Uniting the fragments

In this inspiring interview, PIR ZIA INAYAT KHAN, the head of the Inayati Order and grandson of Hazrat Pir Murshid Inayat Khan, shares the Sufi perspective on integration, consciousness, the dimension of the soul, the rhythm of the heart, and how we illuminate the inner landscape with PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN.

Q: Namaste, Sir. I’m very honored and happy to speak with you today. Can you give me a little context about the Inayati Order?

PZIK: It’s a pleasure to be with you, Purnimaji. Thank you so much.

The Inayati is a lineage of Sufism traced back to my grandfather, Hazrat Pir Murshid Inayat Khan, who was born in Baroda into a family of musicians and became a great musician himself. He traveled throughout India as a musician and eventually went to Hyderabad as a young man, where he met the man who would become his Murshid, his Sufi teacher, Sayyid Abu Hashim Madani.

He studied and practiced for several years until the passing of his Murshid. Before his passing, his Murshid said, “Go forth, my son, and unite East and West with the harmony of your music, for to this end you are blessed by Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta’ala” [May He be praised and exalted].

With that blessing, he continued his travels in India before eventually journeying by ship with his brothers, first to America, then onward to Europe, where he spent many years traveling and teaching in the West. In this way, a new Sufi order was born, the first to be established in the Americas and Western Europe.

Q: Thank you. It is said that Murshidji brought Sufism to the West. I’ve read The Inner Life, and it’s an amazing book.

PZIK: Yes, I’m glad you mentioned The Inner Life, my grandfather’s classic work. In that book he describes a method of spiritual unfoldment that involves a reintegration of the wholeness of our being. Each of us has multiple inheritances. We have our angelic inheritance, and inheritances from the jinns, the stars, the elements, the plants, and the animals. All of this is within us. We are a microcosm of the whole universe. At the same time, we are also divided within ourselves, fragmented. The path of initiation and awakening is about reuniting these various strands of our being.

The first thing he emphasizes in The Inner Life, after making space for the journey and fulfilling one’s obligations and duties, is the rediscovery of the animal dimension. In spiritual philosophies, the animal dimension is either overlooked or dismissed as something beneath the human condition. For Hazrat Inayat Khan, the animal condition is an essential dimension of our humanity. Rather than simply transcending it, it is important to integrate it.

This means being in touch with our physical body; rather than fleeing from it, we must fully inhabit it. It involves coming to know the depths of the rhythm of our breath, the rhythm of our heart, the magnetism that radiates from our core and limbs, and the light that flows through our gaze. All of this contributes to the crystallization of spirit within our physical form.

Ultimately, all initiations are inner openings 
within the one who experiences them.

Animals are profoundly in tune with their bodies, fully embodied beings. So, the first step for a seeker on the path is to return to this state of full embodiment, as represented by the animal world.

Q: Can I ask about your work with the John Coltrane Church?

PZIK: Certainly, you may ask anything. Regarding John Coltrane, recently, we had the joy of connecting with a group that listens to A Love Supreme as a spiritual practice every Sunday. This group is called the Church of Saint John Coltrane.

While I was in San Francisco, I had the opportunity to meet the founders and hear about how important the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan have been for the church. They also spoke about how influential these teachings were for John Coltrane himself, who studied the mysticism of music and sound, a subject my grandfather wrote about extensively. Coltrane used to share these teachings with other musicians, which allowed them to circulate widely in the jazz community.

Q: Your grandfather also wrote about initiation. Nowhere else have I read about this subject except in the Heartfulness tradition and the Sufi tradition. So I would love to hear your views on this.

PZIK: There are so many levels of initiation. Some initiations are given from one person to another. Other initiations occur naturally in a person’s life, arising from an inner opening, a discovery, or an unfoldment of the spirit.

Ultimately, all initiations are inner openings within the one who experiences them. But some are facilitated, brought about through a blessing given by someone who has walked the path of initiation, experienced an awakening, and can kindle the fire in others.

Someone who has caught fire blazes and burns, and can spread that fire to those who are ready to receive it. In this way, the fire of initiation spreads across the world, and this is how it is transmitted.

Q: What do you think are the duties and responsibilities of someone who has been initiated?

PZIK: Some initiations involve entering into the blessings of a lineage. In Sufism, there are two kinds of entry:

1. The Ashiq initiation, known as Baya’ al-Tawarruk is a pledge of blessing. This means that one simply becomes a friend of the Sangha. One expresses respect for the lineage and friendship toward those on this path. There are no special duties attached to it, and the individual may still follow a different spiritual path.
2. The Tālib initiation, known as Baya’ al-Haqiqah is for those who truly feel they have found their spiritual home. They have discovered the school of inner learning where they wish to study. Such a person is ready to dedicate their focus, effort, and concentration to this sacred work.

This second initiation is not given automatically. One may need time to prepare or it may turn out that what seemed like a connection was just a passing idea. This is why true initiation is given only when it is meant to be, and when it is serious and real.

When initiation is given, it means one has entered into a spiritual current. My grandfather described it as a tool being plugged into an electrical outlet, once connected, it lights up, receiving energy directly from the source.

Being plugged into this stream means receiving all the Grace, Barakah, and awakening that has flowed through generations, from teacher to student, from being to being. Each initiated soul is linked to a tremendous wave of spiritual energy.

When initiation is given, it means one has entered
into a spiritual current. My grandfather described
it as a tool being plugged into an electrical outlet,
once connected, it lights up, receiving energy
directly from the source.
 

This is the marvel of initiation, it carries you beyond the limitations of your own egoic identity. Awakening is not something we undertake in isolation. The very meaning of awakening is to transcend the illusion of separateness.

So, what brings us beyond separation? It is the wave, a force that connects us with multiple beings, all undertaking the same realization of oneness.

Q: How can we contribute more to the evolution of consciousness on a larger scale?

PZIK: The best contribution that we can make, first and foremost, is to be what we wishes to see in the world, to embody it, to live it.

If we wish for peace in the world, our first calling is to find peace within ourselves and live accordingly. In doing so, we can be certain that we have done all that we possibly can, because while we cannot change others, we have one unique privilege: We are responsible for ourselves. We can choose our thoughts, our words, and our actions. If we take this responsibility seriously and align our choices with our highest vision of beauty and truth, then that, in itself, is the greatest service we can offer to the world, the very purpose for which we were born.

We are responsible for ourselves. 
We can choose our thoughts, our words, and our actions. 
If we take this responsibility seriously and 
align our choices with our highest vision of beauty and truth,
then that, in itself, is the greatest service 
we can offer to the world, 
the very purpose for which we were born.

Q: So, you suggest that we should continue to become better and better versions of ourselves, striving to embody the change we wish to see in the world.

PZIK: I don’t know if I would use the word “better.” I would rather say “more whole.” Because we have become fragmented. The journey is about reintegrating those fragments—body, mind, heart, and soul—creating linkages so that all of these faculties function as one unified entity.

This universe is a singular reality, a unity of body, mind, and soul, and each of us is a microcosm of that unity. But we live in a flatland, a limited perception of reality where we give our attention only to what is visible. There are multiple dimensions beyond the physical.

We overlook the dimension of the soul, where all is experienced as a spiritual union, where living lights commune through presence. This level is forgotten because we are preoccupied with formalities, the external structures, and the appearances of life.

Similarly, we neglect the dimension of the heart, where emotional resonance occurs. The feelings we experience at this level are not mere abstractions. They are as real and tangible as this table or chair. The emotional currents of the heart create landscapes that endure long after physical objects crumble into dust.

The journey is about reintegrating those fragments
—body, mind, heart, and soul
—creating linkages so that all of these faculties 
function as one unified entity.

But at the same time, we must not disregard the physical world or view it as something fallen or unworthy. The physical world is a crystallization of the inner world. The soul itself wished to manifest in this way, to take on a body, to experience incarnation. However, in the process of incarnation, the soul forgot itself. It lost its original awareness. We have come to believe that we are merely this body with a fixed outline. So, the first step is to blur the outline, to recognize that the boundaries we perceive are not absolute.

For example, we assume that our body ends at our skin. But our breath extends beyond us, intermingling with the breath of others. Right now, in this moment, we are interbreathing, sharing air, sharing energy. We are also exchanging light, as the body exudes illumination and magnetism.

Our thoughts do not remain confined within us. They travel, they enter the minds of others. There is a tremendous interchange happening at all times.

Thus, the boundary of the self is not fixed or static. It is fluid and dynamic. When we begin to rediscover this interconnectedness, it carries us beyond our preconceived egoic limits. It expands our capacity for empathy and opens us to the vast, multidimensional nature of existence, where many planes intersect, all expressing one eternal life.

Q: Thank you!

PZIK: Thank you so much, Purnimaji. It has been a pleasure to meet you and speak with you.