On Tuesday April 30 a very beautiful Universal Worship memorial service was held in the Sufi Temple in Katwijk for Murshid Karimbakhsh Witteveen. It was such a blessed gift for the family and for all who attended that Pir Zia had flown all the way back from the States to be with us and to officiate at the Universal Worship - just a short week after having returned back to the States from Germany! Thank you again so much Bawa.
The hall was filled to capacity as family, friends, Sufis and politicians came together to honor Murshid Karimbakhsh. Fortunately, there were viewing places set up in the foyer, downstairs, and in the Wakil house, where the overflow could be accommodated so that they were able to view the service on large television screens that had been set up.
The service began with an address by Sheikh al Masheikh Mahmood Khan who eloquently spoke of the absolutely amazing life journey of Murshid Karimbakhsh. Then Pir Zia and two cheragas from the Sufi Movement majestically entered the hall to begin the service. It was a traditional Sufi Movement memorial service in which Pir Zia read the Burial Sermon, circumambulated the casket with incense, and offered the Prayer for the Dead and Blessing Prayer. Solemn and yet imbued with great depth and sacredness, the atmosphere in the temple was permeated with light which gave a gentle touch of solace to the many grieving hearts present.
At the end of the service, to the harmonium accompaniment of Omar Inayat Khan, the grandson of Hidayat (Pir Vilayat’s brother), everyone had the opportunity to pay their final respects to Murshid Karimbakhsh by coming up to the casket one by one in silence. It was very touching to witness the devotion and love that poured forth. The line for this was really long, extending out into the surrounding dunes where some had also been listening from the amphitheatre in the Valley of Wishes. This was the sacred place where Pir-O-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan himself had walked in contemplation. It was less than a year ago that a group of 100 of us had made a pilgrim’s walk from the Sufi temple together with Pir Zia and Murshid Karimbaksh there, and then sat together in silent communion.
At the end of the service on Tuesday, everyone gathered inside and around the Wakil house for coffee and tea, to offer condolences to the family and to each other. Old and new friends from the Sufi Movement, the Inayati Order, the Sufi Way, the Sufi Contact, and the Ruhaniat with open hearts shared precious moments together, united spontaneously in Murshid Karimbakhsh’s vision of more harmony, co-operation and collaboration amongst the mureeds leaders of Pir-O-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan. I imagined him smiling at all of us, with a reminder that there is still much work to be done.
And it is amazing and so fitting that the Federation of the Sufi Message will take place this coming weekend in Virginia! May the Spirit of Guidance and the blessings of Murshid Karimbakhsh sanctify this gathering. May the seeds sown on the fertile ground of hearts opened in love and kinship germinate and blossom in its due time to spread far and wide!
with love,
Saki Lee,
the Netherlands