About Us

The Purpose of Life is to Make God a Reality

Whoever may read these words—a warm welcome to you!

Ongoing Activities

  • Sufi Practices and Meditation: Classes held twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays on Zoom 7:00 – 8pm.   Classes will explore the Sufi teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan, Pir Vilayat Khan, and the current teachings of Pir Zia Inayat Khan. 
  • A dynamic part of each session is the practice of Zikr, a ceremony of Remembrance; singing; chanting and the beauty of prayer.  Classes are appropriate for both the beginner and the experienced seeker.  The nature of many of the Sufi teachings require consistency, please consider a dedicated commitment to attend classes regularly.  Sunday morning classes may be added through the course of the year.
    The Center is led by Rafia Angela Gabriel and Raqib Misha Kogan.  (Please let us know if you will be attending class for the first time, Gail Jamila,  gwellock@verizon.net)
  • Universal Worship:  This beautiful ceremony celebrates all the worlds’ major religions with readings, chants, candle lighting, music, meditation, and celebration. The service is followed by a potluck feast and social hour.  The next service: TBA
  • Kinship: A form of community service open to all.

  • The Baraka Center Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/barakacenterdc/

The Baraka Center is dedicated to the study and practice of contemporary Sufism. It is a center of The Inayati Order: A Sufi Path of Spiritual Liberty. Regular classes are offered as well as special events such as retreats, guest teachers, community outreach, and musical events. The Center is located in a quiet neighborhood in Chevy Chase, Maryland and offers a friendly and inviting atmosphere to all who are drawn to its doors.

Many are drawn to Sufism through the great Persian poets Rumi and Hafiz and ask, “What is Sufism”? The answers are as varied as the people who answer that question. At the Baraka Center, we believe that Sufism is that essence which unites person to person and eventually person to God. We believe that all beings have within them what they need to find their purpose in life while maintaining their connection to Oneness amidst the complexity of living on earth. Sufism makes it possible to relax the tension that constricts the heart and to dispel the clouds of doubt and fear. This is accomplished through the science of breath, the practice of concentration and meditation, the opening of the heart through purification and devotion, and the dedication to the sacred service of a suffering humanity.

Baraka Center Founders have retired from leading the Center in 2020 after 40 years of service.  They continue to support Center’s activity in many ways and participate in some classes.

Screen Shot 2014-09-07 at 9.47.09 AMNancy Zarifah Kadian and Jack, Nur Azad, Mangold are psychotherapists in private practice in Bethesda, Maryland, integrating the psychological and the spiritual. Jack is also an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University, and Nancy leads ongoing women’s groups and retreats. Both have studied Sufism with their teacher Pir Vilayat Khan for over 30 years, teach in The Inayati Order: A Sufi Path of Spiritual Liberty, and serve as co-coordinators of the Kinship activity of The Inayati Order. Their great love for God and humanity is the guiding impulse that that shapes all of their work.