Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927) was an Indian mystic and accomplished musician who brought the wisdom of Sufism to the West. In this soul-stirring anthology of his writings chosen from 16 volumes, we are treated to a rich and dazzling overview of spirituality. "The whole of life in all its aspects is one music, and to tune one's self to the harmony of this perfect music is the real spiritual attainment."
Again and again, Hazrat Inayat Khan stresses the importance of balance and harmony in the voyage of the soul. Disharmony in the body leads to illness, and disorder in the mind leads to restlessness and agitation. The antidote is mystic relaxation or repose. Khan salutes the significance of art in religion when he says, "Nature is what God makes as God, and art is what God makes as man." This Sufi master also has many wise things to say about the unity of all religions, good memory as the sign of a great soul, the magnetism of sympathy and friendliness, the link between patience and the cultivation of hope, and the role of beauty in character-development and moral education.
