[a][3] Yahya's parents were Djazuli (who later changed his name to Haji Abdul Muhaimin after going on the hajj), a batik merchant, and Zubaidah.
[4] At the age of 6, Yahya studied at Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Ta`allumul Huda', an Islamic elementary school managed by his grandfather and several other family members.
He was a student at both schools during the same period: from morning until noon he attended Ta`allamul Huda', then he continued at SR-5 until evening.
In the next three years, Yahya learned fiqh, tafsir, tarikh, and the hadiths from several ulama (scholars of Islam).
He had been chosen as one of the representatives of the organization to take part in International Jamboree in Manila, the Philippines; however, his father forbade him from attending.
[6] After graduating in 1956 from SR-5 and Ta`allamul Huda' (the madrasah took one year longer) he continued to Sekolah Menengah Islam (Islamic junior high school) on his parents' orders, although he wanted to study at SMP Negeri Brebes (Brebes State Junior High School).
[15] After graduating from high school, Yahya enrolled at public administration department, Gadjah Mada University.
Although the registration deadline had passed he was accepted because he was a returnee of AFS and was recommended by Department of Foreign Affairs.
Yahya was ordered to find and to read works written by Daniel Lev, Herbert Feith, and Guy Pauker as references for his thesis.
[21] Graduated from Gadjah Mada, Yahya was offered a lecturer position in international relations department by Soeroso, his former supervisor.
He also took some courses at Harvard and became the member of JOSPOD (Joint Seminar on Political Development Harvard-MIT) in 1980 which enabled him to meet Alfred Stepan, Robert Dahl, Samuel P. Huntington, and other professors.
[26] Yahya accepted the suit, although he was supported and was suggested to counter sue Probosutedjo by academics and lawyers such as Sofian Effendi (Gadjah Mada's chancellor at that time), Lucian W. Pye (Yahya's supervisor at MIT), Nono Anwar Makarim (legal adviser), and Todung Mulya Lubis (expert lawyer).
[27] One year later, Ismet Fanani claimed that the book was a copy of Richard Robison's Capitalism and the Bureaucratic State in Indonesia, 1965–1975.
However, Daniel Dhakidae, a Cornell graduate researcher writing for Kompas 22 November 1992 edition, states that both books are different.