Dr. Ali Hussain is an oud musician, creative mentor and educator on the sacred dimensions of the creative process.

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He was born in Baghdad to an Iraqi father, Egyptian mother and an entire family of artists. His mother is a painter and interior decorator. His sister is a potter and brother an architect. His father, although a scientist by profession also happens to be a nature photographer.

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After experiencing the First Gulf War of 1990 as a child, Ali migrated with his family to Jordan where his childhood memories continued to grow amidst his parents' galleries and siblings' artwork. However, Ali always found sound & melody to be the most eloquent medium that colors and expresses his soul and memoirs.

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After migrating to the United States in 1997, Ali found his faith in America and eventually completed his masters degree in Artificial Intelligence. At this point, he decided to switch to the humanities and began his doctoral journey among the teachings of the Andalusian mystic Ibn Arabi (d. 1240).

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Ibn Arabi helped Dr. Hussain synthesize his artistic upbringing, personal faith and academic study of mysticism, as well as his decades long journey with the piano, guitar and maqamat (Arabic music modalities).

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In 2017, he picked up the oud which quickly became his creative tongue. His passion for the oud and Arabic music reached a milestone with the recent release of his first album, Anfas al-Madi [Breaths of the Past].

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Dr. Hussain has also published many works on art and the creative process, two most significant of which are A Nostalgic Remembrance: Sufism and the Breath of Creativity and ISTIMĀ': The Sound Way & Listening for God.

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Over the past decade, he has also founded the Adhwaq Center for Spirituality Culture and the Arts, a nonprofit organization focused on 'exploring spirituality and creativity in contemporary culture'. Through this organization, Dr. Hussain has taught many on-site and virtual retreats on a wide array of topics pertaining to art and the sacred dimensions of the creative process.

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If you would like to invite Dr. Hussain for a speaking engagement, please fill out the form below and we will reach out to you.