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

#28 Is Sufism a Religion?

The question is sometimes asked whether Sufism is a religion. Yes, Sufism is the religion, not a religion. As it is the religion, it has always been and will always be. What we call Judaism, Christianity, or Islam is all Sufism in its essence. The question of whether the Sufis have a religion, a form, or a dogma may be answered, "The Sufi is not subject to form or dogma, but the Sufi uses form and dogma as the soul uses a name and a form." The one who questions the importance of a name and form must first come out of his body and then ask, "Why is there a form?" He must become free from the name and form he has. A man carries in his heart his own name, yet he says, "Anything that has a name, I am against it."

In this world of names and forms, it is absurd to say we do not need a name or a form. Therefore what a Sufi does with his realization of the essence of religion is to arrive at the understanding of the use of names and forms. He does not allow names and forms to blind him; he takes names and forms and uses them towards that purpose which he has to accomplish through life.

The Sufi worship is a worship of all scriptures and all religions. But this does not mean that we have a discussion or a debate on comparative religion by this worship. Neither do we believe only in certain scriptures. We do not mean that these scriptures on the altar are the only ones to which we adhere and which we respect, rejecting the other scriptures. By kindling the lights in the name of the great religions of the world, we do not mean that we believe in only these particular religions and we reject the other religions. It is only meant that our religion is what may be called the religion, a religion which embraces all scriptures and all religions, a religion which recognizes the value of wisdom, and a religion the God of which can be found in truth alone.