In Hazrat Inayat Khan’s address recently posted here, he calls upon Cherags (those ordained to serve in the activity of the Universal Worship) to awaken more and more each day to the spirit of the Message. His words rise from the bottom of his heart with such fervour that surely everyone must feel persuaded. But on reflection, readers might wonder: is ‘the Message’ the same as the Sufi teachings that are followed in the Inner School, or if it is something distinct? By ‘the Message,’ do we mean Sufism? Is Hazrat Inayat saying that we should encourage everyone to become ‘Sufi’? Or to join the Movement? Are these simply different ways of speaking about the same thing?
‘Movement’ can refer to a thought or action that is spreading, as for example the movement to end hunger in the world or to address the problem of climate change, but in our context this word refers to an organisation. Hazrat Inayat called the body which he founded ‘The Sufi Movement,’ and although it is dedicated to sacred ideals, we must be clear that the organisation itself is anything but sacred. It is a body made by humans to serve the Sufi work, and is subject to all the weaknesses and limitations that any human creation must show. Those who agree with the ideals are welcome, but our goal is not to make everyone a member.
The Sufi teachings and methods of the Inner School are offered to those who long to discover the Truth, but this is an individual path. Sufism is not a religion, and the idea of mass conversions simply does not apply.
The Message, though, is for the whole world; it comes from the Creator of all and speak to every soul, because it tells us that we are all children of God, regardless of our race or caste or belief: that we are all equally loved, and that in spite of all distinctions and differences, everyone we meet is a brother or a sister. It is sometimes called the ‘Sufi Message,’ because it is the destiny of the Sufis to proclaim it just now, but better terms would be the Message of Love, Harmony and Beauty, the Message of Spiritual Liberty, or the Message of God.
Sadly, through the course of history religion has often been the excuse for division and aggression, but we should not blame religion for this. Religious teaching has been given to humanity in various forms in order to unite us and educate us. The conflicts have come because people wishing to sanctify their own opinions have wrapped them around the body of religion, cloaking the truth under ever-more elaborate and opaque disguises. In more recent times, as the dominance of organised religion has faded, people have made a religion of other beliefs, such as nationalism, but the effect is the same.
Therefore a Cherag who is awake to the spirit of the Message will clearly understand that all the different scriptures and forms of worship in the world are expressions of the one religion. To fulfil this service, it must be more than a concept with which we agree: we must live this, for it is only by our living example that the Message of God may reach far and wide.