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Why Growth Doesn’t Require a Hausa Education or a PhD

Close-up of a Muslim in a warm, cozy study space, surrounded by open Qur’an, notebooks, and pens. Light softly illuminates the pages and the figure’s attentive face, reflecting study, reflection, and mindful engagement. Sacred geometric patterns subtly glow on the walls and desk, symbolizing intellectual and spiritual cultivation. Realistic, cinematic, glowing, reflective, and vibrant, emphasizing the mind nourished through authentic Islamic practice.
Why open-hearted engagement with original sources matters more than formal schooling or titles — practices, ethics, and connection to the Imams (ع) guide true growth. 

Intro:
I recently posted:

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"We don't need a Hausa education or PhD to grow. We just have to have an open heart and sincere striving. In fact, we are better off without the former two. They both lead to hollow performance and strengthened nafs. If that is all we know and do, they are the causes of the problems, not the solutions."
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Someone responded, asking:

"I can understand this about PhD. But please help in explaining how Hausa is a problem — from where does an Alim learn and go on to have Ijtihad and move on to become Ayatollahs? I don’t understand."

Here is the full reflection on this question.

Close-up of a Muslim in a warm, cozy study space, surrounded by open Qur’an, notebooks, and pens. Light softly illuminates the pages and the figure’s attentive face, reflecting study, reflection, and mindful engagement. Sacred geometric patterns subtly glow on the walls and desk, symbolizing intellectual and spiritual cultivation. Realistic, cinematic, glowing, reflective, and vibrant, emphasizing the mind nourished through authentic Islamic practice.
1. Knowledge vs. Civilization

Education alone — whether Hausa schooling or advanced degrees — does not guarantee spiritual or ethical growth. Knowledge becomes hollow if it is disconnected from practices, ethics, and the heart.

Even historical systems that taught jurisprudence without fostering civilization — unlike the Andalusian era, which integrated knowledge, ethics, science, and art — risk producing mechanical scholars. If we merely transmit information, we miss the deeper purpose: transformation of the soul and society.

2. Practices, Not Just Information

Growth comes from engagement, repetition, and precise cultivation of practices, not rote memorization. This includes:

  • Turning regularly to the Qur’an in original tongue and in translation.

  • Engaging with duas, dhikr, and ethical principles.

  • Reflecting on names of Allah, ziarats, and Imams’ teachings.

Knowledge is important, but it must be lived, not only learned.

3. Original Sources as the True System

The Real System of Growth in Islam

  1. Original Qur’an — the unshakable foundation of guidance. Every ethical, spiritual, and practical teaching flows from it. Growth begins here, not in commentary, degrees, or secondary systems.

  2. Original Du’as and Ziarats — these are the bridges to the ethical and spiritual framework of Islam. Through them, we connect directly to the Imams (AS), who are the guides to interpreting the Qur’an in life. They are the living classroom, the “University of Allah.”

  3. Names of Allah — the starting point of ethics. Reflecting on them, inscribing them, and living by their meanings cultivates the heart and aligns the nafs with the ruh.

  4. Original Hadiths and Tafsir — for true growth, one must engage with authentic sayings of the Prophet ﷺ and the Imams (AS), along with classical Qur’anic exegesis. These are not optional or ornamental; they teach us how to implement Qur’anic principles in thought, action, and character.

  5. Anything Else — human-created curricula, cultural or institutional layers, PhDs, or traditional schools (including Hausa or other systems) are secondary. They are tools, not the core. If these structures encourage hollow ritual, ego-driven performance, or nafs-centered interpretation, they are subject to critique. True learning comes from direct engagement with the original sources, in their original tongues or the language that allows precise understanding.

Key Insight: Growth is not about accumulation of degrees or exposure to systems; it is about direct, disciplined engagement with foundational sources. Practices are repeated, inscribed, reflected upon, and applied — not merely memorized or admired from a distance. Only then does knowledge transform into character, heart, and soul alignment.

As Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (ع) said, anyone who adopts taqlid as a lifestyle risks spiritual ruin. Growth is not in copying authority; it’s in engaging with the original sources and practices.

4. The Imams (ع) as Gateways to Understanding

By connecting to the Imams (ع) through ziarats, we enter the living interpretation of the Qur’an — the University of Allah. Through them, we learn:

  • How principles form the intellect,

  • How ethics cultivate the heart,

  • How practices discipline the body.

This engagement aligns the mind, heart, and soul, allowing knowledge to become ethical, lived reality, rather than hollow ritual or ego-driven performance.

5. Sincere Striving, Open Heart

We don’t need institutional or linguistic authority to grow. What matters is:

  • An open heart,

  • Consistent engagement with original practices,

  • Striving for ethical and spiritual alignment,

  • Connecting to the Imams (ع) as living guides.

True growth begins here — in practical, engaged, and heartfelt practice, not in titles or credentials.


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