Alireza Nurbakhsh (; born 12 August 1955) is the present Master (pir) of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order. He assumed this position after the death of his father, Javad Nurbakhsh on October 10, 2008.

Under his leadership, the Nimatullahi Sufi Order expanded its charitable initiatives by establishing programs in each center through the Sufi Service Committee to support the social and economic needs of local communities.

Life Nurbakhsh was born in a small town near Bam, in Kerman province in Iran. His family moved to Tehran when he was two years old. He lived in the Nimatullahi Khanqah (Sufi Center) in Tehran until he left Iran for United States in 1977, to pursue a PhD in philosophy. After receiving his degree, Nurbakhsh moved to London where he studied and practiced law. Following more than twenty years of legal practice in London, he retired in 2023 to devote his full time, energy, and efforts to writing on Sufism and mysticism, as well as to the expansion of charitable activities around the world.

Education After graduating from Alborz High School in 1973, Nurbakhsh attended Tehran's Melli University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy. He continued his post graduate studies at University of Wisconsin–Madison and received a PhD in philosophy in 1988.Alireza Nurbakhsh, Mental Imagery and the Computational View of the Mind, Thesis (PhD), University of Wisconsin-Madison,1988. In London he returned to school and received a Postgraduate Diploma in Law (CPE) and completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the University of Law in London. Selected articles/lectures In 1988, Alireza Nurbakhsh became the editor-in-chief of Sufi Journal in English and Persian. Among his published works and lectures are writings on diverse aspects of Sufism, mysticism, and spiritual thought and practice:

The Nimatullahi Order Alireza Nurbakhsh, "The Nimatullahi Order", SUFI Journal, Issue 1, 1988. Love's Disciple: Some Recollections About Mr. Kobari Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Love's Disciple: Some Recollections About Mr. Kobari", SUFI Journal, Issue 17, 1993. Bayazidian Sufism: Annihilation without Ritual Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Bayazidian Sufism: Annihilation without Ritual", SUFI Journal, Issue 46, 2000. The Meaning of Surrender Alireza Nurbakhsh, "The Meaning of Surrender", SUFI Journal, Issue 78, Winter 2009/Sprint 2010. The Master-Disciple Relationship Revisited Alireza Nurbakhsh, "The Master-Disciple Relationship Revisited", SUFI Journal, Issue 79, Summer/Autumn 2010. The Experience of Nothingness Alireza Nurbakhsh, "The Experience of Nothingness", SUFI Journal, Issue 80, Autumn/Winter 2010. Divine Love Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Divine Love", SUFI Journal, Issue 81, Summer 2011. Friendship Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Friendship", SUFI Journal, Issue 82, Winter 2012. Silence, the Breath Is Precious Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Silence, the Breath Is Precious", SUFI Journal, Issue 83, Summer 2012. Caring for Others: Sufism and Altruism Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Caring for Others: Sufism and Altruism", SUFI Journal, Issue 84, Winter 2013. The Illusion of Self Alireza Nurbakhsh, "The Illusion of Self", SUFI Journal, Issue 85, Summer 2013. Spiritual Yearning Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Spiritual Yearning", SUFI Journal, Issue 86, Winter 2014. Perspectives on Climate Change Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Perspectives on Climate Change", SUFI Journal, Issue 87, Summer 2014. Detachment Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Detachment", SUFI Journal, Issue 88, Winter 2015. The Spiritual Guide Alireza Nurbakhsh, "The Spiritual Guide", SUFI Journal, Issue 89, Summer 2015. Devotion Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Devotion", SUFI Journal, Issue 90, Winter 2016. The Limit of Reason and the Practice of Sufism Alireza Nurbakhsh, "The Limit of Reason and the Practice of Sufism", SUFI Journal, Issue 91, Summer 2016. Climate Change A Case for Contentment Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Climate Change A Case for Contentment", SUFI Journal, Issue 92, Winter 2017. Truth Matters Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Truth Matters", SUFI Journal, Issue 93, Summer 2017. The Experience of Beauty and the Sublime Alireza Nurbakhsh, "The Experience of Beauty and the Sublime", SUFI Journal, Issue 94, Winter 2018. The Nature of the Sacred Alireza Nurbakhsh, "The Nature of the Sacred", SUFI Journal, Issue 95, Summer 2018. Knowledge of the Self Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Knowledge of the Self", SUFI Journal, Issue 96, Winter 2019. Dream Interpretation Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Dream Interpretation", SUFI Journal, Issue 97, Summer 2019. Beyond Us Versus Them Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Beyond Us versus Them", SUFI Journal, Issue 98, Winter 2020. Lessons from the Pandemic Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Lessons from the Pandemic", SUFI Journal, Issue 99, July 2020. Appearance and Reality Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Appearance and Reality", SUFI Journal, Issue 100, Winter 2021. Fairness Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Fairness", SUFI Journal, Issue 101, July 2021. Intimacy with God Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Intimacy with God", SUFI Journal, Issue 102, January 2022. Love in the Midst of Human Suffering Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Love in the Midst of Human Suffering", SUFI Journal, Issue 103, June 2022. Sufism, Love and Mindfulness Mindfulness without the Mind Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Mindfulness without the Mind", SUFI Journal, Issue 104, December 2022. Sufism and the Way of Blame Alireza Nurbakhsh, "The Path of Blame", SUFI Journal, Issue 105, July 2023. Unity of Being Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Unity of Being", SUFI Journal, Issue 106, January 2024. Changing One's Self through Changing One's Perspective Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Changing Oneself Through Changing One’s Perspective", SUFI Journal, Issue 107, Summer 2024. The Qualities of a Friend Alireza Nurbakhsh, "The Qualities of a Friend", SUFI Journal, Issue 108, January 2025. Tribalism and Sufism Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Tribalism & Sufism", SUFI Journal, Issue 109, July 2025. Devotion as the Path of Self-Purification Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Devotion as the Path of Self-Purification", SUFI Journal, Issue 110, January 2026. Inner Peace: The Path to Equanimity Alireza Nurbakhsh, "Inner Peace: The Path to Equanimity", SUFI Journal, Issue 111, July 2026.

Poems Alireza Nurbakhsh’s poetry collection (Divan), titled Love in the Ruins (), was published in Persian in 2025. Selected poems translated into English are listed below: Love in the Ruins () - Composed May 2023 - Banbury, UK The Cupbearer () - Composed June 2017 - Banbury, UK Idol Breaker () - Composed December 2016 - Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA Love for the Friend () - Composed June 2016 - London, UK

References

External links Nimatullahi Sufi Order Website nimatullahi.org SSC (Sufi Service Committee), a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) charity sufiservice.org Alireza Nurbakhsh: Talks on the Jung Platform jungplatform.com