Original content

English translation

And among them: the Shaykh of shaykhs in the spiritual path and the Imam of imams in the religious law, Abu al-Qasim al-Junayd ibn Muhammad ibn al-Junayd al-Qawariri, may Allah be pleased with him.

He was accepted by the people of the outward (exoteric scholars) and by the masters of hearts alike. He was accomplished in the various branches of knowledge, and in the principles and derivatives of law and in dealings he was a jurist (mufti) and the imam of the followers of Abu Thawr. His speech is elevated and his states are perfect; so much so that all the people of the path are agreed upon his leadership (imamate), and no claimant or pretender has any room to object to him or turn away from him.

He was the nephew (sister's son) of Sari al-Saqati and his disciple. One day Sari was asked: 'Can any disciple attain a rank higher than his master?' He said: 'Yes, the proof of this is evident. Junayd has a rank above my rank.' May Allah be pleased with them both.

This saying of that venerable elder was humility, and what he said, he said with insight. Yet no one can behold anything above himself, for beholding attaches to what is below; and his saying is a clear proof that he saw Junayd above his own station, since to see—even though above—is to see something beneath [the seer].

And it is well known that during the lifetime of Sari, the disciples said to Junayd: 'Speak a word to us so that our hearts may find rest.' He did not comply and said: 'As long as my master is present, I will not speak.' Until one night, while he was asleep, he saw the Prophet, upon him be peace, in a dream, who said: 'O Junayd, speak to the people, for your speech is the cause of rest for the hearts of the people, and God Most High has made your speech the cause of the salvation of a world.' When he awoke, it took form in his heart: 'My rank has surpassed that of Sari, since the command to preach came to me from the Messenger, may the blessings of Allah be upon him.' When it was morning, Sari sent a disciple, saying: 'When Junayd gives the salutation ending his prayer, tell him: You did not speak to the disciples at their request, and you rejected the intercession of the shaykhs of Baghdad, and I sent a message and still you did not speak; now the Prophet, upon him be peace, has commanded you—obey his command.'

Junayd said, may Allah be pleased with them: 'That fancy departed from my mind, and I knew that Sari, in all states, is overseeing my outward and inward, and that his rank is above my rank, for he is aware of my secrets while I am ignorant of his condition. I came to him and asked forgiveness, and I asked him: How did you know that I saw the Prophet, upon him be peace, in a dream? He said: I saw God, Most High and Most Holy, in a dream, who said: I sent the Messenger, upon him be peace, to tell Junayd to admonish and counsel the people so that the desire of the people of Baghdad concerning him may be fulfilled.'

And in this account there is a clear proof that the elders, in whatever state they may be, are aware of the states of their disciples.

He had elevated speech and subtle symbols.

It is related from him, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: 'The speech of the prophets is a report from presence, and the speech of the truthful ones (siddiqin) is an allusion from contemplations.' The speech of the prophets is a report from presence, and the speech of the truthful is an allusion from contemplations. The soundness of a report is by sight, and that of contemplations is by thought; and a report can only be given from direct vision, and an allusion is only [made] by direct vision. So the perfection and end of the truthful is the beginning of the states of the prophets, and [there is] a clear distinction between the saint (wali) and the prophet (nabi), and the superiority of the prophets over the saints—contrary to two groups of heretics who place the prophets later in merit and the saints ahead.

And it is related from him that he said: Once I longed to see Iblis, upon whom be the curse. One day I was standing at the door of the mosque, and an elder came, turned toward me from two directions (approaching). When I saw him, a terror took effect in my heart. When he came near me, I said: 'Who are you, O elder, that my eye cannot bear your face out of dread, and my heart cannot bear the thought of you out of awe?' He said: 'I am the one whose face you longed to see.' I said: 'O accursed one, what prevented you from prostrating to Adam?' He said: 'O Junayd, how can it take form in you that I should prostrate to other than Him?' Junayd said: 'I was bewildered at his words. A call came to my inner mind: Say to him, You lie; for had you been a servant, you would not have gone out from His command.' So he heard the call from my heart, cried out, and said: 'By God, you have burned me, O Junayd!' and he vanished. [In Arabic: Say to him, you lie; had you been a servant you would not have departed from His command and prohibition. So he heard the call from my heart, cried out, and said: You have burned me, by God, O Junayd, and disappeared.]

And in this account there is a proof of his being guarded and protected (from sin), because God Most High guards His saints in all states from the plots of Satan.

And one of his disciples felt a grief in his heart and imagined that perhaps he had reached a [high] rank, and he turned away. One day he came to test him. Junayd, by the ruling of oversight, saw his intention, and the disciple posed a question to him. Junayd said: 'Do you want an answer in words (literal) or in meaning (spiritual)?' He said: 'Both.' He said: 'If you want the literal, [know that] had you tested yourself, you would not have needed to test me and would not have come here to test [me]; and if you want the meaning, I have dismissed you from your sainthood.' At that moment this man's face turned black and he cried out: 'The comfort of certainty is lost from my heart.' He busied himself with seeking forgiveness and withdrew his hand from meddling. Then Junayd said to him: 'Did you not know that the saints of God Most High are the governors of secrets, [and that] you cannot bear their blow?' He cast a breath upon him, and he returned to his own state and repented of interfering with the shaykhs, may Allah have mercy upon them. And Allah knows best.