Hazrat Inayat Khan sailed from Bombay on September 13, 1910, and came to the West where he began to spread the Sufi Message. In 1914, the First World War obliged him to settle for a time in London, and it was here that he formed his first organization, which he called the Sufi Order. There were few students in this period, and society, occupied with the war, was not very favourable to a message of peace and harmony.

When it was possible to travel to the continent again, Hazrat Inayat Khan attracted a number of students, particularly in Holland, but also in other countries. From this foundation, the work began to spread.

Later, in 1923, the Sufi Order of the London period was dissolved into a new organization formed under Swiss law and called the International Sufi Movement. At the same time, Hazrat Inayat Khan and his family settled in Suresnes, a suburb of Paris, in a house he called, 'Fazal Manzil,' or 'blessed home.' Here each summer were held International Summer Schools, attended by students from around the world.

Although the International Sufi Movement remains incorporated in Geneva, the Headquarters are now established in The Hague, Holland.