Inayati Rules

Below are updated gender-inclusive versions of the Inayati Sufi Rules composed by Hazrat Inayat Khan. These versions were created for murids of the Inayati-Maimuni Order, and for the personal use of Inayati Sufis of other orders.

The Iron Rules

My conscientious self:

I.
Make no
False claims.

II.
Speak not
Against others
In their absence.

III.
Do not
Take advantage
Of a person’s ignorance.

IV.
Do not boast
Of your good deeds.

V.
Do not claim
That which belongs
To another.

VI.
Do not
Reproach others,
Making them firm
In their faults.

VII.
Do not spare
Yourself in the work
Which you must accomplish.

VIII.
Render your
Services faithfully
To all who require them.

IX.
Do not
Seek profit
By putting someone
Else in straits.

X.
Harm no one
For your own
Benefit.

The Copper Rules

My conscientious self:

I.
Consider your
Responsibility
Sacred.

II.
Be polite
To all.

III.
Do nothing
Which will make
Your conscience
Feel guilty.

IV.
Extend your help
Willingly to those
In need.

V.
Do not look
Down upon
The one who
Looks up to you.

VI.
Judge not
Another by
Your own law.

VII.
Bear no malice
Against your worst
Enemy.

VIII.
Influence no one
To do wrong.

IX.
Be prejudiced
Against no one.

X.
Prove trustworthy
In all your dealings.

The Silver Rules

My conscientious self:

I.
Consider duty
As sacred as religion.

II.
Use tact
On all occasions.

III.
Place people rightly
In your estimation.

IV.
Be no more
To anyone
Than you are
Expected to be.

V.
Have regard
For the feelings
Of every soul.

VI.
Do not
Challenge anyone
Who is not your equal.

VII.
Do not
Make a show
Of your generosity.

VIII.
Do not
Ask a favor
Of those who
Will not grant it you.

IX.
Meet your
Shortcomings
With a sword of
Self-respect.

X.
Let not
Your spirit
Be humbled
In adversity.

The Golden Rules

My conscientious self:

I.
Keep to
Your principles
In prosperity
As well as
Adversity.

II.
Be firm
In your faith
Through all life’s
Tests and trials.

III.
Guard the secrets
Of your friends
As your most
Sacred trust.

IV.
Observe constancy
In love.

V.
Break not
Your word of honor,
Whatever may
Befall you.

VI.
Meet the world
With smiles
Through all the
Vicissitudes of life.

VII.
When you
Possess something,
Think of the one
Who does not
Possess it.

VIII.
Uphold your honor
At any cost.

IX.
Hold your ideal high
In all circumstances.

X.
Do not neglect those
Who depend on you.

* These gender-inclusive versions of the remembrances are used with permission from Netanel Miles-Yépez (ed.). Sufi Prayers: The Prayers and Remembrances of the Inayati Sufis. Boulder, Colorado: Albion-Andalus Books, 2015.

Inayati Rules

The Iron Rules

The Copper Rules

The Silver Rules

The Golden Rules

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