About ACNA
Auliya Council of North America is a spiritual and cultural organization that seeks communal unity without sectarian and religious divisions backed by knowledge and practice. With a core of Oneness, Love and Justice as instruments of togetherness and inclusiveness and change we seek to enrich the lives of North Americans and Muslim communities everywhere.
Propelled by the rich spiritual, cultural and scholarly traditions of Sufis and Mashaikh of the Indian Subcontinent the Council seeks, through its various divisions and activities unity and further development, through devotion to God, spiritual practice and scholarly activities traditions founded by Our Prophet saw, embedded in the Quran towards enrichment of contemporary life. Embracing all faith traditions we have been able to put together an institution that serves many the world over and raises a voice of support and change.
Based in Mahopac, New York Auliya Council Center consists of Masjid Babu Zulfiqar, Khanqah Chishtiya Faridiya, Imambargah Hussaniya Sajjadiya and now the Imam Ali Library & Research Center. Our online presence through various channels enable extensive social media educational and outreach enabling us to conduct several online educational and knowledge dissemination programs.
Our scholarly affiliate, Jamia Arfiya, the foremost tassawuf institution in Syed Sarawan, UP, India led by our Patron-in- Chief Mian Huzoor Abu Sayeed Ehsanullah Safawi and or Imam Ali Library affiliate, Hartford International University for Religion and Peace in Connecticut provide ACNA religious and spiritual scholarly backup.
OUR MISSION
Our mission at ACNA is to create a sacred space for seekers to explore teachings of Islamic Sufism steeped in Oneness, Love, Justice and Knowledge towards individual and communal growth, harmony and fairness. Auliya Karam of the Indian Subcontinent have gifted us a mission of faith that continues to serve as spiritual and cultural building blocks for civilization. A source of freedom, Sufism teaches freedom of worship, practice, culture, freedom from oppression, a journey to God accessible to all in unity and equality. We at Auliya Council of North America celebrate and share this heritage with all.
OUR VISION
“By Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s light, the closest to God is one with three attributes:Magnanimity of the River. Kindness of the Sun, Humility of the Earth”.
Our vision is a Sufi Islamic Center that brings people together around spirituality, prayer,sama, inclusive culture and pursuit of knowledge.
ACNA works to advance the legacy of the spiritual, cultural and social richness bequeathedby the Auliya,Sufi teachers of the Indian Subcontinent, an inclusive and progressive Islam.With the aim of creating an atmosphere of lived Sufism, inspired by the idea of a personaland communal connection with God. The organization has established several divisions thatbring to contemporary life the core ideas of Islam-Oneness of humanity under One God,Love for all, Equality and Justice in all spheres of life. At Masjid Babu Zulfiqar we have anon-sectarian Mosque that conducts prayers, zikr e Ilahi and brings people together as acommunity. Khanqah Chishtiya Faridiya celebrates the lives and teachings of Sufi saints,their contribution to society, and the role they played in the history of South Asia toencourage cultural syncretism and a progressive civilization. These and other relatedactivities inculcate the cultural traditions of islamic spirituality in keeping with modern timesthat enriches life. Imambargah Hussaniya Sajjadiya, created in memory of the OldImambargah in Peharsar, Rajasthan, India where the Kazmi family originates, conductsdevotional activities during Moharram, majalis, azadari and Ahlebait, particularly ImamHussain related devotional activities. Sama, qawwali, Eid Milad, urs celebrartions, academiclectures and seminars and other gatherings take place at Chishti Samakhana wheregatherings of up to 200 can take place., The building is well-equipped for large gatheringswhere all our activities are conducted. With the over-arching aspirations of the Sufi saints inmind, ACNA hopes to nurture diversity, inter faith exchanges, and follows the path shown byKhwaja Moinuddin Chishti
ACNA celebrates venerates and draws manifest inspiration from the Sufi saints of the Indiansubcontinent and their spiritual legacies and mystical traditions. These spiritual masters livedthe attributes of magnanimity in charity and kindness without discrimination, and practicedan earth-like humility that allowed. their message to seep into the cultural soil of which theywere part, cultivating a richness of brotherhood that lives on. This lived encounter with theDivine, while remaining tethered to a reverence for mankind, is honored thus: “Behold!Verily, on the friends of God there is no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (Quran 10:62) Thesetraditions of lived and enlivened Sufism have historically transcended ideas of identity basedon race, caste, religion or creed, enveloping instead all who aspire to its unifying principles ofharmony. ACNA aims to illuminate these principles by forging a platform that informs, and isin turn Informed by, this heritage that is universal to us all. With the aim of creating anatmosphere of lived Sufism, inspired by the idea of a personal and communal connectionwith God, ACNA has worked to establish particularly sama’a (qawwall), and arranges eventscelebrating the lives of Sufi saints, their contribution to society, and the role they played inthe history. of South Asia to encourage cultural syncretism. It is hoped that these and otherrelated activities will inculcate the cultural traditions of Islamic spirituality in keeping withmodern times and inform societies in Islamic countries of the revolutionary, equality andjustice seeking and progressive message.
“A friend of God has affection like the sun, generosity like a river and hospitality like the earth”
– Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti
