Inayat Khan - Sufi Master, philosopher and musician - India - Islam
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A quote 1st - The Way of Illumination - Inayat Khan own words:
The God of the Sufi is the God of every creed, and the God of all. Names make no difference to him.
Allah, God, Gott, Dieu, Khuda, Brahma, or Bhagwan, all these names and more are the names of his God;
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Inayat Rehmat Khan Pathan (1882-1927) was the founder of the Sufi Order in the West in 1914 (London)
and teacher of Universal Sufism. He initially came to the West as a Northern Indian classical musician,
but he soon turned to the introduction and transmission of Sufi thought and practice.
In 1923 the Sufi Order of the London period was dissolved into a new organization,
formed under Swiss law, called the "International Sufi Movement".
But first we need to be clear what Sufi and Sufism are about - a definition from Enc. Britannica:
Sufism - mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth
of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God.
It consists of a variety of mystical paths that are designed to ascertain
the nature of humanity and of God and to facilitate the experience.
So Sufi schools are a branch of Islam. Then note it mentions 'mystical', 'practice', 'truth','divine love'
'variety of mystical paths' (the 4 schools below) and 'direct experience of God'. So this is not mere learning...
One Sufi teacher told me in a retreat in SF that Sufism was created by an exploration of all
spiritual techniques and separating those that worked from those that did not!
His message of divine unity (Tawhid) focused on the themes of love, harmony, and beauty.
He taught that blind adherence to any book rendered religion devoid of spirit.
Branches of Inayat Khan's movement can be found in:
Netherlands, France, England, Germany, United States, Canada, Russia and Australia.
In his various written works, such as the Music of Life and The Mysticism of Sound
and Music, Inayat Khan interlocks his passion for music with his Sufi ideologies
making a compelling argument for music as the harmonious thread of the Universe.
He was born in Baroda to a noble family made of mystics and poets.
Primarily he represented the Chishti Order of Sufism, having received initiation into
the Nizamiyya sub-branch of that order from Shaykh Muhammed Abu Hashim Madani,
but was also initiated into the Suhrawardiyya, Qadiriyya and Naqshbandi.
The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness.
So we see Inayat was a living example of this Order principles!
His spiritual lineage, as compiled by Pir Zia Inayat Khan,
follows a traditional lineage from Ali ibn Abi Talib, through Abu Ishaq Shami
the founder of the Chishti order, to Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi (d. 1356).
Once a classical musician, Inayat Khan let go of his greatest attachment - his musical
career - to become a Sufi's Master, as is the tradition in Sufism.
ref: wikipedia (a very weak and incomplete coverage - better to read one of his lectures!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inayat_Khan
--- Inayat Khan owns words:
A quote of his work via the book - Volume I - The Way of Illumination - SUFI THOUGHTS Part 1
THERE are ten principal Sufi thoughts, which comprise all the important subjects
with which the inner life of man is concerned.
'There is One God, the Eternal, the Only Being; none exists save He.'
The God of the Sufi is the God of every creed, and the God of all. Names make no difference to him.
Allah, God, Gott, Dieu, Khuda, Brahma, or Bhagwan, all these names and more are the names of his God;
and yet to him God is beyond the limitation of name. He sees his God in the sun, in the fire,
in the idol which diverse sects worship; and he recognizes Him in all the forms of the universe,
yet knowing Him to be beyond all form; God in all, and all in God, He being the Seen and the Unseen,
the Only Being. God to the Sufi is not only a religious belief, but also the highest ideal the human
mind can conceive.
The Sufi, forgetting the self and aiming at the attainment of the divine ideal, walks constantly all
through life in the path of love and light. In God the Sufi sees the perfection of all that is in
the reach of man's perception and yet he knows Him to be above human reach. He looks to Him
as the lover to his beloved, and takes all things in life as coming from Him, with perfect resignation.
The sacred name of God is to him as medicine to the patient. The divine thought is the compass by
which he steers the ship to the shores of immortality. The God-ideal is to the Sufi as a lift
by which he raises himself to the eternal goal, the attainment of which is the only purpose of his life.
Ref: https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/I/I_I_1.htm
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Authors Notes - Raul:
Note#1 - Understaning the 4 Sufi orders:
The Chishtī Order is a Sunni Sufi order within the mystic Sufi tradition of Islam.
It began in Chisht, a small town near Herat, Afghanistan, about 930 CE.
The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness.
The Chishti Order is primarily followed in Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent.
It was the first of the four main Sufi orders Chishti, Qadiriyya, Suhrawardiyya and Naqshbandi.
The Qadiriyya are members of the Qadiri tariqa. The tariqa got its name from Abdul Qadir Gilani,
who was from Gilan. The order relies strongly upon adherence to the fundamentals of Islam.
The Suhrawardiyya is a Sufi order founded by the Sufi Diya al-din Abu 'n-Najib as-Suhrawardi.
It is a strictly Sunni order, guided by the Shafi`i school of Islamic law, and, like many such orders,
traces its spiritual genealogy to Ali ibn Abi Talib through Junayd Baghdadi and al-Ghazali.
It played an important role in the formation of a conservative ‘new piety’ and in the regulation
of urban vocational and other groups, such as trades-guilds and youth clubs, particularly in Baghdad.
Naqshbandi Sufi Order is a major Sunni spiritual order of Sufism. It was founded by
Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari and traces its spiritual lineage to the Islamic prophet Muhammad,
through Abu Bakr, the first Caliph and Muhammad's companion.
Al-Ghazali
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Ghazali
I have studied some of his works and he laid great emphasis on spiritual friendship and harmony.
Al-Ghazali was one of the most prominent and influential philosophers, theologians, jurists, a
nd mystics of Sunni Islam. He was of Persian origin.
Note#2 - General comments:
'He taught that blind adherence to any book rendered religion devoid of spirit.'
This last sentence is very deep - is rules out fanaticism around a given scripture.
But any good reasoning shows that we do not 'read' books, we interpret them, and this depends
on many factors - our experience in the subject, knowledge of the language, depth of spiritual insight etc.
So take for example the Bible or the Koran - even the same person will understand it differently
as his spiritual development deepens and grows! So books do not exist but in our minds...
Books only have graphical symbols, we get trained to interpret them, we learn to 'read'.
This works for simple subjects, but when we deal with math or spiritual matters you need experience
to really understand, which develops gradually and needs teachers. But spiritual matters also need
a pure heart - persons affected by greed, hatred or delusion, pride etc - can not really understand them!
All deep spiritual scriptures are filled with 'secrets' - their meaning is only clear to those with a pure heart.
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Note#2: Inayat mastered and was initiated into four branches of Sufism:
Nizamiya, Suhrawardiyya, Qadiriyya and Naqshbandi.
This requires a great spiritual gift and dedication. He was a universal seeker -
he studied all spiritual traditions and transcended sectarianism.
This is similar to Sri Ramakrishna - who mastered all major spiritual paths and faiths.
As Inayat advanced, he decided, and this is a most difficult decision,
to renounce his great love for music - but then realized that music or vibrations
were at the heart of the universe. In Buddhism and Islam we see this in the emphasis on
Harmony. His life was balanced - he did accept marriage and had 4 children.
One of his daughters - Noor - acted as a spy for England in WWII, and the Germans caught
her and was killed the Dachau concentration camp, in after severe torture were she never
revealed a secret. One of Inayat sons continues his tradition - Pir Zia Inayat Khan.
An interesting item i remember is that students mentioned that often in Inayat lectures
(which were as clear as glass, and deep as the ocean) many did not listen much to
them, because they knew they were transcribed and because the bliss of Divine Love
and joy was so intense that they were drawn inside and could not listen!
And this last comment reminds me of my experience with Krishnamurti at Ojai, and with
all truly special spiritual masters - their teachings may be great and deep, but their
presence is far greater, significant, impacting and life-changing. One feature
that marks great masters is a mysterious power to bring ones distracted mind to a
stillness and then inward ... the most advanced can effect this change in a second!
That is why the Indian tradition and many others stress the importance of the Guru
or Satsang (seating with the Truth). To actually share and spend time with a realized
Master and see/feel the message heart-to-heart. This silent message can not be written
down, since all language is a form of noise (it agitates the mind) and not Silence.
Some are afraid that having a Guru or teacher is some form of surrender or ego-loss.
If that is the case then the choice it to follow your ego - or to follow darkness!
It is very interesting how many claim 'there is no God' - but then your ego that
decides this is YOUR God? So we all have to beleive and that will be our God then...
In reality there is surrender only in very advanced stages, some like Sri Ramana say
this is the last step - the total loss of ego - so do not worry about this for now
and i recommend you do seek a true Master and sit with him as much as possible!
It is simply almost impossible to master this endeavor via just reading books!
Another interesting insight in Inayat life is how he evolved from an accomplished
musician to a spiritual master. The point i make here is that in spiritual development
and growth all that is good on you will flourish - there is no repression, but a full
expression of millions of latent qualities laying deep in your being...
Message of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan
https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/say/sayings.htm
Index of books and links:
https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/index.htm
Videos:
Profile
https://www.shambhala.com/videos/a-profile-of-hazrat-inayat-khan/
Chishti Order:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chishti_Order
Memories from his life with Khan - Pir Zia Inayat Khan:
Here he mentions the key qualities: power, gracious, humor, humility etc.
Khan also replaced the name 'Sufi' with 'Message' or awakening of humanity to the divine in them!
https://youtu.be/aSbCx8FOrpA?t=41
Noor Inayat Khan: India’s Spy Princess!
https://youtu.be/p1vMThJbsx0
Pir Inayat-Khan lecture on Sufism:
https://youtu.be/MSpsGls13Jo
Satya Inayat Khan – Sufism as a Spiritual Path
https://youtu.be/OAuEJuZlG3g?t=150
Some of his Books:
A Sufi Message of Spiritual Liberty. London: The Theosophical Publishing Society, 1914. pdf
Songs of India. London: The Sufi Publishing Society, 1915. pdf
Hindustani Lyrics. London: The Sufi Publishing Society, 1919. pdf
"Pir-o-Murshid's Address." The Sufi Quarterly, January, 1920.
The Unity of Religious Ideals. London: The Sufi Movement, 1921.
The Way Of Illumination. London. 1924 pdf
Nirtan or the Dance of the Soul. London: The Sufi Movement, 1928.
The Divine Symphony or Vadan. London/Southampton: The Sufi Movement, 1931.
Rasa Shastra: The Science of Life's Creative Forces. Deventer: Kluwef, 1938.
Gen ref:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/books-by-muslim-authors_n_5695689ee4b09dbb4bacf2de