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

PHILOSOPHY 1

PHILOSOPHY 2

PHILOSOPHY 3

PHILOSOPHY 4

PHILOSOPHY 5

MYSTICISM 1

MYSTICISM 2

MYSTICISM 3

MYSTICISM 4

MYSTICISM 5

MYSTICISM 6

MYSTICISM 7

METAPHYSICS 1

METAPHYSICS 2

METAPHYSICS 3

METAPHYSICS 4

PSYCHOLOGY 1

PSYCHOLOGY 2

PSYCHOLOGY 3

PSYCHOLOGY 4

PSYCHOLOGY 5

PSYCHOLOGY 6

PSYCHOLOGY 7

BROTHERHOOD 1

BROTHERHOOD 2

MISCELLANEOUS I

MISCELLANEOUS 2

MISCELLANEOUS 3

MISCELLANEOUS 4

MISCELLANEOUS 5

MISCELLANEOUS 6

MISCELLANEOUS 7

RELIGION 1

RELIGION 2

RELIGION 3

RELIGION 4

ART AND MUSIC 1

ART AND MUSIC 2

ART AND MUSIC 3

ART AND MUSIC 4

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 1

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 2

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 3

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 4

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 5

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 6

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 7

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 8

Sub-Heading

-ALL-

Mureedship

Attitude Towards the Sacred Readings

Attitude Towards the Practices and the Movement

Attitude Towards Murshid and Towards the Cause

THE SUPPLEMENTARY PAPERS

CLASS FOR MUREEDS 1

Attitude Towards Murshid and Towards the Cause

I would like to speak to my mureeds about in what relation they stand to their Murshid. As soldier to their general, or as pupils to their professor? They stand much more close to their Murshid than words can explain. Mureeds to their Murshid are just like veins of his own body, through which the blood of his Message runs continually. And in that way the Murshid not alone gives the Message, but all the mureeds together with him. I wish my mureeds to understand what responsibility they have in the world, that by realizing this they feel what is their duty in the Cause. As they become more and more serious and keen as channels to the Message, so they become as the lungs through which the word comes, the lungs of the Murshid through which the Message comes. And what if there is something wrong with the lungs? It has its effect upon the whole life.

The more you will think of this, the more you realize that you have become mureeds not only for your own spiritual development: then you might as well have become a member of any esoteric society. If destiny has brought you into the Sufi Movement, then your responsibility is different. If one does not realize this, one has not yet come to the consciousness of one's mureedship. He has been received but is not yet conscious of his responsibility. In order to have that, all the energy that is needed, must be put to the cause of the Message. Every mureed has to share its burden; concerning this, every mureed is counted, however humble his work. A mureed one does not see for the whole year, that mureed has something to do with the Message. That mureed is part of a particle of the body of the Cause, and his attitude, his life, his work, his feelings, his thoughts, have an effect upon the whole Cause.

It is not only that the mureeds depend upon the Cause, it is also the Cause which is dependent upon the mureeds. The best thing therefore for my mureeds is to realize this, to realize their responsibility to God and humanity in this Cause. When only they do not think, "What am I?" Because they are not known perhaps, or are not doing any particular work either known or unknown. In the abstract world you all have your part in the plan. In the abstract world you have it, you all have your part to play in the Message.

The Sufi Cause is a temple built for this time, a temple built for the worship of the future. And some will have to be the pillars of the temple and some will have to serve in the making of the walls. And some must help the position of the dome and minarets. In truth all this is needed; this all must be provided and supplied. By what? By the devoted hearts of the mureeds. This temple built in the abstract will be indestructible. Everything else will follow sooner or later.

Every mureed contributes to the making of this temple in the abstract, a duty which is most sacred. The more you are conscious, the more you will make the temple. Never mind if your means do not allow you, or your everyday work; never mind if your life's situation will not allow you opportunity, as long as you intend to do your best for the best. If the result is not for today, then it will be for tomorrow. It is your intention which values most in this Cause.

No doubt over-enthusiasm upsets a person's balance. So I would not ask you for an over-enthusiasm on your part. Although I must appeal to your deepest hearts that we sorely need ten thousand workers to begin our Movement. Until we have got this, we have not developed. I do not consider that we have made a beginning. A Cause which is for the whole humanity needs at least the number I have mentioned. And this I will tell you, you must come and do every effort possible to make the number which is wanted just now to serve God and humanity.

Your devotion is really the only consolation I have in the difficulties which are endless and which I can never explain in this world, difficulties which are endless and beyond imagination. I think as parents who do not think it necessary to bring their troubles before their children; they bear it for themselves. It is that which is the case of your Murshid. Yet I am quite well aware that if your Murshid were in need and I was in trouble, you would all gladly help me. But this is my greatest need.

One might ask whether in any cases quality is not more than quantity. This might be true for an esoteric school, but not for a world cause. If it were for an esoteric school, it would be quite a different thing. But it is the world service, and we can never have enough work done, it can never be enough. And there is a large part of the world which should be touched, which is still untouched. When we look at the map, how poor we stand for a world message, with all the riches from above that we have at the back of us.

No doubt it is true that the message of God must reach all people, must reach all parts of the earth, but human efforts are necessary as our part. It is necessary that some people will come out from the mureeds who will be able to take up the work in other lands, in other parts of the world where the Message has not yet spread. Some will have to go before the Message and try to awaken interest and prepare the ground. And others will go in places where the Movement has started, to blow the fire and keep it glowing. Our ideal is so high: our work, our service needs a number of souls. But our congregation is so little. This we must realize every day more and more, and find out every day more and more what can be done for this want in order to promote the Cause so dear to our hearts and so sacred to our souls.

God bless you.