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;
---
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
---
Authors Notes - Raul:
Note#1 - Understanding 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, and 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.
---
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 believe 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