Over the course of two years, students, called Saliks, deeply explore the fundamentals of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s school of Sufism under the rubric of Concentration, Contemplation, Meditation and Realization.

Among the topics of study are purification of body and mind, prayer, breath, the elements, light, the inner senses, the Chivalric Rules, the God Ideal, the Divine Names, the subtle centers, and the Spirit of Guidance. 

Four additional lectures on the life of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan are offered as part of the curriculum led by Qahira Wirgman, Archivist and Editor at the Nekbakht Foundation, Murshid’s archives in Suresnes, France. 

A direct transmission is shared through a mix of practice, lecture, suhbat, and zikr, and held within a container of spiritual companionship.

Homework between sessions includes reading and writing assignments, possible Zoom calls with one’s peer group, and a required three-day, individual Suluk Retreat.

Teachers

Pir Zia Inayat Khan, PH.D., 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 Immortality: A Traveler’s Guide; Dream Flowers: The Collected Works of Noor Inayat Khan with a Critical Commentary by Pir Zia Inayat Khan; Mingled Waters: Sufism and the Mystical Unity of Religions; and Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity and the Mystical Quest. He is editor of Caravan of Souls: An Introduction to the Sufi Path of Hazrat Inayat Khan and A Pearl in Wine: Essays in the Life, Music and Sufism of Hazrat Inayat Khan. Pir Zia divides his time between Richmond, Virginia and Suresnes, France.

Urs Qutbuddin Schellenberg has been a murid of the Inayatiyya since 2002. He serves as a guide, teacher, Siraj, and representative. Currently, he is a member of the board of Inayatiyya Switzerland and holds the position of Vice President at Zenith Camp. Qutbuddin graduated from the first Suluk program in Europe in 2010 and has also served as Vice President of Universal Worship Europe. Qutbuddin is a Doctor of Philosophy, with an MA in Religious Studies and Philosophy of Religion. He is also a trained schoolteacher. His professional work has included active involvement in interreligious dialogue and lecturing in Religious Studies. He currently teaches at a university in Switzerland, where he trains students to teach Religion and Ethics in public schools. Qutbuddin resides in Switzerland with his wife and two daughters.

Nizam un Nisa Husain is a Murshida, Cheraga, Guide, Representative and Facilitator of the Anjumani-Islam group in the Inayatiyya. A student of classical Chishti Sufism since 1988 and a devoted follower of the Inayatiyya since 2004, she has led Inayatiyya centers in Lahore, in Dubai and now in Oakville, Ontario where she lives. A journalist and editor by profession with an MA in Journalism/Near Eastern Studies from NYU, Nizam un Nisa is a graduate of the first European Suluk class and has mentored several Suluk classes including the first graduate Suluk. She has led Sufi retreats, taught Sufi meditation to Buddhist monks in Tokyo and been invited to the UN as part of an international delegation of spiritual leaders. She is currently working on setting the Urdu poetry of Hazrat Inayat Khan to music.

Jacob Miraj Dominicus helps people deepen their meditative practice. Jacob has been a murid of the Inayatiyya since 1997, served on the Inayati Order Board of Trustees under Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan and Pir Zia Inayat Khan, and helped start Suluk Academy serving as its inaugural administrator. In 2007, he graduated from Suluk’s Kafur class. Since 2015 Jacob has co-led retreats with Gulrukh Patel at the Zenith Institute in Switzerland. He currently serves as the co-Madar-ul-Muham of Inayatiyya Inner School (Oceania and North America). Professionally, Jacob is an executive coach who coaches leaders, teams, and individuals seeking to cultivate a richer inner life while accomplishing their outer pursuits. Jacob holds a B.A. from NYU in Organizational Behavior, Narrative Theory, and Mysticism and has been a Visiting Scholar at NYU Tisch’s Interactive Communications Program (ITP). He lives in Los Angeles, where he studies the Chinese martial arts of Xingyi and Bagua and lives with his wife, daughter, and two cats.

Deepa Gulrukh Patel is a creative facilitator in the interdisciplinary field of the arts and the sciences and a strategic thinker with a passion for social justice, heartful conversation and the contemplative life. She was born in Kenya to Indian parents and lives in England. This experience has influenced both her professional and personal life. Deepa has worked with young people, in the field of cultural diversity as a Live Music producer and in music education. Her current work is with The London College of Fashion, UNHCR and the University of Sheffield in refugee camps in Jordan and Africa and the Fetzer Institute on two projects, one on creating sacred space in the virtual world and the other on their shared spiritual heritage project. Deepa is a guide and teacher in the Inayatiyya, a mentor in Suluk and chair of  Inayatiyya Interntional. She is also the chair of Tamasha Theatre Company, an advisor to the Loss Foundation, a bereavement support service to to those that have lost some to Cancer or COVID-19 and Charis Interspirituality on their interfaith dialogue projects.

Mentors 

Nirtana Gloria Deckro was first introduced to yoga and meditation as a 21-year-old medical student during a Summer internship in India. In 1982 she was initiated into the Inayatiyya by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan. She has spent much of her adult life practicing and teaching meditation through various roles: as a guide and senior teacher in the Inayatiyya, as a mentor for Suluk Academy, and as a doctor bringing mind/body approaches into educational and medical settings. From 2011-14 she served in an organizational position as executive director of the Inayatiyya. Now, her primary commitment is to help others explore and deepen their inner life and bring the fruits of this practice into every day.

Akbar Chris Miller serves in the Inayatiyya as a Representative, Healing Cherag, and Healing Conductor. He Co-Founded the Inayati Young Adults Council, and was Chair from 2017-2022. Akbar works with Israeli-Palestinian interfaith peacebuilding NGO Abrahamic Reunion, helps coordinate and guide sacred tours & pilgrimages to India, Israel-Palestine, and Bali, and is studying poetry at the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers. You can find him offering nature retreats, meditation, zikr (sometimes on the beach under the full moon!), universal services, teen and young adult workshops and jams, and poetry classes at Rising Tide International and elsewhere, often with his wife Jessica as part of their Center, Heartway. They live with their daughter and cats Bibi and Mani, in a tiny jungle forest near the sea.

Daania Rebecca Kester serves as a Cheraga in the Universal Worship Activity, Shafayat in the Healing Activity, and is a Retreat Guide in the Inner School. She has been a dedicated murid since 2004. Daania is a graduate of Suluk Academy’s Gulzar class (2015) and has also completed the Suluk graduate program, “The Divine Art: The Alchemy of Human Transformation.” She is a Representative and active in the Inayatiyya Denver and Boulder Center nestled in the majestic Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Her academic background includes graduation from the Colorado Art Institute and studies in the Master of Architecture program at the University of Colorado. Travel has brought Daania great joy, particularly her journeys to India, where she visited the sacred dargahs of Sufi saints, including the revered tomb of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan in Delhi. Although now retired from teaching yoga, she remains a devoted student. Daania’s first encounter with Sufism was a transformative experience—a banquet of love that ignited her heart. Like a moth drawn to the flame, she continues to stay close to that source of inspiration.

Marie-Helene Farzana Dalila-Boyle was brought up in France and once lived close to Suresnes. She began her Sufi journey in London. In 1988 she fell in love with the Dances of Universal Peace (DUP) and has been dancing ever since. She is a DUP Certified Leader and facilitates the dances wherever she can. Farzana is a Retreat Guide in the Inner School, and she is on the 2 year Healing Retreat guide training, and a Healing Conductor. She serves as the UK Shefayat and led the first healing silent group retreat in Portugal in 2024. She is a graduate of Suluk Europe’s Jabarsa class (2017- 2019). She supported as a Mentor for the first global online Suluk class Na-koja-abad (2020-2022). Farzana completed a Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy at the Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy in London in 1992. The CCPE offered the first Transpersonal training in England at the time, led by Nigel Hamilton. She has been seeing private clients for over 30 years. Farzana has trained with a number of African and Sioux healers and teachers, and her work incorporates indigenous practices, ceremonies and Nature connections. She is a mother, grand-mother and lives with her husband in central Portugal.

Zehra Muge Kasim has been a devoted student of Pir Zia since 2006. She is a graduate of Tasnim Class and has served as a mentor for Na-koja-abad and Lulu wa Marjan classes. She has led Inayatiyya centers with her husband in 5 different cities in Turkey. Professionally she is a Doctor of Pharmacy and has served in hospital settings for many years in the USA. She also managed an Ambulatory Surgical Center and a Medical Spa and worked as a Perinatal Services Coordinator in Burbank, California. She completed her Ayurvedic Medicine training with Dr. Vasant Lad at Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico (2008-2010). Currently, Zehra gives lectures on Ayurveda and leads classes on Hazrat Inayat Khan’s teachings. She is a National Representative, Guide, Retreat Guide, and a Mentor for the Coordinators-in-Training and Representatives-in-Training Program of the Inner School for Inayatiyya in Turkey. She is also the President of the Board of the Inayatiyya-Turkey. She organizes retreat camps including the annual Sufi Camp in Turkey with Pir Zia. She has co-authored two books and is co-translator of five others.

Sharifa Kerstin Edelmann was born in Munich in 1965, where she grew up with a deep spiritual longing. At 17, she found her path in Tibetan Buddhism, and shortly after, encountered Pir Vilayat at a lecture in Munich. Inspired by this meeting, she attended a retreat at Sufi Camp in 1982 and was initiated into the Sufi Order by Pir Vilayat in Todtmoos, an experience that has guided her ever since. At 21, Sharifa traveled to India, where she attended the Kumbha Mela. The same year she became a mother and completed her yoga teacher training. Over the years, raising five children provided her with a rich field of learning and personal growth. Sharifa’s main passion is supporting others on their spiritual paths. She was deeply grateful to take part in the first online Na-Koja-Abad Suluk class. Sharifa now leads meditations at the Sufizentrum Ya Hayy in Munich and, with her husband, runs the ‘Garden of the Soul-Inayatiyya’ Sufi center in Kolbermoor. As a guide, teacher, and representative in the Inayatiyya, she dedicates her work to the teachings of Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan.

Jamila Cranston-Buckley is a student of life. She has worked in the fields of Well Being for 40 years. A practitioner of Oriental Healing, Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, Jamila continues to deepen in understanding the Five Elements as they manifest through every aspect of life. She treasures the philosophy of Wholeness and Interdependence of living systems found in approaches such as Sufi teachings, Oriental Medicine and ‘Perma-Dynamics’. Her passions are gardening, exploring wellbeing through movement, eating well, being in community, growing communication skills, cultivating compassion and consciously working with all states of mind. Her focus is tuning and polishing her Heart-Being, to listen more fully and deeply to self, others and life. Jamila is the Inayatiyya’s National Representative for New Zealand and holds the work of the ‘Inner School’. She guides individual and group retreats to tend heart, soul, unfold unique gifts and purpose of life.

Additional Offering: Stories of Murshid

Anne Louise Qahira Wirgman has been active for the Nekbakht Foundation, Hazrat Inayat Khan’s archive in Suresnes, France for many years in different roles varying from Archivist to Editor.  The 25 years before starting her involvement with the Foundation were spent in the UK arts sector. Theatre: National Theatre, Joint Stock Theatre Company, Albany Empire, Tamasha Theatre Company, Almeida, Young Vic. This work included collaborating with writers and directors to produce new work (Mass Carib and East is East) and classics. Music: (Executive Director, launching the new venue The Waterfront, Norwich); Film: (Intrinsica Films and DocFest). She is a graduate of Suluk Academy’s Tasnim Class. She helped form Suluk Academy in Europe and served as the co-administrator for the European classes of Gulab, Parvana and Zindarud. She prefers not to add her photograph.

Suluk meets for two years, distributed in 16 weekends starting in September 2025 and graduating in June 2027. These weekend sessions are held September to December and March through May, with January and February, and summers off. 

Fall Semester 2025

• Concentration I: Pir Zia
  • September: Friday 12, Saturday 13 & Sunday 14, 2025
  • October: Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 
• Concentration II: Urs Qutbuddin Schellenberg
  • November: Friday 21, Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 
  • December: Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 

Spring Semester 2026

• Contemplation I: Pir Zia
  • March: Friday 27, Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 
  • April: Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 
• Contemplation II: Nizam un Nisa Husain
  • May: Friday 29, Saturday 30 & Sunday 31 
  • June: Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 

Fall Semester 2026

• Meditation I: Pir Zia
  • September: Friday 11, Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 
  • October: Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 
• Meditation II: Jacob Miraj Dominicus
  • November: Friday 13, Saturday 14, & Sunday 15 
  • December: Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 

Spring Semester 2027

• Realization I: Deepa Gulrukh Patel
  • March: Friday 12, Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 
  • April: Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 
• Realization II: Pir Zia
  • May: Friday 21, Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 
  • June: Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 

Calendar view available here.

A typical day at Suluk will include two teaching sessions, and a meeting with your mentor group and your “pod.”

Mentor Groups are small groups of 10-12 people, led by a mentor, that Saliks belong to throughout the course of the program. These groups are meant to provide a home base as one processes and assimilates the teachings.

Pods are smaller, self-guided groups, involving 5-6 people from each Mentor Group. Pod mates support one another as spiritual friends throughout the program.

Please note, attendance is an important element at Suluk Academy. In order to graduate, participants can miss no more than five days of the course at a time or a sum of the different program elements.

It will be a requirement of the Suluk Global Online Program to be able to participate in real-time for the teachings each day. Below are Standard Schedule Samples for Eastern Time and Central European Time. Saliks adjust their schedule based on their timezone.

There will be Stories of Murshid on select days and opportunities to connect with the global community throughout the two years.

Tuition for the full, two-year program is $5,200 with payment made quarterly at least one month before each block. Payment for the first session must be paid in advance, to serve as a deposit and to guarantee your place in the class. Payments for the first round of accepted applications are due by May 15th, 2025.

Partial scholarships and tuition adjustments based on national currency valuations will be available if needed. If you are interested in a scholarship, please note this within your application.

Suluk Academy is designed for murids in the Inayatiyya. Prerequisites to apply are to be initiated and to be working with an Inner School guide or equivalent. Let us know if you need more information.

Please email suluk@inayatiyya.org if you are ready to apply!