The Sufi Invocation

(in a variety of languages)

Many of the world religions indicate a particular direction toward
which the body should be oriented during prayer, and some even align
the altar and the building in which worship occurs.

Traditionally Christian Churches were constructed so that the long
axis of the building aligned east/west, with the altar placed at
the east end, so that worshippers faced east during services. Muslims
the world over orient their bodies during prayers, so they face
the shortest distance to the Ka`aba, in the center of the Mosque
in Mecca, and this direction is indicated, in all Mosques, by the
Qibla or niche. Other traditions place the altar in the center
of a circle whose circumference is anchored at the four directions.

Orienting oneself, knowing specifically where one is at the moment,
is crucial for any journey, physical or spiritual, for how can one
begin, with any hope of success, without knowing where one is, and
in which direction one is setting off.

Rather than suggesting that the body be oriented in one particular
outer direction, or towards a physical altar or niche (qibla)
during prayer or worship, Hazrat Inayat Khan gave his students
this Invocation. The Sufi approach is that God/Goddess/Source is
truly All That Is, and further, that all Creation and all experience
are but Veils over that Absolute Reality. Once one realizes that
this Radical Unity is beneath and behind every experience, then
every direction, every orientation becomes Holy and
Sacred, and the most important orientation is inward, towards that
Unity, to penetrate the Veils that conceal the Face of the Beloved.

Thus we begin by orienting ourselves, our entire being, internal
and external, toward The One.

      — Muiz Brinkerhoff

Dutch

Tot de Ene,
de Volmaaktheid van Liefde, Harmonie en Schoonheid, het Enige Wezen,
verenigd met alle verlichte zielen,
die de belichaming vormen van de Meester,
de Geest van Leiding.

English

Toward the One,
the Perfection of Love, Harmony, and Beauty,
the Only Being;
United with All the Illuminated Souls,
Who form the Embodiment of the Master,
the Spirit of Guidance.

Estonian

Ühtsuse poole,
Armastuse harmoonia ja ilu täiuslikkuse poole,
Ainsa olevuse poole;
Ühendatud köigi valgustatud hingedega,
Kes onloonud Meistri kehastuse,
Juhtija Vaimu.

French

Vers l’Unique,
la Perfection de l’Amour, de l’Harmonie,
et de la Beauté, le SeulÊtre;
Uni avec Toutes les Âmes Illuminées,
Qui forment l’incorporation du Mâitre,
l’Esprit Guide.

German

Dem Einen entgegen,
der Vollkommenheit der Liebe, der Harmonie,
und der Schönheit, dem einzig Seienden;
Vereint mit all den erleuchteten Seelen,
die den Meister, den Geist der Führung, verkörpern.

Italian

Verso l’Unico
la Perfezione d’Amore, d’Armonia e di Bellezza,
il Solo Essere;
Uniti con Tutte le Anime Illuminate,
Che formano la Personificazione del Maestro,
lo Spirito Guida.