al-Junaid

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Abū l-Qāsim al-Junaid ibn Muhammad al-Chazzāz al-Qawārīrī ( Arabic ابو القاسم الجنيد بن محمد الخزاز القواريري, DMG Abū l-Qāsim al-Ǧunaid ibn Muḥammad al-Ḫazzāz al-Qawārīrī ; † 910 ) or Junaid of Baghdad for short was a representative of Baghdad mysticism and is still considered one of the most important authorities of Sufism .

Al-Junaid was the son of a Persian merchant who traded in bottles or crystals (qawārīr) , from which his Nisba al-Qawārīrī comes. His family came from the Persian city of Nahavand . He grew up in Baghdad in the household of his uncle Sarī as-Saqaṭī, who also introduced him to mysticism. He also learned Sufi teachings from al-Hārith al-Muhāsibī, with whom he took long walks. He himself worked as a silk merchant (Chazzāz) , but also studied Islamic law ( fiqh ) with the Shafiite scholar Abū Thaur. At the age of twenty, his legal training was so far completed that he could submit legal opinions on his behalf .

Junaid saw Sufism as a way of constant purification and spiritual struggle (see also nafs ). He sharply condemned some other Sufis who thought they could disregard morals and religious duties or no longer have to obey the rules of the Koran . For Junaid, the Qur'an and Sunna were the foundations of belief and these cannot be overridden by any mystical experience. In addition, a certain way of life was a prerequisite for walking the mystical path: ritual purity ( tahāra ) , constant remembrance of God ( dhikr ), periodic fasting ( saum ) , retreats , periods of silence, giving up one's own property and being guided by a Sufi Master ( sheikh ) .

According to Junaid, the goal of Sufism is not the “experience of unity”, but rather the state after this experience has returned to self-awareness. After this return, one has the clarity of knowledge of God, ie. H. life is a life in God . However, Junaid said that one should not lead a God-led life in solitude. Rather, one should stand firmly in the community of fellow human beings in order to be an example to them and to be able to help them. However, he rejected the Sufi Mansur al-Hallaj , who in his opinion disclosed the secrets of the Sufi Path in public.

Junaid is regarded as a master by various schools and schools, and most of the spiritual chains ( silsila ) of the later Sufi orders ( tariqas ) go back to him.

literature

  • Ali Hassan Abdel-Kader : The Life, Personality and Writings of al-Junayd: A Study of the Third / Ninth Century Mystic with an Edition and Translation of his writings. London: Luzac 1962 ( Gibb Memorial Trust Arabic Studies ) digitized .
  • Josef van Ess : Theology and Society in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries Hijra: A History of Religious Thought in Early Islam . Vol. IV. Berlin 1997. pp. 278-88.
  • Bernd Radtke : "The Eight Rules of Junayd: A General Overview of the Genesis and Development of Islamic Dervish Orders" in Todd Lawson (ed.): Reason and inspiration in Islam: theology, philosophy and mysticism in Muslim thought; essays in honor of Hermann Landolt. London 2005. pp. 490-502.

Web links

Wikiquote: Junaid  - Quotes

supporting documents

  1. ↑ Cf. van Ess 278.
personal data
SURNAME Junaid, al-
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Djunaid, Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad; Abu al-Qasim ibn Muhammed al Junaid; Djunaid Baghdadi
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Persian mystic
DATE OF BIRTH 9th century
DATE OF DEATH 910