Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
Hazrat Inayat Khan (Urdu: عنایت خان ) (July 5, 1882 – February 5, 1927) was an exemplar of Universal Sufism and founder of the "Sufi Order in the West" in 1914 (London). Later, in 1923, the Sufi Order of the London period was dissolved into a new organization formed under Swiss law and called the "International Sufi Movement". He initially came to the West as a representative of classical Indian music, having received the title Tansen from the Nizam of Hyderabad but soon turned to the introduction and transmission of Sufi thought and practice. His universal message of divine unity (Tawhid) focused on the themes of love, harmony and beauty. He taught that blind adherence to any book rendered any religion void of spirit.
“Dive deeply into the miracle of life and let the tips of your wings be burnt by the flame, let your feet be lacerated by the thorns, let your heart be stirred by human emotion, and let your soul be lifted beyond the earth.”
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
“Though you may not be able to change it, you can handle an ugly situation beautifully.”
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
“Instead of lamenting your fate, create your world.”
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
“To bring the sublime into the mundane is the greatest challenge there is.”
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
“Don't be concerned about being disloyal to your pain by being joyous.”
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
“One is never so strong as when one is broken.”
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
“There can be no rebirth without a dark night of the soul, a total annihilation of all that you believed in and thought that you were.”
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan