The Sufi understands that although God is the source of all knowledge, inspiration, and guidance, yet man is the medium through which God chooses to impart His knowledge to the world. He imparts it through one who is a man in the eyes of the world, but God in his consciousness. It is the mature soul that draws blessings from the heavens, and God speaks through that soul. Although the tongue of God is busy speaking through all things, yet in order to speak to the deaf ears of many among us, it is necessary for Him to speak through the lips of man. He has done this all through the history of man, every great teacher of the past having been this Guiding Spirit living the life of God in human guise. In other words, their human guise consists of various coats worn by the same person, who appeared to be different in each. Shiva, Buddha, Rama, Krishna on the one side, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad on the other; and many more, known or unknown to history, always one and the same person. Those who saw the person and knew Him recognized Him in whatever form or guise; those who could only see the coat went astray. To the Sufi therefore there is only one Teacher, however differently He may be named at different periods of history, and He comes constantly to awaken humanity from the slumber of this life of illusion, and to guide man onwards towards divine perfection. As the Sufi progresses in this view he recognizes his Master, not only in the holy ones, but in the wise, in the foolish, in the saint and in the sinner, and has never allowed the Master who is One alone, and the only One who can be and who ever will be, to disappear from his sight. The Persian word for Master is Murshid. The Sufi recognizes the Murshid in all beings of the world, and is ready to learn from young and old, educated and uneducated, rich and poor, without questioning from whom he learns. Then he begins to see the light of Risalat, the torch of truth which shines before him in every being and thing in the universe, thus he sees Rasul, his Divine Message Bearer, a living identity before him. Thus the Sufi sees the vision of God, the worshipped deity, in His immanence, manifest in nature, and life now becomes for him a perfect revelation both within and without.

The works of Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan are one of the great spiritual treasures of the world. At once deeply rooted in the Sufi tradition and strikingly original in insight and expression, Hazrat’s teachings remain as potent and meaningful today as they were when originally communicated a century ago, with a message for every human mind and heart, and indeed for humankind collectively. For some time the need for a new popular edition of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s collected works has been apparent. With this in view, Suluk Press now commences its series The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan: Centennial Edition. The aim of this series is to provide the full set of Hazrat’s best-known teachings in a form that balances fidelity to his original words with sensitivity to the contemporary evolution of the English language.

The Indian Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882–1927) was the first teacher to bring Sufism—Islamic mysticism—to the Western world. His teaching was noted for its stirring beauty and power, as well as for its applicability to all people, regardless of religious or philosophical background. This book gathers together three of Inayat Khan's most beloved essays on the spiritual life from among the fourteen volumes of his collected works: "The Inner Life": Inayat Kahn's sublime portrait of the person whose life is a radiant reflection of the Divine "Sufi Mysticism": in which the author identifies and shatters the common misconceptions about mysticism to reveal its true meaning "The Path of Initiation and Discipleship": What it means to set out on the spiritual path and how to find and maintain the right relationship with a teacher

This is a book on the spiritual in everyday life. The very variety of its contents is an illustration of the significance of Sufism and spirituality in general for human life. The first two parts, Sufi Mysticism and The Path of Initiation and Discipleship expand further on themes presented in earlier volumes, particularly in volumes 1 The Way of Illumination. The reader is called to reconsider his life and how he is leading it rather than what life is his. Where is your ideal? In Sufi Poetry Hazrat Inayat Khan discusses the life, work and influence of some of the great Sufi poets of the past, illustrating the significance of mysticism and discipleship.

The Unity of Religious Ideals may lead you straight on the path to your ideal, discover for you the religion, in whatever form it may appear, waken in yourself the longing for the Light and the Goal, and thus you may find the Self, like a pearl hidden in the shell of your heart. In six parts the whole field of religion is covered from the point of view of the mystic, the philosophy of religion, the concept of God and the God-ideal, the spirit of guidance and the spiritual hierarchy; then various religions and messengers are discussed, followed by a presentation of some religious symbols and their explanation. Finally, the concept of the divine message is presented, followed by an exposition of the role of universal Sufism, and what contribution it can give to the development of the individual and of humanity at large. All Religions are essentially one: since there is only one God and one truth it cannot be otherwise, This is one of the principal tenets of Sufism and is one of the most important elements of Hazrat Inayat Khanês message

The Way of Illumination inspires the reader with its Sufi philosophy, cast in a modern and universal form, on the purpose of life, the inner side of life in conjunction with life in the world. It sheds light on the essence of our nature, being of Divine origin. Hints are given as to what and how the Sufi way, with the help of a spiritual guide, can contribute to one's spiritual and religious development. This is the first volume of the Indian edition of all the works intended for the publication of Hazrat Inayat Khan, the great Sufi mystic who lectured and taught in the western world from 1910 until his passing away in 1927. This volume consists of four parts; The way of Illumination; The Inner Life; The Soul, whence and whither; The Purpose of life.