The Heart of Sufism

March 1, 1999
In 1910, when Sufi master Khan left India to travel to Europe and America with the hopes of introducing Sufism to the West, his teacher told him: "Harmonize the East and West with the harmony of your music. Spread the wisdom of Sufism abroad, for to this end you are gifted by Allah." For the next 15 years, Khan lectured widely in the West, and he began to achieve the goals he had set for himself. Witteveen, executive supervisor of the International Sufi Movement, distills the core of Khan's spirituality from the Sufi master's 16-volume collected works. Included in this collection are Khan's teachings on the great Sufi poet, Rumi, the "mysticism of religion," "mental purification," "music and sound," "health and healing" and "the art of personality." On mysticism: "It is not by self-realization that man realizes God; it is by God-realization that man realizes self." On mental purification: "Sympathy breaks the congestion of the heart." On health: "A clean body reflects the purity of the soul, and is the secret of health. It is the purity of the soul itself that gives the tendency towards cleanliness of body." Witteveen's excellent anthology provides a thoughtful introduction to Khan's writings and to Sufism.