The Inayatiyya* is a global organization dedicated to the Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan, who first introduced Sufism to the Western world in 1910. The Sufi Message proclaims the knowledge of divine unity—of all peoples, all religions, and all existence—and the religion of the heart awakened to the beauty in all creation.
In the chain of transmission of the Inayatiyya, the teachings and lineages of four great Sufi orders—the Chishti, Suhrawardi, Qadiri, and Naqshbandi—are united in its founder, Hazrat Inayat Khan. Today, there are numerous lineages and organizations tracing their origins to him. The Inayatiyya represents the lineage passed directly to his eldest daughter Nur Inayat Khan and his eldest son, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, and currently led by his grandson, Pir Zia Inayat Khan.
Silsila (Arabic: سِلْسِلَة) is an Arabic word meaning chain, link, connection often used in various senses of lineage. In particular, it may be translated as a “spiritual genealogy”, a transmission from one Sufi Teacher to his spiritual descendant.
Over the course of his life, Hazrat Inayat Khan envisioned and developed Seven Activities to help one explore the inner life and how this life relates to the outer world.
THE ESOTERIC SCHOOL is the primary vehicle of Sufi training and education for initiates of the Inayatiyya. This training is provided through various Inayatiyya programs and events, including the two-year curriculum of the Suluk Academy, the Season of the Rose Summer School, and many other retreats and workshops with Inayatiyya senior teachers throughout North America and worldwide.
UNIVERSAL WORSHIP is the inter-religious activity of the Inayatiyya, promoting harmony between the world’s major religious traditions, primarily through the Universal Worship service.
KINSHIP inspires people to work together to serve those in need, to protect and restore the web of life on Earth, and to create a more just and beautiful world. Within the Inayatiyya, Kinship is expressed through the Hope Project in India, the Emergency Relief Fund and more.
MUSIC cultivates and explores the mystical aspects inherent to music and sound, through individual and collective study, concerts, and gathering musicians to sing and play music together.
THE HEALING ACTIVITY offers education and training in the teachings and techniques of spiritual healing taught by Hazrat Inayat Khan, emphasizing attunement, prayer, breath, and concentration.
KNIGHTHOOD OF PURITY promotes the service-oriented, chivalric values of Hazrat Inayat Khan. Those seeking to study and practice the Iron, Copper, Silver and Golden Rules, the philosophy and art of life, whether Sufi initiates or not, are eligible to join.
ZIRA’AT is an activity which uses the symbols and processes of agriculture to promote an understanding of the earth’s sacredness, and to describe and facilitate growth in the inner life, bridging both the material and spiritual worlds.
Baraka Center 