9 April 2026
Dear Companions on the Path,
“War is hell” is a familiar saying. The truth, however, is that war is something far worse.
“The burning fire of hell does not consume the sinner; it only consumes his sins,” Murshid tells us. War, by contrast, burns the bodies of saints and sinners alike. Neither elder nor child is spared.
Our daily prayer of Amān must continue. Amān: the sanctuary urgently needed by beleaguered human beings, animals, and all other creatures when bombs fall, machine guns rattle, and explosions rage.
As we recite, where should the mind and heart go? There is no fixed instruction. Each person’s prayer must arise naturally from their state of being and vision in the moment.
These are possibilities:
You might tune in to the foundation of Divine peace that lies deep down beneath the turmoil of the world. You would offer yourself to it as a vessel.
You might envision the bombed out streets and homes of places where you know civilians are dying. You would bear witness there in the solidarity of our common humanity.
You might spiritually discern the angels who are hurrying to the aid of the slain, the wounded, and the bereaved. You would honor their task of healing and guiding traumatized psyches.
You might, in imagination, visit the halls of power where fateful decisions are made. You would deliver a wordless but acute jeremiad insisting on moral coherence.
You might, if you have the fortitude, directly approach the archon which is, in the World of Images, the evil genius of the conflict you are addressing. You would encircle the tempest with an exorcising prayer, exhorting the scintillas trapped in its vortex to break free in the Name of God.
You might pledge yourself to work for peace in all that you do, say, and think. When the prayer is finished, you would accordingly undertake tangible actions to promote peace, justice, and human kinship through every democratic means.
Let us pray.
Yours ever,
Pir Zia
The Zephyr is a monthly newsletter of the Inayatiyya, an interfaith mystical fellowship with branches worldwide. For more information, please visit us at inayatiyya.org.
