He was born in 786 A.D., in Egypt. His real name was Sauban bin Ibrahim, and Zunnun was his title, and because he was from Egypt, that's why he was called Misri (Egyptian). He was the Imam of Silsila Qalandariya (Qalandariya Sufi Order). He wandered whole life in the desert. He travelled all around Arabia to see the signs of God.

Because Hazrat Zunnun Misri was very down-to-earth & didn't like to expose his abilities, so many of his life's aspects remained hidden.

Before entering into Sufism, he came to know about a young dervish, and he went to meet him. When he reached to him, he saw that the young dervish is hanging upside down on a tree and continuously saying to his Ego : "Until you would not come to my side to pray God & worhsip Him, I will continue to punish you, until you die." After watching that, Zunnun started to cry. The dervish asked him about the reason of his crying. He said: "I thought that you've killed some one, that's why you are punishing yourself like that." After talking some time with him, that young dervish told him to go to a mountain where a dervish is staying, he should meet him. Zunnun went there and saw that a dervish is sitting there & his one leg was cut offed and lying near him, his whole body was full of worms. Zunnun asked him that how did he lose his leg? He replied: "Once I was busy to worship God, suddenly I saw a beautiful woman passing through before me, I felt attraction towards her & starred at her with bad intention, when I was doing so, I heard the Divine voice: 'O shameless! After 30 years of worshipping Me, now you are going to worship Satan', After hearing that I cut offed my leg, because this leg went first towards that woman." That dervish also told Zunnun about some other dervish, who was living at the top of that mountain, but beause it was impossible to climb over the mountain to go to the top, so the dervish told Zunnun about story of that dervish. He said: "That dervish once sweared that he will never eat anything from the hands of humans, so for some days he didn't eat anything, later God sent some bees to him, who regularly provide him honey. He is living by eating honey since then."

After hearing those strange stories, Zunnun felt a great change in his inner-self, he gave up the materialism, and started to pray & worship whole day. Later he left the city & went to jungles & deserts. People later turned against him by accusing him to be heretic. And they complained to the ruler, who sent him to the prison for forty days. During the prison, he never ate anything.

Once he saw a fire-worshipper, who was throwing grains on the floor, so that the birds would eat them. Later during pilgrimage, he saw the same person who was performing Hajj in Ka'ba. Zunnun asked God: "He worshipped fire for 40 years, why did you give him such a geat gift (Islam) for his one small good dead?" He heard the Divine voice: "I do what I like, and no one has right to interfere in my matters."

Hazrat Zunnun, on one occasion said: "The Arif (Gnostic) is more lowly every day, because he is approaching nearer to his Lord every moment, as much as he thereby becomes aware of the awfulness of the Divine Omnipotence, and when the majesty of God has taken possession of his heart, he sees how far he is from God and that there is no way of reaching Him; hence his lowliness is increased. Thus Musa (Moses) said, when he conversed with God: "O Lord, where shall I seek Thee?" God answered: "Among those whose hearts are broken." Musa (Moses) said: "O Lord, no heart is more broken and despairing than mine." God answered: "Then, I am where thou art." Accordingly, anyone who pretends to know God without lowliness and fear is an ignorant fool, not an Arif  (Gnostic).

A person visited Hazrat Zunnun Misri and complained that since last forty years he had been performing tough spiritual contemplations, meditated regularly, performed pilgrimage every year, slept less, prayed all the time, but still he dosn't feel any spiritual success. And that, now he is very much disappointed. Hazrat Zunnun told him that today he should eat as much as he can, and should avoid to perform any kind of pray or spiritual contemplation. When that person slept at night after doing so, the Holy Prophet came into his dream & said that he shouldn't be disappointed, God will reciprocate to all of his efforts that he made for Him.

Some one asked him that who is a Sufi? He replied: "A Sufi is that person who gives up the materialism of the world and makes the God his beloved, also God makes him His beloved."

Once he was travelling in a boat with some people, among them there was a rich businessmen who lost his pearl, and accused Hazrat Zunnun of stealing it (As Hazrat Zunnun's physical appearance was like a poor man, with tored cloths, long hair & beard). People in the boat started to beat him, he looked towards the sky & said: "O God! You know everything, you also know that I've never stolen anything." while saying that, many fishes appeared on the surface of the river, each of them was holding a pearl in the mouth. Hazrat Zunnun took one of the pearls & gave it to the businessman. All people in the boat felt ashamed & apologized.

There was a dervish who used to go to a mountain once a year, where many of the sick people having incurable diseases, had been gathering to be healed by him. And he used to heal all of them at once. When Hazrat Zunnun Misri knew about that, he also went to the mountain. When that dervish arrived, and healed all of the patients. Hazrat Zunnun held his hand and said: "You healed physical diseases of them, now heal my inner (spiritual) disease?" The dervish replied: "O Zunnun! Why do you hold other's hand instead of God?"

Zunnun said that the knowledge is that, which a person observes through his eyes; and belief is that, which a person observes through his heart. And there are three signs of beliefs: 1) To see God in everything. 2) To refer God in all of your matters. 3) To seek God's help in all matters.

One day Hazrat Zunnun Misri was sailing with his disciples in a boat on the River Nile, and in the meanwhile another boat was coming up, filled with merry-makers, whose unseemly behaviour so disgusted the disciples that they begged Hazrat Zunnun to implore God to sink the boat. Hazrat Zunnun raised his hands and cried: "O Lord, as Thou hast given these people a pleasant life in this world, give them a pleasant life in the next world too!" The disciples were astonished by his prayer. When the boat came nearer and those in it saw Hazrat Zunnun Misri, they began to weep and asked pardon, and broke their lutes and repented unto God. Hazrat Zunnun said to his disciples: "A pleasant life in the next world is repentance in this world. You and they are all satisfied without harm to anyone." He acted thus from his extreme affection towards the Muslims, following the example of the Holy Prophet Mohammade, who, notwithstanding the ill-treatment which he received from the infidels, never ceased to say: "O God! direct my people, for they know not."

A minister paid a visit to Hazrat Zunnun Misri and asked for his favour, saying: "I am day and night engaged in the service of the sultan (The Ruler) and hoping to be rewarded but nevertheless dread to be punished by him." Hazrat Zunnun wept and said: "If I had feared God, the great and glorious, as you fear the sultan (The Ruler), I would be one of the number of the righteous."

It is said that at the night of his death, seven thousand saints along with the Holy Prophet came to receive the soul of Hazrat Zunnun Misri. And at his funeral the birds of the air gathered above his bier, and wove their wings together so as to shadow it. On seeing this, all the Egyptians felt remorse and repented of the injustice which they had done to him.

He died in 861 A.D., and his tomb is in Baghdad.