Inayati Order
The Inayati Order , until 2016 the International Sufi Order, was founded by Indian musician and religious scholar Hazrat Inayat Khan with legal status in London in 1917. From 1926 the order, headquartered in Suresnes ( France ), was headed by Inayat Khan's son Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan . Inayat Khan conceived the order as part of the Sufi movement, encompassing all initiated members who went through a path of initiation in several phases.
The order operates under the umbrella organization Federation of the Sufi Message .
historical development
The death of Inayat Khan in 1927 led to a dispute over his successor and eventually to a schism that ushered in the independent development of the International Sufi Movement and the Sufi Order International . While initially Inayat Khan, as a great figure of integration, was able to hold the different parts of the enormously expanding order together, in the 1930s nobody was able to settle the internal power struggles and defend the unity of the movement. The eldest son of Inayat Khan, whom his father had designated as his successor while he was still alive, Pir Vilayat Khan only took over the leadership of the order of the Sufi movement in 1957. He very soon detached the order from the administrative structures of the movement and thus led it to independence. He regarded the international Sufi movement as a rival organization and his order as the "true" legacy of his father. Looking at the internal structure (see below) and the teaching of the Order compared to the International Sufi Movement, only very small differences can be detected. Both organizations have the same tradition and almost the same teaching and practice. The founding of the umbrella organization "Federation of the Sufi Message" promoted a certain amount of communication and cooperation between the two organizations. For reasons that are not mentioned, those responsible for the International Sufi Order have not yet decided to join this umbrella organization.
In 2001, Pir Vilayat Khan transferred the leadership of the International Sufi Order to his son Zia Inayat Khan . Pir Vilayat Khan died in 2004 at the age of 88 at his father's home in Suresnes near Paris. Since then, his son has continued all of his father's activities and seminars, including the 35-year-old summer retreat camp in the Swiss Alps.
Structure and activities of the Order
The following description refers both to the Inayati Order and to the International Sufi Movement , since the structure is very similar in both cases.
esoteric school
At the heart of the movement is the esoteric school or order, in which the students devote themselves to their spiritual training. The student goes through a path of initiation, which is always connected with an initiation into a higher class. Even those who do not wish to be bound by an initiation are invited to participate in classes or lectures. Whether this also applies to higher classes remains questionable. The goals are to train and guide the students on their "spiritual" path. The voluntary nature of all those involved is always emphasized. No exercise is compulsory. Nobody is forced to be initiated. However, the student who desires this should entrust himself to a spiritual guide. The religious affiliation of the students plays no role in the initiation.
Universal Worship
The universal service originally goes back to the theosophist and later student of the Sufi movement, Sophia Saintsbury-Green. It is designed for people of all denominations and religions and anyone can participate. During the service, the Holy Scriptures of the major world religions will be read. This interreligious comparison is intended to reveal the true, unified essence of all religions in order to make the unity in the diversity of the major religions clear.
The service, which is held by a “cherag” (priest), essentially consists of three parts:
- Burning six candles on the altar. Each candle symbolizes a world religion. The seventh candle is placed in the center and rises above all others as the "light of God". The holy scriptures of the world religions are also found on the altar.
- Reading from the Holy Scriptures to recognize the "unity in diversity".
- Attunement to the "spirit" of each religion through dancing, singing, praying and meditating.
fraternity or sisterhood
The brotherhood and sisterhood essentially includes the circle of initiated murīdūn ( novices ). It forms the core of the life of the Sufi network, from which numerous activities emanate. The aim of the students is to carry love, harmony and beauty beyond the borders of the order. Due to this motivation, numerous projects have been formed, for example soup kitchens, centers for counseling and health, art networks, development aid projects.
Order of Salvation
The Healing Order deals with all aspects of spiritual healing. The aim of such orders is to support sick people who have asked for it with the help of divine power and to stimulate their self-healing powers. This should be done in parallel to treatment by evidence-based medicine .
Zira'at
Overall, this area seems to be hardly comprehensible for outsiders. On the movement's website, there is little specific mention of "planetary consciousness", i.e. the recognition of the divinity of nature and the will to preserve it. Inayat Khan is said to have had this insight into the founding of “Ziraat” in 1927. Since then, ceremonial events have been held regularly to experience the beauty and divinity of nature. Later, numerous groups were founded, especially in the USA, which also practiced active environmental protection.
A related catchphrase is “Earth Healing”. In rituals that originate from Zoroastrianism and indigenous religions, divine power that heals the planet earth is to be imparted to the individual, similar to the healing order.
knighthood of the heart
This activity was revived in 2010 and includes a code of impeccable behavior and noble demeanor. 40 rules are intensively studied and practiced for a harmonious coexistence. It is a path of inner authority and inner truth. The meaning of knighthood is that in a world fraught with conflict and disharmony, people are empowered to meet life's challenges.