Abu al-Qasim ibn Muhammad al-Junayd (ca. 830-910) was one of the great early mystics, or Sufis, of Islam. He laid the groundwork for "sober" mysticism in contrast to that of "God-intoxicated" Sufis like al-Hallaj.

Al-Junayd lived and died in Baghdad, although his family had come originally from western Persia. He studied law and the Traditions of the prophet Mohammed, after having learned the Koran by heart. Later he studied mysticism under the guidance of his uncle, a famous Sufi. It is clear that al-Junayd's sound training in the orthodox Moslem sciences greatly influenced his mystical career and restrained him from the antinomian excesses which many other Sufis indulged in and which gave Sufism a bad name among the more orthodox.

After a period of training with his uncle, al-Junayd began to attract disciples and initiated many into his understanding of the path to mystical experience of God. He...