SUFISM AS THE CORE OF ISLAM: A Review of Imam Junayd Al-Baghdadi’s Concept of Tasawwuf

This paper studies the thoughts of Abu ‘l-Qasim al-Junaid ibn Muhamad ibn Al-Junayd al-Khazzaz al-Qawariri Nihawandi al-Baghdadi, one of the prominent figures during the early development of Sufism, or also known in Arabic as tasawwuf. This study attempts to find a confluence between tasawwuf and Islam, on the basis that Islamic teachings are going through degradation in meanings and tasawwuf is often considered as a bid’ah (heresy) in Islamic studies. This research used a library research method and Junayd al-Baghdadi’s treatise, Rasail Junaid, as the primary data source. This study concludes that tasawwuf is not only an aspect or a segment of Islamic teachings, but it is the core of Islam itself as a religion. There are three central theories of tasawwuf by Junayd al-Baghdadi: mitsaq (covenant), fana (annihilation of self), and tawhid (unification). Based on these three theories, we can conclude that Junayd alBaghdadi succeeded in conciliating the debate among tasawwuf and fiqh scholars. He also managed to knock down the stigma of tasawwuf as a heresy. His thoughts redefine tasawwuf into a simple and acceptable teaching for Muslims.


Sufism as the Core of Islam
Teosofia: Indonesian Journal of Islamic Mysticism, Vol. 9, No. 2, 2020 173 http://journal.walisongo.ac.id/index.php/teosofia This paper reviews the tasawwuf concepts of Junayd al-Baghdadi. Junayd al-Baghdadi, who has a title of Imam (leadership position in Islam), explains tasawwuf in a simple way so there is no contradiction between Islam and tasawwuf. His concepts of tasawwuf are derived from the Quran and Sunnah, hence there are no opposition from other Sufis, even among those who disapprove of tasawwuf itself. 10 Imam Junayd is a Sufi who did not marginalized himself. He lived in the center of Baghdad as a glass trader and was active in intellectual discussion forums. Thus, the Sufis gave him the title Sayyid al-Thaifah. Albeit it does not rule out the possibility that there existed Sufis with more extensive knowledge and in-depth spiritual experiences than him, such as Ma'ruf al-Kharki, al-Sari al-Saqathi, and al-Harist ibn Hasad al-Muhasibi, who were teachers of Imam Junaid. 11 In addition, Imam Junayd also teaches us to view tasawwuf from two perspectives. First, to view tasawwuf as a religious experience, a unification between The Creator and its creation. Through this perspective, tasawwuf is regarded as a process of tawhid (oneness). This viewpoint also cannot be argued since each unification experience will be subjective. Second, to view tasawwuf as a field of study. In this perspective, tasawwuf describes methods and procedures which can be learned and obtained from the previous Sufis. 12 There are several studies on Imam Junayd Al-Bahgdadi. Muhammad Nursamad Kamba studies the concept of ma'rifat by Imam Junayd, 13 Muhammad Abdu-r-Rabb analyzes the concept of tawhid, 14 Muhammad Nur studies the Sufistic works of Imam Junayd, 15 Nor Ipansyah discusses the development of Junaidia tariqa (order) in South Kalimantan, 16 Nadiya Febriyanti, Abubakar, and Muhammad Husni studies the existence of Junayd al-Baghdadi's tariqa and its effect toward the development of Islamic society in Majelis Darul Ikhlas, in Palangka Raya, 17 and Subaidi studies the economic concept of Imam Junayd al-Baghdadi. 18 In this paper, the author affirms that Sufism is not a part or aspect of Islamic teachings, but Sufism is the core of Islam itself. Syaikh Nur Samad Kamba said that "Sufism is Islam itself". Thus, to dissect the research theme, the author uses the hadith of the prophet Muhammad SAW about three 10 MN. Kamba, Kids Zaman Now Menemukan Kembali Islam (tangerang: iman, 2018). 11 Kamba. 12 Kamba. 13 Dr. Muhammad Nursamad Kamba, "Nadhariyah Al-Ma'rifah Inda Al-Junaid AL-Baghdadi" (Prodi Aqidah dan Filsafat Fakultas Ushuluddin Universitas Al-Azhar, 1994). 14 Muhammad Abdu'r-Rabb, "Al-Junayd's Doctrine of Tawhîd," 1967. 15 Teks-Teks Sufistik Junaid Al-Baghdadi, "MuhammadNur," 2013. 16  comment, "Then I don't have to take care of it anymore." However, later he found out that his shop was not affected. 26 Besides from Sari as-Saqati, Imam Junayd also learned from Ma'ruf al-Karkhi. In Philosophy, we recognize three prominent Greek philosophers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates was the teacher of Plato, and Plato was the teacher of Aristotle. 27 The case is the same in tasawwuf. There are three prominent Sufis from Baghdad: Ma'ruf al-Karkhi, Sari as-Saqati, and Imam Junayd al-Baghdadi. Ma'ruf al-Karkhi was the teacher of Sari as-Saqati, and Sari as-Saqati was the teacher of Imam Junayd al-Baghdadi. 28 Ma'ruf al-Karkhi was the teacher of Sari as-Saqati. The proof is a saying of Sari as-Saqati which mentions his teacher, "my current knowledge is a blessing from my association with Ma'ruf al-Karkhi." 29 Ma'ruf was from a region called Karkh, in the corner of Baghdad. Hence, he received a nisba indicating his origin at the end of his name, Ma'ruf al-Karkhi. Ma'ruf was a descendant of the Saba tribe. Muslims from his time gave him a title of mughtasilah, which means a person who religiously conduct rituals to purify his mind. 30 There are some considerable influences of Ma'ruf al-Karkhi and Sari as-Saqati on the tasawwuf concept of Imam Junayd. Hence, these three figures have similarities in attitude, disposition, and objective in their spiritual journeys. The similarity is especially apparent in their views on tawhid (the Oneness of God). For an instance, when an acquaintance asked Ma'ruf on his motivation to worship Allah as God, Ma'ruf was silent for a moment. When the acquaintance asked further whether the reason lays on his fear of hell and desire of heaven, Ma'ruf then answered: "Whatever it is, it lays in God's hand. When you love Him, He will make you forget everything else except Him. If you know Him, then He will protect you from everything." 31 Imam Junayd also shares a similar idea. He argues that when someone has experienced a true love toward Allah, he will experience a self-transformation, in which he will adopt the characters of his loved one. As the Prophet said in a hadith qudsi, "Therefore I love him. If I love him, then I will become the eyes he uses to see, the ears he uses to hear, and the hands he uses to hold.". 32 Therefore, we can conclude that Ma'ruf al-Karkhi and Imam Junaid a similar view on mahabbah (love towards Allah). This also proves the influence of Ma'ruf Al-Karkhi towards the thoughts of Imam Junayd al-Baghadi.
In addition to Sari as-Saqati and Ma'ruf Al-Karkhi, Imam Junayd also learned from Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Ali al-Qashshab. Imam Junayd says, "Many assume that my true teacher is Sari as-Saqati. However, my real true teacher is Abu Jafar

C. Rasail Junaid: The Phenomenal Treatise of Imam Junaid Al-Baghdadi
As a phenomenal Sufi, Imam Junayd never wrote a specific book on tasawwuf. However, he wrote his spiritual experiences and Sufistic thoughts in the form of treatise, which he shared to his colleagues and students. For instances, Imam Junayd's treatise for his friend Yahya ibn Mu'adz Ar-Razi, 37 his treatise to Umar ibn Usman al-Makki, 38 and his treatise to Abi Yaqub Yusuf ibn Husein Ar-Razi. 39 In 1988, Ali Hasan Abdul Qadir initiated to collect the treatises and writings of Imam Junayd al-Baghdadi, which were then published in Cairo by Bura'I Geddawi, entitled Rasail Junaid ("Treatises of Imam Junayd").
Junayd's extensive spiritual experiences and deep knowledge allow his works to be the references for tasawwuf studies for many great Sufis after him. For instances, Abu Nashr as-Sarraj ath-Thusi wrote a considerable amount of Junayd's teachings in his book, Al-Luma', 40 Imam Al-Hujwiri also wrote about his thoughts in Kasyful Mahjub, 41 and Imam Al-Qusyairi in Risalah Qusyairiyah. 42 Translations of these books were published by various publishers in Indonesia.

D. The Tasawwuf Concept of Imam Junayd Al-Baghdadi
Among the first observations of the Sufis was the existence of a great distance between Allah and mankind. This realization allowed them to sense a vast "desert" Sufism as the Core of Islam Teosofia: Indonesian Journal of Islamic Mysticism, Vol. 9, No. 2, 2020 177 http://journal.walisongo.ac.id/index.php/teosofia between the helpless mankind and Allah the Almighty. This further creates a deep longing toward God, thus they attempted to bridge the distance between God and mankind through tasawwuf. To understand and practice the tasawwuf teachings of Imam Junayd al-Baghdadi, we have to learn its three main theories: the theory of mitsaq (covenant), the theory of fana (annihilation of self), and the theory of tawhid (unification).

Mitsaq (Covenant)
In the chapter on mitsaq, Imam Junayd believes that before acquiring a physical body, a human being already has their own existence (soul). This conclusion arrives from the following words of God: "And recall, when your Lord brought forth descendants from the loins of the children of Adam, and made them witness against their ownselves, (asking them): "Am I not your Lord?" They said:"Yes (You are our Lord), we do testify". 43 Imam Junayd's interpretation of the above verse is as follows: If a servant of Allah has afforded to return to their primordial existence, then shahada, the creed declaring the oneness of God and the acceptance of Muhammad as God's messenger, is no longer a testimony of a servant toward God, but it becomes a testimony of God himself on his Oneness through the means of his servants. As He mentions, "Allah Himself bears witness that there is no God but He, and likewise do the angels and the men possessed the knowledge bear witness in truth and justice that there is no God but He, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise". 45 Sufis yearn for this kind of experience, in which Allah has taken over their own selves and they drift in a divine atmosphere (ilahiyah). 46 This experience is the last 43 Q.S. Al-A'raaf: 172. 44 Imam Abu Al-Qasim Al-Junaid, Rasail Junaid. 45 Q.S. Al-Imran:18. 46  In conclusion, there are two forms of an individual's existence according to Imam Junayd. The first is an eternal divine form (the existence inside of Allah) which has already existed since before our existence in this world. The second one is a temporary physical form we live in this world. 51 Imam Junayd's view on the existence of pre-form is in accordance with the view of Plotinus. Plotinus believes in the existence of another form before our form in this world. The form has a pure soul where every reality unites with everything. 52 In this condition, God is a direct actor, acting according to His perfection, while men's actions and desires are within the will and act of God. In conclusion, the theory of mitsaq shows how mankind return to their primordial state before their creation. This implies that they are separated from their physical body as their spiritual existence is absorbed within God. This is an achievement of a God's servant toward a true tawhid (oneness). However, he can only achieve this stage after detaching his human nature.
Imam Junayd had achieved this stage, proven by his following statement: "Even through any perspective, when we say that Allah has erased everything inside a man, and when Allah embodies him, therefore Allah will show Himself as the only One, the Almighty, the True Lord, and the Real Champion." These states mentioned by Imam Junayd is "tasawwuf". Tasawwuf according to him is when Allah eliminates a man from himself and revive the man within Him. 59 Then, Imam Junayd further explains the ability of men to abandon their own selves and live within God through the theory of fana.

Fana (Annihilation of Self)
The discussion on fana, or the annihilation of self, among the Sufis emerged in the third and fourth centuries of the Hijri. Therefore, to understand better about fana we should study the Sufis from that period, 60 such as Abu Nashr as-Saraj ath-Thusi, Abu Yazid al-Bustami, and Imam Junayd al-Baghdadi. Etymologically, al-fana is derived from 'faniya-yafna-fana', which means destroyed, perished, annihilated, and Sufism as the Core of Islam Teosofia: Indonesian Journal of Islamic Mysticism, Vol. 9, No. 2, 2020 181 http://journal.walisongo.ac.id/index.php/teosofia disappeared. Based on its etimology, a lot of scholars define fana terminologically as the annihilation of immoralities. 61 Abu Nashr as-Sarraj at-Thusi describes fana as the vanishing of men's desires and the permanent obedience toward God's wills. 62 Al-Qusyairi also defines fana as the annihilation of immoralities and the birth of moral virtues. 63 Abu Yazid al-Busthami also explains fana as the annihilation of everything except God. Thus, a Sufi no longer witnesses anything except one, God. He will no longer even see himself since he becomes integrated in Him whom he only sees. 64 In other words, someone who has experience fana will no longer has immoralities within himself. He will only show good moral characters.
Based on the reading of Imam Junaid al-Baghdadi's concepts, both mitsaq (covenant) and fana (annihilation of self) suggest the same objective, which is tawhid (oneness/unification). Mitsaq and Fana employ different approaches to achieve tawhid. Mitsaq restates the primordial condition of a servant, while Fana explains the method, training, and steps toward the primordial condition. Thus, a muwahhid as someone who practice tawhid have to erase his human nature, his secondary form, in order to achieve his divine form, or his primary form. Albeit fundamentally, the two theories complement one another in achieving tawhid (unification).
Imam Junaid argues that:

‫حيث‬ ‫من‬ ‫فبقيت‬ ‫انت,‬ ‫بال‬ ‫كنت‬ ‫اذ‬ ‫انت,‬ ‫انت‬ ‫فحينئذ‬ ‫املوحد,‬ ‫فنى‬ ‫وان‬ ‫الواحد,‬ ‫ببقاء‬ ‫باق‬ ‫املوحد‬ ‫توحيد‬ ‫فنيت‬
. 65 "A tawhid (unification) of a true muwahhid is when he becomes immortal through the immortality of God. Although at that exact time, he also ceases to exist. In this condition, you are you, and at the same time you are no longer you. You become immortal the moment you cease to exist." The above argument is in accordance with God's words, "Everyone upon the earth will perish, And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor." 66 Therefore, tawhid causes an annihilation of self or what Sufistic traditions called as fana. Furthermore, Muhammad Nursamad Kamba explains that tawhid is fana. He came to this conclusion because it is impossible to understand and realize the oneness of God without annihilating everything but God. Through their selfannihilation, God will approach His servants. In other words, when He To achieve this, one must let Allah dominates him. Therefore, in that moment there will be no manifestation of self, except those of Allah. He will perish, and at the same time become immortal in the true form because of his perish. His physical form will still exist, but his individualities will cease." The first level fana has a relation with the objective of mankind, which is vita activa atau an active life. Imam Junaid called this level as a character or quality of self which men yearn to achieve. In obtaining the character and quality, someone needs a continuous moral training and an ascetic lifestyle. He also must act in opposition of the desires which can harm the purity of his objective. This is fana in the moral level. 69 The second level implies that men have to abstain themselves from worldly pleasures and cease to expect reward when they obey God's command, so that the barrier in the communication with God will disappear. Expecting rewards will not draw Allah closer, but instead will keep men far from Allah. It is a form of religious practice which belittle the value of worship. God does not seek benefits from any kind of worships by His servants. Instead, the worship men do will nurture them into having good moral characters. This is fana in the mental level. 70 The third level indicates that men will experience lost of consciousness when they achieve tawhid. In front of God, the consciousness of their own selves will perish. It is a state where God truly embraces him. In this level, individualities of men will disappear although their physical body still exists. 71 67  In Psychology, Wiliam James through his book, The Varieties of Religious Experience, argues that transiency or the state of fana cannot be long-lasting. The experience can only occur around half an hour. One or two hours is the maximum time until the feeling disappears. Moreover, after it disappears, the person usually does not remember clearly the occurrence. However, when the experience re-appears, then the person can feel the sensation again. We can understand this condition as a continuous development of what we feel as a spiritual enrichment and contemplation. 74 Since this condition is temporary, therefore fana is enshrouded by baqa or the immortality of God. Fana and baqa are the same condition from two different aspects. When a person has achieved a complete fana, then he becomes immortal in Allah. A complete fana is not only an annihilation of self, but also a process of self-sustainability in the immortality of God. 75 72 Imam Abu Al-Qasim Al-Junaid, Rasail Junaid. 73 Imam Abu Al-Qasim Al-Junaid. 74 William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Pengalaman-Pengalaman Religious, ke-1 (Yogyakarta: IRCiSoD, 2015). 75 Abu Nashr as-Saraj ath-Thusi, Al-Luma.

Tawhid (Unification)
Throughout Imam Junayd's life in the third century of the Hijri, tawhid was a popular discourse among religious groups, especially the Mu'tazilah whose power was great that they were dubbed as "the expert of tawhid". They understood tawhid through the means of rationality only. Using that method, they deemed to have obtained a complex understanding of tawhid. 76 On the other side, the Sufis were not satisfied with the Mu'tazila's conclusion. Hence, they strived to experience a unification with God through a disclosure of heart, or mukasyafah. According to them, tawhid or the unification with God is impossible to define. As Imam Junayd states below: Furthermore, Imam Junayd believes that the most reasonable explanation of tawhid is that of Abu Bakar, "All praises to Allah who has blessed His creations with the inability to understand everything about Him, except through their inability to obtain any knowledge about Him". 78 Imam Junayd has similar explanation when he says: "Tawhid is a reality where all signs and trails disappear, while Allah is constantly Himself." 79 From these two explanations, it is crystal clear that tawhid is beyond the capacity of human's mind.
Someone who truly experiences tawhid will obtain the knowledge that his natures and actions are absorbed into the essence of Allah. As Imam Junayd elaborates further: To classify the levels of tawhid, Imam Junaid employs the perspective of psychology and ethics. Each level of tawhid affects the personality of the experiencers. Therefore, the levels of tawhid proposed by Imam Junayd is not a mere speculative statement, but it's the result of a series of experiences and understandings. This approach is new in teaching of Islamic thoughts. 82 The description about the first level of tawhid is as follows: "The tawhid of ordinary people lays in their affirmation of the Oneness of God and rejection towards all forms of polytheism. However, they still have hopes and fears for other powers beside Allah. This kind of tawhid has its own measure since there is still an acceptance of the Oneness of Allah." The first level of tawhid is a fundament for every believer of Islam. However, the muwahhid does not consider this level as a true form of belief towards Allah, since there still exists a fear and a worry for something other than Allah. The fear and worry will hinder the establishment of true belief towards Allah. If someone has achieved a true tawhid, the fear and worry will disappear through time. 84 Meanwhile, the second level of tawhid is as follows: "The tawhid of those who master religious teachings also depends on the affirmation of the Oneness of God and rejection towards all forms of polytheism, combined with the implementation of God's commands and the avoidance of His prohibitions. All of them are manifestations of their expectations, fears, and desires. This level of tawhid has its own measure since there is a verification of the affirmation on the Oneness of Allah." People in the second level of tawhid conduct good deeds out of their fear toward God as well as their own desires. Therefore, Imam Junayd argues that this level of tawhid is still not the level of tawhid a servant of God should strive for. Hence, he further introduces the further levels of tawhid. These levels are the third and fourth level, or the ma'rifat levels, where only the chosen individuals who have the knowledge of ma'rifat can experience them. The explanation on the third level of tawhid is as follows: In the third level of tawhid still, the individualities of men still exist. Someone in this level still does not possess a true tawhid, since he still accepts the existence of something besides God, which is his own self.
Meanwhile, the true level of tawhid according to Imam Junayd is as follows: