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

The Message

Free Will and Destiny in the Message

What is the Message?

Lecture for Mureeds and Friends

Wakening to the Message

Aspects of the Sufi Message

The Message

Relationship Between Murshid and Mureed

Personalities of the Servants of God

Our Efforts in Constructing

Teaching Given by Murshid to his Mureeds

Ways of Receiving the Message

The Path of Attainment

Interest and Indifference

The Call from Above

The Message

Unlearning

Spiritual and Religious Movements

Peculiarity of the Great Masters

Abraham, Moses and Muhammad

Four Questions

The Spreading of the Message

Jelal-ud-din Rumi

Peculiarities of the Six Great Religions

Belief and Faith

"Superhuman" and Hierarchy

Faith and Doubt

Divine Guidance

The Prophetic Life

There are two Kinds Among the Souls

The Messenger

The Message Which has Come in all Ages

The Sufi Message

The Message

Questions Concerning the Message

The Inner School

The Duty of Happiness

Five Things Necessary for a Student

Sub-Heading

-ALL-

The Message Papers

The Message

July 30, 1922

I do not wish to give any particular teaching to my mureeds on the subject of the Message, because it is something which must come from themselves, a realization which must spring from their own heart, that the soul may become convinced from itself, and from within, without outer teaching. Only as my mureeds will grow in the realization of the Truth, so they will realize the importance of the Message, the sacredness of the Message, and their own responsibility in the delivery of the Message of the time.

As parents do not expect from all the children a share of their responsibility, especially when the children are young -- only they look after them -- so the service of my mureeds is my religion and my life's mission, but I do not expect from every mureed who has not yet realized the importance of the Message that he should trouble about it. I do what I can for their progress in all walks of life, and feel responsible in God for their happiness. It is just like the parents whose happiness it is, whole duty it is, to be serviceable to their children; and there are many parents who do not expect any return for this, not even appreciation.

But one thing I wish to warn, and however many times I may warn it is never enough, and that is to keep in control your appreciation, your enthusiasm, and your sympathy for Murshid, and for the Cause, and always take care so as not to make the Message conspicuous in the eyes of the world. I very well know the feeling of my sincere mureeds, who at the moment of appreciation of the Message, of the blessing, wish that the whole world could share with them. But then sometimes they think that the whole world must share with them in a moment. And that must not be. It will share with them, and it is sharing with them, although unconsciously.

The light of the sun shines in the whole world, not only in Suresnes; the rain falls in all lands. Not only in France is the pouring out of God's Message, if not in words, in the atmosphere, in the air you will find an over. And to think others must know what we know is not necessary. It is neither for the good of the Message nor for the benefit of your Murshid. It is better for many not to know. Their time has not yet come for knowing; they will know. And what is there to be known? There is nothing. There is nothing to be known. It is the Message to glorify the Name of God. If you help, if His Name is known and glorified in the world, that is enough.

Do we wish the whole world to be members of the Sufi Order? What is needed is more capable workers who would forget themselves and consider nothing too great a sacrifice in order to work for God and humanity. If that is done, then everything is on my side, God and the world. It is natural that it is difficult to have workers in a world cause sufficient to provide everywhere there is need. But still this must be understood, that as many workers in the Cause we possess, so more, facility and strength comes to the spreading of the Cause.

Our activity in the line of religion -- which is a side activity, considering the esoteric school and esotericism as the main activity -- still that activity is the answer to the cry of the whole humanity, not the esoteric school. We call it the Church of All, but by whatever name it is called, it is the same. The name does not matter, it is something given. But remember that human sensibilities are delicate. We cannot expect every person to become most interested in the Cause the first moment it comes to them. It is possible, but not usual. Then it takes time for a person to grow into a thing and break the barriers of limitation. It takes time to rise above certain walls that he has built in life, before he can see the Truth of the Message and be sure of its mission.

Therefore every attempt must be made so as not to make this activity especially conspicuous in any way, neither by giving publicity to the name, by speaking about it to everybody at the first meeting, nor by advertising it too widely. Humankind is not very far from the birds in the wilderness. You might want to give bread to a bird, and the bird may be hungry and would like to have it, but the movement of your hand will frighten it, and make it fly away even though it sees the bread in your hand. It has not yet faith and confidence in itself and in the one who gives. Therefore you will have to hide it, to throw the grain and hide, and then the bird will come and take it. That is our position in the world.

And why do we want the world to know us, Murshid, or the Order? What is necessary is service done for our own satisfaction, that the work is done that has been given to us. Among my sincere and devoted mureeds who wish to serve the Cause, they will give great help who will not only help in the work, but will adopt my way of working in the delivery of the Message. We are not working for success, but success is assured, for Truth is success, and success is Truth.