his absence and praying for him.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 335)
السَّمَاعُ وَاخْتِلَافُ أَقَاوِيلِهِمْ فِي مَعْنَاهُ
Al-samāʿu wa-ikhtilāfu ʾaqāwīlihim fī maʿnāhu
Spiritual Audition and Their Differing Statements about Its Meaning
§ 312
وَحُكِيَ عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: تَنْزِلُ الرَّحْمَةُ عَلَى الْفُقَرَاءِ فِي ثَلَاثَةِ مَوَاطِنَ: عِنْدَ السَّمَاعِ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ إِلَّا عَنْ حَقٍّ وَلَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا عَنْ وَجْدٍ وَعِنْدَ مُجَارَاةِ الْعِلْمِ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُونَ إِلَّا فِي أَحْوَالِ الصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالْأَوْلِيَاءِ، وَعِنْدَ أَكْلِهِمْ الطَّعَامَ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَأْكُلُونَ إِلَّا عَنْ فَاقَةٍ:
Waḥukiya ʿan jaʿfarin ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qāla: tanzilu al-raḥmatu ʿalā al-fuqarāʾi fī thalāthati mawāṭina: ʿinda al-samāʿi faʾinnahum lā yasmaʿūna ʾillā ʿan ḥaqqin walā yaqūmūna ʾillā ʿan wajdin waʿinda mujārāti al-ʿilmi faʾinnahum lā yatakallamūna ʾillā fī ʾaḥwāli al-ṣiddīqīna wa-al-ʾawliyāʾi, waʿinda ʾaklihim al-ṭaʿāma faʾinnahum lā yaʾkulūna ʾillā ʿan fāqatin:
Jaʿfar related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: Mercy descends upon the poor in three settings: during spiritual audition, for they hear only from a truth and rise only from ecstasy; while discussing knowledge, for they speak only of the states of the utterly truthful and God’s friends; and while eating, for they eat only from need.
§ 313
وَسُئِلَ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الرُّوذَبَارِيّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ السَّمَاعِ فَقَالَ: لَيْتَنَا خَلَّصْنَا مِنْهُ رَأْسًا بِرَأْسِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 343)
Wasuʾila ʾabū ʿaliyyin al-rūdhabāriyy raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan al-samāʿi faqāla: laytanā khallaṣnā minhu raʾsan biraʾsi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 343)
Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī, may God have mercy on him, was asked about spiritual audition and said: If only we could come away from it exactly even, with neither gain nor loss. (The Book of Gleams, p. 343)
ذِكْرُ طَبَقَاتِ الْمُسْتَمِعِينَ
Dhikru ṭabaqāti al-mustamiʿīna
Mention of the Ranks of Listeners
§ 315
وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى سَرِيٍّ السَّقَطِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَرَأَيْتُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ رَجُلًا قَدْ غَشَّى عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ لِي: هَذَا رَجُلٌ سَمِعَ آيَةً مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَغُشِيَ عَلَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ: اقْرَأْ عَلَيْهِ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ الَّتِي قُرِئَتْ عَلَيْهِ فَقَرَأَ فَأَفَاقَ فَقَالَ لِي: مِنْ أَيْنَ لَكَ هَذَا! فَقُلْتُ: رَأَيْتُ يَعْقُوبَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ عَمَاهُ مِنْ أَجْلِ مَخْلُوقٍ فَبِمَخْلُوقٍ أَبْصَرَ وَلَوْ كَانَ عَمَاهُ مِنْ أَجْلِ الْحَقِّ مَا أَبْصَرَ بِمَخْلُوقٍ فَاسْتَحْسَنَ مِنِّي ذَلِكَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 354)
Waqad ḥukiya ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qāla: dakhaltu ʿalā sariyyin al-saqaṭiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu faraʾaytu bayna yadayhi rajulan qad ghashshā ʿalayhi faqāla lī: hadhā rajulun samiʿa ʾāyatan min kitābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla faghushiya ʿalayhi faqultu: iqraʾ ʿalayhi hadhihi al-ʾāyata allatī quriʾat ʿalayhi faqaraʾa faʾafāqa faqāla lī: min ʾayna laka hadhā! faqultu: raʾaytu yaʿqūba ʿalayhi al-salāmu kāna ʿamāhu min ʾajli makhlūqin fabimakhlūqin ʾabṣara walaw kāna ʿamāhu min ʾajli al-ḥaqqi mā ʾabṣara bimakhlūqin fa-istaḥsana minnī dhalika. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 354)
It is related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: I entered upon Sarī al-Saqaṭī, may God have mercy on him, and saw a man lying unconscious before him. He said, ‘This man heard a verse from the Book of God, mighty and majestic, and lost consciousness.’ I said, ‘Recite to him the verse that was read.’ He recited it, and the man recovered. Sarī asked, ‘How did you know that?’ I replied, ‘I saw that Jacob, peace be upon him, lost his sight because of a created being, and through a created thing his sight returned. Had he lost his sight because of the Real, a created thing would not have restored it.’ He approved my answer. (The Book of Gleams, p. 354)
بَابٌ فِي وَصْفِ سَمَاعِ الْمُرِيدِينِ وَالْمُبْتَدِئِينَ
Bābun fī waṣfi samāʿi al-murīdīni wa-al-mubtadiʾīna
Chapter Describing the Audition of Novices and Beginners
§ 317
وَرَأَيْتُ أَبَا الْحُسَيْنِ السِّيرَوَانِيَّ صَاحِبَ الْخَوَاصِّ بِدِمْيَاطَ وَكَانَ يَحْكِي عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا قَدْ سَمِعَ السَّمَاعَ حَتَّى تُفْسَخَ وَرَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا سَمِعَ الذِّكْرَ حَتَّى مَاتَ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ وَسَمِعْتُ الدَّقِيَّ يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ الدَّرَّاجَ يَقُولُ:
Waraʾaytu ʾabā al-ḥusayni al-sīrawāniyya ṣāḥiba al-khawāṣṣi bidimyāṭa wakāna yaḥkī ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qāla: raʾaytu rajulan qad samiʿa al-samāʿa ḥattā tufsakha waraʾaytu rajulan samiʿa al-dhikra ḥattā māta ʾaw kamā qāla wasamiʿtu al-daqiyya yaqūlu: samiʿtu al-darrāja yaqūlu:
I saw Abū al-Ḥusayn al-Sīrawānī, the companion of al-Khawwāṣ, at Damietta. He related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: ‘I saw a man hear spiritual audition until his joints were torn apart, and I saw a man hear remembrance until he died’—or words to that effect. I heard al-Daqqī say: I heard al-Darrāj say:
§ 318
كُنْتُ أَنَا وَابْنُ الْفُوَطِيِّ مَارِّينَ عَلَى الدِّجْلَةِ بَيْنَ الْبَصْرَةِ وَالْأُبُلَّةِ وَإِذَا بِقَصْرٍ حَسَنٍ لَهُ مَنْظَرٌ وَعَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ جَارِيَةٌ تُغَنِّي وَتَقُولُ:
Kuntu ʾanā wa-ibnu al-fuwaṭiyyi mārrīna ʿalā al-dijlati bayna al-baṣrati wa-al-ʾubullati waʾidhā biqaṣrin ḥasanin lahu manẓarun waʿalayhi rajulun bayna yadayhi jāriyatun tughannī wataqūlu:
Ibn al-Fūṭī and I were walking along the Tigris between Basra and al-Ubulla when we came upon a fine palace with a belvedere. A man sat there with a singing girl before him, who sang:
§ 319 • SOURCE P 275
كُلَّ يَوْمٍ تَتَلَوَّنُ غَيْرَ هَذَا بِكَ أَجْمَلَ * فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وُدٌّ كَانَ مِنِّي لَكَ يَبْذُلُ قَالَ وَإِذَا شَابٌّ تَحْتَ الْمَنْظَرِ بِيَدِهِ رِكْوَةٌ وَعَلَيْهِ مُرَقَّعَةٌ يَتَسَمّعُ فَقَالَ: يَا جَارِيَةُ بِاللَّهِ وَبِحَيَاةِ مَوْلَاكَ إِلَّا أَعَدْتِ عَلَيَّ هَذَا الْبَيْتَ، قَالَ: فَأَقْبَلَتْ الْجَارِيَةُ عَلَيْهِ وَهِيَ تَقُولُ هَذَا الْبَيْتَ: كُلَّ يَوْمٍ تَتَلَوَّنُ غَيْرَ هَذَا بِكَ أَجْمَلَ (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 358)
Kulla yawmin tatalawwanu ghayra hadhā bika ʾajmala * fī sabīli Allāhi wuddun kāna minnī laka yabdhulu qāla waʾidhā shābbun taḥta al-manẓari biyadihi rikwatun waʿalayhi muraqqaʿatun yatasammʿu faqāla: yā jāriyatu bi-llāhi wabiḥayāti mawlāka ʾillā ʾaʿadti ʿalayya hadhā al-bayta, qāla: faʾaqbalat al-jāriyatu ʿalayhi wahiya taqūlu hadhā al-bayta: kulla yawmin tatalawwanu ghayra hadhā bika ʾajmala (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 358)
‘Each day you take on another hue—yet this is more beautiful in you. / For God’s sake, accept a love that I once freely lavished upon you.’ A young man stood beneath the belvedere, holding a water vessel and wearing a patched cloak, listening. He called, ‘Girl, by God and by the life of your master, repeat this verse for me.’ She turned toward him and sang, ‘Each day you take on another hue—yet this is more beautiful in you.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 358)
وَصْفَ خُصُوصِ الْخُصُوصِ وَأَهْلِ الْكَمَالِ فِي السَّمَاعِ
Waṣfa khuṣūṣi al-khuṣūṣi waʾahli al-kamāli fī al-samāʿi
The Character of the Elect of the Elect and the Perfect in Spiritual Audition
§ 321
وَبَلَغَنِي عَنْ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قِيلَ لَهُ: كُنْتَ تَسْمَعُ هَذِهِ الْقَصَائِدَ وَتَحُضُّ مَعَ أَصْحَابِكَ فِي أَوْقَاتِ السَّمَاعِ وَكُنْتَ تَتَحَرَّكُ وَالْآنَ فَأَنْتَ هَكَذَا سَاكِنُ الصِّفَةِ فَقَرَأَ عَلَيْهِمْ الْجُنَيْدُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ:
Wabalaghanī ʿan ʾabī al-qāsimi al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qīla lahu: kunta tasmaʿu hadhihi al-qaṣāʾida wataḥuḍḍu maʿa ʾaṣḥābika fī ʾawqāti al-samāʿi wakunta tataḥarraku wa-al-ʾāna faʾanta hakadhā sākinu al-ṣifati faqaraʾa ʿalayhim al-Junaydu hadhihi al-ʾāyata:
I was told that Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked: ‘You used to listen to these odes, encourage your companions during gatherings of audition, and move with ecstasy. Why are you now still in outward appearance?’ Al-Junayd recited to them this verse:
§ 322
وَتَرَى الْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَهِيَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ صُنْعَ اللَّهِ الَّذِي أَتْقَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ
Watarā al-jibāla taḥsabuhā jāmidatan wahiya tamurru marra al-saḥābi ṣunʿa Allāhi alladhī ʾatqana kulla shayʾin
‘You see the mountains and suppose them fixed, while they pass like the passing of clouds—the handiwork of God, who has perfected everything.’
§ 323
فَكَأَنَّهُ يُشِيرُ بِذَلِكَ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ يَعْنِي أَنَّكُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى سُكُونِ جَوَارِحِي وَهُدُوءٍ ظَاهِرِيٍّ وَلَا تَدْرُونَ أَيْنَ أَنَا بِقَلْبِي وَهَذِهِ أَيْضًا صِفَةٌ مِنْ صِفَاتِ أَهْلِ الْكَمَالِ فِي السَّمَاعِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 366)
Fakaʾannahu yushīru bidhalika wa-llāhu ʾaʿlamu yaʿnī ʾannakum tanẓurūna ʾilā sukūni jawāriḥī wahudūʾin ẓāhiriyyin walā tadrūna ʾayna ʾanā biqalbī wahadhihi ʾayḍan ṣifatun min ṣifāti ʾahli al-kamāli fī al-samāʿi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 366)
It is as though by this—and God knows best—he meant: You see the stillness of my limbs and the calm of my outward form, but you do not know where I am in my heart. This too is a quality of the perfected in spiritual audition. (The Book of Gleams, p. 366)
بَابٌ فِي سَمَاعِ الذِّكْرِ وَالْمَوَاعِظِ
Bābun fī samāʿi al-dhikri wa-al-mawāʿiẓi
Chapter on Hearing Remembrance and Admonition
§ 325
قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ دَاوُدَ الدِّينَوَرِيَّ الدَّقِّيَّ يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الزَّقَّاقَ يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ مِنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى كَلِمَةً فِي التَّوْحِيدِ هَيَّمَتْنِي أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً، وَأَنَا بَعْدُ فِي غِمَارِ ذَلِكَ.
Qāla: samiʿtu ʾabā bakrin Muḥammada bna dāwuda al-dīnawariyya al-daqqiyya yaqūlu: samiʿtu ʾabā bakrin al-zaqqāqa yaqūlu: samiʿtu min al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā kalimatan fī al-tawḥīdi hayyamatnī ʾarbaʿīna sanatan, waʾanā baʿdu fī ghimāri dhalika.
He said: I heard Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Dāwūd al-Dīnawarī al-Daqqī say: I heard Abū Bakr al-Zaqqāq say: I heard one saying on divine unity from al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, that left me wandering for forty years, and I am still immersed in it.
§ 326
وَقَالَ جَعْفَرٌ الْخَلْدِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ خُرَاسَانَ عَلَى الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَعِنْدَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ الْمَشَايِخِ فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ مَتَى يَسْتَوِي عَلَى الْعَبْدِ حَامِدُهُ وَذَامُّهُ؟ فَقَالَ بَعْضُ أُولَئِكَ الْمَشَايِخُ: إِذَا أَدْخَلَ الْمَارِسْتَانِ وَقَيَّدَ بِقَيْدَيْنِ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: لَيْسَ هَذَا مِنْ شَأْنِكَ ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ فَقَالَ: يَا حَبِيبِي إِذَا عَلِمَ وَتَيَقَّنَ أَنَّهُ مَخْلُوقٌ فَشَهَقَ الرَّجُلُ شَهْقَةً وَخَرَجَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 368)
Waqāla jaʿfarun al-khaldiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu: dakhala rajulun min ʾahli khurāsāna ʿalā al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu waʿindahu jamāʿatun min al-mashāyikhi faqāla: yā ʾabā al-qāsimi matā yastawī ʿalā al-ʿabdi ḥāmiduhu wadhāmmuhu? faqāla baʿḍu ʾūlaʾika al-mashāyikhu: ʾidhā ʾadkhala al-māristāni waqayyada biqaydayni faqāla lahu al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: laysa hadhā min shaʾnika thumma ʾaqbala ʿalā al-rajuli faqāla: yā ḥabībī ʾidhā ʿalima watayaqqana ʾannahu makhlūqun fashahaqa al-rajulu shahqatan wakharaja. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 368)
Jaʿfar al-Khuldī, may God have mercy on him, said: A man from Khurasan came to al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, while a group of shaykhs were with him. He asked, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, when do one who praises a servant and one who blames him become equal in that servant’s eyes?’ One of the shaykhs replied, ‘When he is admitted to the hospital for the insane and bound with two chains.’ Al-Junayd said to him, ‘This is not your affair.’ Then he turned to the man and said, ‘My dear friend, when he knows with certainty that he is created.’ The man cried out once and departed this life. (The Book of Gleams, p. 368)
بَابٌ فِيمَنْ كَرِهَ السَّمَاعَ
Bābun fīman kariha al-samāʿa
Chapter on Those Who Disliked Spiritual Audition
§ 328 • SOURCE P 276
قَالَ: وَأَخْبَرَنِي جَعْفَرٌ الْخَلَدِيُّ فِيمَا قَرَأْتُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ: جِئْتُ إِلَى سَرِيٍّ السَّقَطِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمًا فَقَالَ لِي: أَيْشٍ خَبَرُ أَصْحَابِكَ يَقُولُونَ قَصَائِدُ؟ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ: يَقُولُونَ عَاشِقٌ دَنِفٌ؟ لَوْ شِئْتُ أَنْ أَقُولَ هَذَا الَّذِي بِي مِنْ هَذَا اللَّوْنِ لَقُلْتُ. قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: وَكَانَ مَعَهُ هَذَا كَثِيرًا، كَانَ يَسْتُرُهُ وَكَانَ مِعَوَلُهُ الْخَوْفَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 373)
Qāla: waʾakhbaranī jaʿfarun al-khaladiyyu fīmā qaraʾtu ʿalayhi qāla: samiʿtu al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu: jiʾtu ʾilā sariyyin al-saqaṭiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu yawman faqāla lī: ʾayshin khabaru ʾaṣḥābika yaqūlūna qaṣāʾidu? qultu naʿam qāla: yaqūlūna ʿāshiqun danifun? law shiʾtu ʾan ʾaqūla hadhā alladhī bī min hadhā al-lawni laqultu. qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: wakāna maʿahu hadhā kathīran, kāna yasturuhu wakāna miʿawaluhu al-khawfa. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 373)
Jaʿfar al-Khuldī informed me, among what I read to him: I heard al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, say: One day I came to Sarī al-Saqaṭī, may God have mercy on him. He asked, ‘What news of your companions? Do they recite odes?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He asked, ‘Do they speak of a lovesick lover?’ Then he said, ‘If I wished to say that what is in me belongs to this kind, I could say so.’ Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: He often experienced this, but concealed it; fear was his chief reliance. (The Book of Gleams, p. 373)
ذِكْرُ اخْتِلَافِهِمْ فِي مَاهِيَّةِ الْوَجْدِ
Dhikru ikhtilāfihim fī māhiyyati al-wajdi
Mention of Their Differences over the Nature of Ecstasy
§ 330
وَذُكِرَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: كَمَا أَظُنُّ أَنَّ الْوَجْدَ هُوَ الْمُصَادَفَةُ بِقَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ:
Wadhukira ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qāla: kamā ʾaẓunnu ʾanna al-wajda huwa al-muṣādafatu biqawlihi ʿazza wajalla:
It is related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: I think that ecstasy—wajd—means encountering or finding, in accordance with God’s words, mighty and majestic:
§ 331
وَوَجَدُوا مَا عَمِلُوا حَاضِرًا
Wawajadū mā ʿamilū ḥāḍiran
‘They found all that they had done present’—
§ 332
يَعْنِي صَادِفُوا وَقَالَ:
Yaʿnī ṣādifū waqāla:
meaning, they encountered it. And He said:
§ 333
وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا لِأَنْفُسِكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ
Wamā tuqaddimū liʾanfusikum min khayrin tajidūhu ʿinda Allāhi
‘Whatever good you send ahead for yourselves, you will find it with God’—
§ 334
أَيْ تَصَادَفُوا وَقَالَ:
ʾay taṣādafū waqāla:
that is, you will encounter it. And He said:
§ 335
حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَهُ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئًا
ḥattā ʾidhā jāʾahu lam yajidhu shayʾan
‘Until, when he comes to it, he finds it to be nothing’—
§ 336
يَعْنِي لَمْ يُصَادِفْهُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 375)
Yaʿnī lam yuṣādifhu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 375)
meaning, he does not encounter it. (The Book of Gleams, p. 375)
ذَكَرَ تَوَاجُدِ الْمَشَايِخِ الصَّادِقِينَ
Dhakara tawājudi al-mashāyikhi al-ṣādiqīna
Mention of the Sincere Shaykhs’ Enacted Ecstasy
§ 338
وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ أَبَا سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: كَانَ كَثِيرَ التَّوَاجُدِ عِنْدَ ذِكْرِ الْمَوْتِ فَسُئِلَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَقَالَ: الْعَارِفُ قَدْ أَيْقَنَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ شَيْئًا مِنْ الْمَكَارَةِ بُغْضًا لَهُ وَلَا عُقُوبَةً وَيُشَاهَدُ فِي صَنَائِعِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى الْحَالَةُ بِهِ مِنْ الْمَكَارِهِ صَفْوَ الْمَحَبَّةِ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: وَإِنَّمَا يَنْزِلُ بِهِ هَذِهِ النَّوَازِلُ لِيَرُدَّ رُوحَهُ إِلَيْهِ اصْطِفَاءً لَهُ وَاصْطِنَاعًا لَهُ فَإِذَا كُوشِفَ الْعَارِفُ بِهَذَا وَمَا أَشْبَهَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَعْجَبُ أَنْ تَطِيرَ رُوحُهُ إِلَيْهِ اشْتِيَاقًا وَتَنْقَلِبَ مِنْ وَطَنِهَا اشْتِيَاقًا فَلِذَلِكَ مَا رَأَيْتُ مِنْ التَّوَاجُدِ عِنْدَ ذِكْرِ الْمَوْتِ وَرُبَّمَا أَتَى ذَلِكَ عَلَى قُرْبِ مَنِيَّتِهِ وَاللَّهُ يَفْعَلُ بِوَلِيِّهِ مَا يَشَاءُ وَمَا يُحِبُّ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 380)
Wayuqālu: ʾinna ʾabā saʿīdin al-kharrāza raḥimahu Allāhu: kāna kathīra al-tawājudi ʿinda dhikri al-mawti fasuʾila ʿan dhalika al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu faqāla: al-ʿārifu qad ʾayqana ʾanna Allāha lam yafʿal shayʾan min al-makārati bughḍan lahu walā ʿuqūbatan wayushāhadu fī ṣanāʾiʿi Allāhi taʿālā al-ḥālatu bihi min al-makārihi ṣafwa al-maḥabbati baynahu wabayna Allāhi ʿazza wajalla: waʾinnamā yanzilu bihi hadhihi al-nawāzilu liyarudda rūḥahu ʾilayhi iṣṭifāʾan lahu wa-iṣṭināʿan lahu faʾidhā kūshifa al-ʿārifu bihadhā wamā ʾashbahahu lam yakun yaʿjabu ʾan taṭīra rūḥuhu ʾilayhi ishtiyāqan watanqaliba min waṭanihā ishtiyāqan falidhalika mā raʾaytu min al-tawājudi ʿinda dhikri al-mawti warubbamā ʾatā dhalika ʿalā qurbi maniyyatihi wa-llāhu yafʿalu biwaliyyihi mā yashāʾu wamā yuḥibbu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 380)
It is said that Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz, may God have mercy on him, often enacted ecstasy when death was mentioned. Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about this and said: The knower is certain that God has not brought upon him anything painful out of hatred or as punishment. In the painful state that God Most High brings upon him, he witnesses the purity of love between himself and God, mighty and majestic. These events descend upon him only so that God may return his spirit to Himself, choosing him and fashioning him for Himself. When the knower is granted unveiling of this and the like, it is no wonder that his spirit should fly toward Him in longing and leave its homeland from yearning. That is the reason for the enacted ecstasy you saw when death was mentioned. It may also have come near the time of his death. God does with His friend whatever He wills and loves. (The Book of Gleams, p. 380)
قُوَّةُ سُلْطَانِ الْوَجْدِ وَهَيَجَانِهِ وَغَلَيَانِهِ
Quwwatu sulṭāni al-wajdi wahayajānihi waghalayānihi
The Strength, Agitation, and Boiling of Ecstasy’s Dominion
§ 340
قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْخَلْدِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِيمَا قَرَأْتُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ:
Qāla: ʾakhbaranī jaʿfaru bnu Muḥammadin al-khaldiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu fīmā qaraʾtu ʿalayhi qāla:
Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Khuldī, may God have mercy on him, informed me among what I read to him. He said:
§ 341 • SOURCE P 277
سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ: قَالَ: ذُكِرَ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ سَرِيٍّ السَّقَطِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْمَوَاجِيدُ الْحَادَّةُ فِي الْأَذْكَارِ الْقَوِيَّةِ وَمَا جَانَسُ هَذَا مِمَّا يُقَوِّي عَلَى الْعَبْدِ فَقَالَ سُرِيٌّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَقَدْ سَأَلْتُهُ فِيهِ فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ يُضْرَبُ وَجْهُهُ بِالسَّيْفِ وَهُوَ لَا يُحِسُّهُ (كِتَابَ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 381) وَعَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ: إِذَا قَوِيَ الْوَجْدُ يَكُونُ أَتَمَّ مِمَّنْ يَسْتَأْثِرُ الْعِلْمَ وَذُكِرَ عَنْهُ أَيْضًا أَنَّهُ قَالَ: لَا يَضُرُّ نُقْصَانُ الْوَجْدِ مَعَ فَضْلٍ الْعِلْمِ، وَفَضْلُ الْعِلْمِ أَتَمُّ مِنْ فَضْلِ الْوَجْدِ وَقَدْ ذَكَرَ عَنْهُ جَعْفَرٌ الْخُلْدِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: الْحُمْلَانُ فِي الْوَجْدِ بَعْدَ الْغَلَبَةِ أَتَمُّ مِنْ حَالِ الْغَلَبَةِ فِي الْوَجْدِ، وَالْغَلَبَةِ فِي الْوَجْدِ أَتَمُّ مِنْ الْمَحْمُولِ قَبْلَ الْغَلَبَةِ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ: كَيْفَ نَزَّلْتَ هَذَا التَّنْزِيلَ؟ فَقَالَ: الْمَحْمُولُ عَنْ حَالِ غَلَبَةٍ بِالْحَمْلِ بَعْدَ الْقَهْرِ أَتَمُّ، وَالْمَغْلُوبُ بَعْدَ حُمْلَانِهِ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَشَاهِدُهُ أَتَمُّ (كِتَابَ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 381) وَحُكِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ: ذُكِرَتْ الْمَحَبَّةُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ سَرِيٍّ السَّقَطِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَضَرَبَ يَدَهُ عَلَى جِلْدِ ذِرَاعِهِ فَمَدَّهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَوْ قُلْتُ إِنَّمَا جَفَّ هَذَا مِنْ الْمَحَبَّةِ لَصَدَقْتُ قَالَ: ثُمَّ أُغْمِيَ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى غَابَ، ثُمَّ تَوَرَّدَ وَجْهُهُ حَتَّى صَارَ مِثْلَ دَارَةِ الْقَمَرِ فَمَا اسْتَطَعْنَا أَنْ نَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حُسْنِهِ حَتَّى غَطَّيْنَا وَجْهَهُ (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 382)
Samiʿtu al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu: qāla: dhukira yawman ʿinda sariyyin al-saqaṭiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā al-mawājīdu al-ḥāddatu fī al-ʾadhkāri al-qawiyyati wamā jānasu hadhā mimmā yuqawwī ʿalā al-ʿabdi faqāla suriyyun raḥimahu Allāhu waqad saʾaltuhu fīhi faqāla: naʿam yuḍrabu wajhuhu bi-al-sayfi wahuwa lā yuḥissuhu (kitāba al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 381) waʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhi ʾannahu kāna yaqūlu: ʾidhā qawiya al-wajdu yakūnu ʾatamma mimman yastaʾthiru al-ʿilma wadhukira ʿanhu ʾayḍan ʾannahu qāla: lā yaḍurru nuqṣānu al-wajdi maʿa faḍlin al-ʿilmi, wafaḍlu al-ʿilmi ʾatammu min faḍli al-wajdi waqad dhakara ʿanhu jaʿfarun al-khuldiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qāla: al-ḥumlānu fī al-wajdi baʿda al-ghalabati ʾatammu min ḥāli al-ghalabati fī al-wajdi, wa-al-ghalabati fī al-wajdi ʾatammu min al-maḥmūli qabla al-ghalabati, faqīla lahu: kayfa nazzalta hadhā al-tanzīla? faqāla: al-maḥmūlu ʿan ḥāli ghalabatin bi-al-ḥamli baʿda al-qahri ʾatammu, wa-al-maghlūbu baʿda ḥumlānihi ʿan nafsihi washāhiduhu ʾatammu (kitāba al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 381) waḥukiya ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu kāna yaqūlu: dhukirat al-maḥabbatu bayna yaday sariyyin al-saqaṭiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu faḍaraba yadahu ʿalā jildi dhirāʿihi famaddahā thumma qāla: law qultu ʾinnamā jaffa hadhā min al-maḥabbati laṣadaqtu qāla: thumma ʾughmiya ʿalayhi ḥattā ghāba, thumma tawarrada wajhuhu ḥattā ṣāra mithla dārati al-qamari famā istaṭaʿnā ʾan nanẓura ʾilayhi min ḥusnihi ḥattā ghaṭṭaynā wajhahu (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 382)
I heard al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, say: One day, intense ecstasies produced by powerful invocations and similar experiences that overpower a servant were mentioned before Sarī al-Saqaṭī, may God Most High have mercy on him. I had asked Sarī about this, and he said, ‘Yes—a sword may strike his face while he does not feel it.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 381) It is related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, used to say: ‘When ecstasy is strong, its completeness surpasses one who merely possesses knowledge.’ It is also related that he said: ‘A lack of ecstasy does no harm when knowledge is abundant, and the abundance of knowledge is more complete than the abundance of ecstasy.’ Jaʿfar al-Khuldī, may God have mercy on him, also related that he said: ‘Being borne steadily within ecstasy after it has overpowered one is more complete than the state of being overpowered by ecstasy, while being overpowered by ecstasy is more complete than one who bears himself before ecstasy overpowers him.’ He was asked, ‘How do you arrange these ranks?’ He replied, ‘One borne beyond an overpowering state, through steadiness after compulsion, is more complete; and one overwhelmed after being borne beyond himself and his own witnessing is more complete.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 381) It is also related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: Love was mentioned before Sarī al-Saqaṭī, may God have mercy on him. He struck the skin of his forearm and stretched it, then said, ‘Were I to say that this dried out only from love, I would speak truly.’ He then lost consciousness completely. Afterward his face became rosy until it resembled the disk of the moon. We could not look upon him because of his beauty, so we covered his face. (The Book of Gleams, p. 382)
إِثْبَاتُ الْآيَاتِ وَالْكَرَامَاتِ
ʾithbātu al-ʾāyāti wa-al-karāmāti
Affirming Signs and Charismatic Gifts
§ 343
وَعَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: مَنْ يَتَكَلَّمُ فِي الْكَرَامَاتِ وَلَا يَكُونُ لَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْءٌ فَمِثْلُهُ مِثْلُ مَنْ يَمْضُغُ التِّبْنَ قِيلَ لِسَهْلٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي الْحِكَايَةِ الَّتِي قَبْلَ هَذِهِ فِيمَنْ زَهِدَ فِي الدُّنْيَا أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا: كَيْفَ يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ؟ فَقَالَ: يَأْخُذُ مَا يَشَاءُ مِنْ حَيْثُ يَشَاءُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 390)
Waʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qāla: man yatakallamu fī al-karāmāti walā yakūnu lahu min dhalika shayʾun famithluhu mithlu man yamḍughu al-tibna qīla lisahlin raḥimahu Allāhu fī al-ḥikāyati allatī qabla hadhihi fīman zahida fī al-dunyā ʾarbaʿīna yawman: kayfa yakūnu dhalika? faqāla: yaʾkhudhu mā yashāʾu min ḥaythu yashāʾu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 390)
It is related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: One who speaks about charismatic gifts without having any share of them is like a person chewing straw. In the account preceding this one, Sahl, may God have mercy on him, was asked concerning one who had renounced the world for forty days, ‘How can that be?’ He replied, ‘He takes whatever he wishes from wherever he wishes.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 390)
ذَكَرُ مَقَامَاتِ أَهْلِ الْخُصُوصِ فِي الْكَرَامَاتِ
Dhakaru maqāmāti ʾahli al-khuṣūṣi fī al-karāmāti
Mention of the Stations of the Elect in Charismatic Gifts
§ 345
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: حِجَابُ قُلُوبِ الْخَاصَّةِ الْمُخْتَصَّةِ بِرُؤْيَةِ النِّعَمِ وَالتَّلَذُّذِ بِالْعَطَاءِ وَالسُّكُونِ إِلَى الْكَرَامَاتِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 400).
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: ḥijābu qulūbi al-khāṣṣati al-mukhtaṣṣati biruʾyati al-niʿami wa-al-taladhdhudhi bi-al-ʿaṭāʾi wa-al-sukūni ʾilā al-karāmāti. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 400).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: The veil over the hearts of the specially chosen lies in seeing blessings, delighting in gifts, and resting content with charismatic favors. (The Book of Gleams, p. 400)
§ 346
قَالَ ابْنُ عَطَاءٍ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحُسَيْنِ النَّوَوِيَّ يَقُولُ: كَانَ فِي نَفْسِي مِنْ هَذِهِ الْكَرَامَاتِ شَيْءٌ فَأَخَذْتُ قَصَبَةً مِنْ الصِّبْيَانِ وَقُمْتُ بَيْنَ زَوْرَقَيْنِ ثُمَّ قُلْتُ: وَعِزَّتُكَ لَئِنْ لَمْ تَخْرُجْ لِي سَمَكَةٌ فِيهَا ثَلَاثَةُ أَرْطَالٍ فَلَأُغْرِقَنَّ نَفْسِي، قَالَ: فَخَرَجَ لِي سَمَكَةٌ فِيهَا ثَلَاثَةُ أَرْطَالٍ، قَالَ: فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَقَالَ: كَانَ حُكْمُهُ أَنْ يُخْرِجَ لَهُ أَفْعَى تَلْدَغُهُ، يَعْنِي أَنَّهُ لَوْ لَدَغَتْهُ حَيَّةٌ كَانَ أَنْفَعَ لَهُ فِي دِينِهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ فِتْنَةً، وَفِي لَدْغِ الْحَيَّةِ تَطْهِيرٌ وَكَفَّارَةٌ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 403)
Qāla ibnu ʿaṭāʾin: samiʿtu ʾabā al-ḥusayni al-nawawiyya yaqūlu: kāna fī nafsī min hadhihi al-karāmāti shayʾun faʾakhadhtu qaṣabatan min al-ṣibyāni waqumtu bayna zawraqayni thumma qultu: waʿizzatuka laʾin lam takhruj lī samakatun fīhā thalāthatu ʾarṭālin falaʾughriqanna nafsī, qāla: fakharaja lī samakatun fīhā thalāthatu ʾarṭālin, qāla: fabalagha dhalika al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu faqāla: kāna ḥukmuhu ʾan yukhrija lahu ʾafʿā taldaghuhu, yaʿnī ʾannahu law ladaghathu ḥayyatun kāna ʾanfaʿa lahu fī dīnihi min dhalika liʾanna fī dhalika fitnatan, wafī ladghi al-ḥayyati taṭhīrun wakaffāratun. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 403)
Ibn ʿAṭāʾ said: I heard Abū al-Ḥusayn al-Nawawī say: A desire for these charismatic gifts arose in me. I took a reed from some boys and stood between two boats. Then I said, ‘By Your might, if You do not bring me a fish weighing three raṭls, I shall drown myself.’ A fish weighing three raṭls came to me. When this reached al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, he said, ‘What ought to have come out for him was a viper to bite him.’ He meant that a snakebite would have benefited his religion more, for the former was a temptation, while a snakebite would have been purification and expiation. (The Book of Gleams, p. 403)
ذِكْرُ مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ شَيْءٌ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْكَرَامَاتِ
Dhikru man kāna lahu shayʾun min hadhihi al-karāmāti
Mention of Those Who Possessed Something of These Charismatic Gifts
§ 348
قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: أَخْبَرَنِي جَعْفَرٌ الْخُلْدِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِيمَا قَرَأْتُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ:
Qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾakhbaranī jaʿfarun al-khuldiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu fīmā qaraʾtu ʿalayhi qāla:
The shaykh, may God have mercy on him, said: Jaʿfar al-Khuldī, may God have mercy on him, informed me among what I read to him. He said:
§ 349 • SOURCE P 278
حَدَّثَنِي الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ، دَخَلْتُ عَلَى سَرِيٍّ السَّقَطِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمًا فَقَالَ لَهُ:
ḥaddathanī al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu qāla, dakhaltu ʿalā sariyyin al-saqaṭiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu yawman faqāla lahu:
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, related to me: One day I entered upon Sarī al-Saqaṭī, may God have mercy on him, and he said:
§ 350
أُعَجِّبُكَ مِنْ عُصْفُورٍ يَجِيءُ فَيَسْقُطُ عَلَى هَذَا الرُّوَاقِ فَآخُذُ لُقْمَةً فَأَفْتِهَا فِي كَفِّي فَيَسْقُطُ عَلَى أَطْرَافِ أَنَامِلِي فَيَأْكُلُ. فَلَمَّا كَانَ فِي وَقْتٍ مِنَ الْأَوْقَاتِ سَقَطَ عَلَى الرُّوَاقِ فَفَتَّتَ الْخُبْزَ فِي يَدِي فَلَمْ يَسْقُطْ عَلَى يَدِي كَمَا كَانَ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ فَفَكَّرْتُ فِي سَبَبِ الْعِلَّةِ فِي وَحْشَتِهِ عَنِّي فَذَكَرْتُ أَنِّي أَكَلْتُ مِلْحًا بِأَبْزَارٍ فَقُلْتُ بِسِرِّي: أَنَا تَائِبٌ مِنَ الْمِلْحِ الْمُطَيَّبِ فَسَقَطَ عَلَى يَدِي فَأَكَلَ وَانْصَرَفَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 404).
ʾuʿajjibuka min ʿuṣfūrin yajīʾu fayasquṭu ʿalā hadhā al-ruwāqi faʾākhudhu luqmatan faʾaftihā fī kaffī fayasquṭu ʿalā ʾaṭrāfi ʾanāmilī fayaʾkulu. falammā kāna fī waqtin mina al-ʾawqāti saqaṭa ʿalā al-ruwāqi fafattata al-khubza fī yadī falam yasquṭ ʿalā yadī kamā kāna qabla dhalika fafakkartu fī sababi al-ʿillati fī waḥshatihi ʿannī fadhakartu ʾannī ʾakaltu milḥan biʾabzārin faqultu bisirrī: ʾanā tāʾibun mina al-milḥi al-muṭayyabi fasaqaṭa ʿalā yadī faʾakala wa-inṣarafa. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 404).
‘Would you be amazed by a sparrow that comes and alights on this portico? I crumble a morsel in my palm, and it lands on the tips of my fingers and eats. On one occasion it alighted on the portico, but when I crumbled bread in my hand, it did not land there as it had before. I considered the cause of its estrangement from me and remembered that I had eaten spiced salt. I said inwardly, “I repent of spiced salt.” It then landed on my hand, ate, and flew away.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 404)
§ 351
وَفِي حِكَايَةِ جَعْفَرٍ الْخَلْدِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، قَالَ: جَاءَنِي أَبُو حَفْصٍ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ مَرَّةً وَمَعَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ الرِّبَاطِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَجَمَاعَةٌ وَكَانَ فِيهِمْ رَجُلٌ أَصْلَعُ قَلِيلُ الْكَلَامِ، فَقَالَ يَوْمًا لِأَبِي حَفْصٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: قَدْ كَانَ فِيمَنْ مَضَى، لَهُمْ الْآيَاتُ الظَّاهِرَةُ - وَلَيْسَ لَكَ شَيْءٌ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: لَهُ أَبُو حَفْصٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: فَجَاءَ إِلَى الْحَدَّادِينَ إِلَى كُوْرٍ عَظِيمٍ مَحْمِيٍّ، فِيهِ حَدِيدَةٌ عَظِيمَةً فَأَدْخَلَ يَدَهُ فِي الْكُورِ فَأَخَذَ الْحَدِيدَةَ الْمُحْمَاةَ فَأَخْرَجَهَا فَبَرَدَتْ فِي يَدِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ: يُجْزِيكَ هَذَا، فَسُئِلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَنْ مَعْنَى إِظْهَارِ ذَلِكَ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ: كَانَ مُشْرِفًا عَلَى حَالِهِ فَخَشِيَ أَنْ يَتَغَيَّرَ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ لَمْ يَظْهِرْ ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَخَصَّهُ بِذَلِكَ شَفَقَةً عَلَيْهِ وَصِيَانَةً لِحَالِهِ وَزِيَادَةً لِإِيمَانِهِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 404، 405)
Wafī ḥikāyati jaʿfarin al-khaldiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu, qāla: jāʾanī ʾabū ḥafṣin al-naysābūriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu marratan wamaʿahu ʿabdu Allāhi al-ribāṭiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu wajamāʿatun wakāna fīhim rajulun ʾaṣlaʿu qalīlu al-kalāmi, faqāla yawman liʾabī ḥafṣin raḥimahu Allāhu: qad kāna fīman maḍā, lahum al-ʾāyātu al-ẓāhiratu - walaysa laka shayʾun min dhalika faqāla: lahu ʾabū ḥafṣin raḥimahu Allāhu: fajāʾa ʾilā al-ḥaddādīna ʾilā kūrin ʿaẓīmin maḥmiyyin, fīhi ḥadīdatun ʿaẓīmatan faʾadkhala yadahu fī al-kūri faʾakhadha al-ḥadīdata al-muḥmāta faʾakhrajahā fabaradat fī yadihi faqāla lahu: yujzīka hadhā, fasuʾila baʿḍuhum ʿan maʿnā ʾiẓhāri dhalika min nafsihi faqāla: kāna mushrifan ʿalā ḥālihi fakhashiya ʾan yataghayyara ʿalayhi ʾin lam yaẓhir dhalika lahu fakhaṣṣahu bidhalika shafaqatan ʿalayhi waṣiyānatan liḥālihi waziyādatan liʾīmānihi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 404, 405)
In an account of Jaʿfar al-Khuldī, may God have mercy on him, he said: Abū Ḥafṣ al-Naysābūrī, may God have mercy on him, once came to me with ʿAbd Allāh al-Ribāṭī, may God have mercy on him, and a group that included a bald man of few words. One day the man said to Abū Ḥafṣ, ‘People of the past had manifest signs, but you have nothing of that kind.’ Abū Ḥafṣ went to the blacksmiths and approached a great, blazing furnace containing a large piece of iron. He thrust his hand into the furnace, took out the red-hot iron, and it cooled in his hand. He said to the man, ‘Will this suffice you?’ One of the Sufis was asked why he had displayed this through himself. He replied: Abū Ḥafṣ had insight into the man’s state and feared it would change if he did not show him this. He therefore singled him out for it, out of compassion, to preserve his state and increase his faith. (The Book of Gleams, pp. 404–405)
ذِكْرُ الْخُصُوصَ وَأَحْوَالَهِمْ الَّتِي لَا تُعَدُّ مِنْ الْكَرَامَاتِ
Dhikru al-khuṣūṣa waʾaḥwālahim allatī lā tuʿaddu min al-karāmāti
Mention of the Elect and of States Not Counted as Charismatic Gifts
§ 353
وَسَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَمْرِو بْنَ عَلْوَانَ يَقُولُ: كَانَ شَابٌّ يَصْحَبُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ:
Wasamiʿtu ʾabā ʿamriw bna ʿalwāna yaqūlu: kāna shābbun yaṣḥabu al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu:
I heard Abū ʿAmr ibn ʿAlwān say: A young man used to accompany al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him.
§ 354
وَكَانَ لَهُ قَلْبُ فَطِنٍ، وَرُبَّمَا يَتَكَلَّمُ بِخَوَاطِرِ النَّاسِ، وَمَا يَعْتَقِدُونَ فِي سَرَائِرِهِمْ. فَقِيلَ لِلْجُنَيْدِ ذَلِكَ، فَدَعَاهُ وَقَالَ: أَيْشٍ هَذَا الَّذِي يَبْلُغُنِي عَنْكَ؟ فَقَالَ: لَا أَدْرَى، وَلَكِنْ اعْتَقَدَ فِي قَلْبِكَ مَا شِئْتَ، قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: اعْتَقَدْتَ، فَقَالَ الْفَتَى: اعْتَقَدْتَ كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: لَا، فَقَالَ: اعْتَقَدَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى، فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: اعْتَقَدْتَ، فَقَالَ الشَّابُّ: هُوَ كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: لَا، قَالَ: فَاعْتَقَدَ ثَالِثًا، فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: اعْتَقَدْتَ، فَقَالَ الشَّابُّ: هُوَ كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: لَا، فَقَالَ الشَّابُّ: هَذَا وَاللَّهِ عَجِبْتَ أَنْتَ عِنْدِي صَادِقٌ، وَأَنَا أَعْرِفُ قَلْبِي وَأَنْتَ تَقُولُ: لَا. قَالَ: فَتَبَسَّمَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ: صَدَقْتَ يَا أَخِي فِي الْأَوَّلِ وَفِي الثَّانِي وَفِي الثَّالِثِ، وَإِنَّمَا أَمْتَحْنُكَ هَلْ تَتَغَيَّرُ عَمَّا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 407)
Wakāna lahu qalbu faṭinin, warubbamā yatakallamu bikhawāṭiri al-nāsi, wamā yaʿtaqidūna fī sarāʾirihim. faqīla li-l-Junaydi dhalika, fadaʿāhu waqāla: ʾayshin hadhā alladhī yablughunī ʿanka? faqāla: lā ʾadrā, walakin iʿtaqada fī qalbika mā shiʾta, qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: iʿtaqadta, faqāla al-fatā: iʿtaqadta kadhā wakadhā, faqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: lā, faqāla: iʿtaqada marratan ʾukhrā, faqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: iʿtaqadta, faqāla al-shābbu: huwa kadhā wakadhā, faqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: lā, qāla: fa-iʿtaqada thālithan, faqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: iʿtaqadta, faqāla al-shābbu: huwa kadhā wakadhā, faqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: lā, faqāla al-shābbu: hadhā wa-llāhi ʿajibta ʾanta ʿindī ṣādiqun, waʾanā ʾaʿrifu qalbī waʾanta taqūlu: lā. qāla: fatabassama al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu thumma qāla: ṣadaqta yā ʾakhī fī al-ʾawwali wafī al-thānī wafī al-thālithi, waʾinnamā ʾamtaḥnuka hal tataghayyaru ʿammā ʾanta ʿalayhi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 407)
He had a perceptive heart and would sometimes speak of people’s passing thoughts and what they held in their inner secrets. Al-Junayd was told of this, so he summoned the young man and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you?’ He replied, ‘I do not know. Hold in your heart whatever you wish.’ Al-Junayd said, ‘I have done so.’ The young man said, ‘You have held such-and-such.’ Al-Junayd replied, ‘No.’ The young man told him to hold another thought. Al-Junayd said, ‘I have done so.’ The youth said, ‘It is such-and-such.’ Al-Junayd replied, ‘No.’ He asked him to do it a third time. Al-Junayd said, ‘I have done so.’ The young man said, ‘It is such-and-such.’ Again al-Junayd said, ‘No.’ The youth exclaimed, ‘By God, this is strange! I regard you as truthful, I know my own heart, yet you say no.’ Al-Junayd smiled and said, ‘My brother, you spoke truly the first, second, and third times. I was only testing whether you would change from your present state.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 407)
§ 355 • SOURCE P 279
وَعَنْ جَعْفَرٍ الْخَلْدِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ جُنَيْدًا رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ: دَخَلَ الْحَارِثُ الْمُحَاسِبِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ دَارِي فَلَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدِي شَيْءٌ طَيِّبٌ أَطْعَمُهُ، قَالَ:
Waʿan jaʿfarin al-khaldiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu: qāla: samiʿtu Junaydan raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu: dakhala al-ḥārithu al-muḥāsibiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu dārī falam yakun ʿindī shayʾun ṭayyibun ʾaṭʿamuhu, qāla:
Jaʿfar al-Khuldī, may God have mercy on him, related: I heard Junayd, may God have mercy on him, say: Al-Ḥārith al-Muḥāsibī, may God have mercy on him, entered my house, and I had no wholesome food to offer him. He continued:
§ 356
فَمَضَيْتُ إِلَى دَارِ عَمِّي فَأَخْرَجْتُ مِنْهَا شَيْئًا وَحَمَلْتُ لُقْمَةً فَفَتَحَ فَمَهُ فَجَعَلْتُ فِي فَمِهِ فَكَانَ يُحَوِّلُهُ مِنْ جَانِبٍ إِلَى جَانِبٍ وَلَا يَبْتَلِعُهُ ثُمَّ قَامَ وَخَرَجَ فَأَلْقَاهُ فِي الدِّهْلِيزِ فَذَهَبْتُ خَلْفَهُ وَقُلْتُ: يَا عَمِّ رَأَيْتُكَ لَمْ تَبْتَلَعْ ثُمَّ قُمْتُ وَأَلْقَيْتُهُ فِي الدِّهْلِيزِ قَالَ:
Famaḍaytu ʾilā dāri ʿammī faʾakhrajtu minhā shayʾan waḥamaltu luqmatan fafataḥa famahu fajaʿaltu fī famihi fakāna yuḥawwiluhu min jānibin ʾilā jānibin walā yabtaliʿuhu thumma qāma wakharaja faʾalqāhu fī al-dihlīzi fadhahabtu khalfahu waqultu: yā ʿammi raʾaytuka lam tabtalaʿ thumma qumtu waʾalqaytuhu fī al-dihlīzi qāla:
I went to my uncle’s house, brought something from it, and carried a morsel to him. He opened his mouth, so I placed it there. He moved it from side to side without swallowing, then rose, went out, and cast it into the vestibule. I followed and said, ‘Uncle, I saw that you did not swallow it, but rose and threw it into the vestibule.’ He replied:
§ 357
نَعَمْ بُنِيَّ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ إِذَا كَانَ شَيْءٌ مِنْ غَيْرِ وَجْهِهِ لَا يَتَهَيَّأُ لِي بَلْعُهُ، وَكُنْتُ فَتَحْتُ فَمِي لِإِدْخَالِ السُّرُورِ عَلَيْكَ وَلَمْ يَتَهَيَّأْ لِي أَنْ أَبْلَعَهُ فَقُمْتُ فَأَلْقَيْتُهُ فِي الدِّهْلِيزِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 407)
Naʿam buniyya wadhalika ʾanna baynī wabayna Allāhi taʿālā ʾannahu ʾidhā kāna shayʾun min ghayri wajhihi lā yatahayyaʾu lī balʿuhu, wakuntu fataḥtu famī liʾidkhāli al-surūri ʿalayka walam yatahayyaʾ lī ʾan ʾablaʿahu faqumtu faʾalqaytuhu fī al-dihlīzi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 407)
‘Yes, my son. I have a covenant with God Most High that, if something comes from an improper source, I am unable to swallow it. I opened my mouth only to bring joy to you, but I could not swallow the morsel, so I rose and cast it into the vestibule.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 407)
بَيَانُ هَذِهِ الْأَلْفَاظِ
Bayānu hadhihi al-ʾalfāẓi
Explanation of These Expressions
§ 359
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: لَقَدْ فَازَ قَوْمٌ دَلَّهُمْ وَلِيُّهُمْ عَلَى مُخْتَصَرِ الطَّرِيقِ فَأَوْقَفَهُمْ عَلَى مَحَجَّةِ الْمُنَاجَاةِ وَلَوَّحَ لَهُمْ عَلَى فَهْمِ الدَّعْوَةِ إِلَى الْمُسَارَعَةِ بِالْمُنَاسَبَةِ إِلَى فَهْمِ الْخِطَابِ إِذْ يَقُولُ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: laqad fāza qawmun dallahum waliyyuhum ʿalā mukhtaṣari al-ṭarīqi faʾawqafahum ʿalā maḥajjati al-munājāti walawwaḥa lahum ʿalā fahmi al-daʿwati ʾilā al-musāraʿati bi-al-munāsabati ʾilā fahmi al-khiṭābi ʾidh yaqūlu jalla waʿazza
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: A people have prospered whose protecting Friend showed them the shortest path, set them upon the clear road of intimate prayer, and flashed to them an understanding of the summons to hasten, through a fitting receptivity to the meaning of the address, when He—majestic and mighty—says:
§ 360
وَسَارِعُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ
Wasāriʿū ʾilā maghfiratin min rabbikum
‘Hasten toward forgiveness from your Lord.’
§ 361
فَنَهَضَتِ الْعُقُولُ مُسْتَجِيبَةً بِحُسْنِ التَّوَجُّهِ لِإِقَامَةِ مَا بِهِ يَحْظُونَ عِنْدَهُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 412).
Fanahaḍati al-ʿuqūlu mustajībatan biḥusni al-tawajjuhi liʾiqāmati mā bihi yaḥẓūna ʿindahu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 412).
Then their minds rose in response, turning beautifully toward Him to establish that by which they would find favor with Him. (The Book of Gleams, p. 412)
§ 362
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: أَبَتْ الْحَقَائِقُ أَنْ تَدَعَ لِلْقُلُوبِ مَقَالَةً لِلتَّأْوِيلِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 413).
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾabat al-ḥaqāʾiqu ʾan tadaʿa li-l-qulūbi maqālatan li-l-taʾwīli. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 413).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: Realities refuse to leave hearts any claim for interpretation. (The Book of Gleams, p. 413)
§ 363
حُكِيَ عَنْ الشِّبْلِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: قَالَ لِي الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ مَا ظَنُّكَ بِمَعْنَى خُصُوصِ الْخُصُوصِ فِيمَا تَجْرِي إِلَيْهِ مِنْ الْقَوْلِ عُمُومٌ ثُمَّ قَالَ: خُصُوصُ الْخُصُوصِ فِي نَعْتِ الْإِيمَاءِ إِلَيْهِ عُمُومٌ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 414).
ḥukiya ʿan al-shibliyyi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qāla: qāla lī al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: yā ʾabā bakrin mā ẓannuka bimaʿnā khuṣūṣi al-khuṣūṣi fīmā tajrī ʾilayhi min al-qawli ʿumūmun thumma qāla: khuṣūṣu al-khuṣūṣi fī naʿti al-ʾīmāʾi ʾilayhi ʿumūmun. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 414).
It is related that al-Shiblī, may God have mercy on him, said: Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, asked me, ‘Abū Bakr, what do you think of the meaning belonging to the elect of the elect, when every statement toward which you proceed makes it general?’ Then he said, ‘Even the elect of the elect become general when one describes what is indicated.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 414)
§ 364
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: جَلَسْتُ عِنْدَ ابْنِ الْكَرِينِيِّ فَأَوْمَأْتُ بِرَأْسِي إِلَى الأَرْضِ فَقَالَ: بَعْدُ. ثُمَّ أَوْمَأْتُ بِرَأْسِي إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَقَالَ: بَعْدُ، وَقَالَ الشَّلَبِيُّ: رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَمَنْ أَوْمَأَ إِلَيْهِ فَهُوَ كَعَابِدِ وَثَنٍ لِأَنَّ الْإِيمَاءَ لَا يَصْلُحُ إِلَّا إِلَى الْأَوْثَانِ، وَقَالَ الْقَائِلُ:
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: jalastu ʿinda ibni al-karīniyyi faʾawmaʾtu biraʾsī ʾilā al-ʾarḍi faqāla: baʿdu. thumma ʾawmaʾtu biraʾsī ʾilā al-samāʾi faqāla: baʿdu, waqāla al-shalabiyyu: raḥimahu Allāhu waman ʾawmaʾa ʾilayhi fahuwa kaʿābidi wathanin liʾanna al-ʾīmāʾa lā yaṣluḥu ʾillā ʾilā al-ʾawthāni, waqāla al-qāʾilu:
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: I sat with Ibn al-Kuraynī and gestured with my head toward the earth. He said, ‘Beyond.’ Then I gestured with my head toward heaven. He said, ‘Beyond.’ Al-Shiblī, may God have mercy on him, said: Whoever gestures toward Him is like one who worships an idol, for gestures properly point only to idols. The poet said:
§ 365
وَلِي عِنْدَ اللِّقَاءِ وَفِيهِ عَتْبٌ بِإِيمَاءِ الْجُفُونِ إِلَى الْجُفُونِ فَأَبَّهَتْ خِيفَةً وَأَذُوبُ خَوْفًا وَأَفْنَى عَنْ حِرَاكٍ أَوْ سُكُونِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 414)
Walī ʿinda al-liqāʾi wafīhi ʿatbun biʾīmāʾi al-jufūni ʾilā al-jufūni faʾabbahat khīfatan waʾadhūbu khawfan waʾafnā ʿan ḥirākin ʾaw sukūni. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 414)
At the meeting I have a reproach for Him, conveyed by eyelid to eyelid; yet I stand in awe from fear, melt in dread, and vanish from both movement and stillness. (The Book of Gleams, p. 414)
§ 366 • SOURCE P 280
وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ الشَّاهِدِ فَقَالَ الشَّاهِدُ الْحَقُّ فِي ضَمِيرِكَ وَأَسْرَارِكَ مُطَّلِعٌ عَلَيْهَا، وَالْمَشْهُودُ مَا يَشْهَدُهُ الشَّاهِدُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 415).
Wasuʾila al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan al-shāhidi faqāla al-shāhidu al-ḥaqqu fī ḍamīrika waʾasrārika muṭṭaliʿun ʿalayhā, wa-al-mashhūdu mā yashhaduhu al-shāhidu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 415).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, was asked about the witness and said: The witness is the Real within your conscience and secrets, fully aware of them; the witnessed is what the witness beholds. (The Book of Gleams, p. 415)
§ 367
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: الْوَقْتُ عَزِيزٌ إِذَا فَاتَ لَا يُدْرِكُ: يَعْنِي نَفْسَكَ وَوَقْتُكَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ النَّفْسِ الْمَاضِي وَالنَّفْسِ الْمُسْتَقْبَلُ، إِذَا فَاتَكَ بِالْغَفْلَةِ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَلَا تَلْحَقْهُ أَبَدًا. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 418).
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: al-waqtu ʿazīzun ʾidhā fāta lā yudriku: yaʿnī nafsaka wawaqtuka alladhī bayna al-nafsi al-māḍī wa-al-nafsi al-mustaqbalu, ʾidhā fātaka bi-al-ghaflati ʿan dhikri Allāhi taʿālā falā talḥaqhu ʾabadan. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 418).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: The present moment is precious; once missed, it cannot be regained. He meant your present breath and moment between the breath that has passed and the breath still to come. If you miss it through heedlessness of remembering God Most High, you will never recover it. (The Book of Gleams, p. 418)
§ 368
سَمِعْتُ بَعْضَ الْمَشَايِخِ وَهُوَ أَبُو الطَّيِّبِ الشِّيرَازِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ شَيْخًا مِنْ مَشَايِخِي مَسْأَلَةٌ فَقَالَ لِي: أَرْجُو أَنْ يَقَعَ جَوَابُهُ، قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ لِخَيْرِ النَّسَّاجِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ حِينَ خَرَجَ إِلَيْهِ: هَلَّا خَرَجْتَ مَعَ أَوَّلِ خَاطِرِكَ؟ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ خَطَرَ بِقَلْبِهِ بِأَنَّ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى بَابِ دَارِهِ فَكَانَ يَدْفَعُ خَاطِرَهُ مِرَارًا؛ فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ قَالَ لَهُ الْجُنَيْدُ ذَلِكَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 419، 418).
Samiʿtu baʿḍa al-mashāyikhi wahuwa ʾabū al-ṭayyibi al-shīrāziyyu raḥimahu Allāhu qāla: saʾaltu shaykhan min mashāyikhī masʾalatun faqāla lī: ʾarjū ʾan yaqaʿa jawābuhu, qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu likhayri al-nassāji raḥimahu Allāhu ḥīna kharaja ʾilayhi: hallā kharajta maʿa ʾawwali khāṭirika? wadhalika ʾannahu khaṭara biqalbihi biʾanna al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu ʿalā bābi dārihi fakāna yadfaʿu khāṭirahu mirāran; falammā kharaja qāla lahu al-Junaydu dhalika. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 419, 418).
I heard one of the shaykhs, Abū al-Ṭayyib al-Shīrāzī, may God have mercy on him, say: I asked one of my shaykhs a question. He replied, ‘I hope its answer will occur.’ When Khayr al-Nassāj, may God have mercy on him, finally came out to al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, al-Junayd asked, ‘Why did you not come out with your first thought?’ The thought had occurred to Khayr that al-Junayd stood at his door, but he repeatedly pushed it away. When he finally came out, al-Junayd said this to him. (The Book of Gleams, pp. 418–419)
§ 369
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي مَعْنَى " الْقَبْضِ " وَ " الْبَسْطِ ": يَعْنِي الْخَوْفَ وَالرَّجَاءَ؛ فَالرَّجَاءُ يُبْسَطُ إِلَى الطَّاعَةِ، وَالْخَوْفُ يُقْبَضُ عَنْ الْمَعْصِيَةِ، وَقَدْ قَالَ الْقَائِلُ فِي صِفَةِ حَالِ الْعَارِفِ الْمُنْقَبِضِ، وَصِفَةِ حَالِ الْعَارِفِ الْمُنْبَسِطِ فَقَالَ: مَعَارِفُ الْحَقِّ تَحْوِيهَا إِذَا نُشِرَتْ ثَلَاثَةٌ بَعْدَهَا الْأَرْوَاحُ تُخْتَلَسُ فَعَارِفٌ بِحُظُوظِ الْحَقِّ لَيْسَ لَهُ عَنْهُ سِوَاهُ وَلَا مِنْهُ لَهُ نَفْسٌ وَعَارِفُ بَوْلَا الْمَلِيكُ مُعْتَرِفٌ يَحُثُّهُ الْوَجْدُ مَا وَلَّى لَهُ الْغَلَسُ وَعَارِفٌ غَابَ الْعُرْفُ فَاعْتَسَفَتْ مِنْهُ السَّرَايِرُ مُطْوَى الذُّرَى شُرِسَ حَتَّى اسْتَكَانَ وَغَابَ الْوَعْثُ فِي سَهْلٍ فَطَارَ شَيْئَانِ عَنْهُ النُّطْقُ وَالْخُرَسُ أَغَاثَهُ الْحَقُّ عَمَّا دُونَهُ فَلَهُ مِنْهُ إِلَيْهِ سِرَارُ وَحَيُّهَا خُنِسٌ. يُذْكَرُ أَنَّ الْعَارِفِينَ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَصْنَافٍ: صِنْفٌ مِنْهُمْ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ مِنْهُ نَفْسٌ، وَصِنْفٌ مِنْهُمْ يُحْهُمُ الْوَجْدُ إِلَى الْحَالِ الَّذِي يَتَوَلَّاهُمْ الْحَقُّ بِالْكَلَاءَةِ فِيهَا وَصِنْفٌ مِنْهُمْ غَابَ عَنْهُمْ الْعُرْفُ وَالْعَادَةُ وَاسْتَوَى عِنْدَهُمْ النُّطْقُ وَالصَّمْتُ وَغَيْرُ ذَلِكَ بِعِنَايَةِ الْحَقِّ لَهُمْ، فَإِنْ سَكَتُوا فَلِلَّهِ يَسْكُتُونَ، وَإِنْ نَطَقُوا فَعَنْ اللَّهِ يَنْطِقُونَ.
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu fī maʿnā " al-qabḍi " wa " al-basṭi ": yaʿnī al-khawfa wa-al-rajāʾa; fa-al-rajāʾu yubsaṭu ʾilā al-ṭāʿati, wa-al-khawfu yuqbaḍu ʿan al-maʿṣiyati, waqad qāla al-qāʾilu fī ṣifati ḥāli al-ʿārifi al-munqabiḍi, waṣifati ḥāli al-ʿārifi al-munbasiṭi faqāla: maʿārifu al-ḥaqqi taḥwīhā ʾidhā nushirat thalāthatun baʿdahā al-ʾarwāḥu tukhtalasu faʿārifun biḥuẓūẓi al-ḥaqqi laysa lahu ʿanhu siwāhu walā minhu lahu nafsun waʿārifu bawlā al-malīku muʿtarifun yaḥuththuhu al-wajdu mā wallā lahu al-ghalasu waʿārifun ghāba al-ʿurfu fa-iʿtasafat minhu al-sarāyiru muṭwā al-dhurā shurisa ḥattā istakāna waghāba al-waʿthu fī sahlin faṭāra shayʾāni ʿanhu al-nuṭqu wa-al-khurasu ʾaghāthahu al-ḥaqqu ʿammā dūnahu falahu minhu ʾilayhi sirāru waḥayyuhā khunisun. yudhkaru ʾanna al-ʿārifīna ʿalā thalāthati ʾaṣnāfin: ṣinfun minhum laysa lahum minhu nafsun, waṣinfun minhum yuḥhumu al-wajdu ʾilā al-ḥāli alladhī yatawallāhum al-ḥaqqu bi-al-kalāʾati fīhā waṣinfun minhum ghāba ʿanhum al-ʿurfu wa-al-ʿādatu wa-istawā ʿindahum al-nuṭqu wa-al-ṣamtu waghayru dhalika biʿināyati al-ḥaqqi lahum, faʾin sakatū fa-li-llāhi yaskutūna, waʾin naṭaqū faʿan Allāhi yanṭiqūna.
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said that ‘constriction’ and ‘expansion’ mean fear and hope: hope expands one toward obedience, while fear constricts one from disobedience. A poet described the states of the constricted and expanded knower in verses whose transmitted wording is partly damaged: ‘The forms of knowledge of the Real, when unfolded, are contained in three; beyond them spirits are snatched away. One knower is wholly occupied by the Real’s claims, with no breath for himself. Another, confessing the Sovereign’s friendship, is driven by ecstasy through the darkness before dawn. Another has passed beyond familiar knowledge; his secrets traverse folded heights until he yields, and both speech and silence fly from him. The Real rescues him from all besides Himself, and between Him and himself remains a hidden exchange.’ It is said that the knowers fall into three classes: some have no breath of their own before Him; some are driven by ecstasy into a state in which the Real assumes their protection; and some have passed beyond custom and habit, so that speech, silence, and all else become equal for them through the Real’s care. If they are silent, they are silent for God; if they speak, they speak from God.
§ 370
(كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 420).
(Kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 420).
(The Book of Gleams, p. 420)
§ 371 • SOURCE P 281
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي تَفْسِيرِ قَوْلِ أَبِي يَزِيدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي كَلَامِهِ لَيْسَ بِلَيْسَ قَالَ: هُوَ ذَهَابُ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ عَنْهُ وَذَهَابُهُ عَنْ ذَهَابِهِ وَهُوَ مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ لَيْسَ فِي لَيْسَ يَعْنِي قَدْ غَابَ الْمُحَاضِرُ وَتَلِفَتْ الْأَشْيَاءُ فَلَيْسَ يُوجَدُ شَيْءٌ وَلَا يُحَسُّ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُسَمِّيهِ قَوْمٌ الْفِنَاءُ وَالْفِنَاءُ عَنْ الْفِنَاءِ " وَفَقْدُ الْفَقْدِ فِي الْفَقْدِ " فَهُوَ الذَّهَابُ عَنْ الذَّهَابِ، وَ " النَّفْسُ " تَرَوُ الْقَلْبِ عِنْدَ الِاحْتِرَاقِ،. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 424).
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu fī tafsīri qawli ʾabī yazīda raḥimahu Allāhu fī kalāmihi laysa bilaysa qāla: huwa dhahābu dhalika kullihi ʿanhu wadhahābuhu ʿan dhahābihi wahuwa maʿnā qawlihi laysa fī laysa yaʿnī qad ghāba al-muḥāḍiru watalifat al-ʾashyāʾu falaysa yūjadu shayʾun walā yuḥassu, wahuwa alladhī yusammīhi qawmun al-fināʾu wa-al-fināʾu ʿan al-fināʾi " wafaqdu al-faqdi fī al-faqdi " fahuwa al-dhahābu ʿan al-dhahābi, wa " al-nafsu " tarawu al-qalbi ʿinda al-iḥtirāqi,. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 424).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, explained Abū Yazīd’s expression ‘not through not’ as follows: All of that departs from him, and he departs from his awareness of its departure. This is the meaning of ‘not within not’: the one present has become absent and things have perished, so that nothing is found or sensed. Some call this annihilation, annihilation from annihilation, and ‘the loss of loss within loss.’ It is departure from awareness of departure. The breath gives the heart relief amid burning. (The Book of Gleams, p. 424)
§ 372
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: " أُخِذَ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ حِفْظُ أَنْفَاسِهِ عَلَى مَمَرِّ أَوْقَاتِهِ ". (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 424).
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: " ʾukhidha ʿalā al-ʿabdi ḥifẓu ʾanfāsihi ʿalā mamarri ʾawqātihi ". (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 424).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: ‘The servant is charged with guarding his breaths throughout the passage of his moments.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 424)
§ 373
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: قَالَ لِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْآجُرِّيُّ: يَا غُلَامُ لَأَنْ تَرُدَّ بَهْمِكَ إِلَى اللَّهِ طَرْفُهُ عَيْنٌ خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِمَّا طَلَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّمْسُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 425).
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: qāla lī Ibrāhīmu al-ʾājurriyyu: yā ghulāmu laʾan tarudda bahmika ʾilā Allāhi ṭarfuhu ʿaynun khayrun laka mimmā ṭalaʿat ʿalayhi al-shamsu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 425).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: Ibrāhīm al-Ājurrī said to me, ‘Young man, for you to turn your concern toward God for the blink of an eye is better for you than everything upon which the sun rises.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 425)
§ 374
سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ عَنْ رَجُلٍ غَابَ اسْمُهُ وَذَهَبَ وَصْفُهُ وَانْمَحَى رُسُومُهُ فَلَا رَسْمَ لَهُ قَالَ نَعَمْ عِنْدَ مُشَاهَدَتِهِ قِيَامَ الْحَقِّ لَهُ بِنَفْسِهِ لِنَفْسِهِ فِي مِلْكِهِ، فَيَكُونُ ذَلِكَ مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ:
Suʾila al-Junaydu ʿan rajulin ghāba ismuhu wadhahaba waṣfuhu wa-inmaḥā rusūmuhu falā rasma lahu qāla naʿam ʿinda mushāhadatihi qiyāma al-ḥaqqi lahu binafsihi linafsihi fī milkihi, fayakūnu dhalika maʿnā qawlihi:
Al-Junayd was asked about a man whose name has become absent, whose description has departed, and whose traces have been effaced so that no trace of him remains. He replied: Yes—when he witnesses the Real sustaining him by Himself, for Himself, within His dominion. This is the meaning of the expression:
§ 375
امْتَحَى رُسُومَهُ، يَعْنِي عِلْمَهُ وَفِعْلَهُ الْمُضَافِ إِلَيْهِ بِنَظَرِهِ إِلَى قِيَامِ اللَّهِ لَهُ فِي قِيَامِهِ،.
Imtaḥā rusūmahu, yaʿnī ʿilmahu wafiʿlahu al-muḍāfi ʾilayhi binaẓarihi ʾilā qiyāmi Allāhi lahu fī qiyāmihi,.
‘His traces are effaced’—that is, his knowledge and the act attributed to him are effaced through his seeing that God sustains him in his very standing.
§ 376
(كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 427).
(Kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 427).
(The Book of Gleams, p. 427)
§ 377
مِمَّا قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي جَوَابِ مَسْأَلَةٍ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ يَصِفُ الْمُوَحِّدِينَ فَقَالَ:
Mimmā qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu fī jawābi masʾalatin fī al-tawḥīdi yaṣifu al-muwaḥḥidīna faqāla:
Among al-Junayd’s replies to a question on divine unity, describing those who affirm it, is this:
§ 378
كَانُوا بِلَا كَوْنٍ وَبَانُوا بِلَا بَوْنٍ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 432) وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي رِسَالَتِهِ إِلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ الْكِسَائِيِّ: وَأَنْتَ فِي سُبُلٍ مُلْتَبِسَةٍ وَنُجُومٍ مُنْطَمِسَةٍ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 434).
Kānū bilā kawnin wabānū bilā bawnin. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 432) waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu fī risālatihi ʾilā ʾabī bakrin al-kisāʾiyyi: waʾanta fī subulin multabisatin wanujūmin munṭamisatin. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 434).
‘They were without coming to be, and they became distinct without separation.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 432) Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, wrote in his letter to Abū Bakr al-Kisāʾī: ‘You are amid entangled paths and extinguished stars.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 434)
§ 379
حُكِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ: أَهْلُ خُرْسَانِ أَصْحَابُ قُلُوبٍ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 435) حُكِيَ عَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: لَا يَبْلُغُ الْعَبْدُ إِلَى حَقِيقَةِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَصَفَاءِ التَّوْحِيدِ حَتَّى يُعَبِّرَ الْأَحْوَالَ وَالْمَقَامَاتِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 436).
ḥukiya ʿan al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu kāna yaqūlu: ʾahlu khursāni ʾaṣḥābu qulūbin. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 435) ḥukiya ʿani al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʾannahu qāla: lā yablughu al-ʿabdu ʾilā ḥaqīqati al-maʿrifati waṣafāʾi al-tawḥīdi ḥattā yuʿabbira al-ʾaḥwāla wa-al-maqāmāti. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 436).
It is related that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, used to say: The people of Khurasan possess hearts. (The Book of Gleams, p. 435) It is also related that he said: The servant does not attain the reality of direct knowledge and the purity of divine unity until he passes beyond spiritual states and stations. (The Book of Gleams, p. 436)
§ 380
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي وَصْفِ التَّوْحِيدِ: فَقَالَ: حُكْمُهَا عَلَى مَا جَرَتْ عَلَيْهِ جَارٍ، وَسُلْطَانُهَا عَلَى كُلِّ حَقٍّ عَالٍ، ظَهَرَتْ فَقَهَرَتْ، وَخَفِيَتْ فَاسْتَتَرَتْ، وَصَالَتْ فَغَالَتْ؛ هِيَ هِيَ بِلَا هِيَ، تُبْدِي فَتُبِيدُ مَا بَدَتْ عَلَيْهِ، وَتُفْنِي مَا أَشَارَتْ إِلَيْهِ، قَرِيبُهَا بَعِيدٌ، وَبَعِيدُهَا قَرِيبٌ، وَقَرِيبُهَا مُرِيبٌ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 438).
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu fī waṣfi al-tawḥīdi: faqāla: ḥukmuhā ʿalā mā jarat ʿalayhi jārin, wasulṭānuhā ʿalā kulli ḥaqqin ʿālin, ẓaharat faqaharat, wakhafiyat fa-istatarat, waṣālat faghālat; hiya hiya bilā hiya, tubdī fatubīdu mā badat ʿalayhi, watufnī mā ʾashārat ʾilayhi, qarībuhā baʿīdun, wabaʿīduhā qarībun, waqarībuhā murībun. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 438).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said in describing divine unity: Its judgment runs over whatever it passes through, and its dominion rises above every truth. It appears and subdues; it becomes hidden and is veiled; it assaults and exacts an immense price. It is itself without being itself. It makes manifest, then destroys what it appears upon; it annihilates whatever it points toward. Its near is far, its far is near, and its near inspires disquiet. (The Book of Gleams, p. 438)
§ 381
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: الْقُلُوبُ الْمَحْفُوظَةُ لَا يَعْرِضُهَا وَلِيُّهَا لِمُجَانَبَةِ مُحَادَثَةِ غَيْرِهِ، ضَنًّا مِنْهُ بِهَا، وَنَظَرًا مِنْهُ لَهَا، وَإِبْقَاءً عَلَيْهَا؛ لِيُخَلِّصَ لَهُمْ مَا أَصْفَاهُمْ بِهُوَ مَا جَمَعَهُمْ لَهُ، وَمَا عَادَ بِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 440)
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: al-qulūbu al-maḥfūẓatu lā yaʿriḍuhā waliyyuhā limujānabati muḥādathati ghayrihi, ḍannan minhu bihā, wanaẓaran minhu lahā, waʾibqāʾan ʿalayhā; liyukhalliṣa lahum mā ʾaṣfāhum bihuwa mā jamaʿahum lahu, wamā ʿāda bihi ʿalayhim (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 440)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: Hearts under protection are not exposed by their protecting Friend to converse with another. Out of His jealous care for them, His regard for them, and His preservation of them, He keeps pure for them that by which He purified them, gathered them to Himself, and returned to them. (The Book of Gleams, p. 440)
§ 382 • SOURCE P 282
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ لَرَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي كَلاَمٍ لَهُ: إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عِبَادًا عَلَى وَطَنَاتٍ مَطَى حُمْلانُهُ يَرْكَبُونَ، وَبِالسُّرْعَةِ وَالْبِدَارُ إِلَيْهِ يَسْتَبِقُونَ (كِتَابَ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 446).
Qāla al-Junaydu laraḥimahu Allāhu fī kalʾamin lahu: ʾinna li-llāhi ʿibādan ʿalā waṭanātin maṭā ḥumlānuhu yarkabūna, wa-bi-al-surʿati wa-al-bidāru ʾilayhi yastabiqūna (kitāba al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 446).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said in one discourse: God has servants who ride the mounts that carry them across their native stations, racing toward Him with speed and haste. (The Book of Gleams, p. 446)
§ 383
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: امْتَزَجَ بِالِالْتِبَاسِ وَاخْتَلَطَ مُتَلَوِّنًا فِي الْإِحْسَاسِ، وَمَا يَتَغَيَّرُ عَنْهَا فِي الِالْتِبَاسِ يُؤْخَذُ عَنْهُ كَأَسْرَعَ مَأْخُوذٍ وَمُخْتَلِسٍ،. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 449).
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: imtazaja bi-al-iltibāsi wa-ikhtalaṭa mutalawwinan fī al-ʾiḥsāsi, wamā yataghayyaru ʿanhā fī al-iltibāsi yuʾkhadhu ʿanhu kaʾasraʿa maʾkhūdhin wamukhtalisin,. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 449).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: It became mingled in ambiguity and interwoven, changing color within perception; whatever changes away from it amid ambiguity is taken from him with the swiftness of something seized and snatched away. (The Book of Gleams, p. 449)
§ 384
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: حِكَايَاتُ أَبِي يَزِيدَ الْبِسْطَامِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ قَدْ بَلَغَ إِلَى عَيْنِ الْجَمْعِ، وَعَيْنُ الْجَمْعِ: اسْمٌ مِنْ أَسْمَاءِ التَّوْحِيدِ، لَهُ نَعْتٌ وَوَصْفٌ يَعْرِفُهُ أَهْلُهُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 450).
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: ḥikāyātu ʾabī yazīda al-bisṭāmiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu tadullu ʿalā ʾannahu kāna qad balagha ʾilā ʿayni al-jamʿi, waʿaynu al-jamʿi: ismun min ʾasmāʾi al-tawḥīdi, lahu naʿtun wawaṣfun yaʿrifuhu ʾahluhu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 450).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: The accounts of Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī, may God have mercy on him, indicate that he attained the eye of gathering. The eye of gathering is one name for divine unity; it has a quality and description known by its people. (The Book of Gleams, p. 450)
§ 385
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: آخِرَ مَقَامِ الْعَارِفِ الْحُرِّيَّةُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 450)
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾākhira maqāmi al-ʿārifi al-ḥurriyyatu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 450)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: The knower’s final station is freedom. (The Book of Gleams, p. 450)
كَلِمَاتٌ شَطْحِيَّاتٌ تُحْكَى عَنْ أَبِي يَزِيدَ
Kalimātun shaṭḥiyyātun tuḥkā ʿan ʾabī yazīda
Ecstatic Utterances Related from Abū Yazīd
§ 387
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: الْحِكَايَاتُ عَنْ أَبِي يَزِيدَ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ، وَالنَّاقِلُونَ عَنْهُ فِيمَا سَمِعُوهُ مُفْتَرِقُونَ؛ وَذَلِكَ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ لِاخْتِلَافِ الْأَوْقَاتِ الْجَارِيَةِ عَلَيْهِ فِيهَا وَلِاخْتِلَافِ الْمَوَاطِنِ الْمُتَدَاوَلَةِ بِمَا خُصَّ مِنْهَا؛ فَكُلٌّ يَحْكِي عَنْهُ مَا ضُبِطَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ، وَيُؤَدِّي مَا سُمِعَ مِنْ تَفْصِيلِ مَوَاطِنِهِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 459).
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: al-ḥikāyātu ʿan ʾabī yazīda mukhtalifatun, wa-al-nāqilūna ʿanhu fīmā samiʿūhu muftariqūna; wadhalika wa-llāhu ʾaʿlamu li-ikhtilāfi al-ʾawqāti al-jāriyati ʿalayhi fīhā waliākhtilāfi al-mawāṭini al-mutadāwalati bimā khuṣṣa minhā; fakullun yaḥkī ʿanhu mā ḍubiṭa min qawlihi, wayuʾaddī mā sumiʿa min tafṣīli mawāṭinihi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 459).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: The accounts of Abū Yazīd differ, and those who transmit what they heard from him disagree. God knows best, but this is because the times that passed over him differed, as did the successive stations in which he was specially placed. Each person relates what he accurately retained of Abū Yazīd’s words and conveys what he heard concerning the details of his stations. (The Book of Gleams, p. 459)
§ 388
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: وَكَانَ مِنْ كَلامِ أَبِي يَزِيدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، لِقُوَّتِهِ وَغَوْرِهِ وَانْتِهَاءِ مَعَانِيهِ مُغْتَرِفٌ مِنْ بَحْرٍ قَدْ انْفَرَدَ بِهِ؛ وَجَعَلَ ذَلِكَ الْبَحْرَ لَهُ وَحْدَهُ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 459).
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: wakāna min kalāmi ʾabī yazīda raḥimahu Allāhu, liquwwatihi waghawrihi wa-intihāʾi maʿānīhi mughtarifun min baḥrin qad infarada bihi; wajaʿala dhalika al-baḥra lahu waḥdahu. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 459).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: Because of the power, depth, and far-reaching meanings of Abū Yazīd’s speech, it was drawn from a sea that had been made his alone. (The Book of Gleams, p. 459)
§ 389
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: ثُمَّ إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ الْغَايَةَ الْقُصْوَى مِنْ حَالِهِ، يَعْنِي مِنْ حَالِ أَبِي يَزِيدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، حَالًا قَلَّ مَنْ يَفْهَمُهَا عَنْهُ أَوْ يُعَبِّرُ عَنْهَا عِنْدَ اسْتِمَاعِهَا؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَحْتَمِلُهُ إِلَّا مَنْ عَرَفَ مَعْنَاهُ وَأَدْرَكَ مُسْتَقَاةً، وَمَنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ هَذِهِ هَيْئَتُهُ عِنْدَ اسْتِمَاعِهِ فَذَلِكَ كُلُّهُ عِنْدَهُ مَرْدُودٌ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 459).
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: thumma ʾinnī raʾaytu al-ghāyata al-quṣwā min ḥālihi, yaʿnī min ḥāli ʾabī yazīda raḥimahu Allāhu, ḥālan qalla man yafhamuhā ʿanhu ʾaw yuʿabbiru ʿanhā ʿinda istimāʿihā; liʾannahu lā yaḥtamiluhu ʾillā man ʿarafa maʿnāhu waʾadraka mustaqātan, waman lam takun hadhihi hayʾatuhu ʿinda istimāʿihi fadhalika kulluhu ʿindahu mardūdun. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 459).
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: I saw that the furthest reach of Abū Yazīd’s state was a state that few understand from him or can express when they hear it. Only one who knows its meaning and perceives the source from which it was drawn can bear it. Whoever is not so disposed when he hears it rejects all of it. (The Book of Gleams, p. 459)
§ 390
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: رَأَيْتُ حِكَايَاتِ أَبِي يَزِيدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، عَلَى مَا نَعَتَهُ يُنْبِئُ عَنْهُ: أَنَّهُ قَدْ غَرِقَ فِيمَا وُجِدَ مِنْهَا وَذَهَبَ عَنْ حَقِيقَةِ الْحَقِّ، إِذَا لَمْ يُرَدَّ عَلَيْهَا، وَهِيَ مَعَانٍ غَرَّقَتْهُ عَلَى تَارَاتٍ مِنْ الْغَرَقِ، كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهَا غَيْرُ صَاحِبَتِهَا. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 459)
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: raʾaytu ḥikāyāti ʾabī yazīda raḥimahu Allāhu, ʿalā mā naʿatahu yunbiʾu ʿanhu: ʾannahu qad ghariqa fīmā wujida minhā wadhahaba ʿan ḥaqīqati al-ḥaqqi, ʾidhā lam yuradda ʿalayhā, wahiya maʿānin gharraqathu ʿalā tārātin min al-gharaqi, kullu wāḥidin minhā ghayru ṣāḥibatihā. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 459)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: As I understood the accounts describing Abū Yazīd, they indicate that he drowned in what he encountered there and passed away from the reality of the Real when he was not restored to it. These were meanings that drowned him in successive kinds of drowning, each different from the next. (The Book of Gleams, p. 459)
§ 391 • SOURCE P 283
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: أَمَّا مَا وُصِفَ مِنْ بِدَايَاتِ حَالِهِ فَهُوَ قَوِيٌّ مُحْكَمٌ قَدْ بَلَغَ مِنْهُ الْغَايَةَ، وَقَدْ وَصَفَ أَشْيَاءَ مِنْ عِلْمِ التَّوْحِيدِ صَحِيحَةٌ، إِلَّا أَنَّهَا بِدَايَاتٌ، فِيمَا يُطْلَبُ مِنْهَا الْمُرَادُونَ لِذَلِكَ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 460، 459)
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾammā mā wuṣifa min bidāyāti ḥālihi fahuwa qawiyyun muḥkamun qad balagha minhu al-ghāyata, waqad waṣafa ʾashyāʾa min ʿilmi al-tawḥīdi ṣaḥīḥatun, ʾillā ʾannahā bidāyātun, fīmā yuṭlabu minhā al-murādūna lidhalika. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 460, 459)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: As for what is described of the beginnings of his state, it is powerful and firmly established, and he reached its furthest point. He described sound matters from the knowledge of divine unity, but they remain beginnings in relation to what those specially drawn to that path seek. (The Book of Gleams, pp. 459–460)
ذِكْرُ حِكَايَةٍ حُكِيَتْ عَنْ أَبِي يَزِيدَ
Dhikru ḥikāyatin ḥukiyat ʿan ʾabī yazīda
Mention of an Account Related from Abū Yazīd
§ 393
فِي تَفْسِيرِ حِكَايَةٍ ذَكَرْتْ عَنْ أَبِي يَزِيدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ:
Fī tafsīri ḥikāyatin dhakart ʿan ʾabī yazīda raḥimahu Allāhu:
On the interpretation of an account related from Abū Yazīd, may God have mercy on him:
§ 394
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: أَمَّا قَوْلُهُ أَوَّلُ مَا صِرْتُ إِلَى وَحْدَانِيِّتِهِ: فَذَاكَ أَوَّلُ لَحْظَةٍ إِلَى التَّوْحِيدِ فَقَدْ وَصَفَ مَا لَاحَظَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَوَصَفَ النِّهَايَةَ فِي حَالِ بُلُوغِهِ وَالْمُسْتَقِرَّ فِي تَنَاهِي رُسُوخِهِ.
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾammā qawluhu ʾawwalu mā ṣirtu ʾilā waḥdāniyyitihi: fadhāka ʾawwalu laḥẓatin ʾilā al-tawḥīdi faqad waṣafa mā lāḥaẓa min dhalika wawaṣafa al-nihāyata fī ḥāli bulūghihi wa-al-mustaqirra fī tanāhī rusūkhihi.
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: As for Abū Yazīd’s words, ‘The first time I came to His oneness,’ that was his first glance toward divine unity. He described what he perceived of it, then described the end at the point of his attainment and the settled state at the furthest reach of his rootedness.
§ 395
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: وَأَمَّا قَوْلُ أَبِي يَزِيدَ أَلْفَ أَلْفِ مَرَّةٍ فَلَا مَعْنَى لَهُ لِأَنَّ نَعْتَهُ أَجَلُّ وَأَعْظَمُ مِمَّا وَصَفَهُ وَقَالَهُ وَإِنَّمَا نُعَتَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ عَلَى حَسَبِ مَا أَمْكَنَهُ ثُمَّ وَصَفَ مَا هُنَاكَ وَلَيْسَ هَذَا بَعْدَ الْحَقِيقَةِ الْمَطْلُوبَةِ وَلَا الْغَايَةِ الْمُسْتَوْعِبَةِ وَإِنَّمَا هَذَا بَعْضُ الطَّرِيقِ.
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: waʾammā qawlu ʾabī yazīda ʾalfa ʾalfi marratin falā maʿnā lahu liʾanna naʿtahu ʾajallu waʾaʿẓamu mimmā waṣafahu waqālahu waʾinnamā nuʿata min dhalika ʿalā ḥasabi mā ʾamkanahu thumma waṣafa mā hunāka walaysa hadhā baʿda al-ḥaqīqati al-maṭlūbati walā al-ghāyati al-mustawʿibati waʾinnamā hadhā baʿḍu al-ṭarīqi.
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: As for Abū Yazīd’s expression ‘a thousand thousand times,’ it has no proper meaning, for its reality is more majestic and immense than what he described and said. He spoke of it only according to what he was able to express, then described what was there. This is not yet the reality sought or the all-encompassing end; it is only part of the path.
§ 396
فَهَذَا مَا فَسَّرَهُ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَفِيهِ بِلُغَةٌ وَكِفَايَةٌ لِمَنْ يَفْهَمُ وَاللَّهُ الْمُوَفِّقُ لِلصَّوَابِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 464، 465).
Fahadhā mā fassarahu al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu wafīhi bilughatun wakifāyatun liman yafhamu wa-llāhu al-muwaffiqu li-l-ṣawābi. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 464, 465).
This is what al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, explained. It is a sufficient provision for one who understands. God grants success in what is right. (The Book of Gleams, pp. 464–465)
§ 397
وَأَمَّا مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ: عَشْرُ سِنِينَ وَأَلْفِ أَلْفِ مَرَّةٍ وَمَيْدَانِ الْأَزَلِيَّةِ وَهَوَاءُ الْكَيْفِيَّةِ:
Waʾammā maʿnā qawlihi: ʿashru sinīna waʾalfi ʾalfi marratin wamaydāni al-ʾazaliyyati wahawāʾu al-kayfiyyati:
As for the meaning of Abū Yazīd’s phrases ‘ten years,’ ‘a thousand thousand times,’ ‘the field of beginninglessness,’ and ‘the air of how-ness’:
§ 398
فَذَاكَ قَدْ قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: أَنَّهُ وَصَفَ بَعْضَ الطَّرِيقِ.
Fadhāka qad qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾannahu waṣafa baʿḍa al-ṭarīqi.
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said that Abū Yazīd was describing only part of the path.
§ 399
فِيمَا قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: كِفَايَةٌ عَنْ كَلَامِنَا وَتَكْرَارُنَا فِي هَذَا (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 466)
Fīmā qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: kifāyatun ʿan kalāminā watakrārunā fī hadhā (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 466)
What al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said spares us from further discourse and repetition on this matter. (The Book of Gleams, p. 466)
شَرْحُ كَلَامٍ حُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي يَزِيدَ
Sharḥu kalāmin ḥukiya ʿan ʾabī yazīda
Explanation of Words Related from Abū Yazīd
§ 401
فَمِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: لَوْ أَنَّ أَبَا يَزِيدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى عِظَمِ إِشَارَتِهِ خَرَجَ مِنَ الْبِدَايَةِ وَالتَّوَسُّطِ! وَلَمْ أَسْمَعْ لَهُ نُطْقًا يَدُلّ عَلَى الْمَعْنَى الّذِي يُنْبِئُ عَنْ الْغَايَةِ وَذَلِكَ ذَكَرَهُ لِلْجِسْمِ وَالْجَنَاحِ وَالْهَوَاءِ وَالْمَيْدَانِ (كِتَابُ اللّمَعِ، ص: 467)
Famin ʾajli dhalika qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: law ʾanna ʾabā yazīda raḥimahu Allāhu ʿalā ʿiẓami ʾishāratihi kharaja mina al-bidāyati wa-al-tawassuṭi! walam ʾasmaʿ lahu nuṭqan yadull ʿalā al-maʿnā alladhī yunbiʾu ʿan al-ghāyati wadhalika dhakarahu li-l-jismi wa-al-janāḥi wa-al-hawāʾi wa-al-maydāni (kitābu al-lmaʿi, ṣ: 467)
For this reason al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: If only Abū Yazīd, may God have mercy on him—despite the greatness of his allusion—had passed beyond the beginning and the intermediate stage! I never heard an utterance from him indicating the meaning that discloses the end. This is shown by his mention of a body, wing, air, and field. (The Book of Gleams, p. 467)
بَابٌ أَيْضًا فِي شَرْحِ كَلَامٍ حُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي يَزِيدَ
Bābun ʾayḍan fī sharḥi kalāmin ḥukiya ʿan ʾabī yazīda
Another Chapter Explaining Words Related from Abū Yazīd
§ 403
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: هَذَا كُلُّهُ وَمَا جَانَسُهُ دَاخِلٌ فِي عِلْمِ الشَّوَاهِدِ عَلَى الْغَيْبَةِ عَنِ اسْتِدْرَاكِ الشَّاهِدِ وَفِيهَا مَعَانٍ مِنَ الْفِنَاءِ بِتَغَيُّبِ الْفِنَاءِ عَنِ الْفِنَاءِ (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 468)
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: hadhā kulluhu wamā jānasuhu dākhilun fī ʿilmi al-shawāhidi ʿalā al-ghaybati ʿani istidrāki al-shāhidi wafīhā maʿānin mina al-fināʾi bitaghayyubi al-fināʾi ʿani al-fināʾi (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 468)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: All of this and what resembles it belong to the knowledge of present evidences amid absence from perceiving the witness. They contain meanings of annihilation, through annihilation itself becoming absent from annihilation. (The Book of Gleams, p. 468)
§ 404 • SOURCE P 284
وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: ذِكْرُهُ لِعَشْرِ سِنِينَ: هُوَ وَقْتُهُ وَلَا مَعْنَى لَهُ لِأَنَّ الْأَوْقَاتَ فِي هَذَا الْحَالِ غَائِبَةٌ وَإِذَا مَضَى الْوَقْتُ وَغَابَ بِمَعْنَاهُ عَمَّنْ غُيِّبَ عَنْهُ، فَعَشْرُ سِنِينَ وَمِائَةٍ وَأَكْثَرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ فِي مَعْنًى وَاحِدٍ.
Waqāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: dhikruhu liʿashri sinīna: huwa waqtuhu walā maʿnā lahu liʾanna al-ʾawqāta fī hadhā al-ḥāli ghāʾibatun waʾidhā maḍā al-waqtu waghāba bimaʿnāhu ʿamman ghuyyiba ʿanhu, faʿashru sinīna wamiāʾatin waʾaktharu min dhalika kullihi fī maʿnanā wāḥidin.
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said: His mention of ten years refers only to his own time and has no intrinsic meaning, because times are absent in this state. When time has passed and, through its meaning, become absent from the one made absent from it, ten years, a hundred years, and more all have one meaning.
§ 405
قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: فِيمَا بَلَغَنِي: ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: أَشْرَفْتُ عَلَى التَّوْحِيدِ فِي غَيْبُوبَةِ الْخَلْقِ عَنْ الْعَارِفِ وَغَيْبُوبَةِ الْعَارِفِ عَنْ الْخَلْقِ: يَقُولُ: عِنْدَ إِشْرَافِي عَلَى التَّوْحِيدِ تَحَقَّقَ عِنْدِي غَيْبُوبَةُ الْخَلْقِ كُلُّهُمْ عَنْ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَانْفِرَادُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِكِبْرِيَائِهِ عَنْ خَلِيقَتِهِ.
Qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: fīmā balaghanī: thumma qāla ʾabū yazīda raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾashraftu ʿalā al-tawḥīdi fī ghaybūbati al-khalqi ʿan al-ʿārifi waghaybūbati al-ʿārifi ʿan al-khalqi: yaqūlu: ʿinda ʾishrāfī ʿalā al-tawḥīdi taḥaqqaqa ʿindī ghaybūbatu al-khalqi kulluhum ʿan Allāhi taʿālā wa-infirādu Allāhi ʿazza wajalla bikibriyāʾihi ʿan khalīqatihi.
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, said regarding what had reached him: Abū Yazīd, may God have mercy on him, then said, ‘I looked out upon divine unity in the absence of creation from the knower and the absence of the knower from creation.’ He meant: When I looked out upon divine unity, I realized that all creation is absent from God Most High, and that God, mighty and majestic, stands alone in His grandeur, apart from His creation.
§ 406
ثُمَّ قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: هَذِهِ الْأَلْفَاظُ الَّتِي قَالَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: مَعْرُوفَةٌ فِي إِدْخَالِ الْمُرَادِ فِيمَا أُرِيدَ مِنْهَا. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ)
Thumma qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: hadhihi al-ʾalfāẓu allatī qāla ʾabū yazīda raḥimahu Allāhu: maʿrūfatun fī ʾidkhāli al-murādi fīmā ʾurīda minhā. (kitābu al-lumaʿi)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, then said: These expressions used by Abū Yazīd, may God have mercy on him, are recognized as placing the intended meaning within the form through which it was meant. (The Book of Gleams)
بَابٌ آخَرُ فِي شَرْحِ أَلْفَاظٍ حَكَيْتُ عَنْ أَبِي يَزِيدَ
Bābun ʾākharu fī sharḥi ʾalfāẓin ḥakaytu ʿan ʾabī yazīda
Another Chapter Explaining Expressions Related from Abū Yazīd
§ 408
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَمْرِو بْنَ عَلْوَانَ يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ: كُنْتُ أَصْحَبُ هَذِهِ الطَّائِفَةَ وَأَنَا حَدَثٌ فَكُنْتُ أَسْمَعُ مِنْهُمْ كَلَامًا لَمْ أَفْهَمْ عَنْهُمْ مَا يَقُولُونَ إِلَّا أَنَّ قَلْبِي قَدْ سَلِمَ مِنَ الْإِنْكَارِ عَلَيْهِمْ فَبِذَلِكَ نِلْتُ مَا نِلْتُ (كِتَابَ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 475)
Samiʿtu ʾabā ʿamriw bna ʿalwāna yaqūlu: samiʿtu al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu: kuntu ʾaṣḥabu hadhihi al-ṭāʾifata waʾanā ḥadathun fakuntu ʾasmaʿu minhum kalāman lam ʾafham ʿanhum mā yaqūlūna ʾillā ʾanna qalbī qad salima mina al-ʾinkāri ʿalayhim fabidhalika niltu mā niltu (kitāba al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 475)
I heard Abū ʿAmr ibn ʿAlwān say: I heard al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, say: I used to accompany this community while I was still a youth. I heard words from them whose meaning I did not understand, but my heart remained free of denying them. Through that I attained what I attained. (The Book of Gleams, p. 475)
ذِكْرُ كَلَامٍ حُكِيَ عَنِ الشِّبْلِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ
Dhikru kalāmin ḥukiya ʿani al-shibliyyi raḥimahu Allāhu
Mention of Words Related from al-Shiblī, May God Have Mercy on Him
§ 410
قُلْتُ قَدْ أَشَارَ إِلَى مَا قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: إِنَّ أَبَا يَزِيدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: مَعَ عِظَمِ حَالِهِ وَعُلُوِّ شَأْنِهِ: لَمْ يَخْرُجْ مِنْ حَالِ الْبِدَايَةِ وَلَمْ أَسْمَعْ مِنْهُ كَلِمَةً تَدُلُّ عَلَى الْكَمَالِ وَالنِّهَايَةِ (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 479).
Qultu qad ʾashāra ʾilā mā qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾinna ʾabā yazīda raḥimahu Allāhu: maʿa ʿiẓami ḥālihi waʿuluwwi shaʾnihi: lam yakhruj min ḥāli al-bidāyati walam ʾasmaʿ minhu kalimatan tadullu ʿalā al-kamāli wa-al-nihāyati (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 479).
I said: He alluded to al-Junayd’s statement, may God have mercy on him, that Abū Yazīd, may God have mercy on him—despite the greatness of his state and the loftiness of his standing—did not pass beyond the state of the beginning: ‘I did not hear from him a word indicating perfection and the end.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 479)
§ 411
ثُمَّ قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَخْرُجْ مِنْ حَدِّ الْبِدَايَةِ وَلَمْ أَسْمَعْ لَهُ لَفْظًا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّهُ وَصَلَ إِلَى النِّهَايَةِ. (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 479)
Thumma qāla al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾinnahu lam yakhruj min ḥaddi al-bidāyati walam ʾasmaʿ lahu lafẓan yadullu ʿalā ʾannahu waṣala ʾilā al-nihāyati. (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 479)
Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, then said: He did not pass beyond the limit of the beginning, and I heard no expression from him indicating that he had reached the end. (The Book of Gleams, p. 479)
شَرْحُ كَلَامٍ تَكَلَّمَ بِهِ الشِّبْلِيُّ
Sharḥu kalāmin takallama bihi al-shibliyyu
Explanation of Words Spoken by al-Shiblī
§ 413
قَالَ: وَقَالَ الشِّبْلِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ مَا تَقُولُ فِيمَنْ كَانَ اللَّهُ حَسِبَهُ قَوْلا وَحَقِيقَةً فَقَالَ لَهُ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ أَكَابِرِ النَّاسِ فِي سُؤَالِكَ هَذَا عَشَرَةُ آلافٍ مَقَامُ أَوَّلِهِ مَحْوُ مَا بَدَأْتَ بِهِ (كِتَابَ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 487)
Qāla: waqāla al-shibliyyu raḥimahu Allāhu: yā ʾabā al-qāsimi mā taqūlu fīman kāna Allāhu ḥasibahu qawlā waḥaqīqatan faqāla lahu al-Junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu: yā ʾabā bakrin baynaka wabayna ʾakābiri al-nāsi fī suʾālika hadhā ʿasharatu ʾālāfin maqāmu ʾawwalihi maḥwu mā badaʾta bihi (kitāba al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 487)
He said: Al-Shiblī, may God have mercy on him, asked, ‘Abū al-Qāsim, what do you say of one for whom God is sufficient in word and in reality?’ Al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, replied, ‘Abū Bakr, between you and the greatest of people in this question lie ten thousand stations; the first is the effacement of the words with which you began.’ (The Book of Gleams, p. 487)
§ 414 • SOURCE P 285
وَالْمَعْنَى فِي ذَلِكَ: أَنَّ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ كَانَ مُتَشَرِّفًا عَلَى حَالِهِ بِفَضْلِ عِلْمِهِ وَتَمْكِينِهِ فَأَوْرَاهُ مَوْضِعَ مَا يُخْشَى عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الدَّعْوَى فِيمَا يَقُولُ لِأَنَّ مَنْ كَانَ اللَّهُ حَسِبُهُ قَوْلًا وَحَقِيقَةً يَسْتَغْنِي عَنِ السُّؤَالِ فَسُؤَالُهُ لِلْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ يُنْبِئُ عَنْ أَنَّهُ مُقَارِبٌ لِمَا هُنَاكَ (كِتَابُ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 488)
Wa-al-maʿnā fī dhalika: ʾanna al-Junayda raḥimahu Allāhu kāna mutasharrifan ʿalā ḥālihi bifaḍli ʿilmihi watamkīnihi faʾawrāhu mawḍiʿa mā yukhshā ʿalayhi mina al-daʿwā fīmā yaqūlu liʾanna man kāna Allāhu ḥasibuhu qawlan waḥaqīqatan yastaghnī ʿani al-suʾāli fasuʾāluhu li-l-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan dhalika yunbiʾu ʿan ʾannahu muqāribun limā hunāka (kitābu al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 488)
The meaning is that al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, through the merit of his knowledge and firm establishment, looked down upon al-Shiblī’s state and showed him where a claim was to be feared in his words. One for whom God is sufficient in word and reality has no need to ask. Al-Shiblī’s question to al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, therefore indicates that he had only drawn near to that station. (The Book of Gleams, p. 488)
ذِكْرُ جَمَاعَةٍ مِنَ الْمَشَايِخِ
Dhikru jamāʿatin mina al-mashāyikhi
Mention of a Group of Shaykhs
§ 416
قَالَ: فَجَاءَتْ هَذِهِ الْمَرْأَةُ إِلَى الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَقَالَتْ: مَا تَقُولُ فِي رَجُلٍ كَانَ طَرِيقِي إِلَى اللَّهِ؟ فَذَهَبَ اللَّهُ وَبَقِيَ الرَّجُلُ؟ !
Qāla: fajāʾat hadhihi al-marʾatu ʾilā al-Junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu faqālat: mā taqūlu fī rajulin kāna ṭarīqī ʾilā Allāhi? fadhahaba Allāhu wabaqiya al-rajulu?!
He said: This woman came to al-Junayd, may God have mercy on him, and asked, ‘What do you say of a man who was my path to God—then God departed and the man remained?’
§ 417
فَعَلِمَ الجُنَيْدُ أَيْشَ مُرَادُهَا فَلَمْ يُجِبْهَا وَقَالَ: " حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ " ثُمَّ عَرَضَتْ نَفْسَهَا بِالتَّزْوِيجِ عَلَى سَمْنُونَ فَأَبَى ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهَا سَمْنُونَ (كِتَابَ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 498)
Faʿalima al-Junaydu ʾaysha murāduhā falam yujibhā waqāla: " ḥasbunā Allāhu waniʿma al-wakīlu " thumma ʿaraḍat nafsahā bi-al-tazwīji ʿalā samnūna faʾabā dhalika ʿalayhā samnūna (kitāba al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 498)
Al-Junayd understood what she meant, but did not answer her. He said, ‘God is sufficient for us, and He is the best Guardian.’ She later offered herself in marriage to Samnūn, but Samnūn refused her. (The Book of Gleams, p. 498)
فَصْلٌ آخَرُ
Faṣlun ʾākharu
Another Section
§ 419
وَكَذَلِكَ الْجُنَيْدُ مَعَ كَثْرَةِ عِلْمِهِ وَتَبَحُّرِهِ وَفَهْمِهِ وَمُوَاظَبَتِهِ عَلَى الْأَوْرَادِ وَالْعِبَادَاتِ وَفَضْلِهِ عَلَى أَهْلِ زَمَانِهِ: بِالْفَهْمِ وَالْعِلْمِ وَالدِّينِ حَتَّى يُقَالَ لَهُ " طَاوُوسُ الْعُلَمَاءُ " فَكَمْ مِنْ مَرَّةٍ قَدْ طَلَبَ وَأَخَذَ وَشَهِدُوا عَلَيْهِ بِالْكُفْرِ وَالزَّنْدَقَةِ (كِتَابَ اللُّمَعِ، ص: 500).
Wakadhalika al-Junaydu maʿa kathrati ʿilmihi watabaḥḥurihi wafahmihi wamuwāẓabatihi ʿalā al-ʾawrādi wa-al-ʿibādāti wafaḍlihi ʿalā ʾahli zamānihi: bi-al-fahmi wa-al-ʿilmi wa-al-dīni ḥattā yuqāla lahu " ṭāwūsu al-ʿulamāʾu " fakam min marratin qad ṭalaba waʾakhadha washahidū ʿalayhi bi-al-kufri wa-al-zandaqati (kitāba al-lumaʿi, ṣ: 500).
Thus al-Junayd—despite the breadth and depth of his knowledge, his understanding, his constancy in devotional litanies and acts of worship, and his superiority over the people of his time in understanding, knowledge, and religion, so that he was called ‘the Peacock of the Scholars’—was nevertheless sought out and seized many times, and people testified against him with accusations of unbelief and heresy. (The Book of Gleams, p. 500)
الْمَصَادِرُ الْمُعْتَمَدَةُ
Al-maṣādiru al-muʿtamadatu
Principal Sources
§ 421
الْجُنَيْدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ. رَسَائِلُ الْجُنَيْدِ أَوَّلُ عَمَلٍ يَجْمَعُ كُلَّ رَسَائِلِ الْإِمَامِ الْجُنَيْدِ وَأَقْوَالَهُ الْمَأْثُورَةَ. تَحْقِيقُ جَمَالِ رَجَبٍ سَيِّدْبِي، وَتَصْدِيرُ عَاطِفٍ الْعِرَاقِيِّ. دِمَشْقُ وَبَيْرُوتُ دَارُ اقْرَأْ، الطَّبْعَةُ الْأُولَى، ١٤٢٥ هـ ٢٠٠٥ م.
Al-Junaydu bnu Muḥammadin al-baghdādiyyu. rasāʾilu al-Junaydi ʾawwalu ʿamalin yajmaʿu kulla rasāʾili al-ʾimāmi al-Junaydi waʾaqwālahu al-maʾthūrata. taḥqīqu jamāli rajabin sayyidbī, wataṣdīru ʿāṭifin al-ʿirāqiyyi. dimashqu wabayrūtu dāru iqraʾ, al-ṭabʿatu al-ʾūlā, 1425 hـ 2005 m.
Al-Junayd ibn Muḥammad al-Baghdādī. The Epistles of al-Junayd: The First Work to Gather All the Epistles and Transmitted Sayings of Imam al-Junayd. Edited by Jamāl Rajab Sayyidbī, with a foreword by ʿĀṭif al-ʿIrāqī. Damascus and Beirut: Dār Iqraʾ, first edition, 1425 AH / 2005 CE.
§ 422
الْجُنَيْدُ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ. رَسَائِلُ الْجُنَيْدِ. مُقَدِّمَةُ عَلِيِّ حَسَنٍ عَبْدِ الْقَادِرِ. الْقَاهِرَةُ، ١٩٨٨ م. وَهِيَ الطَّبْعَةُ الْعَرَبِيَّةُ الْمُبَكِّرَةُ لِمَجْمُوعَةٍ أَصْغَرَ مِنَ الرَّسَائِلِ.
Al-Junaydu al-baghdādiyyu. rasāʾilu al-Junaydi. muqaddimatu ʿaliyyi ḥasanin ʿabdi al-qādiri. al-qāhiratu, 1988 m. wahiya al-ṭabʿatu al-ʿarabiyyatu al-mubakkiratu limajmūʿatin ʾaṣghara mina al-rasāʾili.
Al-Junayd al-Baghdādī. The Epistles of al-Junayd. Introduction by ʿAlī Ḥasan ʿAbd al-Qādir. Cairo, 1988. This is the earlier Arabic edition of a smaller collection of the epistles.
§ 423
النُّسْخَةُ الْمَصْوَرَةُ لِلطَّبْعَةِ الْكَامِلَةِ
Al-nuskhatu al-maṣwaratu li-l-ṭabʿati al-kāmilati
Digital Facsimile of the Complete Edition
§ 424
archive.org/details/rasail_al_junayd
Archive.org/details/rasail_al_junayd
archive.org/details/rasail_al_junayd
§ 425
بَيَانَاتُ طَبْعَةِ عَلِيِّ حَسَنٍ عَبْدِ الْقَادِرِ
Bayānātu ṭabʿati ʿaliyyi ḥasanin ʿabdi al-qādiri
Publication Record for the ʿAlī Ḥasan ʿAbd al-Qādir Edition
§ 426
zeitounapress.com/rasail-al-junayd
Zeitounapress.com/rasail-al-junayd
zeitounapress.com/rasail-al-junayd
