Shire Jama Ahmed - Education

Education

In 1940, at about the age of five (the usual age when children first start Qur'anic studies), Shire began learning the Qur'an at his nearby dugsi or madrasah. He continued his religious studies up until 1945. It is widely reported that he attained Kabir or student head. One attains the Kabir designation when one succeeds at memorizing scripture at an above average pace. Here, Shire quickly attained complete knowledge of the Qur'an, which consists of 30 chapters of roughly equal number of verses or volume.

Jama Ahmed, Shire’s father, then decided to move his family to Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Shire subsequently experienced a considerably different kind of schooling. He started attending local language schools where pupils of his age were learning Arabic and English. While in Mogadishu, he also took up some Italian language studies. As it was his character to excel at most tasks put before him, Shire thrived in all of his academic work.

From 1951 to 1954, Shire matriculated at a college run by former graduates of the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. His studies focused on Arabic and Islamic Law. Later, in 1955, he was part of a group of students who received scholarships to study at Egyptian institutions of higher learning.