 His father Sayyid Omar Ali-Shah Naqshbandi (1922–2005) and his uncle Sayyid Idries Shah (1924–1996) were both prominent writers and teachers of modern Sufism.Arif Ali-Shah has guided study groups led by Professor Emeritus Leonard Lewin of CU Boulder, as did his father and uncle.Arif Ali-Shah is the grandson of the Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah (1894–1969), an Afghan author, poet, diplomat, scholar, and savant.