The Prophetic Mysticism in the Discourses of Hazrat Inayat Khan

By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam 08 February 2023 Main Points: 1. The godliness—Rabbaniyat—and the inherent goodness in it is Mysticism in Islam which is also known in the Prophetic Traditions as Ihsan. 2. Hazrat Inayat Khan, Tipu Sultan's great-grandson, was both a mystic and a musician from India. 3. He believed that Prophetic mysticism means to live in heaven and on the earth at the same time; head in heaven and feet on the earth. That is, to be able to listen to the Voice of God and at the same time every cry of humanity. 4. He preached that one need not convert to Islam in order to become a Mystic. 5. Hazrat Inayat Khan beautifully elucidates that the Prophet was an interpreter of the divine law in a human tongue. Riding on the horse of hope, Holding in my hand the reign of courage, Clad in the armour of patience, And the helmet of endurance on my head, I started on my journey to the land of love. --HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi ------ The holy Qur’an clearly states: كُونُواْ رَبَّانِيِّينَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تُعَلِّمُونَ الْكِتَابَ وَبِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَدْرُسُونَ Translation: “Be a godly people, by teaching the holy Book and studying it” (3:79) This godliness—Rabbaniyat—and the inherent goodness in it is Mysticism in Islam which is also known in the Prophetic Traditions as Ihsan; righteousness, beautification, perfection, or excellence in the human character. Etymologically, Ihsan comes from the Arabic root letters “Husn” meaning “perfection" or "excellence". In Islamic terminology, Ihsan means “excellence in faith” which requires us to inculcate moral, ethical and spiritual values such as love for all, peace with all, universal brotherhood, religious harmony, tolerance, inclusiveness, and common goodwill. Therefore, Ihsan is the highest rank of faith in Islam, which lays the foundation for Islamic mysticism. Who was Hazrat Inayat Khan? Before we talk about the Prophetic Mysticism in the Discourses of Hazrat Inayat Khan, let us take a brief look at his heroic life and valiant contributions to mysticism: Hazrat Inayat Khan, Tipu Sultan's great-grandson, was both a mystic and a musician from India. According to Sadia Dehlvi, he was a man of many tastes. Born in 1882 in Baroda (Vadodara), Gujarat, Rehmat Khan aka Sufi Hazrat Inayat Khan was an Indian Muslim musicologist, Sufi philosopher, poet, singer and exponent of the Saraswati Vina. In 1920, Inayat Khan travelled abroad to give music concerts. He was initiated into Sufism by Sheikh Syed Abu Hashim Madani of the Chishtia lineage known as A’alim-e-Ladunni (keeper of divine knowledge) in Hyderabad, India. In 1910, heeding the spiritual advice of his Murshid, Hazrat Inayat Khan sailed with his brothers to the West. There, travelling through America and Europe, he spent the rest of his life spreading the universal message of love for the Divine ideal, service to one’s fellowman, and respect for the unity of religious ideals. At a time when the western world was devastated by the wars, Inayat Khan widely travelled across Europe, America and Russia to save mankind from destruction. As a true Sufi Mystic, he enlivened the essence of love and peace from India to England and gave the slogan: “Violin, not violence!” Thereafter, he is known in our history as “Baani e Maghribi Tasawwuf” (the one who introduced Sufism to the West). Inayat Khan was married to Ora Ray Baker (an American woman) who bore him four children including the famous Sufi princess and spy of World War 2, Shahzadi Noor-un-Nisa (Shaheeda). Hazrat Inayat Khan passed away in 1927 and is buried in a beautifully structured graveyard in Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin in South Delhi. His Dargah differs much from the typical Sufi shrines and untidy Dargahs of Delhi. It is well taken care of by a woman Sufi and a Darvisha Dr. Fareeda Ali of the West Indies. After Pir Vilayat Khan, son of Hazrat Inayat Khan, now (Dr.) Pir Zia Inayat Khan heads the Inayatiyya Sufi Order as an erudite spiritual and intellectual successor. Today, the Delhi-based Dargah of Hazrat Inayat Khan is offered as a place of prayer and meditation for all people, without regard to religion, creed, gender, caste, class, nation or race. What is Mysticism in his understanding? Mysticism, according to Hazrat Inayat Khan, is a way of life based on universal love, harmony, and beauty. He preached that one need not convert to Islam in order to become a Mystic. Now let us try to understand how he defined religion from the point of view of a mystic! In a collection of his Sufi discourses titled, The Unity of Religious Ideals (volume 9), Hazrat Inayat Khan throws new light: Religion, in the outer sense of the word, is a form given to the worship of God, and a law given to a community to help them to live harmoniously. But in the inner sense of the word, religion means a staircase made for the soul to climb and reach that plane where Truth is realised. Both these aspects of religion may be found in the words, and in the soul of the prophet: his words, the law; his message, the wisdom; and his being, that peace which is the seeking of every soul. What is ‘Prophetic Mysticism’? When we explore the Prophetic life, right from the early Meccan period to the Medinite period, from Pre-prophetic (Qabl Ba’asat) to the post-Prophetic era, the entire life and mission of the holy Prophet cab be beautifully described as Mysticism, which is known as Ar-Rabbaniyah in the holy Quran and Ihsaan in the Prophetic Traditions. This is clearly explained by the famous Hadith-e-Jibril: One day while the holy Prophet (pbuh) was sitting along with some of his companions, the angel Gabriel came and asked a few questions: 1. What is Islam? The Prophet (pbuh) described it as the "Five Pillars of Islam". 2. What is Iman? The Prophet (pbuh) described it with the "Six Articles of Faith" 3. What is Ihsan? The holy Prophet replied: "Worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you are not able to see Him, if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must believe that He is seeing you." Sufis interpret the second part of the above Prophetic tradition as: if you don’t exist [i.e. if you lose your existence and get diffused in the divine existence] then only you can achieve the level of Ihsan. Now it is very important for us to try to understand what was the Holy Prophet doing before he was declared as Messenger of Allah (Rasoolullah). We don't know much but what we know for sure is that he spent most of his time in his pre-Prophetic life in mysticism, mediation, moral, ethical, and spiritual activism. In the words of Hazrat Inayat Khan: The Prophet is a Mystic, and greater than a Mystic. The Prophet is a philosopher, and greater than a philosopher. The Prophet is a poet, and greater than a poet. The Prophet is a teacher, and greater than a teacher. The Prophet is a seer, and greater than a seer. Why greater? Because he has a duty to perform, together with the blessing that he brings upon the earth. Hazrat Inayat Khan believed that Prophetic mysticism means to live in heaven and on the earth at the same time; head in heaven and feet on the earth. That is, to be able to listen to the Voice of God and at the same time every cry of humanity. He goes on to say: The Soul of the Prophet represents both the human and the divine. With his feet on the earth and his head in heaven, he had to journey on the path of life.....There is a Sufi expression, Akhlaq-ul-Allah (Takhallaqu bi Akhlaqillah), which means to adopt the “manner of Allah'', and this manner can only be seen in the Prophetic soul. Thus, Akhlaq-ul-Allah (the divine manners) are the means to achieve the Rabbaniyah through righteousness, piety, God-consciousness, self-discipline, moral uprightness, spiritual purification, humanitarian and social activism. And all these were the brightest personality traits of the holy Prophet even before he pronounced his prophethood. The Prophet used to engage in his mystic meditations in the cave of Hira (Ghar-e-Hira) for days and weeks at a stretch. In the first chapter titled as “The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah's Apostle”, even Imam Bukhari has relayed the Prophetic mysticism and his meditations in these words: حبب إليه الخلاء، وكان يخلو بغار حراء، فيتحنث فيه – وهو التعبد (Solitude was endeared to the holy Prophet, and he used to live in seclusion in the Cave of Hira). Clearly, the Prophet chose solitude (tahannus) and seclusion Ta’abbud for his to worship Allah in self-seclusion far from worldly matters and mundane affairs. So, what was this solitude for? Why was this seclusion and worship of Allah in loneliness? This was Mysticism, plain and simple. It is patently clear from various other prophetic traditions. Now we need to think and ponder over why the holy Prophet had cultivated a mystical inclination even before he announced the noble position of his prophethood, in the 40th year of his age. Imam al-Ghazali, a prominent Islamic theologian and Sufi philosopher of his times, also avers that the Prophet was a Mystic even before he announced his Prophethood. It implies that Allah chose to declare his beloved Mustafa a Mystic before he declared him as an Apostle. Hazrat Inayat Khan tells us that most people know that the Prophet (pbuh) was a warrior! But very few know that he was first Mystic and then anything else. In fact, Hazrat Inayat Khan explains that most people are unaware of the fact that Moses had the same experience. The whole lives of the prophets who were sent to different territories across the world reflected the same mystical inclinations. However, they had to go through struggles and sometimes wars and battles in the path of Deen, Dharma, and Righteousness. Hz. Inayat Khan was perhaps the first Sufi mystic to explain this. He says: The Prophets of India—from Rama to Krishna—were also both Mystics and at the same time warriors from beginning to end. Their scriptures are full of the battle stories that went on all through their lives, and if some prophets apparently did not have to wage a war, then they had some other form of struggle to go through....The seers and saints, who live a life of seclusion, are happy when compared with the prophet, whose life’s work was in the midst of the crowd. The Prophet representing God and his Message is tried and tested and examined by every soul.... A mystic is free to speak and act. He or she doesn’t care what others think of him or her. However, the prophet had to be very careful, not for himself, but for those who follow him. More to the point, Hazrat Inayat Khan says: Many follow [or so to say, claim to follow] the Prophet, but very few comprehend his ideal. It is this that made Hazrat Muhmmad (pbuh) say: ‘I am city of knowledge, and Ali is the door’. In essence, Prophetic Mysticism, according to Hazrat Inayat Khan, means to live in heaven and to live on earth at the same time. That is, Prophetic Mysticism rises so high that it can hear the voice of God, but at the same time, it must bend so low that it can hear every little whisper of human beings. This mystical inclination of compassion was manifest in the holy Prophet’s persona and personality traits, in his sincerity and honesty (Amanat), truthfulness and trustworthiness (Sadaqat) for which he was known as “Muhammad Al-Ameen” (the trustworthy Muhammad) and “Muhammad al-Sadiq” (the truthful Muhammad). And this bright spiritual aspect of the Prophet’s personality was best described by his wife, Hazrat Khadijah. When Hazrat Jibril A.S brought down the first revelation to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he began trembling with fear and greatly wondered what was going to happen next. At this stage, the Prophet returned to his wife Khadijah, and said, "Cover me, cover me." She covered him until he regained peace and comfort. He then told Khadijah whatever happened to him in the cave and said that he was horrified. And then Hazrat Khadijah tried to comfort and soothes the holy Prophet. When he said, "I fear that something may happen to me", what Khadija said to reassure him is remarkably notable. She replied: كَلاَّوَاللَّهِ مَا يُخْزِيكَ اللَّهُ أَبَدًا، إِنَّكَ لَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ، وَتَحْمِلُ الْكَلَّ، وَتَكْسِبُ الْمَعْدُومَ، وَتَقْرِي الضَّيْفَ، وَتُعِينُ عَلَى نَوَائِبِ الْحَقِّ‏.‏ "Never! Allah will never disgrace you. Because you unite the relations; you bear the burden of the weak; you speak the truth, you help the poor and the destitute, you serve your guests generously and you assist those afflicted with a calamity." After the declaration of his Prophethood, mysticism became the main component of the entire prophetic life and mission. Part of his mysticism was to reform and civilize the Bedouin Arab society which was deeply steeped in Jahiliyyah. He educated them to shun all forms of violence, retaliation, and vengeance. Hazrat Inayat Khan has beautifully elucidated that the Prophet was an interpreter of the divine law in a human tongue. He was an ambassador of the spiritual hierarchy, for he represented to humanity the illuminated souls who are both known and unknown to the world, who are both hidden and manifest, and who are both in the world and beyond the world. Hence, the Prophet is called Rahmatul lil Alameen in full synergy with the divine attribute of Rabbul Alameen. He concludes: Being a Mystic, the Prophet was both an initiate and an initiator. He was an answer to the cry of humanity as much of individuals as of collectivity. He was the one who sympathised with those in pain, guided those in darkness, harmonised with those who were in conflict, and thus brought peace to the world which is losing its equilibrium..... As a mystic, the prophet brought love and light which is the food of every soul. Even today, the prophet is a living light, a light which is greater in power than the sun. For the light of the sun can only make things clear to the eyes, but the Prophetic Light can make the hearts see all that the eyes are not capable of seeing. In a nutshell, Prophetic Mysticism has brought us all the love of the Beloved Creator as the loving essence of all humanity, a love that is life itself. No words or actions can express that love in reality. (This essay draws on an address entitled, “Caravan: Wisdom from Invited Guests” by a regular columnist of NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, which he delivered at the 95th Urs Celebration of Hazrat Sufi Inayat Khan on Friday, February 3rd to Sunday, February 5th, 2023 organized by the Hazrat Inayat Khan Memorial Trust under the auspices of International Sufi Movement, Inayatiyya Order, Sufi Ruhaniat International and Sufi Way.) ---------- Regular Columnist with Newageislam.com, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Indo-Islamic scholar and English-Arabic-Urdu writer. He graduated from a leading Islamic seminary in India, and acquired a Diploma in Qur'anic sciences and a Certificate in Uloom ul Hadith from the Al-Azhar Institute of Islamic Studies. He has also participated in the 3-year “Madrasa Discourses” program initiated by the University of Notre Dame, USA. Presently, he is pursuing his Ph.D. in Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. ------------ URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/prophetic-mysticism-hazrat-inayat-khan/d/129055 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism