With this post, the Inner Call begins an important and hitherto little known series of lectures by Hazrat Inayat Khan on the practical needs facing the world. In September of 1922, following the first Summer School to be given in Suresnes, Pir-o-Murshid Inayat was invited by Sirdar and Saida van Tuyll to give a Dutch Summer School at their seaside villa in Katwijk-an-zee. Over the course of two weeks – a period which also included Hazrat Inayat Khan’s revelatory experience in the dunes that inspired him to name that place ‘Murad Hassil’ or ‘wish fulfilled’ – the Master gave two series of lectures, one on the subject of the inner life (which was included in ‘The Way of Illumination,’ the first volume of the Message series, and which has just been serialised here), and the other on the problem of the day. This series of lectures is available in the Source Editions produced by the Nekhbakht Stichting, but has not been otherwise circulated. It is a century since these words were delivered, and as the world situation seems to need it more than ever, we are happy to now present a serialisation of Pir-o-Murshid’s counsel to our readers.
The Problem of the Day
The Sufi Message has as its main mission to consider the problems of the day and then to direct our activity to do what is necessary in order to bring about better conditions, in which is the fulfilment of our mission.
Life in the world can be divided into five different aspects : spiritual progress, moral progress, social progress, mental progress and physical progress. Therefore we have to consider the five aspects of life in order to understand the problem of the day clearly.
During the periods of the ancient civilizations, progress has been made in one direction and, lacking in other directions, the progress fell down by the lack of balance. But as man has evolved, so his progress has been all-round. No doubt in recent times the world has again lost its balance by being too much engrossed in materialism, and by becoming too much absorbed in commercialism, and the consequences of this have been the war and the world unrest, which is still existing after what is called peace.
In order to bring about better conditions in the world, that humanity may progress and have balance, the best thing would be to consider every one of the above mentioned five subjects pertaining to the life in general.
The Sufi Movement is a nucleus formed of brotherhood, not of a Sufi brotherhood, but a human brotherhood. The members of this Order have joined in a group to serve the cause of the world revival for God and humanity. Every member of the Order must therefore realize that their own spiritual development is not sufficient; that it is necessary for everyone in the Movement that a part of their time, their activity, their thought and their energy must be devoted to the service of humanity, especially in this direction, of considering the problems of the day.
The first aspect of the problem of the day is the physical life. This can be divided into three aspects: food, cleanliness, and living.
No doubt science is considering the subject very much, but at the same time, that life is as complicated as it is today makes it difficult to live a natural life in every respect. In ancient times, agriculture was the main occupation of the human race, and for that reason the lands of all countries were fertile, and there was ample to eat. At the present time the lands which have been used in former times for cultivation are now occupied by factories and industrial purposes; and there are many countries in Europe just now which have to depend for their food on other countries, having allowed the whole land to be used for industrial purposes. The consequence is that the principal need of human life, which is food, is not independently produced in one’s own land.
The way of living as it is just now, gathering together in cities and towns, does not give that facility that people had in ancient times. They were happy having a little ancient cottage on their piece of land, but a larger piece of land attached to it. Whether rich or poor they would grow their own vegetables and cultivate that ground for their use, so that everyone thought at the time that he is the king of a little piece of ground. I myself have seen some parts near the Himalayas today having the same custom. Instead of paying the soldiers a regular payment in money, they are given a piece of land to cultivate themselves, and they are the happiest people, everyone thinking he has a piece of land, where he can grow whatever he likes. And think what joy it is for a person to say, this is my ground, and on this piece of land I can grow potatoes or tomatoes or whatever I like. His magnetism, his work, his labour has been given to it, and from that something has grown, which he eats, and fruits that he has so carefully reared. The magnetism itself brings him a satisfaction, and in this way the country keeps rich.
What does one do with metal, with gold and silver, if there is not sufficient food? The riches that one sees in modern towns, where people live in luxury, do you think it is a natural life? Are they very healthy? No, because health comes from a natural life; that natural occupation of cultivating the ground in agriculture and gardening, that seems to have been lost.
To be continued…