Sufi poetry of Hazrat Inayat Khan
Sufi poetry is one of the most inspired forms of spiritual illumination. Following in the path of some of the greatest Sufi mystics – Attar, Hafez, and Rumi – Hazrat Inayat Khan’s poetry is an extraordinary wealth of spiritual insights. I have Loved in Life is one of the poems that can be found in his Complete Sayings.
I have loved in life and I have been loved
I have drunk the bowl of poison
from the hands of love as nectar,
and have been raised above life’s joy and sorrow.
My heart, aflame in love, set afire every heart that came in touch with it
My heart has been rent and joined again
My heart has been broken and again made whole
My heart has been wounded and healed again
A thousand deaths my heart has died, and thanks be to love, it lives yet.
I went through hell and saw there love’s raging fire,
and I entered heaven illumined with the light of love.
I wept in love and made all weep with me
I mourned in love and pierced the every heart;
And when my fiery glance fell on the rocks,
the rocks burst forth as volcanoes.
The whole world sank in the flood caused by my one tear
With my deep sigh the earth trembled,
and when I cried aloud the name of my beloved,
I shook the throne of God in heaven.
I bowed my head low in humility,
and on my knees I begged of love,
“Disclose to me, I pray thee, O love, thy secret.”
She took me gently by my arms and lifted me above the earth,
and spoke softly in my ear,
“My dear one, thou thyself art love, art lover,
and thyself art the beloved whom thou hast adored.”
The Complete Sayings of Hazrat Inayat Khan contains the essence of Inayat Khan’s teachings within inspirational poetry, aphorisms and prayers. Many of these sayings were written down following his interviews with students, embodying the heartfelt expressions of a wisdom that emerges from the mystic vision when confronted by the depth of human longing. Available from Omega Press or other online resources.
“Let my insight be deeper than the ocean;
Let my mind be more fertile than the land;
Let my heart be wider than the horizon, Beloved;
And let my soul soar higher than Paradise.”
“The essence of spirituality and mysticism is readiness to serve the person next to us.”