Assalāmu ʿalaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakātuh
We are grateful to Allah, and to our growing community for your continued support and enthusiasm in seeking Islamic knowledge. Just weeks ago, we graduated our second class of Qalam Seminary ʿĀlimiyyah students, with twelve graduates in this year’s class. This is a generous gift from Allah. At Qalam, we have a three-pronged philosophy of taʿlīm (education), tarbiyah (development), and ṣuḥbah (mentorship). We believe that in-person education is the best approach to realizing all three of these objectives. Over the years, we have invested resources, made sacrifices, and worked hard to have students and teachers in physical classrooms on-campus. That said, we find ourselves facing an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and we must adapt until Allah removes this difficulty.
Allah gives so abundantly that even when He takes, He is giving. We have especially experienced this truth over the past four months. In addition to tragic loss of life, we have witnessed global disruption of educational and economic systems. At Qalam, our in-person programs have come to a halt, but we have been blessed to continue our mission of Islamic education virtually through expanded online courses. In fact, we were able to complete our Spring 2020 Semester online with no missed classes in the midst of the pandemic, alḥamdulillah.
Looking ahead, we remain committed to furthering the noble cause of sharing knowledge and understanding of the deen while prioritizing the health, safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty and broader Qalam community. As such, we have decided that all Qalam Seminary classes will be held exclusively online (no on-campus classes will be held) throughout the Fall 2020 semester.
Our faculty and staff are dedicated to making this learning experience as beneficial as possible. We are currently undertaking extensive efforts, research, and consultation on how to create an enriching and engaging virtual/online environment for our students while fulfilling the trust of sacred knowledge. Blessings are to be found in the commitment and steadfastness of seeking sacred knowledge amidst our current challenges.
We pray that Allah alleviates this difficulty and grants safety, health, and dignity to people everywhere. During times of tests and trials, success and salvation is found in repentance, coming closer to Allah, and showing compassion to one another. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing all of our students, albeit virtually, this Fall 2020 inshāʾAllah.
Jazākumullahu khayran.
On behalf of the faculty and staff,
AbdulNasir Jangda
Director, Qalam Seminary
About The Qalam Seminary:
The Qalam Seminary strives to develop Islamic thought and community leaders by means of education, practical training, and mentorship. Qalam aims to bridge the gap between text and context and living the tradition in a modern context.
Since 2013, Qalam has been able to provide a one-year Islamic studies program in Dallas, Texas known as the Qalam Seminary. Over these last few years, we have embarked on the next step in the journey that Muslims for nearly a millennia and a half have dedicated themselves to: finding practical solutions to humanity’s problems within the sources of our religion.
Students have the option of enrolling in the one year Arabic studies program, two year Arabic & Islamic studies program, or the five year course in higher Islamic studies (ʿĀlimiyyah).
Over the past seven years, we had the pleasure of graduating two classes from the ʿĀlimiyyah course, and numerous classes from the one and two-year programs. Today, many of our graduates serve as community leaders, imams and teachers across the country.