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In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
وَكَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا
The word of Allah – that is the highest
[Qur’an 9:40]
Holding on to the true message of Islam can be difficult in this day and age. Contradictory and misleading ideas that are present all around us, such as in social media, television, movies and the like, often bring doubts and confusion about Islam and the true purpose of our existence. We are blessed however, that Allah (swt) has given us the means for guidance: the Holy Qur’an and the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad and Ahlulbayt. Our work at Kalima Institute revolves around this concept.
Who are we
Kalima Institute is a non-profit Islamic organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. Our primary focus is to increase Islamic awareness and provide inspiring resources in an engaging and thought-provoking way. We hope to motivate people to continuously seek knowledge and improve themselves.
At Kalima Institute, we are guided by the words of Allah (swt) contained in the Holy Qur’an, as His words are all-truthful and take precedence over all other sources of knowledge. The Holy Qur’an is free of flaws and holds nothing but the truth. In fact, one of the names of the Qur’an is al-furqān, meaning the criterion that allows us to differentiate between truth and falsehood.
Kalima literally means ‘word’ in Arabic, yet it encompasses many symbolic meanings. We have specifically derived our name from the Qur’an 9:40: “The word of Allah – that is the highest.” The word of Allah (swt) represents truth, and since it is the truth, it takes superiority over al
l else. If something complies with the Qur’an we accept it; if it contradicts the word of Allah (swt) we reject it. It is narrated that the Prophet said:
إذا جاءكم الحديث عني فاعرضوه على كتاب الله، فإن وافق الكتاب فقد قلتُه وإلّا فهو كذب
If you find a hadith attributed to me, compare it against the book of Allah, so if it complies with the book then I have said it, and if not then it is fabricated.
This advice applies not only to hadiths, but to all available sources of information, and this is how we can best determine what is true.
Our President
Dr. Iman al-Attar is the president of Kalima Institue. An urban designer by profession and of Iraqi origin, she has dedicated her life to serving Islam and the community. From a young age Dr. Iman al-Attar would attend regular halaqahs, including those by Bint al-Huda, covering all sorts of topics such as the role of women in Islam and practical lessons from the Qur’an. Apart from this, she is from a family of well-known scholars in Iraq that have made a change within their communities, most notably of which is Sayed Dawud al-Attar. This nurtured in her the motivation and desire to follow in their footsteps. She spent the majority of her childhood reading from the myriad of books in her father’s bookshelf – the place that taught her much of what she knows today.
In her 20’s she contributed to a magazine called Noor Magazine where she would write unique and meaningful children’s stories with Islamic morals which received overwhelming positive feedback. She continued to write stories for other magazines such as al-Mishkat magazine, where she published a series of Islamic stories. Iman has never stopped serving the community, from volunteering with multiple organisations, teaching at Sunday schools and at mosques, and giving countless speeches and talks to the community.
In 2014, Dr. Iman Alattar completed her PhD on the socio-urban history of Baghdad. She reflected not only upon the urban history of Baghdad, but delved into deeper issues of historiography and issues related to Islamic versus Western philosophies. It combines her passions of gaining knowledge, serving the community and giving back to the country that gave her so much – Iraq. In August 2018, She published her first book, titled Baghdad; an urban history through the lens of literature. She is currently working on her second book.
Dr. Iman can never go about her life without doing something for her community, so no matter where it is that she lives she makes sure that she organises community events that leave a lasting impact and bring people together while strengthening their faith. As she always says “When your intention is purely for the sake of Allah(swt), every bit of hard work is worth it.”
