The Inner Life

February 10, 1997
Few writers have been as important to the understanding of Islamic mysticism as Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927). After the deaths of his spiritual teacher, his grandfather and his mother, Inayat Khan left India to teach in Europe and the United States. Inayat Khan founded the Sufi Order of Islamic mysticism and guided it in such a way that Westerners could understand and appreciate its teachings. After his death, Inayat Khan's teachings were published in 14 volumes. The present collection contains three essays from those original volumes, an unpublished essay called "The Path of the Mystic" and collected aphorisms. In these writings, Inayat Khan shows that real religious strength emanates from a cultivation of the inner life. These writings are an eloquent introduction to a spiritual path that encourages seekers to discover their inner spirituality amidst the business of everyday life.