The Dawn of Friendhood

Inner History III
November 14-16, 2025 via Zoom

The Dawn of Friendhood, turns our three-part Inner History series toward Sufism. In Inner History I & II we explored the rise of ancient civilizations and the missions of the prophets. Our investigations reached up to the life of the prophet Muhammad. This is the point where one gyre is completed and another begins. The age that next dawns is characterized by wilaya, friendship with God and creation. By tracing the history of Sufism, we will see how, century after century, Sufis have given shape to the growing contours of the Age of Friendhood.

Seven stages of Sufism span the gulf between the 7th and 21st centuries: Renunciation, Ecstasy, Gnosis and Chivalry, Systemization, Verification, Synthesis, and Message-renewal. Throughout, we will contemplate the legacies of our Sufi ancestors including Rābiʼa al-ʼAdawiyya, Hallaj, Ahmad Ghazali, Ibn ‘Arabi, Rumi, Mu’in al-Din Chishti, Nizam al-Din Awliya’, Shah Waliullah, Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan.

The Dawn of Friendhood will shine a light on the history of Sufism, the changing forms that the Message takes through time, and the particular contribution of Hazrat Inayat Khan. All of this serves to situate us in the larger arc of the age-by-age transformation of human consciousness, and to prepare us for all that history’s further unfoldment will presently bring.

Our program will be guided by our Inner History faculty, including Omid Safi of Duke University, Marcia Hermansen of Habib University Karachi, and Pir Zia Inayat Khan, current lineage carrier within the Inayatiyya, and hosted by Deepa Patel, chair of the Inayatiyya International Board.

This program is specifically designed for Inayatiyya Inner School Leaders, Universal Worship Cherags & clergy of all faiths, Suluk graduates, scholars, and all those drawn to exploring Sufism and the esoteric dimensions of the inner life.

If you missed Inner History Parts I & II, “Inner History: The Garden of Eden to the Tower of Babel” and "The Prophets of Our Being”, respectively, are available via our multimedia web store.

D A I L Y S C H E D U L E

Our schedule each day will be as follows. Even though we are gathering online, the below times are based on the time in Richmond, Virginia (EST) and Suresnes, France (CET). Please check the corresponding time for your area at timeanddate.com/worldclock.

North American East Coast

9:00 am Opening
9:15 am Session 1
10:30 am Break
11:00 am Session 2
12:15 pm Break
2:00 pm Session 3
3:15 pm Closing

Central Europe

3:00 pm Opening
3:15 pm Session 1
4:30 pm Break
5:00 pm Session 2
6:15 pm Break
8:00 pm Session 3
9:15 pm Closing

R E G I S T R A T I O N D E T A I L S

General tuition is $230 for the three-day program, including video and audio recordings. There is also a limited income/student rate of $150.

Our program is offered in English, Francais, Deutsch & Turkish. Discounts are available for those from particular nations due to currency valuation. These nations include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Turkiye. If your nation is listed, or if you feel your nation should be listed, please contact us for details.

If you have any questions or needs related to the Inner History Series, please email us at astana@inayatiyya.org.

F A C U L T Y

Pir Zia Inayat Khan, PH.D., 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 author of Immortality: A Traveler’s Guide; Dream Flowers: The Collected Works of Noor Inayat Khan with a Critical Commentary by Pir Zia Inayat Khan; Mingled Waters: Sufism and the Mystical Unity of Religions; and Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity and the Mystical Quest. He is editor of Caravan of Souls: An Introduction to the Sufi Path of Hazrat Inayat Khan and A Pearl in Wine: Essays in the Life, Music and Sufism of Hazrat Inayat Khan. Pir Zia divides his time between Richmond, Virginia and Suresnes, France.

Prof. Marcia Hermansen is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of Islamic World Studies at Loyola University Chicago. Her areas of research include Sufism, classical and contemporary Islamic thought, Muslims in America, Islam and Muslims in South Asia, Shah Wali Allah studies, and women and gender in Islam. Her writings include several translations from Persian and Arabic of the works of Shah Wali Allah of Delhi (d. 1762) whose analysis of sacred history and spiritual development is especially germane to the topics that will be covered here. Her approach combines practical experience and study of Sufism in the Chishti lineage with the academic study of the classical Sufi tradition and she has recently co-edited the volumes Varieties of American Sufism and Sufism in Western Contexts.

Omid Safi is a teacher in the Sufi tradition of Radical Love & Founder of Illuminated Courses & Tours. His online, video-based courses range from Sufi approaches to the Qur’an to Rumi. The Illuminated Tours offer spiritually oriented tours to Turkey and Morocco. He is a professor at Duke University specializing in Islamic spirituality and contemporary thought. His Memories of Muhammad is an award-winning biography of the Prophet Muhammad. His most recent book is Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition. Omid is also deeply committed to liberationist prophetic traditions in the legacy of Martin Luther King, Rabbi Heschel, and Malcolm X. He has been invited by the family of Dr. King to speak at Ebenezer Church on the relevance of Dr. King for today’s America, and has delivered the Martin Luther King keynote in the annual national MLK service. illuminatedcourses.com

Deepa Patel is a professional facilitator with a specialty in interdisciplinary collaboration with a focus on the arts, social justice, conversation, and living a contemplative life. She was born in Kenya to Indian parents and lives in England. This experience has shaped both her professional and personal life. Deepa has worked as a youth worker, in the field of cultural diversity, as a live music producer, and in music education with the BBC. Her current work is with The London College of Fashion, UNHCR, the University of Sheffield in refugee camps in Jordan and Africa, and with the Fetzer Institute on two projects, one on creating sacred space in the virtual world and the other on their shared spiritual heritage project. Deepa is a spiritual guide and teacher in the Inayatiyya and co-chair of the Inayatiyya International Board. She is also the chair of the Tamasha Theatre Company, an advisor to the Loss Foundation, a cancer and COVID bereavement support service, and to the Charis Foundation for New Monasticism and Interspirituality on their interfaith dialogue projects. Deepa serves as host of, and advisor to, our Inner History series.