March 28, 1978

Dear Daniel, beloved one of Allah,

Peace be with you and Nasima and your family.

By the Grace of God this person has been allowed to take a 40 day retreat and emerge from it lighter in body (30 lbs), mind, heart, and soul. One also returns as you might imagine to piles of unanswered correspondence, and other responsibilities, and it is with renewed happiness that one takes these up.

Each of us no doubt has his point of view and I certainly agree that Truth is misused as a hammer. Worse still Truth is often confused with “facts” something Pir-O-Murshid Inayat Khan is constantly warning against. And it is still more bizarre when opinions and interpretations and mis-rememberings are put forward as a banner of fact aka Truth.

Without judgment I would like to comment on the points in your letter to Murshid Moineddin of March 8.

One certainly accepts your statement that you have never been a member of the S.I.R.S. The continuity of the link of initiation and organizational affiliation may coincide or not, and in the view of this person there is no necessary connection between the two.

You allege in your letter several things which I would like to take up at the same time. You say S.I.R.S. is the personal organization of Moineddin, that it was founded by him to carry out such aspects of Murshid’s work as were entrusted to Moineddin; you say that Murshid did not confer upon Moineddin the right to initiate to the 10^thdegree.

Now I remember very well the discussions which took place at the time of the formulation of the S.I.R.S. Murshid personally approved the outcome of these discussions and his name was there as the original “permanent member”. You may recall that Hazrat Inayat Khan had asked Murshid to make a study of all previous Sufi Order (Movement) constitutions, and while the present Sufi Order constitution served as the model from which we worked it was made much broader in what was included as valid sources to the teachings, sometimes specifically at Murshid’s request. This is especially true with regard to the esoteric constitution which was drafted by this person and then extensively edited and added to by Murshid. I still have that draft in my possession with his handwritten corrections. One of note being the changing of the date in the present Sufi Order constitution (London 1917) to it original of San Francisco 1911. It is true that papers were not officially filed with the state of California etc. until after Murshid’s passing from this plane of existence.

S.I.R.S. is not the personal organization of Moineddin, he just happens to be its present leader because he was appointed by Murshid to be Murshid’s spiritual successor. As spiritual successor he has the full rights of the one who preceded him in the silsila. This is my understanding, and it is confirmed by my continuing link with Murshid Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti. This includes the Divine right to initiate Sheikhs and Khalifs as well as the right to appoint his own successor. In fact he must function as a Pir, and before God-Allah-Ram this person is completely satisfied that he is so functioning. Murshid was often referred to as Pir-O-Murshid in correspondence and events in the East (letters from Khalifa Saadia for example), and as he said in the Corinthians lectures (and elsewhere) “I graduated beyond all the grades in the Sufi Order.” Murshid wrote a series of lessons called “Teachings for the Pir” and these he gave specifically to Moineddin to study and told me that that was his path.

Now with regard to your claim to the succession I have no idea what you mean when you say “that prophecy or wish is fulfilled.” My interpretation of Murshid’s statement in San Francisco General Hospital is that you were in the line of succession after Moineddin. I believe the letter he dictated at that time clearly indicates that he expected to live on in the physical body indefinitely. But when he did pass on then the succession fully rested on Moineddin. Moineddin initially respected Murshid’s indication of you as next in line, but events progress and people rise to meet the challenges of life’s situations or miss their opportunities, and the whole point of having a living teacher is that the Spirit of Guidance is ongoing and not fixed in the past, and this emphatically includes the spirit of a departed illuminated soul. Based on his own deep meditations and inner guidance from Murshid and his evaluation of your being over the years, Moineddin has exercised his legitimate and living right to name a new successor. This mantle now rests on Fatima, though of course Moineddin has the right to change his mind while he is alive and appoint someone different. I don’t expect you to accept the above, though I believe that if you were truly to attune to Murshid in meditation you would see that not only has he given over those powers to Moineddin, but is in full agreement with everything Moineddin has done.

I happen to feel (and perhaps you also do the same) that all who have been initiated in the name of Pir-O-Murshid Inayat Khan are united in the greater meaning of the Sufi Order which link endures til union with Allah by His steadfast love and Grace. It was because Pir Vilayat was insisting on disenfranchising mureeds that I largely could not go along with him (disenfranchising is no doubt an inaccurate word—what I mean is he was saying one could no longer be a mureed in the Sufi Order unless he did so and so). So from one point of view there are differences and from another they make no sense. Yet one feels the development of the message given by Inayat Khan is still going on, not yet fully articulated or manifested by any means, and such separations are one feels part of the divine plan to bring many facets to the diamond. In such circumstances each person much find and follow his dharma; this is what I am endeavoring to do and I certainly wish you all success in your own efforts in this regard.

With love and blessings, ever your friend,

Wali Ali