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-

Religious Gathekas

#14 The Sufi Form of Worship

I would like to speak a few words to introduce the idea of our movement. The Sufi movement has three aspects of its work:

  • the esoteric work,
  • the devotional service, and
  • the activity of brotherhood.

In spite of all the different opinions of the different people in the world, it is an undeniable fact that humanity needs religion greatly. But which religion does it need? Does it need the sectarian religions of old? No. Mankind is getting tired of that idea of being confined in a sect. The new generation today is beginning to see that there is no religion in this world which can be considered inferior to its own; therefore that narrow outlook of the sectarians of the religions does not appeal to them.

Is the Sufi Message a new religion? Certainly it cannot be a new religion. Jesus Christ said, "I have come to fulfill the law, not to give a new law." It is the same religion which Jesus Christ brought continued still further. It is one and the same stream which all prophets have brought and given to humanity, carried along. It is the same stream which is always there.

The message of the Sufi is the answer to the cry of humanity today, for it is in agreement with science and it stands to defend all religions.

The Sufi does not say this religion is greater than the other, nor does he come out and say this religion and that religion are equal. He leaves it to the individual to think as he thinks. he only holds his service as the proof of admiring all the teachers and respecting all the scriptures which are respected by humanity.

But with all its forms, the Sufi idea also has the formless ideal of worship. The form is to help the one who can be helped by seeing the form, because all education is an education of names and forms. If there were no form and no name we would not have learned them. The form is only suggestive of what is behind it, of the one and same truth which is behind all religions. Therefore this service is a teaching at the same time, yet every Sufi is free to take up a form or not to take up a form. A Sufi is not bound by a form; the form is for his use, not to make him captive.

Is there a priesthood in the Sufi Movement? Priesthood, not in the sense as it is understood, priesthood only to conduct the service and to answer the need of a priest in our everyday life. Those ordained, whoever has the desire to serve humanity by showing an example to the world in all places: in the church, in school, in parliament, and in the court. Woman and man together complete evolution. But at the same time every Sufi is a priest, a preacher, a teacher, and a pupil of every soul that he meets in the world. The only ideal in working is to qualify oneself to be a proper servant in order to serve the Cause of God.