The prayer Saum concludes with this phrase: Draw us closer to Thee every moment of our life until in us be reflected Thy grace, Thy glory, Thy wisdom, Thy joy and Thy peace. As it is the final note of the prayer, it must have special significance. Like the last chord of a sonata, or like the closing of a letter to a loved one, it emphasises what we hope will linger in the mind and heart of the other person. Seeking guidance from the prayer, we might ask what it could mean to us, to our lives, to reflect these divine qualities of grace, glory and the others?

As the Sufis have often taught, the heart itself is a mirror, ready to reflect upon our consciousness whatever is placed before it. If it is turned toward the outer, intoxicating, but ultimately unsatisfying world of sensation, that is what will be reflected; if it is turned toward the infinite, inner world, that beauty and majesty will be shown. But in addition to directing or focusing, the mirror also needs to be cleaned, for it is susceptible to rust, as Hazrat Inayat Khan tells us, the product of selfishness and self-absorption.

When the work of clearing away the rust has begun and the mirror has been turned toward the inner world, then we have truly started our journey on the spiritual path. With patience and persistence, we begin, for example, to feel the grace of surrendering to Grace, and the joy of abandoning our limitations before the limitless Joy. Each quality offers us a separate lesson, but ultimately all depend upon self-effacement.

The fulfilment of the phrase, when the mirror can reflect Perfection, is indeed what Jesus counselled when he said, “Be ye perfect, as your Father in heaven.” And although our effort on the path is essential, the outcome always depends upon the Only Being; that is why the phrase begins with a plea: Draw us closer to Thee every moment of our life…