Edited by Wali van der Zwan and Pir Shabda Kahn
Published by Ruhaniat Press
In 1910, the Indian Sufi mystic Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927) sailed to the West, where he found he first Sufi student in Rabia Martin (1871-1947). He initiated her in 1911, but they weren't to see each other again until 1923. They kept contact through an extensive correspondence. With the recent discovery in 2023 of some of the letters of Rabia Martin to her teacher and a number of newly found letters from Hazrat Inayat Khan, this volume is a unique document of the early years of Sufism in the West and offers insight in the intimacy between teacher and student.
Reviews
"Step into the world of Sufism as you explore the authentic exchange of letters between a Sufi Master and his first Murshida in the West during the early 20th century. This intimate correspondence offers a rare glimpse into the teachings and wisdom of the Sufi tradition, illuminated the profound bond between teacher and student in a time of cultural transition and spiritual exploration." - Murshida Taj Inayat, Spiritual guide in the Inayatiyya Sufi lineage
"Enter an intimate conversation of guidance between teacher and disciple, as the great Sufi master, Hazrat Inayat Khan arrives from the East for the first time in 1910 and finds his way in serving the Western world. The lessons he offers are as potent and relevant today as they were over a 100 years ago when they were penned. May these precious teachings serve in your awakening and manifesting Loving Kindness and Compassion to all beings in all realms." -– Pir Shabda Kahn – Spiritual Director of the Sufi Ruhaniat International and co-author of Physicians of the Heart: A Sufi View of the Ninety-Nine Names of Allah
"Reading through these letters one follows the development of the relationship between murshid and mureed, the devotion and trust one to the other, and the method of training Pir-o-Murshid instituted for his first western mureed. They also show the great determination of one woman to create a space where she could share the teachings she was receiving, she continued through the long years when there was no personal contact with her teacher." – Anne Louise Wirgman – Editor Nekbakht Foundation
"The discovery of the correspondence between Hazrat Inayat Khan and Murshida Rabia Martin in the early 2000s was of momentous import for the various lineages of Inayati Sufism. Many years ago, Pir Shabda Kahn handed me a manuscript copy of these letters of Hazrat Inayat Khan to Rabia Martin, which I read with great excitement. Today, I am delighted to have the definitive edition in Yours in the Infinite, including many of the letters from Rabia Martin to her murshid, and excellent introductions to the material from Pir Shabda and the other editors." – Pir Netanel Miles-Yépez, head of the Inayati-Maimuni Order and author of In the Teahouse of Experience: Nine Talks on the Path of Sufism
"These precious letters between Hazrat Inayat Khan and Murshida Rabia Martin reveal an intimate exchange between murshid and mureed, offering penetrating insight into the manner in which they exist in relation to one another. Noteworthy is an apparent acceleration and concentrated depth in Hazrat Inayat Khan’s communications as his life’s path nears the destined final journey to India in 1927." – Murshida Nuria Stephanie Sabato, Professor and Pir Emerita