This short prayer is often said before beginning a service or ceremony. It is a way of stating our intention and calling upon the Divine to guide us.
Toward the One,
the Perfection of Love,
Harmony, and Beauty,
the Only Being,
United with all the Illuminated Souls
Who form the Embodiment
of the Messenger,
the Spirit of Guidance
Prayer is considered an essential Sufi practice, emphasizing the human need for expression. Recognizing this need, Hazrat Inayat Khan composed morning, midday, evening, and occasional prayers that are now used by universalist Sufis all over the world.
These prayers can be said silently or aloud, but are considered more effective when said aloud, as the sound-vibration of the prayers penetrates the energy centers of the body and reaches the inner planes of our being. Although all the prayers are honored and recited by Inayati Sufis, Saum and Salat are given special emphasis. It is said that it is more important to recite these two prayers daily than any of the others. Likewise, these two prayers can be recited with accompanying movements suggested by Hazrat Inayat Khan.
Saum
Praise be to Thee, Most Supreme God,
Omnipotent, Omnipresent, All-pervading,
the Only Being.
Take us in Thy Parental Arms,
Raise us from the denseness of the earth.
Thy Beauty do we worship,
To Thee do we give willing surrender.
Most Merciful and Compassionate God,
The Idealized Sovereign of the whole humanity,
Thee only do we worship,
and toward Thee alone do we aspire.
Open our hearts toward Thy Beauty,
Illuminate our souls with Divine Light.
O Thou, the Perfection of Love, Harmony, and Beauty!
All-powerful Creator, Sustainer, Judge, and Forgiver of our shortcomings,
Sovereign God of the East and of the West,
of the worlds above and below,
And of the seen and unseen beings.
Pour upon us Thy Love and Thy Light,
Give sustenance to our bodies, hearts, and souls,
Use us for the purpose that Thy Wisdom chooseth,
And guide us on the path of Thine Own Goodness.
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.
Amen.
Affirmation
May the message of God spread far and wide.
(11 times, hands held up.)
Pir
Inspirer of my mind, consoler of my heart, healer of my spirit,
Thy presence lifteth me from earth to heaven;
Thy words flow as the sacred river;
Thy thought riseth as a divine spring;
Thy tender feelings waken sympathy in my heart.
Beloved Teacher, thy very being is forgiveness.
The clouds of doubt and fear are scattered by thy piercing glance;
All ignorance vanishes in thy illuminating presence;
A new hope is born in my heart by breathing thy peaceful atmosphere.
O inspiring Guide, through life’s puzzling ways,
In thee I feel abundance of blessing.
Amen.
Universel
O Thou, who art the Maker, Molder,
and Builder of the Universe,
Build with Thine own hands
the Universel,
our Temple for Thy Divine Message
of Love, Harmony, and Beauty.
Amen.
Salat
Most gracious Sovereign,
Messenger, Messiah, and Savior of humanity,
We greet Thee with all humility.
Thou art the First Cause and the Last Effect,
the Divine Light and the Spirit of Guidance,
Alpha and Omega.
Thy Light is in all forms,
Thy Love in all beings:
in a loving mother, in a kind father, in an innocent child,
in a helpful friend, in an inspiring teacher.
Allow us to recognize Thee in all Thy holy names and forms:
as Rama, as Krishna, as Shiva, as Buddha.
Let us know Thee as Abraham, as Solomon, as Zarathushtra, as Moses, as Jesus, as Muhammad¹,
and in many other names and forms, known and unknown to the world.
We adore Thy Past,
Thy Presence deeply enlightens our being,
and we look for Thy blessing in the future.
O Messenger, Christ, Nabi, the Rasul of God!
Thou Whose heart constantly reaches upward,
Thou comest on earth with a message,
as a dove from above, when Dharma decays,
and speakest the Word that is put into Thy mouth,
as the light filleth the crescent moon.
Let the star of the Divine Light shining in Thy heart
be reflected in the hearts of Thy devotees.
May the Message of God reach far and wide,
illuminating and making the whole humanity
as one single Family in the Parenthood of God².
Amen.
Affirmation
Pour upon us Thy Love and Thy Light.
(Said 11 times, hands raised.)
Nabi
A torch in the darkness, a staff during my weakness,
A rock in the weariness of life,
Thou, my Guide, makest earth a paradise.
Thy thought giveth me unearthly joy,
Thy light illuminateth my life’s path,
Thy words inspire me with divine wisdom.
I follow in thy footsteps, which lead me to the eternal goal.
Comforter of the brokenhearted,
Support of those in need,
Friend of the lovers of Truth,
Blessed Guide, thou art the Prophet of God.
Amen.
Universel
O Thou, who art the Maker, Molder,
and Builder of the Universe,
Build with Thine own hands
the Universel,
our Temple for Thy Divine Message
of Love, Harmony, and Beauty.
Amen.
¹ In the expanded version of the prayer, known as Salawat, the names are given as follows: “as Sita and Rama, as Radha and Krishna, as Parvati and Shiva, as Tara and Buddha. Let us know thee as Sarah, Hagar and Abraham, as Deborah and Solomon, as Anahita and Zarathustra, as Asiya, Aaron, Maryam and Moses, as Mary and Jesus, Khadija and Muhammad.”
² The original text of the prayer has “one single Brotherhood in the Fatherhood of God.”
Khatum
O Thou, Who art the Perfection of Love, Harmony, and Beauty,
The Sovereign of heaven and earth,
open our hearts, that we may hear Thy Voice,
which constantly cometh from within.
Disclose to us Thy Divine Light,
which is hidden in our souls,
that we may know and understand life better.
Most Merciful and Compassionate God,
give us Thy great Goodness,
Teach us Thy loving Forgiveness,
Raise us above the distinctions and differences which divide us,
Send us the Peace of Thy Divine Spirit,
And unite us all in Thy Perfect Being.
Amen.
Affirmation
Disclose to us Thy Divine Light
(Said 11 times, arms crossed on chest and hands resting on shoulders, like folded wings.)
Rasul
Warner of coming dangers,
Wakener of the world from sleep,
Deliverer of the Message of God,
Thou art our Savior.
The Sun at the dawn of creation,
The Light of the whole universe,
The Fulfillment of God’s Purpose,
Thou, the Life Eternal, we seek refuge in thy loving enfoldment.
Spirit of Guidance,
Source of all beauty, and Creator of harmony,
Love, Lover, and Beloved Sovereign.
Thou art our Divine Ideal.
Amen.
Universel
O Thou, who art the Maker, Molder,
and Builder of the Universe,
Build with Thine own hands
the Universel,
our Temple for Thy Divine Message
of Love, Harmony, and Beauty.
Amen.
Nayaz
(for healing)
Beloved Sovereign, Almighty God!
Through the rays of the sun,
Through the waves of the air,
Through the All-pervading Life in space,
Purify and revivify me, and, I pray,
Heal my body, heart, and soul.
Amen.
Nazar
(Said before meals)
O Thou, the Sustainer of our bodies, hearts, and souls,
Bless all that we receive in thankfulness.
Amen.
Prayer for Peace
Send Thy peace, O Sovereign, which is perfect and everlasting,
that our souls may radiate peace.
Send Thy peace, O Sovereign, that we may think, act, and
speak harmoniously.
Send Thy peace, O Sovereign, that we may be contented and
thankful for Thy bountiful gifts.
Send Thy peace, O Sovereign, that amidst our worldly strife
we may enjoy Thy bliss.
Send Thy peace, O Sovereign, that we may endure all, tolerate all,
in the thought of Thy Grace and Mercy.
Send Thy peace, O Sovereign, that our lives may become a divine vision,
and in Thy Light all darkness may vanish.
Send Thy peace, O Sovereign, our Father and Mother, that we,
Thy children on earth, may all unite in one family.
Amen.
Dowa
Save me, my Sovereign, from the earthly passions and the attachments which blind humanity.
Save me, my Sovereign, from the temptations of power, fame, and wealth, which keep us away from Thy glorious vision.
Save me, my Sovereign, from the souls who are constantly occupied in hurting and harming their fellow people, and who take pleasure in the pain of another.
Save me, my Sovereign, from the evil eye of envy and jealousy, which falleth upon Thy bountiful gifts.
Save me, my Sovereign, from falling into the hands of the playful children of earth, lest they might use me in their games; they might play with me and then break me in the end, as children destroy their toys.
Save me, my Sovereign, from all manner of injury that cometh from the bitterness of my adversaries and from the ignorance of my loving friends.
Amen.
Glossary
Hazrat: A title of respect given to saints, meaning “noble presence”
Murshid: Teacher; guide; a Sufi sheikh
Pir: An elder spiritual guide; a sheikh or murshid of a high order, often the founder of an order through which spiritual transmissions pass to initiates
Nabi: A prophet, bearer of a message for a particular time and group of people
Rasul: Messenger, bearer of a universal message
Dharma: Universal law
Universel: The temple of all religions envisioned by Hazrat Inayat Khan and finally built at Suresnes, France, outside of Paris.
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