Inayat Khan, the great Sufi master from India, is the father of a modern, universal Sufism, which recognizes the value of all religions in the path to the Divine.
- The life of Inayat Khan
- Universal Sufism
- Sufi Ritual
- The further movement
- To work
- Inayat Khan, quotes organized by theme
The life of Inayat Khan
Hazrat Inayat Khan was born in Baroda or Vadodara, today a metropolis in the state of Gujarat in western India, on July 5, 1882. He died on February 5, 1927 in New Delhi.
Inayat Khan descends from a dynasty of Sufis and musicians. His life’s task was to spread Sufism in the world. As a musician he did this, among other things, through music. Together with his children he traveled around the world giving concerts and spiritual lectures.
Inayat Khan spent a long time in the Netherlands and France.
Universal Sufism
Sufism sometimes we find the spellings Sufism and Sufi is traditionally linked to Islam. One of Inayat Khan’s messages was the teaching that all religions are essentially one.
The true religion is like a white candle in a lantern, all the squares of which are a different color. These diamonds correspond to the different religions. They all look at the same white candle, but through the coloring of their own glass. One person sees the candle blue, the other red, the other green, but it is always the same white candle.
Sufi Ritual
A beautiful ritual held in Sufi centers of Inayat Khan to demonstrate the unity of religions is the following:
A large white candle is lit. She represents the universal religion. Then a small candle is lit from the flame of the large one: it represents Parsism and a short text from the Zend-Avesta is read out. Then another small candle is lit from the flame of the large one. This represents Judaism and a text from the Torah is read out. The next candle represents Christianity and a passage from the Gospel is read. Then follows a candle representing Islam and an excerpt from the Koran is read. In this way the ritual aims to confirm and allow people to experience that all religions are essentially one.
The further movement
Hazrat Inayat Khan had four children: Vilayat, Noor-un-Nisa, Hidayat and Khair-un-Nisa. Noor was deported by the Germans because of her active resistance work in Paris and died in a concentration camp in 1944, where she was admired by her guards for her spiritual and human qualities.
The Universal Sufi Movement was continued by Inayat’s children and grandchildren. The movement is now active in many countries.
To work
Inayat Khan has written a lot. His collected works consist of 13 volumes.
A number of important texts were published in Dutch. The best known are:
- The alchemy of happiness
- The unity of religious ideals
- Expansion of consciousness
- Gayan Vadan Nirtan
- Moral evolution
- Spiritual healing power
- The mystique of sound
- Music and mysticism
- Aphorisms
- In an oriental rose garden
Inayat Khan, quotes organized by theme
Inayat Khan on the Master, the Saint and the Prophet
- There are three paths to spiritual realization, which converge in one point at the end. One way is that of the Master. Another comes from a completely different point and is the way of the Holy One. The middle path between the two is that of the Prophet.
Inayat Khan on the Divine
- People called God “he” when they recognized the power and power of God. People spoke of God as “she” when they saw the mother principle and the beauty in it.
Inayat Khan on Life
- Life is like a caravan. All must follow the same path. One goes first; the others follow in turn.
Inayat Khan on Sympathy
- Sympathy is so powerful that sooner or later even the hearts of the enemies melt.
Inayat Khan on the Will
- One stimulates the will if one abstains from what one would like to have.
- The power of desire is the enemy of the will.
Inayat Khan on the All
- There is nothing in the universe that cannot be found in man.
Inayat Khan on Forgiveness
- By asking God for forgiveness, one loses the desire to be asked for forgiveness by his fellow man. They only want to forgive him.
- We read in the Bible: God is love. But what is love? Love is forgiveness, not judgment!
Inayat Khan on God
- God is the Cause of causes, the very first Cause. He who looks to this very first cause, in time sees the cause of everything.
- Places of pilgrimage and holy places unite people with each other and also in love for God.
Inayat Khan on Mind and Body
- Many think it is a deformity of the body that makes the mind sick. Few realize that it is often the mind that causes that deformity in the body.
Inayat Khan on Silence
- Silence is a remedy for many diseases.
- Speaking gives rise to contradiction. When someone says something, the other person will automatically defend the opposite position.
- When the thoughts are silenced, the silence of feeling comes.
Inayat Khan on the Feeling
- Feeling is often underestimated when compared to reason. This is a mistake, for where feeling is real it is far more powerful and mighty than reasoning.