Dr. Ali Kianfar
Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar, Shah Nazar Uwaiysi, is an Iranian American Sufi master of the Uwaiysi Tariqat. In 1983, together with Dr. Nahid Angha, he established the International Association of Sufism (IAS), a nonprofit humanitarian organization and United Nations NGO/DGC based in Northern California. IAS was founded to create and provide a global forum for dialogue amongst Sufis, scholars, interfaith leaders, poets, and scientists, and became the first organization of its kind to foster dialogue among Sufi leaders and communities from around the world. In the same spirit, in 1988, under Dr. Kianfar’s leadership as Chief Editor, IAS began publishing Sufism, An Inquiry, which remains the world’s longest-running publication on Sufism. He is also the founder of the Sufism Psychology Forum and the 40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility Program, both of which provide unique opportunities to explore self-awareness, personal growth, and healing for people of all faiths. Dr. Kianfar graduated from the Police Academy in Tehran and earned a master’s degree in law and a doctoral degree in Sufism and Islamic Philosophy from the University of Tehran. He began his study of Sufism under the guidance of Moulana Shah Maghsoud Sadiq Angha, a 20th-century Persian Sufi master (d. 1980) of the Uwaiysi Tariqa. Dr. Kianfar was among the first of Shah Maghsoud’s students to be given permission to teach and lead Sufi gatherings. He received the title of “Shah Nazar” (The Sight of the King) from Shah Maghsoud, who also has accepted him as a spiritual son. Dr. Kianfar established a Department of Sufism and Islamic Philosophy at Yuin University in Los Angeles in 1980 and has taught continuously in the United States and globally since his arrival in the United States since 1979. He is also the author of a wide variety of books,
In Greater Detail
Dr. Kianfar was born into a religious family in Tehran, Iran. He graduated from the Police Academy in Tehran and later earned a master’s degree in law, followed by a doctoral degree in Sufism and Islamic Philosophy from the University of Tehran. His study of Sufism began in his twenties under the guidance of Uwaiysi Sufi Master Moulana Shah Maghsoud Sadiq Angha. Dr. Kianfar was soon recognized as one of Shah Maghsoud’s foremost students and was appointed to teach in the Uwaiysi school. He was among the first of Shah Maghsoud’s students to be given permission to teach and lead Sufism. To commemorate this honor, Shah Maghsoud bestowed upon him the title of “Shah Nazar,” (The Sight of the King) and accepted him as a spiritual son. Dr. Kianfar began his teaching in Iran and continued his work upon arriving in the United States in 1979, offerings teachings to both Persian and American audiences through private gatherings and university lectures. In 1980, he established the Department of Sufism and Islamic Philosophy at Yuin University in Los Angeles, where he also served as department chair. For more than 40 years, he has also shared lectures and teachings at gatherings around the world, engaging people of diverse faiths.
In 1983, Dr. Kianfar and Dr. Nahid Angha co-founded the International Association of Sufism (IAS) as non-profit humanitarian organization and United Nations NGO/DPI based in Northern California. They continue to serve as co-directors. IAS was established to create a global forum and platform for dialogue among Sufis, scholars, interfaith leaders, poets, scientists, and students. Its mission also includes bringing together Sufi principles and scientific understanding and promoting equity and human rights. IAS has been honored with UNESCO’s Ambassador of Peace Award. In 1988, Dr. Angha and Dr. Kianfar began publishing Sufism, An Inquiry, which remains the world’s longest-running publication on Sufism. Since its inception, the journal has featured a wide range of content, including articles on human rights, scientific exploration, new translations of classic works of Sufi literature and poetry, and stories of Sufi saints previously unavailable in English. It also includes contributions from leading Sufi masters, poets, and psychologists on human development and the spiritual path. Dr. Kianfar continues to serve as Chief Editor, and contributes a Letter From the Editor in each issue. The journal now has published over 65 volumes.
In March 1994, IAS organized the first Sufi Symposium, bringing together major Sufi Orders from around the world to foster friendship, dialogue, harmony, and peace. Two years later, in 1996, Dr. Kianfar established the Taneen Sufi Music Ensemble as a department of IAS. The ensemble composes and performs music received through prayer and meditation, centered around zikr (remembrance), and inspired by the teachings and words of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), Jalal al-Din Rumi, and Moulana Shah Maghsoud. In 1997, Dr. Kianfar founded the Sufism Psychology Forum assembling, a team of experienced Sufi Psychologists to introduce Sufi healing psychology. This initiative prepares students for spiritual practices and journeying through the stations of self-awareness to achieve inward peace and stability. Following this, Dr. Kianfar and the team established Community Healing Centers (CHC) to serve local communities through psychotherapy services. They also began publishing a Sufi Psychology Forum newsletter, and Dr. Kianfar went on to found the 40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility program. Under Dr. Kianfar and Dr. Angha’s vision and guidance, IAS also constructed the Garden of Light Praying and Meditation Room in Napa, California. Begun in 2013, the Garden of Light was created as a service to humanity and a place of welcome where people of any religion and nationality, whether rich or poor, can come and find refuge and sanctuary.
Program Highlight: 40 Days: Alchemy of Tranquility®
In 1999, Dr. Kianfar launched the 40 Days: Alchemy of Tranquility® program, a Sufi-Psychology program and system that brings together Western psychological principles with Sufi teachings to establish a new and innovative approach to psychotherapy, self-development, and healing. Rooted in the ancient practice of “chelleh,” a forty-day period of spiritual practice and purification, the program includes an annual retreat designed to help participants learn how to access their hidden wisdom and to use it in daily life. Dr. Kianfar leads the 40 Days team directly. Past retreats and retreat subjects have included:
Retreat in Brotherhood Camp (Seattle, WA, May 2000); retreat at Valley of the Moon Camp (Sonoma. CA, Nov. 2001); retreat at Mountain Home Ranch (Calistoga, CA, April 2002); retreat at Dumas Bay Centre (Washington, Sept. 2003).
2007 marked the first retreat held at Santa Sabina in San Rafael, California, with retreats continuing every year under Kianfar’s guidance:
Sept. 2007, “Presence Healing and Balance”
Jan. 2008, “The Source of All Healing”
April 2009, “Awakening Awareness: The Foundation of Mind and Environment”
Jan. 2010, “Human Being: The Hidden Mysteries”
March 2011, “Access Your Inner Wisdom by Exploring Your First Relationship”
Nov. 2012, “Brain, Mind Self: Contact the Client Beyond the Presenting Problem”
Jan. 2013, “Brain, Mind, Self: Discovering the Art of Connection and Self-Regulation”
Sept. 2014, “The Alchemy of Tranquility”
Sept. 2015, “Value of Self”
Jan. 2016, “Self”
Jan. 2017, “Transformation Through Practice and Knowledge of Unity”
Jan. 2018, “The Root of Security”
Jan. 2019, “Practice”
Jan. 2020, “Transformation”
Jan. 2021, “Reflection: Mind–Heart”
Jan. 2022, “Love and Wisdom”
Jan. 2023, “Love and Destiny”
Jan. 2024, “Transformation”
Jan. 2025, “seyr va soluk: The Journey”
“In the Universe, the history of the journey from eternity to eternity,
the destiny and the mystery of each being,
is wrapped within the being itself.”
– Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar
Lectures & Global Conferences
Dr. Kianfar has given talks on Sufism, Islam, spirituality, and the relationship between science and spirituality in the United States and around the world. His approach in explaining Sufism to diverse audiences relies as much on contemporary science and psychology as it does on traditional Sufi philosophy. A sample of his lectures in worldwide conferences and interfaith communities, include:
First Sufism Symposium, San Rafael, California, March 1994
Sufism Conference, Sydney Australia, May 2000
Interfaith Conference at Washington University, Seattle, Washington, June 2000
World of Religion, Spain, July 2005
Lectures at Scotland University, Edinburgh, Scotland 2006 and 2011
A Gathering of Hearts Illuminating Compassion, San Francisco, California, 2006
International Conference on Oneness, Fiji, 2007
Philadelphia Sufi Symposium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2007
International Conference, Cairo, Egypt, 2008
UNESCO Conference of Unity, Uzbekistan, 2013
Conference Highlights
Illuminating Compassion, United States
In 2006, Dr. Kianfar joined His Holiness the Dalai Lama at A Gathering of Heart Illuminating Compassion, an international event held in San Francisco, California. The gathering aimed to foster interfaith dialogue and promote a deeper understanding of the vital role tolerance and compassion play in achieving peace. Religious leaders from around the world discussed the alleviation of pain and suffering, emphasizing the shared importance of compassion across major faith traditions.
Oneness Conference, Fiji
In 2007, Dr. Kianfar joined the Oneness: An Interfaith Dialogue on the Unity of Humankind Conference in Fiji as an honored guest at the request of organizer and international leadership coach Tony Robbins. The event focused on tools for active peace building around the world, and was created as an opportunity to “work together in the spirit of oneness to dissolve tensions and promote the universal human values of compassion, love and happiness – the precursors to peace.” Robbins also brought a group of young people to the conference to interact with religious leaders and among themselves.
Peace and Responsibility Symposium, Egypt
In 2008, Dr. Kianfar attended an international gathering held in Cairo, Egypt. The event focused on building peace and healing conflict through personal and social responsibility.
Sayings
Among Kianfar’s many sayings are:
“Tranquility is available only by unity of heart and mind.”
“Human being is the most perfect mirror of the universe but needs to be discovered and achieved to his perfection.”
“The corporal system of human being is a bridge between divine attributes and earthy needs. Demands and desires caused a ‘fall’ from his/her true self-worth, dignity, and majesty, but by right practice human being can be turn and return to origin.”
“Being civilized is a character of true human being, and civilization means being able and willing to develop a healthy, peaceful, caring, and supportive environment for every member of a society, especially for those whose rights have been overlooked or ignored, those who have been the recipients of the dark side of human nature.”
“Injustice is a disease and a disorder in a society. For humanitarian members of communities, injustice is not acceptable; they devote their time and search for a cure and healing. Their action is rooted to their heart, and their reward is the happiness of their soul. They are the light and mercy for every community.”
Classes (partial list)
Love and Wisdom
A series of classes focused on the books of the “Abrahamic Traditions,” religion of unity, monotheism, Bible, and Qur’an.
Understanding Qur’an
Studying and contemplating on the root of the holy book to find the direct way for practice to achieve the light of knowledge.
These classes are ongoing and open to the public.
(*See IAS Events for registration)
Publications (partial list)
Kianfar has published a wide variety of books, as well as numerous articles and introductions. His books and writings have a primary focus on Islamic philosophy and Sufism, as well as on the holy books in monotheism. Sample publications include (see IAS Publications for available books):
Zekr. California: IAS Publications, 1985.
An Introduction to Religion. California: IAS Publications, 1996.
Fatima: The Daughter of the Prophet, in Farsi. California: IAS Publication, 2004.
Seasons of the Soul: The Spoken Wisdom of Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar. California: IAS Publications, 2006.
Illumination of the Names: The Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names of God. California: IAS Publications, 2011.
Inspiration, Reflection on Holy Qur’an. California: IAS Publications, 2014.
Inspiration: Lights of Stillness. California: IAS Publications, 2021.
As-Sal’at. California: IAS Publications, 2022.
Uwaiyse Gharani and His School, in Farsi. California: IAS Publications, 2023.
“Letter From the Editor,” Sufism, An Inquiry, ongoing
