the legacy of sufi inayat khan
Sufi Inayat Khan (also referred to by the honorific titles Hazrat and Pir-O-Murshid) was an accomplished musician as well as a spiritual master initiated in the four major Sufi orders: Chisti, Qadiri, Suhrawardi, and Nakshbandi.
The prophetic nature of his teachings, which were given over the course of 16 years in Europe and America (1910-26), reflected on the full scope of humanity’s spiritual challenges in the 20th century and offered guidance accessible to people of all faiths. Known as “the Sufi Message,” these teachings have been collected in 14 volumes of prose and prayers and are a continual source of inspiration for students of the Sufi Way.
As a vehicle to ensure the continuity of the Message and to provide opportunity for those wishing deeper realization of its significance, Sufi Inayat Khan founded an initiatic inner school of which the Sufi Way is a direct continuation.
The term “initiatic” refers to the traditional Sufi occasion of a sacred welcome and blessing that is offered the student (mureed) upon entering the inner school. The mureed’s path, as well as the inner school itself, are understood to be part of a sacred stream of blessing that runs through history. This trans-historical stream is known as the sil sileh, an unbroken flow of grace and guidance that is deepened by those realized beings who have come before. Through initiation the mureed enters the sil sileh.
