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 movement: “The time comes,” then “the belief in God is replaced by the experience of God.” He does not dismiss belief or treat it as empty. Belief has a real place in spiritual life, especially at the beginning. Yet Hazrat Inayat Khan points to a moment when belief is no longer the fullest way of knowing. What begins as trust, teaching, or inward assent deepens into “the experience of God.”
The heart of the passage is the change from believing to knowing. Hazrat Inayat Khan says, “When this happens, we no longer have to believe in God, because we know God directly.” The seeker does not move away from God, but nearer to God. The change is not in the Divine, but in the one who comes to know. Belief gives way because “we know God directly,” not only as an idea received from others, but as a living reality.
In light of Belief and Faith, Hazrat Inayat Khan’s teaching honors both the beginning and the fulfillment of the path. Faith may open the way, but it is not meant to remain only secondhand conviction. His sequence is clear: “belief in God” is “replaced by the experience of God,” and then “we know God directly.” Hazrat Inayat Khan invites the seeker toward the moment when belief has done its work, and God is no longer only believed in, but directly known.
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