BIslStud, GradDipContempIslStud, MIslStud Imam Salmaan Parkar is a Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University. He brings a unique blend of traditional seminary training, academic scholarship, and extensive community leadership shaped by more than 15 years of service as an imam, educator, marriage celebrant and public spokesperson for the Muslim community in Western Australia. Salmaan completed a Bachelor Islamic Studies, a Graduate Certificate in Contemporary Islamic Studies, and a Master of Islamic Studies with Charles Sturt University, focusing his postgraduate research on the intersection of contemporary civic frameworks and Islamic legal theory. His Master’s work examined HECS-HELP, public funding, and the jurisprudential principles governing state-sponsored education, offering a rare applied-fiqh analysis to an emerging area of Muslim civil participation. He also completed the seven year ʿĀlimiyyah (Dars-e-Niẓāmī) curriculum through Darul Ulum Zakariyya, grounding him in Qur’ān, Hadith, classical Arabic, jurisprudence, and theology. Salmaan serves as the President of the Council of Imams Western Australia (CIWA), the state chapter of the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC). In this role, he regularly engages with government, academic institutions, interfaith bodies, media, law enforcement and national organisations on matters relating to religion, ethics, policy, social cohesion, and Muslim community welfare. He has led and contributed to high-level delegations, including advocacy meetings in Parliament House, Canberra, and provides written and oral submissions on issues affecting Australian Muslims. As the Imam of Masjid al-Rahman in Gosnells, one of the largest and most active mosques in Western Australia, Salmaan oversees pastoral care, community counselling, educational programming, community engagement, marriage and family guidance, and interfaith outreach. Under his leadership, the mosque has expanded its religious, social, and educational initiatives, becoming a central hub for community learning and public scholarship. His experiences as a community Imam deeply inform his academic work, ensuring his teaching and research remain grounded in lived realities. Salmaan is also the Chair of the Dean Institute for Academic Revival (DIAR), through which he leads curriculum design, community education pathways, leadership development programs, and public lectures. His ongoing work is centred on bridging classical Islamic scholarship with contemporary Australian contexts, strengthening Muslim civic literacy, and developing capable future leaders grounded in ethical and spiritual integrity. Salmaan teaches into the Islamic Studies program with a focus on foundational textual studies, faith development, and the applied relevance of Islamic tradition in contemporary contexts. His teaching draws on both classical seminary training and university-based scholarship, emphasising accessible delivery, critical thinking, and practical integration of Islamic ethics in daily life. He is currently involved in teaching the following subjects: ISL170 – Ihsan Essentials ISL181 – Sirah Beyond CSU, Salmaan has contributed to curriculum development for community and school-based Islamic programs, including content editing and structural refinement for the Applied Islam Year 11 textbook at Australian Islamic College (AIC). He also contributes to broader curriculum development and community education pathways through the Dean Institute for Academic Revival (DIAR), where he designs structured learning programs in Qur’anic studies, prophetic biography, Islamic law, and contemporary Muslim ethics. His experience in curriculum design further informs his teaching philosophy, which centres on bridging traditional scholarship with the lived realities of Muslims in Australia and fostering reflective, grounded, and socially engaged learners. Salmaan’s research sits at the intersection of Islamic textual traditions, contemporary Muslim lived experience, and the dynamics of religious authority in minority contexts. His work combines classical scholarship in ḥadīth, Qur’anic sciences, and theology with modern methodologies from sociology, legal studies, and ethnography. His Master’s thesis, “A Fiqh-Based Evaluation of Australia’s Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS-HELP)”, presents a detailed applied-fiqh analysis of income-contingent government loans, exploring Islamic legal maxims, debt ethics, and public-interest considerations in the context of Western governance frameworks. This research contributes to the growing field of applied Islamic jurisprudence in modern policy environments. Salmaan has also presented original research at the 2025 AAIMS Conference, where his paper “Echoes of Prophetic Mercy: The Contemporary Resonance of the Musalsal bil-Awwaliyyah in Ḥadīth Transmission” examined the affective, pedagogical, and ritual dimensions of living isnād cultures in modern Muslim communities. Drawing on classical classifications, comparative isnād analysis, and ethnographic observation, his work highlights how ḥadīth transmission continues to serve as a practice of moral formation and communal continuity in a fragmented age. His broader research interests include: Salmaan maintains active involvement across a range of scholarly, religious, and community institutions. His professional affiliations reflect his work in Islamic scholarship, community leadership, interfaith engagement, and national Muslim organisational representation. Professional Memberships & Roles These memberships support his ongoing work in Islamic scholarship, policy engagement, religious leadership, and strengthening Muslim institutional capacity both locally and nationally.
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Salmaan Parkar
This subject introduces students to the spiritual and ethical foundations of Islam. Salmaan’s teaching approach highlights the integration of belief, practice, and character (īmān, islām, iḥsān), emphasising spiritual psychology, self-development, and the lived dimensions of prophetic guidance.
This subject explores the life of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) through classical and contemporary scholarship. Salmaan’s delivery combines historical analysis with thematic exploration of leadership, resilience, community-building, social ethics, and prophetic responses to complex societal challenges.