When Hazrat Inayat Khan spoke to an audience in Chicago in 1926 about the soul, a lecture posted in instalments here, here and here, one of his first points was that the soul is not a product of material evolution. In the view of the Sufi, the life that animates us, the pure consciousness that witnesses the transient sensations and thoughts and feelings of our existence, is not the result of some electro-chemical quirk.  It is a ray of the divine sun that, for a time, puts on earthly apparel, and then withdraws, returning to its origin.

This is not a denial of material evolution.  The wise recognise that through time the material vehicle of life has been refined, becoming more receptive and expressive, more suited to the divine purpose.  A plant, for example, is more vital and responsive than a stone; its flowers and fruits tell a more delicate story than can the dense rock.  An animal gives still more scope for consciousness than a plant, and a human, at best, is capable of becoming conscious of consciousness itself while still standing with the feet upon the earth.

The world in which we live has become intensely focused on the material plane; sensation is regarded as the justification for every action.  But this neglects the real purpose of our human existence, which is the reconnection of this world with the source.  It is said that when God was making the world, he asked the mountains to bear this burden, but they could not sustain the weight; nor can the celestial angels do what the human being can do.  “Heaven and earth cannot contain Me,” said the Divine Presence, “but the heart of my sincere believer can.”

Every life has its difficulties and its disappointments, but these do not matter if we take advantage of the rare jewel that is offered to us.  The only genuine loss in life is the loss of this opportunity.  In the Gayan, it is said:
Every moment of life is an opportunity, and the greatest opportunity
is to know the value of opportunity.

And in the same theme, Mevlana Jelaluddin Runi said,
You are more precious than both heaven and earth;
You know not your own worth.
Sell not yourself at little price,
Being so precious in God’s eyes.

The student on the spiritual path might ponder this, and ask:  what does it mean, to sell oneself?  To who or to what have I sold myself?  And, is it possible to cancel the contract?