Dear Companions on the Path,

I hope this finds you very well. All is well here at the Astana, alhamdulillah.

At the beginning of the month we hosted the Emergent Leaders group, a cadre of Representatives-in-Training who are honing their skills as upcoming Guides and Center Leaders under the guidance of a faculty of seasoned teachers in the Esoteric School. This time, the instructors were the wonderful Gayan Macher and my own dear mother Taj.

In the second week of the month I traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, for the fifth annual Mind & Life International Symposium for Contemplative Research, where I was invited to lead a pair of meditations.The Mind & Life Institute is doing outstanding work connecting individuals and organizations practicing and teaching contemplative methods in various fields, including science, medicine, therapy, and education.

During the conference, it piqued my curiosity to learn that corporations have become interested in mindfulness as a service to deliver, and that contemplative apps are on the rise. The next step, it seems, is to train artificial intelligence to use real-time physiological data to gauge meditators’ shifting psychological states and respond with appropriate contemplative prompts. All of this is fascinating, but it only deepens my appreciation of the heart-to-heart transmission (sina ba-sina ta‘lim) that is so central to the Sufi path.

The following week I traveled to London. I had planned to arrive the morning before the gathering, but my flights were cancelled twice due to a storm in the Northeast, with the result that I arrived only after the program had begun on Saturday. Nigel Wali, the esteemed Center Leader in London, kindly filled in for me at the outset. Once there, I greatly enjoyed my time with the delightful U.K. community. Together we mapped the soul’s journey from the angelic realm to Earth and back again.

The return journey to the angelic realm—whether undertaken in the hereafter or, better yet, while still here on Earth—reminds me of Mawlana Rumi’s glowing words in the Masnavi, “Next I will die to the human condition so that I may spread my wings and lift my head among the angels.” Selah!

Yours ever,

Sarafil Bawa

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Vadan Commentary

Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Vadan

“We shall see who will endure to the end, my persevering adversary or my patience.”

In a battle of wills there is always the temptation to flee the encounter, or alternatively, to bend to pressure and make concessions soon to be regretted. Resoluteness comes either from egotism or conviction.

The resoluteness of egotism is the desire to always be seen to be right, or at least, to defeat one’s opponents. To the little ego, the nature of a disagreement is inconsequential; what matters is to have the last word.

The resoluteness of conviction, on the other hand, is concerned with principles. One’s desire to prevail is motivated by the justness of the cause one serves. Even if doomed to fail, one considers oneself obligated to make every effort. Continued

See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.

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Nature’s Hidden Dimensions By Suhrawardi Gebel New from Suluk Press! The scientific point of view has gained dominance in our growing world culture by basing its authenticity on an empirical foundation. Yet mystics can point to a different test of authenticity: The broad agreement in subtle perceptions of reality across many cultures and stretches of history. $26.95 Paperback sulukpress.org

 

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Overlooked No More!
Noor in the New York Times

The New York Times recently featured Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan in Overlooked. See here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/28/obituaries/noor-inayat-khan-overlooked.html

Also, limited edition portraits of Noor by Majida Nan Hill are now available in time for the holidays! Shipping worldwide is free through December 17, 2018. Order today through the Inayati Order Online Store.

 

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Season of the Rose: Essentials of the Sufi Path
Part Deux – Save the Date!

Lewis & Clark College
Portland, Oregon
26 June – 01 July 2019

Additional details and our full North American Program Schedule will be shared later this month!

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The Inayati Order Fall Appeal 2018 

We are very gratefully in the middle of our Inayati Order Fall Appeal for 2018. Thank you to all of you who give so generously throughout the year as a tither, as a donor, and in so many other ways. This fall we hope to raise $150,000 with $87,500 donated or pledged so far. Please consider giving to help us raise another $62,500 by the end of the year. To learn more about our work and about ways to give, please visit www.inayatiorder.org/donate.

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Dear Companions on the Path,

Here in the U.S., the election season has brought into sharp relief the fault lines in the minds of the population. Where there is goodwill and civility, common ground is always discoverable, but too often it seems the will is lacking. Tragically, as we’ve seen, a symptom of polarization is increased incidences of violence—specifically, violence rooted in what Murshid calls “the spirit of agitation.”

The recent heartbreaking shootings in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Florida serve as harrowing reminders that irrational fear can all too easily become irrational anger, and that irrational anger can quickly travel from thought to speech, and from speech to action, with consequences that devastate lives, families, and communities.

As we know, the antidote to the spirit of agitation in this world is the presence of the spirit of peace. Like agitation, peace emanates from the interior to the exterior. A heart at peace speaks and acts kindly as a matter of course.

We may not always experience peace of heart, but we know that peace can be cultivated. If, when agitated, instead of lashing out we connect with the breath and find our natural rhythm again, we will be able to maintain poise and attend to what really matters.

While signs of dysfunction in society are glaringly conspicuous in the news—and these are concerns that cannot be ignored—at the same time, there are encouraging developments in our midst that must not be ignored either. Indeed, there are opportunities all around us to join in the work of reconnecting the broken pieces of our world.

Last week thousands of people flocked to Toronto to celebrate the unity of religious ideals at the 18^th Parliament of the World’s religions. Amongst them were over fifty Cherags of the Universal Worship, who performed twelve services. A report from Amina Hall, our esteemed North American Vice President of the Universal Worship, can be found here.

May the Message of God reach far and wide!

Yours ever,

Sarafil Bawa

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Sufi Teachings at the Astana

Pir Zia teaches select Sundays at the Astana in Richmond, Virginia. On Sunday, November 4, Pir Zia talked about themes related to his letter above. To see the video clip, please go to our channel on Youtube.

To see the full class video, please visit us on Vimeo. Also join us online or in-person for future classes, Sundays, December 16, January 6 & 13 and February 10 & 24.

For the Astana’s full schedule, please visit inayatiorder.org/theastana.

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Parliament of World Religions, Toronto 2018

Please click on the image above to see photos from the Parliament,
compliments of the Universal Worship Lamplighter Cherags.

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Gayan Commentary

Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Gayan

“The rapidity of my walk imagination cannot follow.”

A sage walked through the city. She came back glowing, and said, “What a joy!” A pupil of the sage was keen to see the same sights. He followed the route she had taken, but came back seized with repugnance. He asked, “Why did you and I see such different cities?” The sage answered, “We walked in different rhythms.”

The mystic’s walk crosses the bridge between the visible and invisible. Yes, the mystic sees the ordinary sights: the gutter, the butcher’s shop, the vacant look in the eyes of weary commuters. But the mystic sees more as well.

The mystic perceives the intricate web of life. The stagnant water in the gutter once surged in ocean waves and flew through the sky in clouds—and will again. The flank in the window came from a cow whose mother loved her. But she suffered rough treatment, and was kin to cattle for whom ancient forests are being bulldozed (sealing the doom of their teeming inhabitants). Buried in the chests of the ennui-stricken office-goers are hearts capable of an emotion as vast as the universe.

The mystic’s stride encompasses all of this, and more besides. Pressing onward, the mystic surpasses the boundaries of the bounded world. Vistas of light, energy, and vibration blaze into sight as the molten undercurrents of the universe disclose themselves. As the mystic hurls toward the center of everything, Being unveils its mysterium tremendum: only I exist.

Being is not a destination to which the imagination can walk. But Being imagines the universe and walks in it.

See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.

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The Inayati Order Fall Appeal 2018 

We are incredibly thankful for all of you who give regularly as tithers and donors. Our Inayati Order Fall Appeal for 2018 just went in the snail mail, and a digital version should have been in your inbox last week. Please take a moment to read this year’s letter and Inayati Order Keynotes, when you have a chance.

This fall, as part of the appeal, we are focusing on the theme of harmony. Hazrat Inayat Khan says, “Harmony is the source of manifestation, the cause of its existence, and the medium between God and humanity.” Over the coming weeks we will explore the power of harmonizing, via social media, email, and video. We invite you to join us, cultivating the specific keynote Murshid’s teaching introduces into the world.

To see this year’s full appeal and to make a donation please visit inayatiorder.org/donate.

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Angelic Lights: A Weekend Seminar with Pir Zia Inayat-Khan
17-18 November in London, England
For info and booking email Karima at sufiorderuk@gmail.com

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Making One’s Own Nature with Pir Zia Inayat-Khan
1-2 December in Cambridge, MA – Register Now

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Dear Companions on the Path,

Autumn greetings! Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting the Bay Area in California. It was a joy to see my mother Taj and brother Mirza, and to be with many fellow ashiqs and murids. The wonderful Hub Foundation in Pleasanton hosted me for a screening of Enemy of the Reich, followed by my reflections. I always find it excruciating and elevating at the same time to tell Pirzadi-Shahida Noor’s story: painful because of the intense darkness Noor endured in Pforzheim and Dachau, but moving on account of the brilliance of her awe-inspiring soul-light. Afterward we convened in Berkeley for a two-day retreat on the subject of Making One’s Own Nature, with special attention to the Practice of the Symbol.

A particularly memorable highlight of the weekend was meeting the Buddhist ecological philosopher Joanna Macy, whom my esteemed friend Shams Kairys brought to the retreat. Now in her nineties, Joanna Macy is a living treasure of earthy wisdom.

Back in Richmond, we have been frequently webcasting from the Astana. Approximately two Sundays a month we hold a Gatha class that is live streamed. This month, in addition, I have been giving commentaries on The Mysticism of Music and Sound on Thursdays. The extraordinary Ustad Sukhawat Ali Khan has joined me in these webcasts. Ustad Sahib’s singing, playing, and ecstatic mudras are pure ghiza-i ruh, food for the soul. If you haven’t tuned in yet, I invite you to sign up via this link.

Here in the U.S., over the last weeks the confirmation of a new Supreme Court Justice accused of sexual assault has riveted the nation, sparking fierce debates about what fairness demands—toward the accuser and the accused alike. So intense at times was the contention that basic human empathy seemed almost completely eclipsed by sectarian zeal, bringing to mind George Washington’s prescient warnings about the dangers of partisanship. Underscoring our fraught national conversation is the dawning realization of the scale on which sexual harassment and assault exists in our society, and the pressing need to address it directly. There is growing recognition of the necessity of a collective ethical renewal rooted in what the heart knows.

The need to reimagine our individual and collective lives was recently brought home in a still more encompassing context by the new report of the International Panel on Climate Change. The report warns that Earth will become a drastically less hospitable planet, for ourselves and for innumerable species, as early as 2040—unless a civilizational shift is swiftly achieved.

A hundred years ago, Murshid and the Murshidas saw that sacred nature is the mother of all books, that Earth is a vital organic unity, and that humankind is an interconnected whole. Another century must not pass before these crucial realizations become the substance of the spirit of the age. May we be among those who are to bring about the transfiguration of the Earth.

Yours ever,

Sarafil Bawa

P.S. When I last wrote I promised that, at my next chance, I would explain the meaning of the word ashiq. In Arabic, Persian, and Urdu, ashiq literally means “lover.” More generally, it means someone who is sincerely devoted to something. Anyone who formally or informally enters the broad fellowship of a Sufi path is traditionally known as an ashiq. What does this mean for us in the Inayati Order and its Activities? A full explanation is in preparation.

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Gayan Commentary

Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Gayan

“My deep sigh rises above as a cry of the earth, and an answer comes from within as a message.”

The most vital questions are not those that drift on the breeze of airy speculation, but rather the ones that spring direct from the earth of immediate experience. When the handful of clay that is one’s life mingles with the rich sediment of life upon life upon life, powerful questions—and ardent cries—naturally arise.

So long as one lives and breathes, every exhalation is followed by an inhalation. In the same way, every question asked of the Spirit is answered.

If the mind, the heart, and the soul are distracted, no answer will be discernible. If the mind is awake but the heart and the soul are asleep, the answer will come in rational form. If the heart is awake but the soul is asleep, the answer will come in moral form.

If the soul is awake, the answer will come as a message intimating the Message of God. It will come as a never-to-be-repeated disclosure and enactment of the Love and Beauty that indwell forever in the One.

See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.

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The Mysticism of Sound & Music Online Fall Series
Join Us for the Last Two Classes!

Join us for the last two Thursday evenings in October at the Astana in Richmond, Virginia, or online any time, and experience the Sufi teachings of the Indian musician and mystic, Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927) with Pir Zia Inayat-Khan and special guest musician-in-residence, Sukhawat Ali Khan.

When: Thursday, October 18 and 25
Where: The Astana & Online
Price: $0-15/class

REGISTER TODAY

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Angelic Lights: A Weekend Seminar with Pir Zia Inayat-Khan
17-18 November in London, England
For info and booking email Karima at sufiorderuk@gmail.com

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Making One’s Own Nature with Pir Zia Inayat-Khan
1-2 December in Cambridge, MA – Register Now

By Shrabani Basu

Recently, I was privileged to attend the Zenith summer camp with Pir Zia in the Swiss Alps and talk about the contribution of Noor Inayat Khan as a secret agent in WWII. I was asked a question I am often asked: about how effective she was as a secret agent, and whether her alleged carelessness had cost lives.

This was raised again following an article about Noor Inayat Khan in the Daily Mirror newspaper in Britain.

I think it is best if I explain the situation and misunderstandings that have occurred.

The issue revolves around Noor’s notebook in which she wrote down her messages and transmissions. When she was arrested this notebook was discovered in her room along with all the details of her messages. It is said that this discovery by the Gestapo helped them to play her radio back and bring in more agents to the field, who were captured on arrival and sent to their death.   

As Noor’s biographer, I have never shirked from the truth, so here is the real picture.

It is true that when Noor first arrived as a secret agent in Paris, she was often careless in houses of her friends and other ‘safe houses’, and left the notebook lying around. This was pointed out to her, and she tried to be careful after that.

It is also true that Noor’s notebook was discovered after her arrest with useful details for her captors as it contained her messages.

So, why did Noor not destroy the messages after she sent them?

The reason is that she was rushed to the field without finishing her training and because it was not explained clearly. All agents were told to be careful when ‘filing’ their messages. The instructors used the word ‘filing’ in the sense that newspaper reporters ‘file their stories’. Noor took it in a literal sense. She took it to mean ‘filing’ in a clerical sense and thought she had to maintain a ‘file’ of the messages. This is what she said to a fellow agent who asked he why she was keeping the messages.  All ambiguity could have been saved if her trainers in Britain had simply said “Destroy all messages”. This would have been crystal clear and Noor would have followed instructions.

However, the main point is that simply having the notebook, did not give the Gestapo the means to play her radio.

Noor had been given a secret code by her code-master Leo Marks. It was a code that only she and Leo would know. When she was captured, Noor did send out the secret code to London. But it was not noticed by the girls de-coding the messages in London. Though Leo Marks had told them to look out for this special code in Noor’s messages, they missed it. When Leo finally saw it, he immediately knew that Noor had been captured. He told Maurice Buckmaster, but Buckmaster did not believe him either, and thought Noor may have made a mistake. As a result of this, agents were sent in to France on the request played by the Gestapo from Noor’s radio. Noor had sent her secret code. It was not her fault that London had slipped up.

The background to the radio games also needs to be noted.  

The German secret service had been playing the radio game called Englandspiel even before Noor set foot on French soil. They had been using the captured radio sets of the English agents to play back the radio messages, thus deceiving the SOE in London.   

The SOE soon got alerted to this and started doing two sets of checks for their agents. One was a bluff check which they could reveal to their enemy under pressure and one was a true check, which they would keep to themselves. The wireless operators in London receiving the messages were mean to look out for both checks. Noor’s true check had been given by Leo Marks, and she had sent it on her capture, but this had been ignored by the operators in London.

The London office had been careless on earlier occasions too. When Gilbert Norman, a radio operator was arrested, he sent both his checks. But when Leo Marks noticed it and pointed it out to Buckmaster, he simply thought Norman had been careless. This proved expensive as two Canadian agents were sent to France on Norman’s radio (which had fallen into German hands). The agents were arrested and their wireless sets and crystals were seized.

The Gestapo then played the radio sets of the Canadians. Noor herself was instructed by London to go to a café and meet the Canadian agents. Unknown to her, the Canadians had been arrested and the two people she met were actually German agents pretending to be Canadians. For the first time the Gestapo met her face-to- face and had a full description. They did not arrest her that day as they wanted to watch her. But Noor had been sent straight into a trap.

When Noor was arrested, other agents were sent to France on her radio set. If London had noticed her ‘true check’, this would not have happened.

It was not Noor’s carelessness that caused the deaths, but that of SOE’s own incompetence in London. In the fog of war, mistakes were made. But these were expensive mistakes as lives were lost.

Dear Companions on the Path,

I hope this finds you very well. I last wrote to you in the dog days of summer; now fall is nearly here. The wheel of time keeps rolling on. Sometimes the road is smooth, sometimes it’s stony. Through it all, the hub whirls.

While staying at Fazal Manzil in August I was able to teach the second-to-last session of the Jabarsa class of the Suluk Academy. Our subject was realization. The Jabarsa class will complete its two years of study in January, God willing. It’s a delightful group, wayfarers all.

After Suluk I received sad news from Afghanistan: Huzur Sayyid Ahmad Shah, the international leader of the Chishti Order and a truly beloved presence in my life, had passed away. I am so thankful to have known him, and to have had a treasured final meeting with him in Konya in July. Here is a brief reflection on the life and personality of this unique paragon of mystical love.

At the end of the month I made my way to Katwijk-aan-Zee in Holland for a retreat at the seaside Sufi Temple. On the last day, we gathered in silence in the dune in which Murshid communed with the Infinite in 1922, and which he named “Murad Hasil,” the place of wish fulfillment.

My family and I then returned from France to the U.S., leaving Rasulan in Paris for a semester of study abroad. Back in the States, I visited the Abode for a retreat over Labor Day weekend. It was wonderful to return to the Abode, and especially, to find it flourishing. I stayed in my old home, which has since become The Pir Vilayat Center, a house for focused Sufi study under the care of my esteemed friend Yaqin Aubert. Batina and Wahhab Sheets recently led a well-received month-long course there.

Closing prayers in the Abode Herb Garden, with special guest Rabbi David Breitkopf from Jerusalem

Over the weekend we received more sad news: the great jazz master and friend of our Order, Dr. Randy Weston, had peacefully departed from the world at the age of 92. You will find my tribute to Dr. Weston here. At his memorial service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Harlem, I was invited to recite Murshid’s homegoing prayer. The service was a powerful celebration of an extraordinary life and a moving evocation of the vibrancy of the transatlantic flow of African spiritual and artistic traditions in which Dr. Weston played such a crucial role. Vivid photos of the service, by Enid Farber, may be found here.

Back in Richmond, last week the new North American Suluk class convened at the Astana for its first five-day session. The subject of the session was concentration. The name of the class is “Naubahar,” meaning new spring. On the evening of September 13th, we celebrated Hejirat Day and the Urs of Pirzadi-Shahida Noor-un-Nisa. On the same day, celebrations took place all over the world: at the Dachau Memorial, at Gordon Square in London, at Fazal Manzil, and in many Sufi centers. Here is an inspiring account of the gathering at Dachau convened by Latifa Mancinelli and friends.

The centerpiece of our celebration of Pirzadi-Shahida Noor’s Urs was the unveiling of a magnificent portrait of Noor, which is now installed in the Meditation Room at the Astana. The portrait, by Suluk alumna Majida Nan Hill, portrays Noor on horseback, exuding idealism and dauntlessness. The story behind the painting may be found here. This is an icon that will doubtlessly be cherished by present and future generations of ashiqs, murids, heralds, and knights.

If the word “ashiq” is not familiar to you, I request your patience: I plan to say more about this word when I write again next month. Meanwhile, I am settling in here in Richmond and plans are in place to webcast our twice-monthly Gatha classes at the Astana, the first being this Sunday. To tune in, please follow this link: https://vimeo.com/290685270

God bless you.

Yours ever,

Sarafil Bawa

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Portrait of Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan

Over the summer of 2018, the painter, Nan “Majida” Hill, created this portrait of the WWII heroine and daughter of Hazrat Inayat Khan, Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan. The portrait now hangs in the Inayati Order’s North American Headquarters, called the Astana, in Richmond, Virginia. Please continue reading to learn more about the artist and the story behind the portrait. Limited edition prints are available via the Inayati Order’s Online Store here: https://inayatiorder.org/shop/books/noor-un-nisa-portrait-print/

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The Mysticism of Sound & Music Online Series: Fall 2018

Join us Thursday evenings in October at the Astana in Richmond, Virginia, or online any time, and experience the Sufi teachings of the Indian musician and mystic, Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927) with Pir Zia Inayat-Khan and special guest musician-in-residence, Sukhawat Ali Khan.

When: Thursday, October 4, 11, 18, and 25
Where: The Astana & Online
Price: $0-50

GET TICKETS NOW

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Gayan Commentary

Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Gayan

“If anyone throws it down, my heart does not break; it bursts and the flame coming rises from it, which becomes my torch.”

The human heart does not stay enclosed in the breast of its owner; in the course of day-to-day life it passes from hand to hand. One person holds it gently, another squeezes it, and still another hurls it down.

When the seat of one’s emotions is thrown to the ground, the injury is felt. How it is felt depends on the condition of the heart. If the heart is weak and rigid, it shatters and falls to pieces. Its pride is all it knows, and when that pride is ruptured there is nothing left.

If the heart is strong and flexible, instead of breaking it bursts. The “I” shines out, triumphantly revealing the light and life hidden within the shell of the self. Life’s vicissitudes do not dim the spirit within, but rather intensify it, as fuel to fire, so that it glows ever more brightly as the surrounding darkness deepens.

There is no better guide on the path than the heart’s own florescence when it has died as lump of flimsy pride and resurrected as a clear instrument of the light that is forever.

See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.

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Making One’s Own Nature with Pir Zia Inayat-Khan
1-2 December in Cambridge, MA – Register Now

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Inayati Order Upcoming Events

NORTH AMERICA

Enemy of the Reich: The Noor Inayat Khan Story
Film Screening and Hub Talk w/ Pir Zia Inayat-Khan
Pleasanton, California
28 September 2018

Making One’s Own Nature w/ Pir Zia – SOLD OUT
Berkeley, California
29-30 September 2018

Making One’s Own Nature w/ Pir Zia
Cambridge, Massachusetts
1-2 December 2018

EUROPE

Angelic Lights w/ Pir Zia
London, England
17-18 November 2018

Please see our Inayati Order Programs Calendar for more event listings. 

Another giant has left us: the revered Dr. Randy Weston (1926-2018) was a musical genius who sank his artistic roots deep into the soil of Africa and unfurled flowers of dazzling jazz. I had the great good fortune of speaking with him twice in the last year via video link, and was moved to learn how my grandfather had served as his muse since he chanced upon a copy of The Mysticism of Music and Sound in the early 1950s. For all his well-deserved success and fame, Dr. Weston was as unassuming, down-to-earth, and gentle-spirited a man as you will meet. He was going to grace us with a visit in Richmond in the fall, but alas it was not meant to be. My sincere condolences go out to his wife Fatoumata Mbengue, and to his children and grandchildren. May God gladden Dr. Weston’s gladness-giving soul in the Abode of Song.

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DONATE NOW!

The world lost a great mystical luminary today. Beloved Huzur Sayyid Ahmad Shah Chishti Maududi, a direct descendant of Khwaja Qutb ad-Din Maudud Chishti, was the international leader of the Chishti Order. Sayyid Ahmad Shah was an inspired poet, a profound scholar, and a revered spiritual teacher. Over many years, he graced the ‘Urs of Hazrat Inayat Khan in Delhi with his presence, traveling annually from Herat, Afghanistan. When I completed my book Mingled Waters, he did me the honor of writing the introduction. My last meeting with Huzur Sayyid Ahmad Shah was in Konya in July. Despite poor health, he was, as always, the essence of graciousness. I have no words to describe what Huzur Sayyid Ahmad Shah has meant to me. He was ‘ishq personified, an ocean of cosmic love. My consolation lies in the conviction that love is stronger than death. May Allah bless his soul to the utmost in heaven.

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DONATE NOW!

Dear Companions on the Path,

My warm greetings to you, this time from Fazal Manzil. I hope you are having a wonderful summer.

Our summer has been one of continuous travel. After India we visited Konya in Turkey, the home of Mawlana Rumi. The sama’ ceremonies at the saint’s tomb were exquisite, and Rumi’s 22nd-generation granddaughter Esin Chelebi extended a welcome that touched our hearts. Ashiqs and murids from Turkey, the Middle East, and beyond, gathered for a conference and retreat organized with great love and care by the Yukunc Foundation, the Inayati center in Turkey led by Mehmet and Zehra Kasim. The music was extraordinary, and we all basked in the glow of a powerful sense of companionship that united us irrespective of differences of nationality and language. Our gathering was graced by visits from Shaykh Hayat Nur Artiran, Pir Sayyid Ahmad Shah Chishti Maududi, and Shaykh Jalal ad-Din Loras. The lecture I gave during the conference can be found here: Konya Lecture 2018

From Konya my family and I flew to Switzerland for a two-week stay at Zenith Camp. Before the camp began I had the good fortune of paying my respects at the hermitage of Saint Nicholas of Flue, the patron saint of Switzerland. The first week of the camp was dedicated to the life and legacy of Pirzadi-Shahida Noor. I spoke about the inner meaning of Noor’s play Aède of the Ocean and Land, while Shrabani Basu, author of Spy Princess, held us entranced with the story of Noor’s life. At the end of the week, under the direction of Qahira Wirgman and Darakshan Farber, and with music from Tarana Jobin, members of the camp enacted Aède with great élan. During the week that followed we delved into silent meditation.

Aède of the Ocean and Land is about the reconciliation of opposites. As human beings, we are ephemeral creatures, and our loves are specific to our fleeting mortal lives. At the same time, within us is an essence that is boundless and unending. Aède speaks to the possibility of uniting the personal and transcendental dimensions of our lives, so that our human affections are not negated, but rather lifted up into the “happy wilderness” where joy and peace meet in freedom. Aède is truly a marvelous story, with many levels of meaning. I encourage you to read it if you haven’t yet.

The last weeks have been extremely hot. As you may have heard, wildfires have been burning in the Arctic Circle, while record temperatures have been recorded in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. These are further signs that Earth’s climate is changing and becoming harsher. At the same time, in many quarters consciousness is rising and new ways of life and new sources of energy are emerging. As human beings, we bear a weighty responsibility. God willing, we will fulfill our trust as stewards of the Earth while there is time.

Yours ever,
Sarafil Bawa

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International Sufi Reunion & Retreat in Konya, Turkey
13-19 July 2018

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Zenith Institute Camp
23 July – 18 August 2018

After the Konya Retreat, Pir Zia traveled to the Swiss Alps
for two weeks of Sufi Summer School. See additional photos
within Pir Zia’s Summer 2018 Photo Album.

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Gayan Commentary

Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Gayan

“I have not come to change humanity. I have come to help it on.”

The purpose of the Sufi path is not to impose on the human mind a particular belief system. The purpose is to reveal what is already present within the depths of the mind—the heart; and to reveal what is in the depths of the heart—the soul; and to reveal what is in the depths of the soul—God’s own being.

To try to change a person is not necessarily a kind act, even if well intended. Each person is who he or she is. At the same time, a person’s experience is never final. We are all continuously changing as we pass through life. Helping one another along in the midst of change, outer and inner, is the way of kindness.

Just as it is preferable to help a friend along rather than to try to change one’s friend, when it comes to what is emerging in the experience of humanity as a whole, discerning assistance aimed in the direction of the unfolding horizon of beauty is helpful in a way that impatient repudiation can never be.

See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.

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Making One’s Own Nature with Pir Zia Inayat-Khan

29-30 September 2018 in Berkeley, CA – Register Now
1-2 December in Cambridge, MA – Register Now

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Related Links & Events

• • Sufi News on Chivalry 2018
  • Hope Project Newsletter, July 2018
  • Hazrat Inayat Khan Ballet, “Shakuntala,” Documentary of Performance in Novosibirsk, Siberia, 2018
  • “The Secret of Nirvana in the Teachings of the Sufis,” Suresnes, France, 22-23 September 2018
  • Wisdom of the Prophets Parts I-VI Video Now Available

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Inayati Order Upcoming Events

NORTH AMERICA

The Alchemy of Happiness w/ Pir Zia
The Abode of the Message, New Lebanon, New York
31 August – 2 September 2018

Making One’s Own Nature w/ Pir Zia
Berkeley, California
29-30 September 2018

Making One’s Own Nature w/ Pir Zia
Cambridge, Massachusetts
1-2 December 2018

EUROPE

Growing Wings w/ Pir Zia
Katwijk aan Zee, The Netherlands
24-26 August 2018

Angelic Lights w/ Pir Zia
London, England
17-18 November 2018

Please see our Inayati Order Programs Calendar for more event listings. 

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Dear Companions on the Path,

Greetings from Turkey! Three weeks ago we celebrated my father’s 14th ‘Urs at his Dargah in Delhi. We listened to a recital of rudra vina, carried a consecrated chadar (brocade sheet) in procession from Murshid’s tomb to Pir Vilayat’s, and recited the Silsila and prayers. Afterward we convened at the Hope Project and discussed the continuing expansion of the project’s important work. A recent development is the creation of a center in rural Rajasthan where impoverished city children can go to experience and learn from nature.

After the ‘Urs we traveled to Gangotri in the Himalayas and stayed with the venerable Swami Sunderananad, an old friend of my father’s. We meditated for long stretches in his hut every day at 4 am and again at 5 pm. From Gangotri we hiked to Gomukh (“the mouth of the cow”), where one of the major headstreams of the Ganges, the Bhagirati River, springs from a glacier. “Make the Ganges flow backward, yogis, and you will gain a vision of God,” sings Bullhe Shah.  Beside the rushing river I said a prayer for all of you, my companions on the way.

Descending from the mountains we made a pilgrimage to the Dargah of Khwaja ‘Ala ad-Din ‘Ali Ahmad Sabir, pir-brother of Khwaja Nizam ad-Din Awliya’, in Kaliyar Sharif. Whereas Khwaja Nizam ad-Din was of a gentle disposition, Khwaja ‘Ala ad-Din is remembered as “the essence of the manifestation of the Divine Power.” One could feel that power pulsing around the tree under which he meditated (or perhaps it was a descendant of his tree).

We have just left Maulabakhsh House in Baroda, where we visited the tombs of the local Sufi saints. These include, among others, Bawa Man, Ghadiyali Bawa, and Sidi Bilal. Bawa Man is said to have walked thirty miles backwards to avoid turning his back toward his murshid. The tomb of

Ghadiyali Bawa (“the clock pir”), visited equally by Hindus and Muslims, is a shrinewhere devotees hang up clocks when their prayers are fulfilled. Sidi Bilal’s tomb is mentioned in Murshid’s teachings. Legend relates that when the Maharaja ordered its demolition so that the road could be widened, the tomb moved to the side in the middle of the night.

See here for a small photo album of images from India.

Of course, what is most special about Baroda for us is that it is the place of Murshid’s birth. On July 5th we had the joy of celebrating Murshid’s 136th birthday in the room in which he was born.

Rooms have been thoughtfully built here at Maulabakhsh House for ashiqs and murids to stay in when visiting. You are welcome to come and sit in the serene silence of the birth room.* Murshid’s presence is very strong here.

Yours ever,
Sarafil Bawa

*Please contact Harunissa Khanim Maulabakhsh in advance at harunissakhanim@hotmail.com or call (0265) 2521096 (Azizunnisa Khanim Maulabakhsh) or 9376182321 (Imtiyaz Sheikh).

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Astana Staff News

It has been a year since we moved our North American Headquarters to Virginia! At this one-year point we are reflecting upon, and refining, our staff structure to best meet the Inayati Order’s mission in the world. The attached letter offers details. As a highlight, we want to share that we are adding two new positions right away.

First, we are very happy to welcome Jenni Thomas as our new Digital Media Manager. Jenni is a Richmond local with extensive experience with online marketing, content management, websites, e-newsletters and lists, social media, audio and video. Jenni begins full-time on Monday, July 16th.

Also, you may have already heard that Sara Tarana Jobin is joining us as our Music Director & Special Projects Manager, part-time for the next year. Tarana is a professional orchestra conductor and Suluk graduate. Her first assignment is musical direction for Noor Inayat Khan’s play, Aede of the Ocean and Land, at the Zenith Institute camp this summer. Please welcome Tarana to the Astana’s staff!

For additional details on our staff please visit www.inayatiorder.org/staff/.

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Gayan Commentary

Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Gayan

“Hail to my exile from the Garden of Eden to earth; if I had not fallen I would not have probed the depths of life.”

The story of the exile of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden describes the descent of the soul from heaven to earth. The soul first experienced life in the heavenly spheres as an angel, then descended to the mental realm in the form of a djinn, and finally incarnated on earth as a human being.

Whereas angels float in an atmosphere of pure love and light, the human being lives in a world starkly defined by opposites. The free will in the angel is slight; in the djinn it is greater; in the human being it is a formidable force.

Because the human being is free, he or she is capable of great evil. By the same token, when a human being exercises freedom to good purpose—perfecting freedom through the free offering up of oneself—the beauty that is hidden in the depths of being is revealed in a manner otherwise impossible.

Humans are subject to profound spiritual amnesia, the forgetting of the essence of reality. But precisely because we forget, we are enabled to remember. And the remembering of the One is the unveiling of the One in the One’s constantly renewed manifestation of all that is, which is the purpose of the whole creation.

See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.

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A new class of Suluk Academy begins this September at the Astana in Richmond, Virginia. Suluk is a two-year course of intensive Sufi Study with Pir Zia Inayat Khan as the lead teacher.

There are a few spots left! This current class is almost full with 31 confirmed students. If you are interested in additional details and possibly applying, please email suluk@inayatiorder.org as soon as possible. (A new class will launch in France in 2019 or 2020.)

www.inayatiorder.org/programs/suluk-academy/

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Inayati Order Upcoming Events

NORTH AMERICA

The Alchemy of Happiness w/ Pir Zia
The Abode of the Message, New Lebanon, New York
31 August – 2 September 2018

Making One’s Own Nature w/ Pir Zia
Berkeley, California
29-30 September 2018

Making One’s Own Nature w/ Pir Zia
Cambridge, Massachusetts
1-2 December 2018

 

EUROPE

The Spiritual Message of Mawlana Rumi
Middle Eastern & South Asian Inayati Community Gathering
Konya, Turkey
13-19 July 2018

Zenith Institute
Olivone, Switzerland
23 July – 18 August 2018

Growing Wings w/ Pir Zia
Katwijk aan Zee, The Netherlands
24-26 August 2018

Angelic Lights w/ Pir Zia
London, England
17-18 November 2018

Please see our Inayati Order Programs Calendar for more event listings. 

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DONATE NOW!