approving of it and regarding it as commendable, or that he expressed that view. If authentic, this would conflict with his reliably preserved statements, meaning that he held two positions on the matter.

Abū al-Qāsim said: “It is related that al-Junayd said, ‘Listening requires three things: the time, the place, and the companions.’”

This report lacks a connected chain of transmission. Such reports in this treatise cannot be relied upon unless their authenticity is established through another route, as explained earlier. Even if this report were authentic, and he meant listening to poems, this would represent one of his two positions.

His statement, “Listening is a temptation for whoever seeks it out, and refreshment for whoever encounters it incidentally,” explicitly indicates that it is disliked, blameworthy, and forbidden for anyone who deliberately seeks it. This is precisely the position we affirm. Thus, al-Junayd’s statement—may Allah be pleased with him—is entirely in keeping with what we have said.

The wording “refreshment for whoever encounters it incidentally” has not been established as his. Rather, the transmitters recorded only that he called it “rest,” and he associated this with encountering it incidentally, not with seeking it purposefully and deliberately.

One form of incidental encounter is beyond doubt: listening without [deliberate] listening. For example, a person may be passing by and hear someone speaking, without intending or choosing to do so; or he may be sitting somewhere when someone passes by speaking; or he may hear someone speaking from another place without intending to do so.