Sep
24
2018
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.
Sep
21
2018
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
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/
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
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.
Making One’s Own Nature with Pir Zia Inayat-Khan
1-2 December in Cambridge, MA – Register Now
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.
Sep
01
2018
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.
Aug
22
2018
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.
Aug
07
2018
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
International Sufi Reunion & Retreat in Konya, Turkey
13-19 July 2018
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.
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.
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
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
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.
Jul
16
2018
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).
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/.
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.
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/
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.
Jun
15
2018
Dear Companions on the Path,
Greetings of peace to you in these last days of spring, and last days of Ramadan, the month of “hot stones and cleansing rains.”
In May the Astana hosted the first of a series of gatherings for new leaders in the Esoteric School. Many were graduates of the Suluk Academy, so the occasion had the feeling of a Suluk reunion (a full reunion is planned next year). We delved into Murshid’s instructions on guidance and began an exploration of the problems and prospects of our present-day “third cycle” of the Sufi Message of Love, Harmony, and Beauty.
Tomorrow my family and I are due to leave on summer travels. God willing, I will celebrate my father’s ‘Urs at his Dargah in Delhi, trek to the Himalayan source of the Ganges, visit Maulabakhsh House, meet with ashiqs and murids in Konya, convene a week of chivalry and another week of silent retreat in the Alps, visit Fazal Manzil, teach at the Suluk Academy in Épernon, and conduct retreats at Murad Hasil and the Abode of the Message.
I wish you a fruitful summer and hope to see you in India, Turkey, Europe, or the U.S. If we cannot meet in person, may this monthly Zephyr be a link between us, and more importantly, may the spiritual zephyr that wafts from soul to soul connect our lives in the invisible and unite us with the Infinite.
When the trees are green and swaying
And the meadows sweet with flowers
Let there be no more delaying
Let us meet in mystic bowers
Yours ever,
Sarafil Bawa
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan’s
14th Urs Celebration 2018
“Light arises in your soul as consequence of the striking of your heart.” ? Pir Vilayat
You are cordially invited to the
14th ‘Urs celebration of
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
Sajjada-Nishin of Hazrat Inayat Khan and Founder of The Hope Project
Sunday, 17th June 2018
LOCATION
The Dargah Sharif of Hazrat Inayat Khan &
The Dargah Sharif of Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
129 Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin
New Delhi 110013
PROGRAM
8.00 am Onwards
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan’s Dargah is open for morning meditation.
9.30 am
Fateha and blessing of the Chader at the Dargah Sharif of Hazrat Inayat Khan; procession to the Dargah Sharif of Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan; prayers and offerings; community reception with refreshments at the Noor Inayat Khan Library, The Hope Project.
11.00 am
Distribution of Langar at the Dargah Sharif of Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan.
ORGANIZERS
The Inayati Order and its President
Pir Zia Inayat Khan ‘urf Sarafil Bawa
Sajjada-Nishin of the Dargah Sharif of Hazrat Inayat Khan
and the Dargah Sharif of Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
The Hope Project Charitable Trust
With the assistance of Hajji Aslam Hussain
For further information please contact carmen.hussain@gmail.com.
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/
Gayan Commentary
Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Gayan
“I regard every failure as a stepping-stone toward a success.”
The journey of life is one of trial and error. One learns by doing. Whatever the result of one’s endeavors, no experience is wasted if one learns from it and moves on, determined to go further.
Seen from the surface, success is rewarding and failure is disappointing. From the deeper perspective of the unfurling of the mind and heart, however, the knowledge gained in success and the knowledge gained in failure are equally enriching.
Every traveler on life’s path will sometimes succeed and sometimes fail. The difference between those who travel well and those who do not lie in their attitude. In the pessimist’s eyes, a failure is a precursor to ever-deepening disappointment. For the optimist, it’s no more than a stepping-stone on the path to success.
Failure generally leads to failure, unless hope intervenes. Hope is the usher at the door of success.
And what is success? Obtaining one’s desire is one kind of success. But as soon as a desire is fulfilled, another springs up. Real success is the ever-expanding awakening of wisdom and love in the onward movement of life’s journey.
See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.
Inayati Spring Scholarship Appeal
This spring, please help us raise $20,000 for our Scholarship Funds. Over the past three years we have granted $30,000+ in scholarships, for all ages and for all programs. We need to replenish these accounts for future students.
If you feel so called, please donate through the link below, choosing the scholarship fund you would like to support under “Gift Choice.”
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.
May
24
2018
Dear Companions on the Path,
I hope this finds you well. All is well here in Richmond, where we are still soaking up the numinous vibrations of the Wisdom of the Prophets gathering that took place here a few days ago. It was a marvelous culmination to the series of symposia we hosted over the course of the last three years dedicated to the mystical traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Our aim in these meetings was to explore the deep historical and philosophical connections between Sufism and the world’s great revealed traditions. Much was intellectually confirmed in our gatherings, and still more was spiritually tasted. My book Mingled Waters chronicles in two dimensions what our gatherings lived out in three.
A sparkling sketch of last weekend’s gathering, from the magic pen of Misbah Noor, is here.
Earlier, in April, the Astana hosted the Board of The Inayati Order, North America, a wise and dedicated group of workers for the Sufi Message whose organizational stewardship is a boon to us all. Still earlier in April we held an open house in which our special guests were Dr. Carl W. Ernst, one of my scholarly mentors, and his wife Judith. Dr. Ernst read enchanting poems from his forthcoming book on Hallaj. Judith is the author and illustrator of a retelling of a Jataka tale that she dedicated to Pirzadi-Shahida Noor.
Speaking of Noor: to my great happiness, Noor’s mystical drama Aède of the Ocean and Land is now in print! I cannot recommend it enough. Noor was, as you know, a great saint and mystic, and keen readers will discover her inner teachings encoded within the adventurous narrative of the play. I regardAède as a kind of terma, a “treasure text” that is not revealed until its time has come. It is an auspicious sign that it has appeared at this juncture—a sign that Noor is watching over us.
Yours ever,
Sarafil Bawa
The Aède of Ocean & Land
New from Suluk Press, May 2018
In dramatic form, Aède shines a revealing light on Noor’s life and thought, reflecting her unique assimilation of the spiritual teachings of her father, Hazrat Inayat Khan. In Aède, Noor combines elements of Greek myth, Sufi esotericism, and personal experience to produce a gripping and surprising retelling of the Odyssey of Homer. The protagonist wrestles with monsters, colloquizes with nymphs, and sails the Mediterranean in search of home. Will Ulys reattain domestic bliss in Ithaca—or does another destiny await him?
The Astana full of Sufi friends for Wisdom of the Prophets: Sufism & Islam, May 3-6, 2018. Perhaps our happiest gathering to date!
See here for the full photo album.
Gayan Commentary
Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Gayan
“There is nothing else in life which pleases me more than pleasing others, but it is difficult to please everybody.”
There are three reasons a person may have for trying to please another. The first is strategic: one wishes to win, or keep, a friend, and avoid making an enemy. Keeping the people around one happy, as far possible, generally has the effect of smoothing one’s life path.
The second reason a person may have for to trying please another is to be thought well of. Very often, one’s self image is bound up in other people’s opinions. One thrives on positive attention and withers under censorious glances.
The third reason is honest altruism. This motivation transcends the dark insecurities that overshadow the mind. One wishes to please others because one realizes, deep down in one’s heart, that every other is another oneself.
But even if one’s motivation is the purest, pleasing others is not always easy. As Hafiz says, “Love seemed at first an easy thing—but ah! the hard awakening.”
Sometimes by pleasing one person one displeases another; there are cases when one cannot please both at once. The attempt to please everyone is a noble one, but in the end one must follow one’s conscience and do as one believes best.
See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.
Astana Open House Weekend
We hosted our first Astana Open House Weekend, April 14 & 15, with special guest Dr. Carl Ernst of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Click here to see the full photo album.
Inayati Spring Scholarship Appeal
Please help support scholarships for our upcoming programs!
Over the past months, we have actively been accepting candidates into two programs, Inayati Emergent Leaders to launch in two weeks (first session May 26-30 with 37 students) and our newSuluk Academy Class to launch in the fall (first session Sept 11-16 with 30 people already accepted into the class!). We have also been closely collaborating with our new Inayati Young Adult Council about how to support “young adult” involvement in all of our activities.
This spring, please help us raise $20,000 for our Scholarship Funds. Over the past three years we have granted $30,000+ in scholarships, for all ages and for all programs. We need to replenish these accounts for future students.
If you feel so called, please donate through the link below, choosing the scholarship fund you would like to support under “Gift Choices.”
https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E117941&id=1
There are four scholarship related options: Suluk Scholarship Fund, Emergent Leaders Scholarship Fund, Young Adult Scholarship Fund, and Inayati General Scholarship Fund for all other programs. Please contact us if there are any questions. Thank you for your generous, kind support!
Inayati News of Note
Between the dates of July 1st and 10th, a special Summer School will be held in the Khankah of Fazal Manzil in Suresnes, France. The program will include lectures, meditations, silences, readings, music, and zikr. Shaikh al-Mashaik Mahmood Khan will be present from the 3rd onward. Details may be found here.
Inayati Order Upcoming Events
NORTH AMERICA
The Mysticism of Sound & Music Online
With Pir Zia Inayat-Khan & Special Guests
Richmond, Virginia & Online Anytime
Wednesdays, 2-23 May 2018
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. New dates and online courses will be announced in March.
Apr
09
2018
Dear Companions on the Path,
Greetings! I’ve just returned from the Easter Retreat in the Rhön Mountains in Germany, where in the Name of the One we commemorated the feast of the archangel Eostre, story of the Exodus, and the fana and baqa of Jesus.
This year our gathering had a bittersweet aspect as we lovingly remembered the spirit of Munir Voss, a long-time Inayati Order leader in Europe who suddenly passed from the world in March. I have been coming to Germany at Easter every year since my father’s passing in 2004, and each year until now Munir has been there, leading the early morning meditations. Munir’s presence was sorely missed this year, as he will be missed in the Alps, in Heidelberg, and in many other places. Nonetheless, Munir’s legacy of service to the Sufi Message lives on among those whom he inspired and trained, and his spirit lives on, and shines, in the inner spheres. May God enfold his soul in love and light.
Our caravan is moving through the world, and from this world into the next. One never knows when the sight of a friend might be one’s last—one’s last, at least, here on Earth. Sometimes one is given the chance to say goodbye, but often one is not. Friends suddenly vanish, and we are left with the inner relation of our soul to theirs. One by one, each of us will disappear. But if we are truly linked, our companionship will continue on the other side.
Murshid said, “Initiation among the Sufis has, for one of its many objects, to find a caravan in the hereafter that journeys to the desired goal. Therefore, by initiation it is meant that a Sufi prepares himself here on earth to be capable of appreciating the spiritual souls, and unites with them in the brotherhood of initiation on the Path, which may keep him connected with the caravan which is continually journeying toward the goal.”
May we be such companions to one another, here and in the hereafter.
Yours ever,
Sarafil Bawa
P.S. If you have friends who would like to receive The Zephyr, please share this link for them to sign up.
Making One’s Own Nature with Pir Zia Inayat Khan
New East & West US Events, Fall 2018
As human beings we have the privilege and responsibility of fashioning not only our lives, but our very selves, in accord with our highest vision of meaning and beauty. The nature that we create in our mind and heart accompanies our soul through life and leaves its signature on the world. Over the course of two days, through the practice of meditation, prayer, spiritual reflection, and sacred sound, we will participate directly in making our own nature.
Berkeley, California, 29-30 September 2018
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1-2 December 2018
The Prayers of the Inayatiyya
New from the
Inayati Order, April 2018
This small booklet is designed for all those interested in learning and practicing Hazrat Inayat Khan’s series of prayers.
Includes an introduction to the “Prayers and Praying” by Hazrat Inayat Khan, “The Five Dimensions of Prayers” by Pir Zia Inayat-Khan, “Murshid’s Notes on the Prayer Movements,” and illustrations by Netanel Miles-Yépez, based on the original drawings by Saida van Tuyll.
Gayan Commentary
Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Gayan
“I feel myself when I am by myself.”
There are two selves, the self and the I.
Physical and social characteristics define the self. It was born on a certain day and will die one day. Meanwhile, it has eyes with which to see.
The I, by contrast, has no name or form. Birth did not create it nor will death destroy it. It is not so much the seer as seeing itself.
As others regard the self, so it regards itself. The I, on the other hand, gains nothing from others’ good opinion and is untouched by their scorn.
In the marketplace of the world, the self rises to the fore. In every encounter, it renegotiates its standing. Meanwhile, the I is dormant.
Only in the silence of solitude does the I emerge. There is, then, no more self or other, only the witnessing of what appears. At last one feels oneself.
The feeling of being oneself at first comes most naturally when one is alone. But the mystic learns in time to be alone in the crowd: to be, not merely a self among selves, but an I among I’s.
See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.
German Easter Seminar 2018
Discourse, Meditation, Music & Interfaith Worship
The week of 18-25 March the Astana hosted a series of leadership gatherings, beginning with the World Wide Message Council, followed by the North American Jamiat Khas and Inayati Leadership Spring Training.
Click here to see the full photo album.
The afternoon of Sunday, 25 March, the Astana hosted a special visitor, Cheikh Sufi of the Mouridiyya Order. See the full photo album here. Cheikh Sufi will now be a special guest at Wisdom of the Prophets: Sufism & Islam.
Wisdom of the Prophets – Part VI: Sufism & Islam
Richmond, Virginia or
Online Anytime from Anywhere
May 3-6, 2018
Please join, us in-person or online, for a weekend of zikr and suhbat with Pir Zia, Sheikha Fariha, Sheikh Ghassan, and special guests Cheikh Sufi and Dr. Omid Safi. We hope you join us!
See here for registration details.
Inayati News of Note
Inayati Order Representative, Shaykha Amat-un-Nur of Pakistan, has a new book out, The Doors of Peace, Sufi Pearls of Wisdom.
The 19th Annual Gathering of the Federation of the Sufi Message will be held at Fazal Manzil in Suresnes, France, 30 May to 3 June, 2018. Open to leaders and teachers of the Federation family with advance registration.
Inayati Order Upcoming Events
NORTH AMERICA
Astana Open House
Richmond, Virginia
14-15 April 2018
Contact astana@inayatiorder.org.
Wisdom of the Prophets: Sufism & Islam
w/ Sheikha Fariha, Sheikh Ghassan Manasra & Pir Zia
The Astana, Richmond, Virginia
3-6 May 2018 and Online
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
INDIA
India Pilgrimage w/ Pir Zia
For details please contact gulrukh@inayatiorder.org.
Delhi to Gangotri
15-25 June, 2018
Please see our Inayati Order Programs Calendar for more event listings. New dates and online courses will be announced in March.
Mar
06
2018
Dear Companions on the Path,
Greetings from Richmond, where, as I write, the dogwood trees are trumpeting the arrival of spring!
I last wrote from Fazal Manzil on the occasion of the Urs, when I issued the Declaration announcing Pirzadi-Shahida Noor-un-nisa’s place in the Silsila. I am thankful for all of the supportive messages I have since received. It is clear that there is great love and respect in our community for Pirzadi-Shahida Noor.
The meetings at Fazal Manzil were international in character, with friends gathering from Norway in the North to Morocco in the South, and from the U.S. in the West to Pakistan in the East—and Australia in the Antipodes. Murshid intended his Order to be a nucleus of the worldwide human family, and more and more it is becoming so. This year, the presence of special guests from the Sufi Movement lent the gathering an additional felicity. We were, moreover, honored by the presence and words of Shaikh al-Mashaik Mahmood Khan, Murshid Karimbakhsh, and Shaykha Fawzia Al-Rawi of the Rifa’i Order.
After the Urs I went to the priory in Epernon where the European Suluk class meets. Snow had begun to fall during the Urs, and by the time we set out for Epernon the roads were blanketed. A few times we had to get out of the car and push it. I was reminded of the Katha Upanishad: “Know the Self as the lord of the chariot and the body as the chariot.” Sometimes the soul is easily carried along by the body’s habitual running, other times it has to take matters in hand and move the body with its own force.
Soul power is certainly needed in the U.S. right now as the nation mourns the victims of another senseless tragedy. Times of collective reckoning such as this can be significant turning points. Clearly, the students sense this. Change is possible. And by this I mean something still more fundamental than the reform of laws and policies: I mean the elevation of the human spirit and the expansion of the human heart. This is where, as an Order, our essential work lies. And as we know, it begins with each one of us ourselves.
In closing, a piece of good news. Two important collections of Murshid’s teachings are now in print:Complete Works of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan: 1925 II and The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan: Centennial Edition, Vol. 2, The Mysticism of Sound. My sincere appreciation goes out to Qahira Wirgman and Yasodhara Lillydahl, respectively, for their dedicated work in preparing these volumes. I look forward to offering webcast commentaries on The Mysticism of Sound in May. Meanwhile, I encourage everyone to read Murshid’s words.
Yours ever,
Sarafil Bawa
P.S. If you have friends who would like to receive The Zephyr, please share this link for them to sign up.
The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan Volume II: The Mysticism of Sound by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Now available from Suluk Press for students of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s teachings and musicians worldwide.
Updated and revised to include four series of lectures: “Mysticism of Sound,” “Music,” “The Power of the Word,” and “Cosmic Language.”
www.sulukpress.org.
Gayan Commentary
Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Gayan
“I work simply, not troubling about results. My satisfaction is in accomplishing the work which is given to me to my best ability, and I leave the effect to the Cause.”
Lord Krishna said, “Be intent on action, not on the fruits of action.” Do what is to be done, without attachment to the outcome.
It is easy to be waylaid by fear. “What if I fail?” “What if all of my efforts are in vain?” Such speculations serve no useful purpose. Work that is given must be undertaken, succeed or fail. The effort itself is what matters.
“Given” work is the labor one knows in one’s heart of hearts to be one’s own. To take up this work is to find one’s place in the harmony of the universe. Working to the best of one’s ability means uniting body, heart, and soul in the effort, and never giving up.
The peace to be found where work attains its good end is always far away. But the peace that is found in good work is there every step of the way.
See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.
The Gayan says, “The only condition of life is making one’s own nature.”
As human beings we have the privilege and responsibility of not only fashioning our lives, but fashioning our very selves. The nature that we create out of our very minds and hearts leaves its signature on the world and accompanies our souls into the hereafter. — Pir Zia Inayat-Khan.
Please join us this Easter as we explore how we make our own nature. Gersfeld, Germany. See here for
the full brochure.
Wisdom of the Prophets – Part VI: Sufism & Islam
Richmond, Virginia or
Online Anytime from Anywhere
May 3-6, 2018
Please join, us in-person or online, for a weekend of zikr andsuhbat with Pir Zia, Sheikha Fariha, Sheikh Ghassan, and special guest Dr. Omid Safi. We hope you join us!
See here for registration details.
Inayati News of Note
Every Sunday afternoon, Pir Zia gives a sermon during Universal Worship at the Astana in Richmond, Virginia. See here for his sermon from Sunday, 18 February, in response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The 19th Annual Gathering of the Federation of the Sufi Message will be held at Fazal Manzil in Suresnes, France, 30 May to 3 June, 2018. Open to leaders and teachers of the Federation family with advance registration.
Over 10,000 religious leaders and friends will meet for The Parliament of World Religions in Toronto, Ontario, 1-7 November 2018. Many members of the Inayati community plan to attend. Early bird discount through March 31.
Inayati Order Upcoming Events
NORTH AMERICA
Jamiat-Khas Annual Retreat
The Astana, Richmond, Virginia
20-22 March 2018
Inayati Leadership Spring Training
The Astana, Richmond, Virginia
22-25 March 2018
Astana Open House
Richmond, Virginia
14-15 April 2018
Contact astana@inayatiorder.org.
Additional details forthcoming.
Wisdom of the Prophets: Sufism & Islam
w/ Sheikha Fariha, Sheikh Ghassan Manrasa & Pir Zia
The Astana, Richmond, Virginia
3-6 May 2018 and Online
The Alchemy of Happiness w/ Pir Zia
The Abode of the Message, New Lebanon, New York
31 August – 2 September 2018
Details for programs in Berkeley, California, September 28-30 and Cambridge, Massachusetts, November 30-December 2, soon to be announced.
EUROPE
German Easter Retreat w/ Pir Zia
Gersfeld, Germany
30 March – 2 April 2018
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
London Seminar w/ Pir Zia
London, England
17-18 November 2018
INDIA
India Pilgrimage w/ Pir Zia
For details please contact gulrukh@inayatiorder.org.
Delhi to Gangotri
15-25 June, 2018
Please see our Inayati Order Programs Calendar for more event listings. New dates and online courses will be announced in March.
Feb
09
2018
Dear Companions on the Path,
I wish you a blessed Visalat Day! May the peace, blessings, and love of God be with you on this special day as we celebrate the earthly and heavenly life of our guiding spirit, Hazrat Inayat Khan.
Today, in the presence of many companions here at Fazal Manzil, and joined in thought and spirit with all of you throughout the world, I am issuing a Declaration announcing that Pirzadi-Shahida Noor-un-Nisa will henceforth be included in the Silsila of the Inayati Order. Please see the Declaration in French, German, andEnglish.
Stimulated by the discovery of a play by Pirzadi-Shahida Noor in the Astana Archive, over the last several months I have been deeply reflecting on her life and legacy. It has become clearer to me than ever before that the time has come for our Order to truly claim her as an essential tradition-bearer of the Sufi Message. Tremendous inspiration can be drawn from her writings, and even more from her life, which was a real-life Jataka tale.
God willing, Pirzadi-Shahida Noor’s play, Aede of the Ocean and Land, will be published this year. It is a fascinating spiritual retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. At Zenith Camp in Switzerland this summer a week will be dedicated to Pirzadi-Shahida Noor, chivalry, and Aede. Please do come if you can. And this, we hope, will just be the beginning.
Yours ever,
Sarafil Bawa
Zenith Summer Camp, 23 July-18 August 2018
Consider traveling to the Swiss Alps this summer, for the Zenith Institute‘s annual camp!Every year there are four weeks of programs, this year including a week focused on the life of Noor Inayat Khan, the Alchemy of Happiness, a five-day silent retreat with Pir Zia, and many other offerings with teachers including Atum & Emmanuel O’Kane, Maarten Ophiel & Madhu Sangita Van Leer, Majida Heiss, Munir Voss & Malik Hirschberg, Fatimabi Monika Grieger, Mehmet & Ali Ungan, Saki Lee & Latif Peter Brinck, Nigel Hamilton & Himayat Inayati, Deepa Gulrukh Patel & Jacob Eilenberg, and Zuleikha.
Ziraat Leadership Transition in Europe
I would like to announce that following three and a half years of dedicated service as European Vice President of Ziraat, Maumud Zak Waterman is stepping down. Maumud served conscientiously and planted seeds that are now actively growing. I thank him for his service, and am heartened to know that he intends to continue serving Ziraat in his capacity as a Farmer. At the same time, I warmly welcome the new European Vice President of Ziraat, Firos Holterman. Firos brings long experience in Ziraat, and also in sustainable farming. Please join me in thanking Maumud, and welcoming Firos. — Sarafil Bawa
Message from Maumud
Message from Firos
Gayan Commentary
Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Gayan
“As long as I act upon my own intuition, I succeed, but whenever I follow the advice of others I go astray.”
An eel would not do well to ask directions to the Sargasso Sea from a pike or a trout. Deep down in its viscera, it already knows the way. Its best course is to trust its instincts. The same is true of human beings.
A philosophizer asked a dervish what truth was. She pointed to his eyes. He asked what was falsehood. She tweaked his ear. Her point being: seeing is believing, and be wary of what you are told.
Whatever the question, the answer is already present. Only, it’s buried under a mass of fears and fancies. One needs to clear one’s mind to know what one knows.
Is counsel worthless then? Not necessarily. The Prophet Muhammad said, “The believer is a mirror of the believer.” A word or glance that confirms what one knows in one’s innermost core is a kind oflight upon light.
For this reason, Guides in the Esoteric School do not give advice. They work instead to empower the murid’s intuition.
See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.
Astana Open House
Saturday, 24 February 2018Our first Astana Open House will be held Saturday, February 24, from 12-5 pm, in Richmond, Virginia. The afternoon will feature tours, an Indian luncheon, presentations, suhbat (spiritual conversation), tea and sweets with special guests Bruce Lawrence and miriam cooke. Pir Zia, Pirani Sartaj, Alia, Muhasaba, and Khawar will be your hosts.Details about the Astana Open House can be found here. Please contact Khawar atastana@inayatiorder.org with any questions. We look forward to hosting you!Additional information about the Astana, including a Calendar and Elist Sign-up, can be found at www.inayatiorder.org/astana.
Inayati Order Upcoming Events
NORTH AMERICA
Astana Open House
Richmond, Virginia
24 February 2018
Jamiat-Khas Annual Retreat
The Astana, Richmond, Virginia
20-22 March 2018
Inayati Leadership Spring Training
The Astana, Richmond, Virginia
22-25 March 2018
Wisdom of the Prophets: Sufism & Islam
w/ Sheikha Fariha, Sheikh Ghassan Manrasa & Pir Zia
The Astana, Richmond, Virginia
3-6 May 2018 and Online
The Alchemy of Happiness w/ Pir Zia
The Abode of the Message, New Lebanon, New York
31 August – 2 September 2018
EUROPE
German Easter Retreat w/ Pir Zia
Gersfeld, Germany
30 March – 2 April 2018
Turkey Retreat w/ Pir Zia
Middle Eastern & South Asian Inayati Community Gathering
Konya, Turkey
12-18 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
London Seminar w/ Pir Zia
London, England
17-18 November 2018
INDIA
India Pilgrimage w/ Pir Zia
For details please contact gulrukh@inayatiorder.org.
Delhi to Gangotri
15-25 June, 2018
Please see our Inayati Order Programs Calendar for more event listings. New dates and online courses will be announced in March.
Feb
09
2018
Dear Companions on the Path,
New Year’s greetings! As we ring in the year 2018 and bid farewell to 2017, it’s a time to count our blessings and look toward the future with optimism.
For my family and the Inayati Order headquarters, the last year brought us a big transition. We moved from the quiet woodlands of the Northeast to the bustling Mid-Atlantic city of Richmond. It’s just as the Gayan says: In the country, we saw God’s glory, and now, in the city, we glorify God’s Name.
Looking back over the past year, I recall sparkling gatherings with many of you in various places in North America and Europe. The year’s highlights, for me, included the graduation of the Suluk Jabalqa class, Wisdom of the Prophets dialogues on Judaism and Christianity, Season of the Rose and Zenith Camp, and the retreats we had in Gersfeld, Istanbul, Suresnes, Rochester, and Tucson.
I look forward to the continuation of the caravan’s journey in the coming year, God willing. The second volume of the Centennial Edition of The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan is with the printers as I write, and I plan to offer live-streamed commentaries on these teachings in the spring and fall. Leadership gatherings will take place in Suresnes and Richmond, and a new leaders’ training course will commence in June. A new Suluk course will begin in September. I am scheduled to offer retreats in Germany and Holland, and at the Abode over Labor Day weekend. In June we will celebrate Pir Vilayat’s ‘Urs at his Dargah in Delhi, followed by a Himalayan retreat. In July, there will be a retreat in Konya specifically for the Middle Eastern and South Asian Inayati community.
Meanwhile, the Astana continues to unfold, and I encourage you to visit when you can. You will find the calendar here: www.inayatiorder.org/astana. We hope, before long, to be able to livestream the Universal Worship and Gatha class on Sundays.
With deep thankfulness to the One for the grace of our companionship, I close with a New Year prayer from blessed Noor-un-Nisa:
A deeper wish, a wish more true
Than that I have in store for you
Indeed upon this earth is none
And ne’er can be a sweeter one
Little rays of dreams come true
Sunny skies forever blue
Happy hours of endless cheer
Maybe yours this coming year
Yours ever,
Sarafil Bawa
India Pilgrimage & Summer 2018
Sarafil Bawa and his family will travel to India this June for the 13th Urs of his father, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan. You are invited to join in this special pilgrimage. The dates are June 15 to 25, including a retreat and trek in Gangotri. Please contactgulrukh@inayatiorder.org for details, which should be finalized this month.
Following India, Bawa will travel to Konya, the Swiss Alps, and the Netherlands. We will post additional details about related seminars and retreats in February. Please note that with Bawa traveling all summer, there will be no Season of the Rose in North America in 2018. We do plan to return to the United State’s West Coast in 2019, for this annual summer gathering.
Gayan Commentary
Music of the Spheres: Gamaka Commentaries, Gayan
“Every soul stands before me as a world, and the light of my spirit falling upon it brings clearly to my view all it contains.”
Would there be a world if there were no witnesses? It is the perceiving of the world that makes it a world. And as there are many perceivers, there are, accordingly, many worlds.
Imagine a hermit’s dark cell. Light flashes in through two chinks in the roof. One beam has illumined a curl of smoke. The other transfixes a moth in flight.
Spirit is light. The soul is a portion of divided light. The mind is what is revealed in the beam of that portion.
Two minds may know one another, in some measure, by comparing their perceptions through conversation. But a soul knows another soul silently—by rising up to spirit and then, descending, alighting on it.
When the light of one soul irradiates another, it witnesses what the other’s mind contains. When love unites two souls in spirit, their lights converge in a double flame and two worlds become one.
See the full commentary on the Inayati Order website, and please check back for updates.
Suluk Academy Mentors
This coming September, we will launch a new Suluk class. While Bawa will be the sole teacher, he will be joined by three outstanding and experienced mentors, Nizam un Nisa, Raqib and Nirtana. You can learn more about each of them below, and we encourage you to consider applying for this upcoming class. Applications are due by February 1, 2018. See www.inayatiorder.org/suluk for details.
Ayeda Nizam un Nisa Husain is a Shaykha, Guide and Representative in the Inayati Order where she uses the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan to explain the poetry of Rumi, focusing on Sufism as a means of healing and evolving. A student of classical Chishti Sufism since 1988 and a devoted follower of the Inayati Order since 2004, she has led Inayati Order centers in Lahore, in Dubai and now in Oakville, Ontario where she lives. A graduate of the first European Suluk class and a Knight of Purity, Nizam-un-Nisa has led Sufi retreats, taught Sufi meditation to Buddhist monks in Tokyo and been invited to the UN as part of an international delegation of spiritual leaders. A journalist by profession, she is currently working on setting the Urdu poetry of Hazrat Inayat Khan to music.
Raqib Jonah Yakel was initiated into the Inayati Order by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan in 2000. Raqib was an active member of the Baraka Center in Washington, DC, for several years and is a graduate of both the Suluk Academy (Gulzar ‘15) and the Raphaelite Program with Himayat Inayati. Currently residing in the Kansas City metro area with his wife and two children, Raqib leads a Sufi Center and holds an active role in the growth and unfoldment of the Inayati Order’s Kinship Activity. Professionally, Raqib is a chiropractor and functional medicine practitioner. He owns and operates Lifegate Health Center where he specializes in brain health and addiction empowering people to reclaim their health and wholeness allowing for the realization of greatness, the fulfillment of purpose, and the embodiment of peace, love, and joy in their lives.
Nirtana Gloria Deckro has been a traveler on the Sufi path for 35 years. She graduated Suluk in 2007 and then served as a mentor for the Alif and Andalib classes. Nirtana trained as a physician in England. After moving to Boston in 1982, marrying and starting a family, she spent eight years as Director of Training and Research for the Education Initiative of the Mind/Body Medical Institute. There she focused on training educators and health professionals in bringing meditation into work settings. Nirtana then built her own healing practice, offering meditation training and spiritual counseling for individuals and groups. Nirtana served on the Board of the Inayati Order from 2007 to 2011 and as Executive Director of the Order from 2011 to 2014. She currently lives with her husband in Sharon MA. They have two adult children.
Astana Upcoming Events
Please join us at the Astana in Richmond, Virginia, for an upcoming event! Bawa resumes his weekly Gatha Class + Suhbat today, January 7th, and Healing Service + Zikr on Wednesdays, beginning again the evening of January 10th.
Also, we are making plans for an Astana Open House on Saturday, February 24th. The scholars Bruce Lawrence and miriam cooke will be our special guests. We hope to offer a luncheon at 1 pm, followed by a talk at 2pm, suhbat, tea and sweets.
If you would like to come for the Open House, a class or a visit, please contact Khawar atastana@inayatiorder.org. We look forward to hosting you!
Additional information about the Astana, including a Calendar and Elist Sign-up, can be found at www.inayatiorder.org/astana.
Inayati Order Fall Appeal 2017
Over $130,000 was raised during our most recent appeal. This is an incredibly generous outpouring, which greatly helps us enhance our support to Inayati Order murids, leaders and new friends drawn to the teachings of Sufism. Now that things are settled in Richmond, we are making plans through 2020. What would you like to see us do? Please feel free to email Jennifer Alia Wittman, our Executive Director in North America, with ideas, and let’s see what we can unfold for Murshid’s legacy, together.