 Zia Inayat-Khan was born in Novato, California, in 1971, and is the first son of Sufi teachers Vilayat Inayat Khan and Murshida Taj Inayat.Vilayat made it clear to Zia at an early age that he wished him to take the mantle of his Sufi lineage as passed down from Inayat Khan, and instructed him in meditation and spiritual retreat.Zia was confirmed as spiritual successor to Vilayat in 2000, and has served as head of the Inayati Order, guiding Inayati communities in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the South Pacific.