Brotherhood & Sisterhood Activity
There is one Brotherhood/Sisterhood, the Human Brotherhood, which unites the children of the earth indiscriminately in the Fatherhood of God.
From the Ten Sufi Thoughts, Hazrat Inayat Khan
The Sufi understands that the One Life emanating from the Inner being is manifested on the surface as the life of variety, and in this world of variety man is the finest manifestation, who can realize, in his evolution, the Oneness of the Inner being even in the external existence of variety. but he evolves to his ideal, which is the only purpose of his coming on earth, by uniting himself with another. Man unites with others in the family tie, which is the first step in his evolution. And yet, families in the past have fought with each other, and have shown vengeance to one another for generations, each considering at the time its own to be the only true and righteous cause. Man, to-day shows his evolution by uniting with his neighbors and fellow citizens, and even developing within himself the spirit of patriotism for his nation. And yet men so united nationally have caused the recent catastrophe, which has no parallel in history; and this will be regarded by the coming generations in the same light in which the family feuds of the past are viewed by us to-day. There are racial bonds which widen the circle of unity still more; but it has always happened that one race has looked down on the other.
The religious bonds show a still higher ideal in man; but it has caused diverse sects which have opposed and despised each other for thousand of years, and have caused so many splits and divisions among men. Even in such a wide scope of brotherhood the germ of separation exists. And however widespread the brotherhood may be, as long as it is separated man from man, it cannot be a perfect brotherhood.
The Sufi realizing this, frees himself from national, racial, and religious boundaries, uniting in the human brotherhood, which is devoid of the differences and distinctions of class, caste, creed, race, nation or religion and unites mankind in the universal Brotherhood.