Noor’s story begins not on the battlefields of Europe, but in the heart of Moscow, on New Year’s Day, 1914. She was born into a world of profound spirituality. Her father, Hazrat Inayat Khan, was an Indian nobleman and a Sufi mystic who traveled the world teaching a message of universal love, harmony, and beauty. Her American mother, Ora Ray Baker, was his devoted disciple. Noor was a direct descendant of Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century ruler of Mysore known as the Tiger of Mysore for his fierce resistance to British rule. In her veins flowed the blood of both a warrior and a mystic.

The family eventually settled in a large house on the outskirts of Paris, a home they named Fazal Manzil, or House of Blessing. Here, Noor and her three younger siblings were raised in an atmosphere of art, music, and Sufi pacifism. She was a dreamy, sensitive child, gifted in music and storytelling. She played the harp and the piano, and she adored writing children's stories filled with wonder and kindness. Her father taught her that true strength lay not in violence, but in compassion and the unwavering pursuit of truth.