He received a Bachelor's Degree from the Islamic University of Madinah in 1979. He was one of the first two students from the west and the first American to have done so and receive an Ijazah. He received a Master's Degree and PhD from the University of Toronto.[2] His thesis was an analysis of the life and writings of Sheikh ‘Uthman Dan Fodio, a great West African Scholar, warrior, and social activist.[2][citation needed]