Today is the anniversary of the day that Hazrat Inayat Khan set sail from Bombay for the west, accompanied by his brother Maheboob and his cousin Ali Khan. The date is special because the journey had – and is still having – profound consequences for an uncountable number of people.

As the verse above shows, Pir-o-Murshid’s commitment to the message was not inspired by a longing for recognition nor for material gain; it arose from his heart, and was simply given to help us.

If we have gained anything from the Sufi path – maybe some understanding of ourselves, or a clue to help solve the puzzles of life, or perhaps glimpses of beauty to inspire us and give us hope – then from gratitude we might want to pass something of this gift on to others. During this Hejirat Day, perhaps each one of us could take a moment to consider : Pir-o-Murshid devoted his life to the Cause; is there anything that I can offer? What can I do to help keep the spark of the Message alive?