The time comes when the belief in God is replaced by the experience of God.
Hazrat Inayat Khan
Experience of God
Topic: Belief & Faith
The time comes when the belief in God is replaced by the experience of God. When this happens, we no longer have to believe in God, because we know God directly.
Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927) was a Sufi master who was born in India and later lived in Europe and the United States. He is considered one of the most important figures in the revival of Sufism in the West. Khan's teacher's dying words were: "Fare forth into the world, my child, and harmonize the East and the West with the harmony of thy music. Spread the word of Sufism abroad, for to this end art thou gifted by Allah, the most Merciful and Compassionate."
In 1910, Khan traveled to the United States, where he founded the Sufi Order International. He also traveled extensively throughout Europe, giving lectures and teaching workshops. Khan's message of universal love and understanding resonated with people from all walks of life, and he quickly became a respected figure in the spiritual community. Although Sufism is traditionally part of the mystical heritage of Islam, Khan developed a pattern of worship and spiritual practice that draws upon the major religious traditions. His teachings emphasize the importance of love, understanding, and compassion. He believed that all people are connected, and that we can achieve a higher state of consciousness by transcending our differences.
Khan died in 1927 in New Delhi, India. His legacy lives on through the Sufi Order International, which continues to spread his message of peace and understanding. Khan's work has had a significant impact on the spiritual landscape of the West. He is credited with helping to introduce Sufism to a new audience, and his teachings continue to inspire people around the world.
The Ecstasy Beyond Knowing
Khan, Hazrat Inayat. The Ecstasy Beyond Knowing: A Manual of Meditation. Pir Publications, 1977. Print. P. 70.
Hazrat Inayat Khan
Theme: Belief and Faith
About This Hazrat Inayat Khan Quotation [Commentary]
Hazrat Inayat Khan begins with a simple but significant movement: “The time comes when the belief in God is replaced by the experience of God.” Belief has its place in spiritual life. It may begin through trust, religious teaching, or an inward sense of the Divine. Yet belief is not the end of the spiritual journey. Hazrat Inayat Khan points toward a deeper realization, when what has been accepted through faith becomes known through experience. “The time comes” suggests a natural unfolding, in which belief prepares the heart for “the experience of God.”
The heart of the passage is the movement from believing to knowing. Hazrat Inayat Khan continues, “When this happens, we no longer have to believe in God, because we know God directly.” This does not mean that God has changed or that belief has been without value. Rather, the seeker’s relationship with the Divine has deepened. What was once understood through the words and teachings of others becomes a direct experience. “We no longer have to believe in God” because the Divine is no longer known only through belief. The seeker has come to “know God directly,” through an inner realization that gives faith a deeper foundation.
Hazrat Inayat Khan’s teaching honors both belief and its fulfillment in direct experience. Faith can open the heart to God, but need not remain dependent on what has been taught or accepted as true. “The belief in God is replaced by the experience of God,” and through that experience, “we know God directly.” This is not a rejection of faith, but its deepening into spiritual knowledge. The Divine, once approached through belief, becomes present in the seeker’s own awareness. Hazrat Inayat Khan reminds us that the purpose of the spiritual journey is not simply to believe that God exists, but to come into the living experience of God.
Additional Hazrat Inayat Khan Quotations
Related Quotes
Copyright © 2017 – 2026 LuminaryQuotes.com About Us