Zia Inayat Khan

Zia Inayat Khan (born 1971) is a scholar and teacher of Sufism in the lineage of his grandfather, Hazrat Inayat Khan. He is president of the Inayatiyya (formerly Inayati Order) and founder of Suluk Academy, a school of contemplative study with branches in the United States and Europe.

Biography Zia Inayat Khan was born in Novato, California, in 1971, and is the first son of Sufi teachers Vilayat Inayat Khan and Murshida Taj Inayat. Vilayat made it clear to Zia at an early age that he wished him to take the mantle of his Sufi lineage as passed down from Inayat Khan, and instructed him in meditation and spiritual retreat. He earned his Ph.D. in Religion from Duke University and a B.A. (Hons.) in Persian Literature from the London School of Oriental and African Studies. Zia was confirmed as spiritual successor to Vilayat in 2001, and has served as head of the Inayatiyya, guiding Inayati communities in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the South Pacific.

Works Zia has lectured and taught extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and India on Sufism and its relevance to personal and collective transformation. Zia has specialized in carrying forward and teaching the spiritual legacy of his grandfather, Inayat Khan. Zia's writings and talks also focus on connecting the heritage of contemplative wisdom traditions with contemporary society, with an emphasis on responding to crucial ecological and social challenges. He regards the current ecological crisis as “a unique and compelling factor in contemporary mysticism,” and that the spiritual answer to the ecological crisis lies in the acknowledgment of the sacredness of nature and of the environment.

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