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/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 1 Abdel-Kader reviews al-Junayd's life and the milieu in which he lived, and lists his works. Part 2 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 3 consists of the edition and translation of the small body of surviving works, known collectively as the Rasa'il.