junayd_text 9 engliish.pdf

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JunaydByA.J.

ARBERRY pROFESSOR ALOUIS MASSIGNON,

the value of whose contributions to the study of Sufism cannot

be over- estimated, gives a short but penetrating account of the

doctrines ofJunaydin his Essai surles

Origines du Lexique

Technique de laMystique Musulmane. 1 This account

is

precededby an analysis of the contents of the manuscriptofJunayd'sopuscula whichis

preserved at Istanbul. 2 In his

Recueil de Textes Inedits 3 Massignon gives extracts of this

manuscript. It has recently beenmygood fortune, throughthe graph generosity of this

manuscript of the Egyptianledge the kindly services of

University, to obtain a photo-and


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I must not omit to Dr. Ritter in this connectionacknow-

as a

preliminary to the fulfilment of what has beenfor

some time myimmediate intention, namely, to write a monograph onthelifeand doctrines of Junayd, and to edit all his survivingreliquiae.Thisis

not the place to enter into a detailed criticism of

this work. In introducingmytranslation of thefirst of theshort treatises contained in the Istanbul MS., I

have to

record that Massignon'saccount of its

some

particulars somewhat inaccurate.contentsis

in Therisdlahfi

and the

risdlah


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fi'l-ifdqah, nos. 8 and 9 of hislist,'l-sukr

are in reality the

product of a later pen, asisproved by the fact that, onf.49b,there are references toJunayd himself amongotherSufis.Letter of Abu

'l-Qasim Al-Junayd to Yusuf Ibn Al-Husayn

4 (God have mercy upon them).In theName

of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. May God

keep thee in His keeping, whereinHe

keeps those

amongHis friendswhoare pure, and may Hestablish1pp. 273-9.2Mg.


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JUNAYDs500us and thee * upon make thee to the path 2 enter the courts of of His

His goodpleasure. May

He intimacy, andgive

thee

pasture 3 in the gardens of His manifold watch over thee irrall

(thy) circumstances, blessings. even asHeMayHeover the child whileit iswombofits watches

mother 4 and

the baby as it liesyet in theMay Godlengthen

for thee

thelifein its cradle.4that

is withdrawn in the perpetuity of eternity 5 :


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from and may the subsistenceHeset theeofapartlifefrom that which

is thine His through thee, through Him, andthat so that there may

be HisSinglenesswhichis6

in its

eternal continuance, not thou, nor thystate 7

nor the

knowledge of Him, andso that there

may

be God alone. 8By my father I adjure the continuance of calamity from a heart

that is tormented with its ceaseless itself For thusit is,thee, this that I say comes fromandthe consequence

of misery stirred fromits foundations, and conflagrations, by

itself within being

speech, withoutfeeling, without ettort


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withoutperception, without

: constantm withoutits fierce comnfainV complaintnotmeaning, m8withoutonslaughts.* the m

T

the calamity past ^ sense complaining: indication, If of of " joy,

withoutrepose, without passing away, but because

it is its ceaseless torment, beyond

limit, it speaks, speechis *

afflicWanda torment

irresistible anaffliction, Unto God

isthe there comes no

Na ^S^tti^t^ ?r al-Sarraj, -hibits

slightKitdbvariations,


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'^^ **+****** ^254

^^'-*****

*isquoted

by Abu ** thee andus"K.La7nofedlat" 3 4-4Paths K.L., elevatethee " the

Variant K.Lmth"

h- 8 glven uOmitted


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:'::

'^T^if nor

hatin K.L." nor ^ bwhatrZITl^ tation tUne

Kl t"? th0, le peth :petuity TM&inHimof His K.L. *-%" k.l.*:tkl-

*


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JUNAYD501answering reply,no casing. Soitcontinues, wholly swallowedup:in loneliness hidden, yetitappears, andishidden, andappears,andishidden. Iknow not what

I say, nor whathe says,whose reins have fallen fromriim,whose

straps

have been severed;who wandersin mostperilouswildernesses,


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and thereof has no pleasure in the conditionsof blessednesses,but driving sings:" What wayto

win His pleasure, Whose wrath no treason So kindled pastall

measure, Nor any reason?"Or haply he says:" No morewill I resistmyfate

: Thoughgriefme

slay, Whate'er thy whim, inobdurateI will obey."Itwasmywish,my

dear friend, that I should not write to

thee words of raving or evil thoughts, or the talk of onediseased inmind


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or soul x:but as Iknowthee, so I

know that

thou knowest that fate has more power over amanthanhisownresolve. So

may God take thee into His friendship, and

choose thee for Himself, 2 and makethee familiar with the

knowledge whichis

hidden from His creatures, but which

manifests from Himto Hiselect:He

has

changed fromstate to state,

for these and transported throughallthegrades. FirstHeraised


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themup, by confirming the conditionof (their) actions 3:Heraisedthem

up, through the

realities of reaching unto Him. Heveiled from themtheeyes of the hearts:thenfor these are not worth any

definition or

description, save asHeappoints themin their (separate)1 Lit.mad and

sick with pleurisy. 2 As was Moses, Qur'dn, xx, 43. 3 Sc.by makingtheir acts accord wi4h the Divine Law.


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JUNAYD 502life through in the Plis Oneness, realities of the Unseen.

being Whatalone marvelHimselfthenw'tl.'tj,6"1more marvellous than that certainty they dwell, and thatdoubt withoutwithoutdoubt'

^

Godalone.mybrother,may irTMcertaintyi:and Gicrown of blessing on the bank Prophets glory in thee, and servants.

He is (our) aspiration prazse belong, bothfirstof the and


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Resurrection May God wise hope, crown men, andand thee to and Him allwith^lf

ma

flJ? dl"ththe Prophet, and grant Thouand

last. himpeace Godevermore

bless Muhammad'protection that may

hast written (may He may and makepreservation mGod

cherish thee I) of God:andI petition under

, G /attain mcrease us and you a gratitude has reached in

His bounty andfavour wherebyThv1

we

who wasme(God keep and


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blels united withthee and TI, i

, W^,

WHis mercvanswer

theo^d e thy ** thee. in

counselling purposes

\z:^zt:tin Lthy 7an^T ApraverTT

^ZTM* that he6od"*thine


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for us'

^ mV

TM*of"earto theevet inandincrease

J^TdJ^^^ 7 thy frm^s m* meSSof inth7 words^hthyVS;;^^:^ excelling,intTT


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exhortand^toTf.** geVM

^desPa*""TMg **"of ^ being ^of theProphetsin 'cnimend

thee. In counsel fth thy food

^satisf(Gd '

S

sPeakgently 3


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. " Pictured, as bI^ingsbe Iupon 1"

them tf v'7^' v" f n""* haab^^ foI1***owedBefore the mannersGodJ,

. Place be Wndlyshould

withbe ^ the nil-;

' *^wnen they were *,terrMethin commandedtome>


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tothat

my 18

insolent Pforf *" PWaohs.in thy

striving to and ignoregnorant,or wzthn'

y used wi*n one who achild. But what means 1

The "'"I**? '"

l^y^Z^::y^t" i3thwhih,. in God,-


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" Knownow,

" Not out of weakness we obey,Butas:JUNAYD 503haveI,seeing thatmystation with theeis

the station of one who

must needs be treated with gentleness, that heThough your bonds forgemayacceptthe truth,wholags behind in seeking the (right)path%

and of one And then I recall to myself the words of the

poet:

God destined unto us Before time was, fate draws our


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way: We

follow thus."Andalso Isay:myspirit,

thy Creator's might, Whoturns men's destinies to His delightmyheart's captivity,Iabroad and secretly."1thank youstill,pray that

He maybless us with that whereunto He

has

commandedus,He maypreserve us from thatwhereof

and that Hehas forbidden us. IAhmad


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ibn Abi'1-Hawari x saying, Iheard" Thedeeds ofheardAbu Sulayman 2 saying

: menare not such as to pleaseHimor to angerHim:but with some peopleHeisand employs themin

the deeds of good-pleasure,

pleased, and with othersHeis

angry, and

employs themin the deeds of anger." 3Hetherefore thatfleesfrom that which

is, is only quests.


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With Godisat the beginning of (his)fromHimistheaffliction:

the consolation, for may God preserve us and thee

from His wrath, andbless us with His greatest good-pleasure, in well-being and

safety. Nowthou knowest (may Godcherish thee!)that theProphets not possess did the indeed power possess of guidance.apostlehood, but that they and didExaltedis

God says (Blessed He!),"Deliver that which hath been sentdowni Ace. to Shadhardt al-Dhahab(ii,ace. to Risdlah Qushay-riyyah(17),110), d.246


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; and 2 Ace. to Sh.Al-fabaqdt al-Kubrd(i, 70), d. 230.and T-K-(i, 68),d. 215.Dh-(ii, 13), d.205;ace. to R.Q.

(15), Quoted by Sarraj,Kitdb al-Luma' 38. $


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JUNAYD 504to thee from thy Lord " 1;

He

said,"Verily thou

dost not

guidethenhimwhom thou desirest." 2

I pray God, Who the

gave task thee of speechwherewith writing' to me, thatto counsel He mayme, not and maketaskedvoid

thee to with me thy prayer, in such a place His blessing,mybrother as and this the in which delight we ofdo myhopeheart. forAccepted from theeis allthat thou brandishest, andindicatestto the eye.To God

I He reward thee for us. pray for help in this,


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If every hair upon mymay body

werea

tongue, yet wouldst thou be worthy of this from me. May God

undertake to thank thee,andthatand

to reward thee for us as thou

deservest.Iremember,my

beloved, that urgent need in thee which so

hastened unto me, that need concerning which thou puttest

hopein me, namely, that I should avoid all course

save with those whoaremytrue fellows:inter- and

I

remember (may God guard thee!)

speech whose purport this

was. So gentle thou wast, so tender:and


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I ask God's help

in mypleading this,and with

Him take a cover(formysins),refuge, that I and

fully repay may make right with right.Thou knowest that

it is a boundto the truth:

grievous thing to set a andI ask God

for sincerity in acknow-

ledging the truth.Moreover(and Godismyprotection) thereis

a day when I

imagine that I have common andelect, in confirmed the people of

my some small mere

expression of the tongue:

age, both particular other than the do shall be reckoned forI


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not know whether thisof meritmthe meor againstme

; assigning andas for the pathandthee from the vision midrest for me,of judgment, of that.* Imay God

protect us amlaw, the burdenof satisfied that there in the highest grade of the learned in

theHis Unity,* andin the highest grade of1Qur'dn,

v, 71. 1Qnr'dn,xxviii, 56.48c. inTtt!?mstead

of TM^*the burden** meTits disappear my ownbefore shortcomings.the true judgment of God.


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Thou Whose power hath kindled in

Shall

OfgriefJUNAYD 505the religious,Haply withthis verse Ithe eschewing of the greater sins. have made parable

:mysoulThis raging

fire, Were

itmyheart should be madewhole,Its blaze expire.ItThywill,were no shame

so

Thou hast dealt with me and fear


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If Ishould die, a victim unto Thee

: No shameitwere. 1And haplyIhave made parable with this verse:

any part Of penitence intomysoul be brought,Since thatmy

heart Withallmywretchednessis stilldistraught?Imanwrote to another:'

have heard that a certain wise May God not cause thee to taste

of the food of thy carnalsoul:for ifthou tastest of its food, thou wilt not find


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any other

food." 2 I therefore hope that thou mayst preserve thy limitations. IheardDhu'1-Nun say:" Whosoisignorantof his value,is

He may grant

sincerity in confession, and with GodI take refuge against

making a display of censuring the soul, or of eschewingdisplay.stripped of his veil." 3I ask G-od thatAnd

of thee I ask, that thou shouldst continue towards

mein brotherhood and friendly counsel, recom- pensing

me and favouringme and praying for me, and that thou

shouldst ever have mein thy mind:

for thou hast adorned

counselif mehaply with thou thy shouldst writing, and wakened mewith thy


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find (inme) a wakeful

zeal. And "

him only thou shalt warn, whofolioweth the monition1 These verses are quoted (with"care"for"

grief"), K.L. 246. 2 In R.Q.(22)and Sh.Dh.(ii,

245) these words are ascribed to Yusuf ibn al-

Husayn al-Razi (the recipient of this letter) in a letter to Junayd.3 This sayingisquoted in T.B. (xiv, 314), asmade by Dhu

'1-Niin to Yusuf ibn

al-Husayn.


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JUNAYD 506and feareth the"*;and God

saith, "toGod ofmercy in secretwarn whoever liveth."2"If in^the heart there be no goadTo prick the heart,It willnotstir,whoe'er

its load, Whate'eritssmart."Myfriend, with thy own tongue 3I have addressed

thee, and

with that wherewith God hath profited me, bothafore- times

andin these latter days, Ihave answered

thee. If there

be (God cherish thee


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!)in this writing any

error or

confusion, or anyslip of the tongue, thou art the most worthy

to pardonit:andifthere be init

aught that pleases thee,it isof thee and throughthee. For thou

art praise- worthyin allevents

: thou nowliving, nay, thou art the shayM, of

all the pious art the lord of the wise men and the gnostics of

thy time; and Now

I do God'sis the of those who

praise for this. not complain (Godcherish thee!)

that certain serve thee on our

behalf, piousmen who


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are

inclined to satisfy sustenance of us:

themselves for by mylife, with

little, have Iamasit

were asked sustenance.

have 4If any man had found

forhim

a keeper of shown mehis goblet, I wouldhave beensatisfied one whoshould

fill it, and By mymmlife, his ifa men wouldwith a

satisfaction that hath no bound.

peace manamendshis innerlife,Godwill

amend outer circumstance;

and


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if a man enwith God, Godwillmakepeace between him makes andhisall:andif aman

labours come God will U0dt0 amen(isufficehim

for his portion in the world to in the affairs of this world.

ouraffairs with His mercy.I pray1 2 Qur'dn,xxxvi,

10. Qur'dn,xxxvi,70.co^8ponSnt!yaTnoted

^ ^^^


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^ ^^SaylngS f ***fromhis zhaykhs*S

abo * f CUr8e'which he has obtained from God and


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JUNAYD 507Now upon thee be peace, and God's mercy andblessings,so long as this

Andupon thoseworld and the world tocomeabide.who be with thee,whodesire that whichiswithGod (Blessedand Exaltedis

He

!)and yeafn for thy intimacy and

thy friendship, God's greatest and most excellent peace.If thou seest fit(God perpetuate thy glory) to favourmewiththy writing, thereby to acquaintmethat thou art well andthat God's protectionis


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with thee, together with any needwhichmay be calling,

and which we can meet, thou wilt

thereby rejoice me. And GodblessMuhammad

the Prophet,

and his people, and grant them peace evermore.Cairo, 1934. 223.

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