Art as Zikr: Finding divine ecstasy in artistic expression
International Sufi Gathering and Conference in Vienna, Austria
INVITATION TO THIS CONFERENCE
The Inayatiyya, the interfaith Sufi order of spiritual freedom active throughout the world, invites you to a conference on art and spirituality. Some great international spiritual leaders and visionaries will share their insights on the proposed theme, a contribution in a difficult historical moment in which humanity needs to rise above ignorance.
Artists are revolutionaries just like prophets and sages. Their creativity produces narratives and stimulates new ways of seeing and understanding.
Whenever the world is on the brink of change, artists, writers, and thinkers are at the forefront of opening new horizons for human imagination and thought.
An artist is a spokesperson because they convey the message of divine majesty through the grandeur and beauty of their works. By stimulating deeper thought and intriguing the observer, art has the ability to draw us into the mysterious depths of our soul, where we have the opportunity to encounter the Divine Artist: Al-Musawwir.
Can we turn to art to learn the wisdom of harmony, beauty, and mystery in the simultaneous presence of a complexity of colors, lines, sounds, shapes, and structures?
Can we read in art the spiritual activity that creates myths that can guide us along the path of Ariadne's thread? Along a creative path, we must find our way through a labyrinth. We take wrong turns, we bump into walls, we get lost. This happens in order to find the treasure at the center of ourselves, the true magic of creativity.
When we succeed in giving birth to our creativity, we explode with ecstasy because in finding it we have found ourselves. It is the discovery of Al-Wājid: “the Seeker: He who has found and obtained everything.”
The Conference Speakers
Murshida Amat-un-Nur
She is the Inayatiyya representative for South Asia and the national representative for Pakistan. With a degree in Comparative Philosophy and Islamic and Western Mysticism, she has been following this spiritual path for twenty-five years. In addition, she has studied and researched Sufism and Islam. She is a speaker at international symposiums on Sufism and regularly holds courses, conferences, and seminars to inspire people to live their full potential through the recovery of the sacred in them and in life.
Murshida Fawzia Al-Rawi
Murshida Fawzia Al-Rawi is a renowned Sufi scholar, teacher, and author specializing in the inner dimensions of Islam. With extensive expertise in Islamic mysticism, she explores how traditional Sufi insights can be applied to modern spiritual practice. She has been a Sufi teacher and spiritual guide for over 30 years. She combines classical Islamic spirituality with inner healing work. Her work is characterized by depth, clarity and a quiet, transformative presence. '
https://www.fawzia-al-rawi.com
Muhammad Valsan
Born in Paris, he is the son of Michel Valsan (Cheikh Mustafa Abd al-Aziz), the first great interpreter of Ibn Arabi in the West. As editor of the publication Science Sacrée, he continues his father's work and studies the universal expression of initiatory doctrines. His teachings are part of the legacy of René Guénon. The principles of the sacred texts are fundamental when Cheikh Muhammad Valsan addresses applications in the arts and sciences. He is involved in interfaith dialogue and participates in numerous international conferences.
Dr. Neil Douglas-Klotz
Saadi Shakur Chishti holds degrees in religious studies, psychology, and somatic psychology and for many years was co-chair of the Mysticism Group of the American Academy of Religion. He is an independent scholar with training in hermeneutics, ancient Semitic languages, and sacred movement. He has been following the Sufi path for over 40 years and is the khalif of Hazrat Moineddin Jablonski, who was the khalif of Sufi Ahmed Murad Chishti. He co-founded the International Network for the Dances of Universal Peace and has authored several books, including The Sufi Book of Life, Desert Wisdom, and Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus.
Shaykh Hamdi Ben Aïssa
An artist, researcher, and teacher, he is the founder of the Alchemya Institute for Contemplative Studies, an initiative rooted in the Sufi tradition, open to all those who are searching for truth. The Institute offers a space where ancient wisdom meets the urgencies of the contemporary world: inner healing, coherence, spiritual maturity, and ethical responsibility. It is based on lived experience rather than abstract theories. His work reflects a deep desire to reveal contemplation as an essential practice for all those seeking to reconnect with their true essence.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
DAY 1 - SATURDAY, 09.05.2026:
9:00 – 10:15 Lecture 1: Murshida Amat-un-Nur
Moses presents the ten commandments. (Raffaello around 1519) An exploration of the depiction of the Horned-Moses in medieval art and sculpture as a symbol of veiled Divine Glory.
10:45 – 12:00 Lecture 2: Muhammad Valsan
Calligraphie et science des noimbres dans le Coran-Dhikr. (Translated into English.)
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch
15:00 – 16:15 Lecture 3: Shaykh Hamdi Ben Aïssa
The Divine Song. Sacred Chant Across Traditions From the Psalms and Sufi Odes to the Bhagavad Gītā and the Qur’an
17:00 – 19:00: Sacred Dance Introduction: Neil Douglas-Klotz Saadi Shakur Chishti
The Art of Personality and Sacred Movement as Zikr
19:00 - 20:00 Dinner
DAY 2: SUNDAY, 10.05.2026:
9:00 – 10:15 Lecture 1: Neil Douglas-Klotz Saadi Shakur Chishti
The Qur*anic Beautiful Names found in the Aramaic Words of Yeshua, Issa Ruh Allāh.
10:45 – 12:00 Lecture 2: Murshida Fawzia Al-Rawi
Allāh is beauty and loves beauty. The concept of beauty and majesty in Art.
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch
15:00 – 16:30: Q&A
17:00 – 19:00 Healing Music Session with Hadra Music of the Soul
Painting https://www.hadramusicofthesoul.com/ Introduction: Fawzia Al-Rawi
19:00 - 20:00 Dinner
DAY 3: MONDAY, 11.05.2026 (OPTIONAL ADD-ON):
Art & architecture guided-tour in the city of Vienna with joint lunch.
Detailed programme and costs to be confirmed (sample pictures below). Approx. 10:00am to 4:00pm
Please let us know at your registration if you are interested.
