Asma al-Husna: The Beautiful Names w/ Pir Zia Inayat Khan

Sunday, August 31, 2025 via Zoom

11:00 am–4:15 pm EDT / 5:00–10:15 pm CET

As Zebunnisa says, 'Say continually that sacred name which will make thee sacred.' The Hindus have called it Mantra Yoga. The Sufis have termed it Wazifa. It is the power of the word which works upon each atom of the body, making it sonorous, making it a medium of communication between the external life and the inner life. —Hazrat Inayat Khan, Sufi Message Volume II: The Mysticism of Sound

As we deepen our spiritual study, we are initiating a series of one-day retreats on themes core to the Sufi path. Join us for this initial retreat with Sufi teacher Pir Zia Inayat Khan on an essential practice—the contemplation and recitation of the Asma al-Husna: The Beautiful Names.

In our tradition, as part of spiritual practice it is common for a guide to prescribe wazifas, as a quickener of qualities, as an antidote to what ails us, and as an answer to our questions. Singular, paired or threefold wazifas are given, generally with the new moon. A wazifa is usually in the Arabic language and is often one of the 99 Names of God. Above and beyond the semantic meaning of a Name, its mantric resonance can have a transformative effect.

During our one-day retreat, we will begin to explore the practice of wazifas through both spiritual teachings and recitation led by Pir Zia.

What is the practice of wazifas?
Why and how do we do this practice?
How does a wazifa fit within our daily practice?
How does this practice influence our lives?
How do we deepen our wazifa practice?

Everyone interested in learning more about the practice of wazifas is invited to join us—this is an open program for people at every stage on the spiritual path of Sufism. To accommodate a variety of languages, there will be French, German and Turkish translation.

Our retreat will be on Sunday, August 31st, 2025 for three 1 hour and 15-minute sessions with 45-minute breaks in between each one, beginning at 11 am EDT (New York)/5 pm CET (Paris) and ending at 4:15 pm EDT/10:15 pm CET. Please see timeanddate.com for your local schedule.

Tuition is $85 for those who can afford this amount, and $55 for those on a more restrictive income. With advance registration, both the video and also the audio by itself will be made available for you to experience the retreat at any time you’d like after the day of the livestream.

Please note that discounts are available by request per astana@inayatiyya.org, as well as discounts based on select country currency valuation by asking your Inayatiyya National Representative.

We strongly encourage participation in real time together, with cameras on, to grow our collective attunement and to be present to one another within our particular tariqa—the Inayatiyya Sufi school of wisdom.

Zoom will open 15 minutes before our start time, allowing us to center and find ourselves internally and within the digital space. A reminder and the Zoom link will be sent a few days before, and also the day of, our retreat.

Please contact us at astana@inayatiyya.org if there are any questions related to this one-day program. We look forward to exploring wazifa practice with you!

Our next one-day retreat with Pir Zia, on the theme Initiation, will be held on Saturday, January 4th, 2026, initiating us into the new year.

ASMA AL-HUSNA SCHEDULE

United States East Coast

11:00 am Pir Zia
12:15 pm Break
1:00 pm Pir Zia
2:15 pm Break
3:00 pm Pir Zia
4:15 pm Closing

Central Europe

5:00 pm Pir Zia
6:15 pm Break
7:00 pm Pir Zia
8:15 pm Break
9:00 pm Pir Zia
10:15 pm Closing

BIOGRAPHY

Pir Zia Inayat Khan, PhD, is a scholar of religion and teacher of Sufism in the universalist Sufi lineage of his grandfather, Hazrat Inayat Khan. Pir Zia is president of the Inayatiyya and founder of Sulūk Academy, a school of Sufi contemplative study and practice. He is the author of the forthcoming Tears from the Mother of the Sun with the visual artist Amruta Patel (Inner Traditions, Feb 2026); Immortality: A Traveler’s Guide; Mingled Waters: Sufism and the Mystical Unity of Religions; Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity and the Mystical Quest; and the editor and compiler of Dream Flowers: The Collected Works of Noor Inayat Khan, for which he also wrote the critical introduction. Pir Zia divides his time between Richmond, Virginia and Suresnes, France. inayatiyya.org

BOOKS

Tears from the Mother of the Sun is available for pre-order and distributed by Simon & Schuster.

The Sufi Message Volume II: The Mysticism of Sound by Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan is available through our independent publishing house, Suluk Press.