The Circle Group
Founded by Shaykh Ahmed Abdur Rashid, representative of the late Hazrat Azad Rasool (may Allah's blessings be upon him) in the United States, the Circle Group provides activities and materials related to the philosophy and practical application of Sufic Islam. Lectures, seminars, writings, and leadership training programs for youths explore approaches to modern issues. Efforts focus on such areas as community development, values and responsibility; personal transformation; education; and new science. Discussions, presentations and products embrace the points of view of both East and West.

The "Circle Group" is a servicemark of World Community, Inc., a non-profit, religious organization.

Contact mail@circlegroup.org

Shaykh Ahmed Abdur Rashid

Shaykh Ahmed Abdur Rashid is the khalifa of the late Hazrat Azad Rasool (may Allah's blessings be upon him) of New Delhi and an authorized teacher of the Naqshbandiyya, Mujaddadiyya, Qadriyya, Chishtiyya, and Shadiliyya Sufi Orders. He has applied the essence of Islam and Tasawwuf to contemporary issues for more than twenty-five years through programs in education, leadership training, sustainable development, peace building, and cross-cultural relations. He has established a number of Montessori preschools as well as a small, private school for grades P-K through 12. Founder of the World Community, a spiritual center in southwestern Virginia, he sits on the boards of advisors of the Islamic Studies and Research Association (ISRA) and the International Association of Sufism and served as a delegate to the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders at the United Nations. He has lectured at the State of the World Forum 2000, the Asian Conference on Religion for Peace, the International Symposium on Science and Consciousness, the Sufism Symposium, the Islamic Unity Conference, conferences of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS) and the Muslim Peace Fellowship, Kent State University, Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, Sweet Briar College, and Johns Hopkins University, among other forums. His articles have appeared in Taking Back Islam (Michael Wolfe, ed.),The American Muslim, World Affairs, Education and Urban Society, Sufism Journal, Man and Development, and other publications. He has recently published Islam and Democracy which was created as part of a Legacy International program on religion, human rights & democracy in the U.S. and Khazakstan.

Hazrat Azad Rasool