About the Inayati Young Adults Council

The Inayati Young Adults Council (or YA Council) is a young-adult run, creative, vital, and egalitarian part of the Inayati Order dedicated to realizing the Message in our time by providing community, spiritual gatherings, support, leadership development opportunities, and embodied outlets for young adults aged 18-39 within or interested in the Sufi path of spiritual liberty. The Council strives to embody an authentic expression of the Message in our time through conscious relationship with the Earth, growth of personal awareness and attunement, unity with all religions and spiritual traditions, and explicit inclusion of all gender identities, sexual orientations, races, creeds, and nationalities.

We offer scholarships to young adults and young adult initiates looking to participate in Inayati Order programs, grants to facilitate young adults organizing their own events and offerings throughout North America, and opportunities to participate in our community online for those who can’t make it to an in-person event.

Current members of the Young Adults Council include:

Akbar Chris Miller (Chair)  

has been on the Inayati path since 2009. He passionately believes in the synergy between inner spiritual work and outer societal and global work, especially when it comes to the ecological crises of our time. Since 2010, he has worked as Shahabuddin David Less’s secretary and assistant, helping organize Rising Tide International, David Less Tours, and the Abrahamic Reunion. He is an ordained Cherag, Healing Conductor, Dance Leader in the Dances of Universal Peace, and is a student of meditation, yoga, indigenous teachings, and the sacred manuscript of nature.

Yeshua Daniel Smith

was initially raised Unitarian Universalist by his Sufi mom. Upon moving to Sarasota, FL, he began going to the Sufi center there and was initiated by Shahabuddin David Less a few years later in 2005. A real wandering dervish, he’s been traveling extensively the last few years, including attending a Sufi retreat in Colombia, meeting and reconnecting with friends and Sufis throughout the states, with NYC being home base for the last five. He thrives on connecting and building community with people all over the world. Working towards fulfilling his namesake, he’s refining his way of sharing The Message as it comes to him in a form that resonates with his peers, with the goal of empowering others to find their own message and voice within. His favorite practice is very jellal zikrs.  

Amir Bisio has been involved with the Inayatiyya since 2008 and joined the Kinship council in 2020. For Amir, Kinship is a reflection of both the social fabric of our Order and the threads which weave our spiritual tradition into the larger tapestry of our times. Of particular interest to Amir is developing a better understanding of the elements which create effective centers at the local level.