In the intellectual history of Yorubaland, certain names are invoked not for sentiment but for structure. Among them stand Sheikh Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilory (1917–1992) and Professor Khidr Abdul Baaqi Muhammad—two figures representing different yet connected phases of Yoruba Arabic and Islamic advancement.
They are not rivals. They are successive expressions of a single civilizational project.
Sheikh Adam laid the institutional foundations; Prof. Khidr carried those foundations into arenas demanding modern intellectual courage. Reading one without the other misunderstands history.
1️⃣ Parallel Missions, Unequal Continuations
Sheikh Adam’s Markaz Agege (1952) revolutionized Arabic education, unifying scholarly efforts and producing enduring work giving Yorubaland intellectual confidence under colonial pressure.
What distinguished him was audacity of vision—pushing beyond comfort zones.
That audacity, however, has not been equally reproduced by institutional successors.
Prof. Khidr represents the frontier Sheikh Adam would have pursued today: advanced global scholarship, interdisciplinary engagement, international relevance. Where Sheikh Adam localized excellence, Prof. Khidr globalized it.
This contrast is diagnostic.
2️⃣ Institutional Custody vs. Intellectual Leadership
Institutions decline not because founders were weak, but when successors mistake custodianship for leadership.
It’s not anybody’s concern that the alumni of the school cry about their Alma matta standing physically intact and even multiplying, yet intellectually static. Its global Arabic discourse presence is now minimal—not from weak foundation, but leadership lacking vision translation.
A leader inheriting buildings but not vision preserves memory, not momentum.
Prof. Khidr operates where legacy is tested: international academia, global media ethics, intellectual diplomacy—competence, not lineage, determines authority.
3️⃣ The “Oníroyìn” Label: Symptom of Strategic Failure
Reducing Prof. Khidr to “oníroyìn” reveals more than ignorance; strategic incompetence.
Modern power dynamics show scholarship extends beyond classrooms. Journalism, international relations, public discourse defend or distort Islam.
The leadership’s failure to recognize this explains inward-facing influence while Prof. Khidr resonates outward—Arab, African, European spaces.
When Heirs Fail, History Moves On
Legacy demands advancement, not mere guarding.
Sheikh Adam’s heir has worked hard to preserved structure, failed reproducing daring/global relevance. Institution remained; momentum didn’t.
Olúkò Àgbà’s descendant exemplified father’s way: embracing good, strengthening legacies, pushing scholarship forward fearlessly.
4️⃣ Reality Check for Blind loyalists and Poor students of history
Prof. Khidr demonstrates legacy extension vs. guarding.
Seeing him as peer/continuation beyond current leadership = historical accuracy.
Sheikh Adam built Educational foundation. Olúkò Àgbà reformed souls spiritually. Alfa Gbogbo Ayé Prof. Khidr carried both globally.
Institutions failing evolution feel threatened by those who succeed.
Not rivalry. Exposure.❗❗❗❗
Abu Basmat Al-Badmusy
Monday, 5th of January, 2026
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia