Zia Inayat Khan

Zia Inayat Khan (born 1971) is a scholar and teacher of Sufism in the lineage of his grandfather, Inayat Khan. He is president of the Inayatiyya and founder of Suluk Academy, a school of contemplative study with branches in the United States and Europe.¹

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.¹ 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.¹ He earned his PhD in Religion from Duke University and a BA (Hons) in Persian Literature from the London School of Oriental and African Studies.¹

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.¹ He has lectured and taught extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and India on Sufism and its relevance to personal and collective transformation, specialising in carrying forward and teaching the spiritual legacy of his grandfather.¹

His books include Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity and the Mystical Quest (2012), Caravan of Souls: An Introduction to the Sufi Path of Hazrat Inayat Khan (2013), Mingled Waters: Sufism and the Mystical Unity of Religions (2017) and Immortality: A Traveler's Guide (2022).¹ He earlier edited Pearl in Wine: Essays on the Life, Music and Sufism of Hazrat Inayat Khan (2001) and collected the works of Noor Inayat Khan in Dream Flowers (2020).¹ His writings and talks also connect the heritage of contemplative wisdom traditions with contemporary society, with an emphasis on responding to ecological and social challenges.²

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