The Life, Personality and Writings of al-Junayd

Al-Junayd (d. 910) was one of the most significant figures of the formative period of Islamic mystical thought and practice in the third to ninth century at the Abbasid capital, Baghdad. He was seen as playing the key role in establishing the ‘sober’ school of Sufism which was to become dominant later. In Part I Dr Abdel-Kader reviews al-Junayd’s life and the milieu in which he lived, and lists his works. Part II is concerned with his doctrines, including that of Oblivion (fana’), and also discusses the extent to which he was influenced by the theories of Plotinus. Part III consists of the edition and translation of the small body of surviving works, known collectively as the Rasa'il.