Composing a Song of Deeds: A One-Day Retreat on Purifying Action

Composing a Song of Deeds: A One-Day Retreat on Purifying Action
With Pir Zia Inayat Khan
Sunday, September 6, 2026 via Zoom
11:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT (New York)

A one-day retreat of reflection, guided meditation, and the intonation of Divine Names, exploring ten clues to purify action as taught by the eleventh-century Sufi master Khwaja 'Abdullah Ansari.

To be in this world is to be an active agent in the reordering of the life of the planet. Whether at rest or in motion, we are always participating in this larger reordering; the question is only whether we do so consciously. Our hands are always doing something – building, breaking, tending, taking – and what they do becomes, in time, indistinguishable from who we are. When we depart from the physical world, we will leave behind a "song of deeds." How is action purified of selfishness and attachment?

In this one-day retreat, we will follow ten clues from Khwaja 'Abdullah Ansari: care, watchfulness, sanctification, sincerity, refinement, steadfastness, reliance, delegation, confidence, and submission. Each clue points toward a subtly different way that the ego can enter into even our most well-intentioned acts, and a subtly different discipline for honing it.

Through reflection, meditation, and the intonation of Divine Names, we will rededicate the work of our hands to the One who has brought these hands into being.

Everyone is welcome — 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 German, French, and Turkish translation.

Details

Our retreat is on Sunday, September 6, 2026, iin three sessions of an hour and fifteen minutes with breaks between, beginning at 11:00 am EDT (New York) / 5:00 pm CEST (Paris) and ending at 4:00 pm EDT / 10:00 pm CEST. Please check your local time here.

There are three tuition options to meet all needs:

• Supporter: $80. If you're able to give a little more, this helps sustain the retreat and the wider work of the Inayatiyya.

• Standard: $60. Our suggested level.

• Limited Income: $40. If the standard level is a stretch.

Scholarships are available — please email astana@inayatiyya.org before registering.

With advance registration, both the video and the audio will be made available afterward, so you can experience the retreat at any time.

We warmly encourage participation in real time together, with cameras on, to grow our collective attunement and to be present to one another within our 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 again on the day of the retreat.

Please contact astana@inayatiyya.org with any questions about this one-day program.

Schedule