Imam Junayd al Baghdadi (R.A) - Sufism Biographies

Imam Junayd al-Baghdadi popularly known as Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi (d.
910) was born in Nihawand in Persia, but his family settled in Baghdad
where he studied IslamicLaw according to the school of Imam Shaf'i,
and eventually became the chief judge in Baghdad. In Sufi discipline,
he was the close follower of his uncle, Shaykh as-Sari as-Saqti.
Although he was the spiritual master of Mansur al-Hallaj, he was
obliged, in this capacity as chief judge of Baghdad, to sign the
warrant authorising the execution of al-Hallaj. Onit he wrote, "Under
Islamic Law, he is guilty. According to the Inner Reality, Allah
knows."
Due to the antagonism of orthodox religious scholars against the
Sufis, Imam Junayd performed his spiritual practices and taught his
close followers behind seven locked doors. From his letters, short
treatises and the accounts of later Sufis and Sufi biographers, we
gathered that for him the Sufi way of life meant the permanent
striving to return to one's source, which is God, and from which
everything proceeds. Forhim spiritual love meant that 'The qualities
of the Beloved replace the qualities of the lover.'
Imam Junayd concentrated all thoughtand inclination, every admiration,
every hope and every fear, on God. He is considered to be the
undisputed master of the Sufis of Baghdad. Many Sufi Orders trace
their chain of transmission of knowledge from master to master back
through him. It is related that he said:
"We did not take Sufism from talks or words, but from hunger and
detachment from the world, and by leaving the things to which we were
habituated and which were agreeable to us.
and
If I had known of any science greater than Sufism, I would have gone
to it, even on my hands and knees.
and
God purifies the 'heart' of a person according to the measure of the
sincerity of a person in remembering Him."
Imam Junayd was once asked, 'Who is a gnostic?' He replied, 'Theone
who is not bound bytime.'

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Stories - Be Grateful

Luqman(A.S.) had great love for the Almighty, that it created within
himhigh moral character andexemplary habits. This was a clear sign of
his nobility and nearness to Allah . The details of that is described
in Surah(Chapter) Luqman in the Glorious Qur'an.
Luqman(A.S.) used to be in the employment of a rich man. The nobility
of Luqman(A.S.)'s character had a great effect on his master, so much
so that the master considered him as a great friend anda beloved
companion. Although he was the master, yet in fact the master became
like a slave to his employee.
It became the practice of the master that whenever he had something
special to eat, he would first feed Luqman(A.S.) of it and after
Luqman(A.S.) had filled himself, he would eat the left overs.
Luqman(A.S.) would consider the love of the master and his habit, so
he would eat moderately and send what was left over to the master. One
day, during the melon season, the master received a melon from
somewhere. At that time Luqman(A.S.) was not present. The master sent
one of his slaves to go and call him.
When Luqman(A.S.) arrived, the master cut the melon into slices and
slice by slice started giving thereof to Luqman(A.S.) to eat. As heate
the slices, the master inwardly became pleasedat the effect his love
was having upon Luqman(A.S.). Luqman(A.S.) ate the slices with great
PLEASURE and all the time expressed THANKS for thefavour shown to him
by the master. After having eaten the slices, when just one slice
remained, the master said: "Let me eat this slice and see howsweet is
this melon." Saying this, he put the slice into his mouth.
Immediately, such bitterness spread from the tip of his tongue down to
his throat, that as a result of the extremebitterness of the melon, he
fell down unconsciousand remained unconscious for a whole hour.
When he regained consciousness, he questioned Luqman(A.S.):" O Beloved
one, how didyou manage to, so heartily eat those slices of melon ?
Just one slice of the melon had such aneffect on me, then how did you
manage to eat somany slices ?"
Luqman(A.S.) replied: "O Friend, from your hands Ihave received
hundreds of gifts. The burden of thanks upon me is so great, that my
back has gone crooked. Hence, I felt ashamed that the hand that had
granted me so much favours, if one day some distastefulness or
bitterness should come, how can I turn away from it? O Friend, the
pleasure of knowing thatit comes from your handshas changed the
bitterness of the melon to sweetness."
LESSON:
At every given moment there are numerous bounties and favours of Allah
upon mankind. But if ever for a moment some such incident takes place
which brings with it, a problem and outwardly causes some difficulty,
man loses patience and fails to be grateful.
On the other hand, there are those who are granted understanding, so
that when sorrows and difficulties touches them, they remain
happy,pleased and grateful to their Lord. At such times, they draw
strength from their good understanding and realise that this world is
like a hospital and we are like patients in it.
There are times when thedoctor gives the patient "sweet" medicine and
at other times " bitter" medicine. However, in both these, there are
beneficial results for the patient. Similarly, Allah is the "Al
Hakeem", the All-Wise and at the same time is the " Haakim"- Ruler. He
is also "Ar- Raheem", the Merciful One. Hence, whether it brings out
comfort or discomfort, all these are for our benefit and interest.
So be Grateful and Thankful under ALL circumstances and conditions to
the Almighty.

Stories - Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi and the Thieves

One night Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi went walking among his subjects
after taking off his royal clothes and putting on ordinary clothes. He
chanced to come upon a group of thieves who were consulting amongst
themselves. On seeing him they asked: "Who are you?"
The King (Sultan) replied:"I am also one like yourselves." They
understood that to mean that he was also a thief like themselves and
allowed him to join their company. They then continued the
conversation amongst themselves and it was decided that each one of
them should explain what speciality or skill hepossesses so that at
the time of need a task couldbe put before him to show that special
skill.
One of the thieves said: " Friends , I have a special gift in my ears,
that whenever a dog barks, I fully understand what hesays."
The second one said: "I have a special gift in my eyes, that whatever
I see in the darkness of night, Iam able to recognize it inthe light
of day."
The third one said: "I have this speciality in my arms that through
the strength that lies in my arms, I can make a hole in the strongest
wall, to enter a house."
The fourth one said: "I have this special gift in my nose that by
smelling the sand on the ground I am able to ascertain whether there
is any treasure buried underneath it or not. It isjust like in the
case of Majnoon, who without being told, merely by smelling the
ground, got to know where Layla wasburied."
The fifth one said: "I havesuch strength in my hands that no matter
how high a building is, I can climb along its wall with my rope ladder
and easily enter the building in this manner."
Thereafter they all asked the King: "O man, what special gift do you
possess which we can make use of in our thieving activities?"
The King replied: "I have this speciality in my beard that when
criminals are handed over to their executioner,I merely shake my beard
and such criminals are immediately set free." (Inother words, if as a
showof mercy I shake my beard, the criminals found guilty of murder,
are set free).
On hearing this the thieves said: "O dear Qutub, on the day of
difficulty, you will be our one means of salvation." (In other words,
if we arearrested, then through you blessings we will be saved. Now we
do not have to fear, because therest of us had the special gift which
would help us in our thieving exploits, but none of us had the means
of granting safety from punishment. This speciality lies only with
you. Now we need not have any fear of punishment. Now we canget on
with our work).
They all went in the direction of the palace ofShah Mahmood with the
King in their midst. Alongthe way a dog barked and the one who
understood the dog's language translated: "The King is also in you
midst." Although they heard it, no one paid anyattention to this
information, as their greed was uppermost in their minds. One of them
smelled the ground and explained that this is the Royal Palace . There
is a treasure in this place. Theother one threw a rope ladder against
the wall. The other one made a hole in the wall and they all entered
to burgle. Afterwards they divided the loot amongst themselves and
hastily each one of them went to hide his share of the spoils.
The King noted each one's description and found out where each of them
resided. He left them and secretly re-entered the Royal Palace . The
following day the King related the entire story to his courtiers and
thereafter sent the policemen to arrest them and to inform them of
their death sentence.
When they were broughtbefore the Court with hands bound together, they
were all trembling in fear before the King's throne. However, the
thief who had this special gift of recognizing anybody during the day
whom he had seen during the darkness, was quite at ease. In him
together with the signs of fear there were also sights of hope. In
other words, although he was struck by awe while standing before the
King and although fearing the King's wrath and revenge, he also had
the hope, that the King would be true to his word, that when in mercy
he shakes his beard, criminals will be set free. Furthermore he also
had the hope of setting free al his companions because the King will
surely not turn away from all those whom he knew and recognized.
This person's face was changing from yellow to red, as within himself
thefeelings of fear and hopealternated. The Sultan Mahmood in Kingly
dignity passed judgment that they all should be handed over to the
Executioner to be hung on the gallows. As the King himself was witness
to their crime, there was no need for any other witnesses.
As soon as the King announced his judgement, this person appealed in
great humility: "Sire, with you permission, may I say something?" The
King permitted him to speak and he said: "O Master, each one of us had
exhibited his special gift which helped in this crime. Now it is time
that the Kingly speciality should be exhibited according to the
promise. I have all the while recognized you. Remember you had
promised that in you beard there is this speciality, that if you cause
it to move in mercy, the criminal will be saved from punishment.
Hence, O King, shake you beard, sothat through the blessings of your
grace, all of us can be saved from the punishment of our crimes. Our
specialities have broughtus to the gallows. Now it is only you special
gift that is left which can save us from being punished of our crimes.
Our specialities have brought us to the gallows. Now it is only you
special gift that is left which can save us from being punished. Now
is the time for the exhibition of your speciality. Kindly shake your
beard. Because of fear our lives have reached right up to our mouths.
Please save us with the special gift that lies in your beard."
Sultan Mahmood smiled at the plea and became filled with mercy and
grace as he heard their pitiful admission of guilt. He said: "Each one
of you have exhibited his special quality to such an extent that it
has brought you to the brim of destruction, except in the case of this
one. He recognized me as the Sultan. He saw me in the darkness of the
night and recognized me as the Sultan. Hence for his having recognized
me, I set all of you free. I feel ashamed at those eyes which
recognized me notto shake my beard and thereby exhibit my special
quality."
Lessons
The first lesson containedis this story is that while a person is
committing a crime the true King of Kings is with him, and is fully
aware of all that he does. "And He is with youwherever you are." When
a person commits any disobedience to Allahhe is actually committing
treachery against Him. Anyone who fails in his duty to Allah or in the
rights which are due to me, is like a thief committing the theft of
Allah's treasures. For this reason, one should always bear in mind
that the Master is the witness, seeing us at all times, andis aware of
all that we do. If we commit any disobedience or iniquity, it means
that in His very presence His treasury is being looted and robbed.
Think for a moment! Whom are you robbing? That King and Master
tellsyou: "I am seeing what you do. I am with you. Mylaws have been
revealed to you. Today your breaking that law. Today,in this world I
will hide your fault, hoping that perhaps you will come upon the right
road. But if you do not come to your senses, then tomorrow on the day
of Qiyamat when you will be brought before Me, with hands bound
together, then who will be able to save you from My anger and
revenge?"
The second lesson from this story is that Allah willpunish sinners in
the hereafter although He may initially overlook them in this world.
We see that at the time the thieves were looting the Royal treasury,
the Sultanwitnessed the entire incident. He was with them and allowed
them to proceed without being punished. However in the end, he had
them arrested. If, at all times, this thought is uppermost in our
minds that Allah sees all our deeds then there will surely be fear in
the heart against committingsins.
The third lesson from thisstory is this that on the day of Qiyamat no
specialquality will be of any benefit. All those deeds which
contravene the laws of Allah will on the day of Qiyamat be boundaround
man's neck even though, in this world, they were considered as being
special qualities. The thieves mentioned those special gifts and
qualities as if the were qualities of virtue, but in reality those
very qualities were the cause of their destruction:
"Each one of them exhibited their special quality,
But all their qualities onlycaused their misfortune to increase."
Any special quality whichdoes not bring a person nearer to his
Creator, andwhich does not connect the heart to Allah, and which is
not a medium towards the remembrance of Allah is no quality of virtue.
In fact it is a cure and a misfortune. All the powers and attributes
of man which are used in rebellion against Allah and towards
disobedience and negligence, will one day cause him to be brought
before Allah as a criminal. All those nationswho have made great
progress and through scientific inventions havemade this world
subservient to them, but turn away from Allah, passing their lives in
disobedience, will realizeon the day of Qiyamat, whether the
speciality of scientific progress had been the cause of receiving
Allah's grace or His anger.
"Blessed be to you the subjugation of the sun and moon,
But if there is no light in the heart there is no lightanywhere."
The fourth lesson from this story is that no special quality will be
of benefit except that which leads towards recognizing Allah, just
like the person who having seen the Sultan, recognized him and through
this special quality, he not only savedhimself but was also able to
intercede on behalf of this companions. As for his other companions,
their special quality became a means towardsearning Allah's
punishment.
"Only the sight of the fortunate one was of any use
Who recognized the Sultan during darkness of night."
The lesson derived is thatthis world is like a place of darkness. In
the darkness of this world, every servant of Allah who follows the
Divine Laws of Shariat and through its blessings recognizes Allah,
will be provided with salvation against the punishment on hell-fire,
on the day ofQiyamat. This recognitionwill also be a means towards
intercession on behalf of other criminals,from among the sinners of
the people of faith. However, there should not be any pride and over
confidence in this recognition. In fact, one should alternate between
fear and hope and in utmost humility beg for this intercession. Then
Allah will accept this intercession from whomever He wishes according
to His Mercy . For those whom He will not accept this intercession, He
will in perfect justice exhibit Hisoverwhelming vengeance. Hence,
fortunate indeed is the person who, in the world, created within
himself the knowledge ofrecognizing Allah. The Aarifeen (True knowers
of Allah) who through their spiritual efforts andexercises recognize
Allah with their souls, will tomorrow on the day of Qiyamat see Allah
and attain salvation. Furthermore their intercession on behalf of
other sinners will also be accepted. But the disbelievers and
criminals will through their special qualities be admitted into
hell-fire. On that day these poor starving ones with pale faces,
patched coarse clothing, who today are being ridiculed and jeered at,
will feast their eyes upon the countenance of Allah. On that day, the
criminals will envy them:
"Would that we had livedlike them in the world and acquired their qualities.
Would that we had recognized Allah properly!"
The fifth lesson is this that the story also illustrates the high
position these righteous and saintly ones have as far as their
humanity is concerned. What a pity that nations and people, just like
those thieves, spend their short span of worldly lives looking upon
means of delight and comfort as special gift and accomplishment,and
look upon material progress as being actual progress. Whereas on
theother hand, they have adopted uncouth habits like urinating while
standing and cleansing themselves with paper after defecating. They
also consider it normal totake a bath sitting in a tub and allow the
water, which had become dirtied through being in contact with the anus
to be drawn into their mouth and nose. They consider those actions as
the norms of society. Can such people ever be considered to be
cultured and people of progress? What a pity it is that the beloved
cultural ways of Muslims should be cast aside and that such despicable
ways of these people should be adopted.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Minimum number required for Jumu’ah prayer

In regard Jumu'ah prayers, what is the minimum number of people
required to pray in congregation behind the imam. I have heard
different opinions ion reference to this such as some brothers have
told me that a minimum of 40 people are required while others have
said 2.Adifferent source has also said that only 2 people can
constitute to a congregation for jumu'ah prayers. Can you please
clarify this question for me.
Praise be to Allaah.
The Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas was asked the following question:
What is the number of men required for Jumu'ah prayer to be valid?
Some people say that it is not valid with less than forty men, and if
there is one less than that, they should pray Zuhr.
Answer: Establishing Jumu'ah prayers is obligatory (waajib) upon the
Muslims in their villages on Fridays, and it is necessary for there to
be a jamaa'ah (congregation) in order for the Jumu'ah prayer to be
valid. There is no proven evidence (daleel)which states that a
specific number is required; for the prayer to be valid it is
sufficient for there to be three or more people. It is not permissible
for a person who is obliged to pray Jumu'ah to pray Zuhr in its place
when there are less than forty people present – according to the
correct scholarly view. And Allaah is the source of strength. May
Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions, and
grant them peace.
Fataawaa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, part 8, p. 178