Representation or Reconstruction: The Structural Evolution of Junayd of Baghdad’s Face in Some Mystical Texts

Among the famous Muslim mystics, Junayd of Baghdad is a unique figure. He has a privileged position due to his high mystical degrees, admiration and approval of his contemporaries, and the charismatic acts and quotations attributed to him. The Persian-speaking audiences are more familiar with him through Attār of Nishapur’s book Tazkirat al-Awliya; however, the studies show that many mystical works and the biographical books have paid special attention to this character. Further studies show that in the biographical books and the mystical works, we do not encounter a single Junaid, but his personality changes in different periods and by different writers. The present article attempts to study the main structure of these various narratives by descriptive-analytical method. Only by considering and juxtaposing these various narratives, we can present a single image of Junaid in a structured way. The tastes of the authors of these works are not the same for different reasons, but it seems that in these works, Junaid gradually acquired a new and transcendent face different from his character in real life. .