Orders and Leadership
Hazrat Inayat Khan died in 1927. Leadership of the Sufi Movement he had founded first passed to his brother, Shaikh-ul-Mashaikh Maheboob Khan; in 1948 to his cousin, Pir-o-Murshid Ali Khan; in 1956 to his youngest brother, Pir-o-Murshid Musharaff Khan; and in 1968 to his grandson, Pir-o-Murshid Fazal Inayat-Khan. In the 1980s Murshid Fazal proposed a bifurcation between Sufi Movement and the Sufi Way, which became a specific branch of Inayat Khan’s lineage founded by Murshid Fazal in 1985. For an in-depth description of this history written by Murshid Fazal – read “Western Sufism: The Sufi Movement, The Sufi Order International, and The Sufi Way”. In 1988 Fazal's father Hidayat Inayat Khan became Pir-o-Murshid of the International Sufi Movement. Following the death in 1990 of Murshid Fazal, he was succeeded by the first woman leader of the tariqah (path), Pirani Sitara Brutnell. She died in 2004, naming Pir Elias Amidon as her successor.
The Sufi Order International was founded by Inayat Khan’s eldest son, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan. Pir Vilayat led the order for over 50 years, until his death in 2004. He was an avid student of many religious and spiritual traditions and incorporated the rich mystical heritage of East and West into his teachings, adding to it the scholarship of the West in music, science, and psychology. Pir Vilayat travelled widely and wrote several accessible books on Sufism, including "Awakening: A Sufi Experience" (Tracher, 2000). Pir Vilayat founded the Abode of the Message, a retreat center for the Sufi Order that is also used by other Sufi orders and interfaith gatherings. Pir Vilayat was succeeded by his son, Pir Zia Inayat Khan.
An American mureed of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s, Samuel Lewis, rose to prominence in the late 1960s and is well known as the creator of the Dances of Universal Peace. A fellow mureed and protector of Hazrat Inayat Khan's designated spiritual successor, Murshida Rabia Martin, Samuel Lewis served as a Murshid in the lineage of Inayat Khan. In this role he organized the Sufi Islamia Ruhaniat Society (often referred to as S.I.R.S.), later renamed the Sufi Ruhaniat International. The Sufi Ruhaniat International recognizes a distinct line of spiritual transmission from Hazrat Inayat Khan through Murshid Sufi Ahmed Murad Chishti (Sam Lewis). The current head of the Sufi Ruhaniat International is Pir Shabda Khan.
At various times during the 20th century there have been disputes among Inayat Khan's and his successors' mureeds about who should most rightfully be the next leader of the Universal Sufi movement. However, recent years have brough considerable healing and reconciliation. In fact, the Urs of Inayat Khan (the celebration of the anniversary of his passing from this world) is now jointly celebrated at his dargah (tomb) in India by the Sufi Order International, Sufi Ruhaniat International, The Sufi Way and the International Sufi Movement.
The richness and variety of teachings within the western Sufi tradition inspired by Inayat Khan is a sign of its vitality.
Read more about this topic: Universal Sufism
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“Selflessness is like waiting in a hospital
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Selfishness is like listening to good jazz
With drinks for further orders and a huge fire.”
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“Nature, we are starting to realize, is every bit as important as nurture. Genetic influences, brain chemistry, and neurological development contribute strongly to who we are as children and what we become as adults. For example, tendencies to excessive worrying or timidity, leadership qualities, risk taking, obedience to authority, all appear to have a constitutional aspect.”
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