“Go within the cave of your heart; it is there that the Friend awaits.” – attributed to Hazrat Ali
14 October 2025
Dear Friends,
The path inward, toward the Heart of hearts, has often been likened to a descent – not into darkness as absence, but into a deeper seeing.
Among the most enduring symbols of this descent is the cave.
To the Sufis, the cave is not merely a shelter from the outer world, but an aperture to the inner. In the Qur’an, we find Ashab al-Kahf, the Companions of the Cave, who surrendered to divine time within a hollowed stone, emerging generations later, untouched by the passage of the world. Likewise, the Prophet Muhammad retreated to the cave of Hira, where the veil first parted and the angelic command Iqraʾ! – “Recite!” – pierced the silence of the earth.
The cave is not absence but fullness – an earthen womb where the soul, like a seed, is invited to gestate.
In the ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern traditions, too, caves were portals to the sacred. The Oracle at Delphi spoke her riddles from the belly of Mount Parnassus. The initiates of Eleusis descended into the sacred darkness to die before they died. In each of these, the earth itself was regarded not as mute matter, but as a vessel of revelation.
In the teachings of our lineage, we are guided to descend within our own being – to discover the sacred cave within the heart.
Why caves? Because in an age that demands ever more surface, more speed, more noise – we are called to retreat inward, to rest our souls upon the cool stone of silence, to listen for the echo of the Beloved’s voice in the stillness beneath the world.
It is within such spaces – quiet, deep, and hidden – that the real work of the Inayatiyya unfolds.
This Fall, we ask you to help us sustain the cave.
Your generosity allows us to:
Our 2025 campaign goal is to raise $200,000 by December 31st. As of today, we have received $63,525, leaving $136,475 to raise in the coming months.
We are reminded of the words of Novalis:
“Farther they see than the palest of those countless hosts. Needing no aid from the light, they penetrate the depths of a loving soul…”
We do not need the world’s harsh lights to know where we are going. Like those ancient mystics, we descend inward, not away from the world but into the Heart of it.
Please consider making a contribution today – however small or large – to help us continue this sacred work.
Let us meet, once more, in the cave of the heart, where Love listens and speaks without words.
With devotion and gratitude,
Josh & Tajalli
on behalf of the Inayatiyya Fall Appeal 2025 Committee
Nazish Riaz, Board Chair | Ambreen Coombs, Treasurer | Nilufar Maryam Hasnaa, Board Member | Mika’il Petin, Executive Director | Tajalli Roselli, Astana Staff | Josh Octaviani, Astana Staff
PS – If you haven’t already registered for In an Eastern Rose Garden with Pir Zia, you can find more information and the registration link here. There’s still time to catch up!
The Inayatiyya is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization (Tax ID #23-7159641). Your donation may be fully deductible for tax purposes per United States IRS guidelines. Please note that donations made by check must be received by Friday, December 26th to be considered as within 2025. If you would like to make a donation by mail, please send it to Inayatiyya, 112 E Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23219.
