Islamic Law and Judicial Practice in Nigeria: An Historical Perspective

To help lay the foundations for an understanding of the ‘shariah’ question in Nigeria today, the author establishes a framework of research for an enquiry into the historical role of Islamic law in Nigeria and its predecessor States. He points out specific domains of study that need to be undertaken, and particular resources, both publications and archives, that might be relevant to these domains. He proposes a diacritical framework that encompasses cultural factors and historical variables, and looks at the law in practice as reflected in court records. After examining local tradition in Northern Nigeria, transnational Islamic connections in the 20th century, and the new socioeconomic order of the colonial period with its various legal ramifications, the author surveys the turbulant transition that was started in the 1940s by the new generation of Islamic scholars. Notes, ref.