Book Tour & Teachings
w/ Pir Zia Inayat Khan
NYC • DC • Boston • Berkeley
May & June, 2026
The Sufis live for God alone; They have no other impetus.
Their bodies made of skin and bone, And yet their hearts are limitless.
— Pir Zia Inayat Khan, from Tears from the Mother of the Sun
We are delighted to present a series of in-person opportunities to connect with author and Sufi mystic Pir Zia Inayat Khan in New York City, Washington DC, Boston and Berkeley in May and June! This series of gatherings will feature the theme “Aligning with the Illuminated,” inspired by Pir Zia’s new book Tears from the Mother of the Sun, a globe-spanning chronicle setting forth an astonishing sequence of legends revealing little-known connections between ancient cultures and spiritual lineages. Beautiful paintings by Amruta Patil bring these legends to life.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
NEW YORK, NY
Friday, May 8, 7–9pm
Tribeca, New York City
Free Public Book Reading & Conversation with Pir Zia and Humera Afridi, in collaboration with Shaykha Fariha and the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Community
The Sufi Lodge, 245 West Broadway Avenue, New York City, NY
→ RSVP Here
Saturday, May 9, 2 – 6pm
Tribeca, New York City
2-6pm Teachings with Pir Zia Inayat Khan and Shaykha Fariha
The Sufi Lodge, 245 West Broadway Avenue, New York City, NY
→ Register Here
Sunday, May 10, 11am – 1pm
Brooklyn, New York
Mothers Day Book Reading and Signing with Pir Zia Inayat Khan with Chai and Baklava
Ruhani Cafe, 519 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY
→ Register Here
WASHINGTON, DC
Monday, May 18, 6 – 7pm
Tacoma Park, Maryland (north of Washington DC)
Free Public Book Reading with Pir Zia Inayat Khan *Limited Space*
People’s Book, 7014-A Westmoreland Ave. Takoma Park, MD
→ Reserve a Seat Here
BOSTON, MA
Friday, May 29, 7 – 9pm
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Free Public Book Reading & Conversation with Pir Zia Inayat Khan and Kythe Heller
First Parish UU, 1446 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
→ RSVP Here
Saturday, May 30, 10am – 5pm
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Teachings with Pir Zia Inayat Khan
First Parish UU, 1446 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
→ Register Here
BERKELEY, CA
Thursday, June 4, 7 – 9pm
Berkeley, California
Book Reading & Conversation with Pir Zia and Nilufar Maryam Hasnaa
The Alembic, 2820 Seventh St, Berkeley, CA
→ Register Here
Friday, June 5, 7 – 8:30pm
Berkeley, California
Special Free Gathering for Inayatiyya Murids & Leaders
Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley, CA
→ Details will be provided closer to the event
Friday, June 5 & Saturday June 6, 9:30am – 5pm
Berkeley, California
2 Day of Teachings with Pir Zia Inayat Khan
Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley, CA
→ Register Here
Please join us and share the details with your friends, family and community! Unless otherwise noted, these events are open to all: seekers, initiates, and anyone curious about developing the capacity of the heart and living a life of spiritual liberty. We can’t wait to see you!
Speakers
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Pir Zia Inayat KhanPir Zia Inayat Khan, PhD, is a scholar of religion and teacher of Sufism in the universalist Sufi lineage of his grandfather, Hazrat Inayat Khan. Pir Zia is president of the Inayatiyya and founder of Sulūk Academy, a school of Sufi contemplative study and practice.
He is author of Tears from the Mother of the Sun with visual artist Amruta Patil, Immortality: A Traveler’s Guide; Mingled Waters: Sufism and the Mystical Unity of Religions; and Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity and the Mystical Quest. Pir Zia divides his time between Richmond, Virginia and Suresnes, France. -
Shaykha FarihaShaykha Fariha is the spiritual guide of the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order in New York City. She was born in 1947 into a socially committed, eclectic Catholic family in Houston, Texas. At the age of 29, she met her teacher, Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak of Istanbul, and received direct transmission from him in 1980. Shaykh Muzaffer also gave direct transmission to Lex Hixon (Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi), who envisioned a radical and illumined path of the heart which he called Universal Islam. After Shaykh Nur’s death, Fariha took on the guidance of the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order, with circles around the world. This lineage offers the nectar of teachings of the Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him, which guide the seeker to self-knowledge and immersion in God. The sacred practices of zikr, prayer, charitable living, fasting and retreat are all embraced.
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Nilufar Maryam HasnaaNilufar Maryam Hasnaa is an intuitive, channel, energy healer and a lover of all things that create a feeling of being connected to something bigger than ourselves. Nilufar is the founder of New Earth Mystery School where she trains students in the work of energy healing, plant spirit medicine, earth stewardship and the intuitive arts. In her free time, she loves to garden, commune with nature spirits and lead ceremonies. Nilufar uses her own highly sensitive gifts to remind others of the subtle energetic nature of this universe. Through her work of returning to nature she has learned the importance of living in alignment with one’s most authentic self. Nilufar was born in the Sufi tradition and initiated into the Inayatiyya in 2022. She is a graduate of the Suluk class of Lulu Wa Marjan (2025).
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Humera AfridiHumera Afridi has worked as a writer and educator in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Dallas, Texas. She moved to New York City in 2001 to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at New York University, where she was the recipient of a New York Times Fellowship. Her essays and stories have appeared in Granta, Guernica, and the Journal of Postcolonial Writing, among other publications. A graduate of Suluk Academy (Gulzar), Humera is currently at work on a biography of Pirzadi Noor Inayat Khan.