The Teaching of Hazrat Inayat Khan      

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Volume

Sayings

Social Gathekas

Religious Gathekas

The Message Papers

The Healing Papers

Vol. 1, The Way of Illumination

Vol. 1, The Inner Life

Vol. 1, The Soul, Whence And Whither?

Vol. 1, The Purpose of Life

Vol. 2, The Mysticism of Sound and Music

Vol. 2, The Mysticism of Sound

Vol. 2, Cosmic Language

Vol. 2, The Power of the Word

Vol. 3, Education

Vol. 3, Life's Creative Forces: Rasa Shastra

Vol. 3, Character and Personality

Vol. 4, Healing And The Mind World

Vol. 4, Mental Purification

Vol. 4, The Mind-World

Vol. 5, A Sufi Message Of Spiritual Liberty

Vol. 5, Aqibat, Life After Death

Vol. 5, The Phenomenon of the Soul

Vol. 5, Love, Human and Divine

Vol. 5, Pearls from the Ocean Unseen

Vol. 5, Metaphysics, The Experience of the Soul Through the Different Planes of Existence

Vol. 6, The Alchemy of Happiness

Vol. 7, In an Eastern Rose Garden

Vol. 8, Health and Order of Body and Mind

Vol. 8, The Privilege of Being Human

Vol. 8a, Sufi Teachings

Vol. 9, The Unity of Religious Ideals

Vol. 10, Sufi Mysticism

Vol. 10, The Path of Initiation and Discipleship

Vol. 10, Sufi Poetry

Vol. 10, Art: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Vol. 10, The Problem of the Day

Vol. 11, Philosophy

Vol. 11, Psychology

Vol. 11, Mysticism in Life

Vol. 12, The Vision of God and Man

Vol. 12, Confessions: Autobiographical Essays of Hazat Inayat Khan

Vol. 12, Four Plays

Vol. 13, Gathas

Vol. 14, The Smiling Forehead

By Date

THE SUPPLEMENTARY PAPERS

Heading

#1 The Religion of the Heart

#2 The Belief in God

#3 Religion

#4 The Manner of Prayer

#5 The Present Need of the World for Religion

#6 "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

#7 Religion: Universality or Exclusivity?

#8 Humility in prayer

#9 The Need for Prayer

#10 The Prophet

#11 How the Wise Live in the World (1)

#12 How the Wise Live in the World (2)

#13 The Christ Spirit

#14 The Sufi Form of Worship

#15 Degrees in the Spiritual Hierarchy

#16 Stages in Following the Message

#17 The Message of Unity

#18-19 The Coming World Religion

#20 The Purpose of All Beings

#21 Christ

#22 Buddha

#23 Krishna

#24 Zarathushtra

#25 Rama

#26 Abraham

#27 Muhammad

#28 Is Sufism a Religion?

#29-30 The Religion of All Prophets

#31-32 The God Ideal

#33 Moses

#34 The Universal Worship (1)

#35 The Universal Worship (2)

#36 The Religion of All Prophets (3)

#37 The Universal Worship (3)

#38 The Idea of Sacredness

#39 The Universal Worship (4)

#40 Attaining the Inner Life Through Religion

#41 The Kingship of God

#42 Belief and Disbelief in God

Sub-Heading

-ALL-

1. Dutiful

2. Doubtful

3. Faithful

Religious Gathekas

#4 The Manner of Prayer

1. Dutiful

There are three kinds among those who are in the habit of offering prayer. There is one who by praying fulfills a certain duty which he considers one among all the duties of life. He does not know to whom he is praying, perhaps to some God. If he is in a congregation he of necessity feels obliged to do as the others do. He is like one among the sheep who goes on without knowing where and why. Prayer to him is something he must do because he is put in a situation where he cannot help it. In order to fall in with the custom of the family or community, and in order to respect those around him, he does as everybody else. His prayer is mechanical, and if it makes any effect, it is very little.

2. Doubtful

The second kind of person who offers his prayers is the one who offers the prayers because he is told to do so. And yet he is confused whether there is any God and if his prayers are really heard.

He may be praying and at the same time confusion may be going on in his mind: "Am I doing right or wrong?" If he is a busy man he might think, "Am I giving my time to something really profitable, or am I wasting it? I see no one before me; I hear no answer to my prayer."

He does it because he was told by someone to do it or because it might bring him some good. His prayer is a prayer in the dark. The heart, which must be opened to God, is covered by his own doubt; and if he prayed in this way for a thousand years it would never be heard.

It is this kind of soul who in the end loses his faith, especially when he meets with a disappointment and prays, because if his prayer is not answered that puts an end to his belief.

3. Faithful

Then there is a third person, who has imagination strengthened by faith. He does not only pray to God but he prays before God and in the presence of God. Once the imagination has helped man to bring the presence of God before him, the God in his own heart is wakened.

  • Then before he utters a word it is heard by God. When he is praying in a room he is not alone, he is there with God.
  • Then God to him is not in the highest heaven but next to him, before him, and in him.
  • Then heaven to him is on earth, and the earth for him is heaven.
  • No one to him is then so living as God or so intelligible as God, and the names and forms before him are all covered under Him.
  • Then every word of prayer he says is a living word. It not only brings him blessing, but also brings blessings to all those around him.

It is this manner of prayer only which is the right way of prayer, and by this manner the object that is to be fulfilled by prayer is accomplished.