Qalam

What Qalam does

Qalam is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Islamic educational institution headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, with 66 employees and a 15+ year operating history. It delivers a structured curriculum across Quran memorization (Hifdh), a 5-year Alimiyyah Seminary, short intensives (Faith, Quran, Seerah, MSA Leadership), travel programs (Umrah, Hajj, Jordan, Bosnia), pastoral and counseling services, online classes, and content products including a podcast and publications. Its core student base is Muslim students and families in the U.S., with multi-year enrollment spanning children through adult learners.

The institution operates on a hybrid revenue model combining tuition, travel package gross margin, donations, and content/merchandise sales. Visible pricing signals include full-time Hifdh at $7,000 per year, part-time Hifdh at $2,250 per year, and travel packages ranging from $900 to $6,895. Distribution occurs through an integrated campus anchored by a community mosque, supplemented by a mobile app, online classes, and the Qalam Podcast that extend reach beyond the physical site. A long-standing partnership with Dar El Salam Travel (30+ years) supports Umrah and Hajj logistics.

The Seminary program represents Qalam's deepest productization move, with the first graduating class scheduled for 2026; this functions as both a talent pipeline and a credibility anchor for traditional Islamic scholarship in the U.S. Recent additions — pastoral counseling, the mobile app, podcast, and Bosnia travel — indicate incremental expansion across verticals (mental health), channels (digital), and geographies, rather than a single-line focus. No proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capability is described in the source material.

Name

Qalam

Legal name

Qalam Education Fund

Website

https://qalam.institute

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Qalam is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Islamic educational institution in Carrollton, Texas, delivering Quran memorization, a 5-year seminary, intensives, travel programs, pastoral counseling, online classes, and a podcast to Muslim students, families, and community members in the U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Islamic Colleges & Sharia/Fiqh Institutes (EDAHAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Ministerial Training Institutes (Clergy Formation) (EDAHAKAE), Hajj & Umrah Travel Agencies (THAKAHAA)

Keywords

• Islamic education services
• Quran memorization programs
• Islamic seminary training
• Spiritual travel packages
• Pastoral counseling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Carrollton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Educational Program Tuition: Revenue from structured educational programs including Full-Time Hifdh ($7,000/year), Part-Time Hifdh ($2,250/year), intensives (ranging from $199.99 online to $1,999 for accommodation packages), and kids camps.
2. Travel Packages: Umrah, Hajj, and international travel programs sold as packages with airfare, land, accommodation, and guided tours. Packages range from $900 (land-only, child) to $6,895 (single room, winter Umrah). Sold through partnership with Dar El Salam Travel.
3. Pastoral Counseling Services: Mental health counseling services offered on private-pay basis with session fees ranging from $75 (seminary students) to $200 (pastoral counselor). Individual, couples, and family counseling available.
4. Publications: Sale of published books including 'With the Heart in Mind' ($19.95), 'When Hearing Becomes Listening' ($19.95), and 'The Textual Integrity of Sahih al-Bukhari' ($19.99).
5. Donations: Charitable donations accepted to support students, masjid, community programs, and media resources. Qalam Education Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Qalam Institute is an Islamic educational facility and masjid that delivers structured Islamic education programs to Muslim students, families, and communities. Its core offerings include full-time and part-time Quran memorization (Hifdh) programs for children, week-long intensives on the Faith, Qur'an, Seerah, and MSA Leadership for adults and youth, a five-year seminary (Alimiyyah) program, spiritual travel packages (Hajj, Umrah, Jordan, Bosnia), licensed pastoral counseling, online classes, a podcast and mobile app, and faculty-authored publications. Programs are delivered in-person at its Carrollton, TX campus and online via Teachable and other platforms.

Product overview

Qalam Institute is an Islamic educational institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of programs centered around three pillars: Ta'leem (learning sacred knowledge), Tarbiya (personal growth), and Suhbah (mentorship). The portfolio includes intensive programs (Faith, Qurʾan, Seerah, MSA Leadership) for adults and youth; full-time and part-time Hifdh (Quran memorization) programs for children; spiritual travel experiences (Hajj, Umrah, international tours); pastoral and counseling services; online classes and media (Qalam Podcast with a dedicated mobile app); and published books. Programs are delivered in-person at the Qalam Campus in Carrollton, TX, and online, serving diverse audiences from children to professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Time Hifdh Program A comprehensive Quran memorization program for boys and girls (typically ages 7-16) with structured daily memorization goals, Islamic curriculum, and personal development at a 1:6 teacher-to-student ratio. Includes 211 instructional days/1,345 hours per academic year at the Carrollton, TX campus. Annual tuition $7,000 plus $500 resource fees.
• Part-Time Hifdh Program A structured Quran memorization program meeting Monday-Thursday, 5:00-7:00 PM at the Carrollton campus, designed for students with fluent Qur'an reading skills ready for consistent memorization and review. Annual tuition $2,250 plus $50 resource fee; payment plan option $450 monthly for 5 months.
• Qur'an Intensive & Qur'an Camp

Quantifiable outcome

• 15+ years of operation since February 2009
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dar El Salam Travel (DST)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 30-year partnership providing Hajj, Umrah, and Islamic tour packages. DST handles logistics including airfare booking, hotel accommodations, ground transportation, visa processing, and tour operations. Qalam provides qualified instructors as spiritual guides and mentors. Programs include Winter Umrah, Summer Essentials Umrah, Fall Umrah, Seerah Umrah, Hajj, and Jordan Hadith Tour. DST operates from New York with services for multiple gateway cities including JFK, IAD, IAH, DFW, and ORD.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Mecca Center: Mecca Center provides full-time and part-time Hifdh, Islamic school, and community programming in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, directly competing with Qalam's Hifdh, Academy, and Roots Community programming in the same local market.
• Zaytuna College: Zaytuna is the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the US, offering undergraduate programs in Islamic studies alongside traditional seminary training. It is directly comparable to Qalam Seminary as an institution delivering higher-education Islamic credentials in the US market.
• Bayyinah Institute: Bayyinah offers Arabic, Quran, and Islamic studies through intensives, online programs (Dream Program), and media content, mirroring Qalam's combination of intensives, online classes, and podcast. It is one of Qalam's closest direct competitors in English-language Quranic Arabic and intensive Islamic education.
• AlMaghrib Institute: AlMaghrib runs multi-day Islamic seminaries and intensives across North America in the same traditional sciences disciplines (Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh, Aqidah) that Qalam's intensives and seminary cover. Both compete directly for the same US Muslim adult learner willing to pay for premium in-person religious education.
• Mishkah University: Mishkah University offers an online Alimiyyah and Islamic sciences program with instructors linked to Al-Azhar, competing head-to-head with Qalam Seminary for distance-learning seminary students in North America.
• Darul Qasim: Darul Qasim runs a traditional Alimiyyah program and continuing Islamic education rooted in the Hanafi tradition, alongside community programming. It competes for the same students considering full-time seminary and serves a comparable South Asian-American Muslim demographic.

Others

• ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America) Relief USA: ICNA Relief runs faith-based education, dawah, and social service programs for the US Muslim community. While not a direct seminary/intensive competitor, it is part of the same nonprofit Islamic ecosystem and competes for donor mindshare and volunteer engagement.

Emerging players

• Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research: Yaqeen produces Islamic research, publications, and free educational content targeting young English-speaking Muslims. While it lacks Qalam's intensives and seminary, it competes for the same audience's attention and donor dollars and signals the broader content-led direction of the Islamic education market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVp5Ze24V2iFiUY1y0WtRaA
• Facebookfacebook.com/abdelrahmanmurphy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qalam-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Qalam