International Association of Sufism

✨ What is it that draws us to a true teacher?

We posed that question to Dr. Jamal Granick, co-director of the Sufism & Psychology Forum, psychotherapist, educator, and student of Uwaiysi Sufism. His reflection centered on his experience of meeting Dr. Angha and Dr. Kianfar, co-founders of the International Association of Sufism.

🌿 What struck him wasn't simply their knowledge or their teachings.

It was their presence.

The unmistakable sense that each had devoted their lives to embodying the wisdom they share—each in their own unique way, yet both radiating a deep authenticity and congruence.

💎 There is something profoundly inspiring about encountering someone whose life reflects their values, whose actions align with their words, and whose presence communicates something beyond explanation.

Perhaps this is one of the gifts of a genuine teacher: not only what they teach, but what they demonstrate is possible.

🤲🏼 We are often drawn to those who awaken something within us…not because we wish to become them, but because they remind us of what we, too, are capable of becoming.

Have you ever met someone whose authenticity inspired you to grow?

Explore more reflections and resources through the link in bio.

🌿 Although Uwaiys never met the Prophet Muhammad in person, his sincerity, devotion, and connection of the heart became legendary. According to tradition, the Prophet spoke of him with great honor, recognizing a spiritual bond that reached beyond ordinary forms of communication.

❤️ As shared by Safa Ali Michael Newman, The story of Uwaiys reminds us of a central teaching found throughout Sufism: that the deepest understanding is not always gained through proximity, appearances, or intellectual study alone, but through the awakening of the heart.

💎 For generations, seekers have looked to these teachings as a reminder that love, presence, and inner awareness can connect us in ways that words cannot fully explain.

📚 The Breath of the Merciful, compiled by Dr. Nahid Angha, one of the cofounders of IAS, offers an introduction to the Uwaiysi School of Sufism and the lives of influential Sufi teachers whose wisdom continues to inspire seekers today.

Explore books, classes, events, and the journal "Sufism: An Inquiry" through the link in bio.

🤲🏼 What qualities help you stay connected to what matters most in your life?

✨ Have you ever been on a search…not just for information…but simply guidance?

New IAS member Samantha Alcalde knows the feeling.

After being deeply moved by the first pages of Dr. Angha's The Journey, Samantha began to understand what she had truly been seeking.

🌿 It wasn’t just a collection of ideas.
Nor was it another spiritual philosophy.

She was looking for a path. And perhaps even more importantly, she was looking for a teacher: someone who had walked the road before, someone whose wisdom and experience could help illuminate the way.

🍃 Spiritual traditions emphasize the importance of learning from those who have dedicated their lives to the path. Not to follow blindly, but to be supported, challenged, and guided toward deeper understanding.

For many seekers, there comes a moment when the journey shifts from asking, "What should I believe?" to asking, "Who can help me grow?"

🤲🏼 Have you ever encountered a teacher, mentor, or guide who helped you see life in a new way?

❤️ Follow for more reflections and click the link in bio for additional resources.

✨ Sometimes a single page can change the course of a journey.

For Samantha Alcalde, a new IAS member, the invitation to explore Sufism began with a conversation with someone she deeply respected. That conversation led her to Dr. Angha's book "The Journey."

🌿 When she opened the book and read the very first page, something resonated immediately. Something within her recognized a truth worth exploring.

Many of us can remember moments like this — a book, a conversation, a chance encounter that arrives at just the right time and opens a new door within us.

🤲🏼 Spiritual growth often begins with a simple spark of recognition: the feeling that there is something more to discover.

🫶🏼 Has a book or teaching ever touched you so deeply that you knew you needed to learn more?
Explore more reflections and resources through the link in bio.

✨ What if the guidance you're seeking begins closer than you think?

Hamid Edson, IAS Executive Committee Member, reflects on a teaching found at the heart of Sufism: that the journey begins by turning inward and asking.

❤️ Even when we feel disconnected from our hearts, we can pause, listen, and ask for guidance. The wisdom traditions of the world remind us that sincere seeking is never without response.

🌿 In Sufism, the heart is more than a source of emotion—it is a place of knowing, connection, and discovery. When we approach it with openness and hope, we may find that the guidance we seek is already closer than we imagined.

💎 As Hamid shares, we each carry an inner teacher. And when the heart is ready, the right books, teachings, mentors, and companions often appear along the path.

🤲🏼 Have you ever experienced a moment when guidance arrived just when you needed it most?

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💌 Share this post with someone who may need a reminder to trust their inner wisdom, and visit the link in bio for resources, events, classes, and publications.

✨ “Be with your heart.”

In this reflection, Safa Ali Michael Newman shares a passage from The Breath of the Merciful, a publication from Uwaiysi Tariqa Publications and the International Association of Sufism.

❤️ In Sufism, the relationship between teacher and student is understood as heart to heart: a transmission rooted not only in words, but in presence, sincerity, and lived experience.

🌿 Whether you are new to Sufism or simply curious about the inner path, teachings like these offer an invitation to reconnect with what is most essential and alive inside us.

If these reflections resonate with you, we invite you to continue the journey with us.
👉 Follow IAS for more conversations on Sufism, self-development, and the path of the heart.
🤲🏼 Share this reel with someone who may appreciate these teachings.
🔍 Visit the link in bio to explore resources, upcoming events, and to order The Breath of the Merciful along with other publications from IAS and Uwaysi Tariqa Publications.

🌿 Wherever you are on your path, may your heart guide you toward deeper connection, understanding, and peace.

✨ Sometimes a spiritual journey begins not with certainty… but with curiosity.

For Samantha Alcalde, a new IAS member, discovering Sufism felt like opening a treasure box: not knowing exactly what was inside, but feeling inspired to keep exploring.

🌿 There can be something beautiful about allowing ourselves to follow what quietly calls to us, even before we fully understand it.

Growth often begins the moment we stop needing all the answers first… and start trusting the experience enough to stay open.

🤲🏼 What’s something in your life that began with simple curiosity and unfolded into something meaningful?

Follow us for more reflections and find Sufism resources through the link in bio.

✨ “Sufism is the religion of the heart.” But what does that really mean?

Samantha Alcalde, a new IAS member, reflects on this question not as an idea to analyze… but as something to experience directly.

❤️ For Samantha, the answer isn’t found through thinking alone. It’s discovered by becoming still, dropping awareness into the heart, and listening from a deeper place within.

🌿 Sometimes the heart knows before the mind can explain.
And perhaps the path begins by learning how to pause long enough to hear it.

💎 Sufism invites us into that inner listening — a journey of self-discovery, presence, and connection with the deeper reality within ourselves.

👐 Have you ever experienced a moment where your heart seemed to know something before your mind did?

Explore more reflections and resources through the link in bio.

✨ “Sufism is the religion of the heart.” But what does that really mean?

Hamid Edson, IAS Executive Committee Member, reflects on two complementary ways of knowing: the mind and the heart.

🧠 The mind helps us navigate the world of form—through senses, analysis, and survival.
❤️ The heart, as taught by Dr. Angha and Dr. Kianfar, is something deeper… a receiver of unity, a way of perceiving the underlying wholeness beyond multiplicity.

🌿 In this sense, Sufism isn’t abstract… it’s a path of self-development, expanding our awareness from the outer world into the inner reality.

👐 Take a moment to reflect: how do you experience the balance between mind and heart?

Explore more reflections and resources through the link in bio.

✨ There are moments in life when something begins to open… even before we fully understand it.

Hamid Edson, IAS Executive Committee Member, reflects on a time of deep curiosity and wonder, exploring everything from science to poetry, and feeling a growing connection to the beauty of existence.

🌿 What we later recognize as a spiritual awakening often begins as a quiet longing: to understand more, to feel more, to connect more deeply with life.

In those moments, the heart opens… and begins to guide us in ways we may only recognize in hindsight.

💎 If you’re in a season of searching or awakening, explore resources to support your journey through the link in bio.

🤲🏼 Wherever you are on the path, honor the joy of it, and let it unfold.