Prophetic continuity
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Following in the tradition of Sufis such as Ibn al-Arabi, Shihabuddin Suhrawardi, Dara Shikoh, the Indian Emperor Akbar, and Hazrat Inayat Khan, Pir Zia Inayat-Khan upholds the idea of prophetic continuity, i.e. the idea that a single and universal force of divine guidance manifests throughout particular prophetic instantiations in time, space, and culture.[1] While according full respect to the particularities and distinctions of different religions and revelations, this view also holds that all religions and revelations epiphanize the universal, perennial, and ongoing disclosure of the Divine.[2]. Pir Zia affirms, however, that prophetic continuity and unity does not equal uniformity. The myriad manifestations of revelation in its distinctions and differences are an inherent and thus sacred expression of the whole. In his 2007 webcast, Pir Zia explains this using the metaphor of DNA:
No religion serves the function of another, and yet, religions are not essentially different, although they are differentiated in function... [O]rgans are made of tissues, tissues of cells, and cells contain DNA, and every cell contains the DNA of the whole body -- so every organ contains in itself the total truth without anything absent. It is all fully present in each part, and yet that total truth is modulated, is customized by the cell so that each cell can contribute to the working of the whole, a whole that is not inorganic and homogeneous but is organic and differentiated, and so each cell needs to customize its divine dispensation to work cooperatively within the field of the whole, to contribute its part to the divine wisdom... This is a brilliant model for understanding the relationships of the divinely revealed religions, and the real possibility of imagining, conceiving, and making real the total religion that is the summation of all dispensations.[3]
In this view prophetic revelation is a birthright shared by all humanity, and as such offers a source for genuine interreligious reconciliation. While remaining firmly within one’s own cultural and religious location, one can behold with full respect the Divine guidance as revealed in other traditions. Extending beyond interfaith dialogue, planetary prophetology supports the late Wayne Teasdale’s concept of interspirituality, that is, the active, shared practice amongst followers of different religions. In this regard, Pir Zia has hosted and participated in a number of “interspiritual” and Abrahamic gatherings, in addition to conferences of different Sufi masters.[4]
According to Pir Zia, the mystical and esoteric currents of the worlds’ religions in particular support this interpretation of universal Divine guidance, and play a critical role in the emergence of a new planetary consciousness. Mystical traditions, in their acknowledgement of a universal and ongoing force of divine guidance and revelation, provide the transformative foundations for a positive global civilization characterized by interreligious reconciliation.[5]
- ^ An idea often referred to as verus propheta in Christian esotericism.
- ^ See webcast.
- ^ See webcast
- ^ See 2006 Sufi Conference
- ^ See webcast
