Vilayat Inayat Khan

Life & Legacy

Vilayat Inayat Khan (19 June 1916 – 17 June 2004) was an Indian teacher of meditation and of the traditions of the Chishti Order of Sufism. His teaching derived from the tradition of his father, Inayat Khan, founder of The Sufi Order in the West (now named the Ināyati Order), in a form tailored to the needs of Western seekers. One of his sisters was Noor Inayat Khan GC MBE. He taught in the tradition of Universal Sufism. His parents met at the New York City ashram of American yogi, Pierre Bernard, half-brother of his mother Pirani Ameena Begum.
Prior to his teaching career he worked in London as an assistant to Ghulam Mohammed, the Finance Minister of Pakistan in 1949, and served as a personal assistant to Pakistan Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan during his visit to England.
In 1975 he founded The Abode of the Message, which serves as the central residential community of the Sufi Order International, a conference and retreat center, and a center of esoteric study.
Pir Vilayat had two sons (Zia and Mirza) and a daughter, Maria. He choose his eldest son, Zia Inayat Khan to be his successor. Zia is now the head of the Sufi Order International, the name of which he changed to Inayatiyya.