Imam Junayd al-Baghdadi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه — Sayyid al-Taifah (The Master of the Group) Imam Abul Qasim Junayd ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was born around 218 AH (830 CE) in Baghdad. He is regarded as one of the greatest Sufi masters in Islamic history and is universally honoured with the title Sayyid al-Taifah (Master of the Group), Taa'us al-Ulama (Peacock of the Scholars), and Sultan al-Muhaqqiqeen (Sultan of the Researchers). His father was a glass merchant, and in his early years Junayd occasionally assisted in the trade, earning him the epithet al-Qawariri (the glassmaker). He received his spiritual training under his maternal uncle, the renowned Sufi master Sirri al-Saqti رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه. In Islamic jurisprudence, he studied under Imam Abu Thawr and became a qualified Mufti in the Shafi'i school. He performed Hajj at the age of seven, and even at that young age, he astonished the scholars present with his profound understanding of gratitude and worship. His manner was such that he would enter his shop and then spend his time in prayer, reading four hundred rak'ahs of voluntary prayer daily. Imam Junayd رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه is considered the founder of the 'sober' (sahw) school of tasawwuf, in contrast to the 'ecstatic' (sukr) school. He firmly insisted that all spiritual states and experiences must conform to the Quran and Sunnah. His teachings on fana (annihilation of the ego), tawbah (repentance), and ma'rifah (divine knowledge) became foundational to Islamic mysticism. Nearly all major Sufi orders — including the Qadiri, Chishti, Naqshbandi, and Suhrawardi — trace their spiritual chains (silsilah) through Imam Junayd رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, making him a central link in the transmission of tasawwuf. He passed away on the 27th of Rajab 297 AH (910 CE) in Baghdad. His blessed shrine remains a site of visitation for seekers of the spiritual path.