Article Sidebar

Submitted
January 16, 2026
Accepted
February 27, 2026
Published
March 5, 2026
Download
Statistic
Read Counter : 85

Main Article Content

Abstract

Purpose – This study examines why the constitutional recognition of Sharia family courts in Nigeria has failed to resolve ongoing tensions over power, legitimacy, and jurisdiction, revealing a structural dilemma in which constitutional supremacy and Sharia authority coexist without meaningful integration.


Methods – This study uses a normative legal method based on doctrinal analyses. Primary data include constitutional provisions and legal instruments governing Sharia courts, while secondary data consist of established scholarly studies on Islamic legal theory, constitutional law, and legal pluralism. Data were analyzed using interpretive and analytical techniques to assess jurisdictional structures, sources of authority, and adjudication patterns.


Findings – These findings show that Islamic family law in Nigeria operates through a dual structure of constitutional legality and religious legitimacy, resulting in the persistent fragmentation of authority that produces doctrinal inconsistency, judicial minimalism, and institutional caution. Rather than offering a principled framework for coexistence, constitutional supremacy functions primarily as a mechanism of subjugation, placing Sharia family law in a state of formal validity but with normative uncertainty. Thus, the stability of Islamic family law does not arise from the resolution of conflicts of authority but rather from the ability of the judicial system to manage normative tensions through case-specific accommodations within a stable but conceptually fragile space of legal pluralism.


Research contribution/limitations – This study is limited to normative legal analysis and does not include empirical court data or litigants’ perspectives. Therefore, the conclusions cannot be generalized beyond doctrinal interpretations.


Originality/value – This study offers a conceptual reframing of Islamic family law as a semi-autonomous normative subsystem within the constitutional order, contributing to the debate on legal pluralism and religious courts.

Keywords

Islamic Family Law Constitutional Supremacy Sharia Courts Legal Pluralism Nigeria

Article Details

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Abubakar Muhammad jibril, Thomas Sheku Marah, Nura Sani Yusuf , Jelly Akter, Hoda Gueddi, Sulaiman Dalha Ahmad

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
How to Cite
Muhammad jibril, A., Thomas Sheku Marah, Nura Sani Yusuf, Jelly Akter, Hoda Gueddi, & Sulaiman Dalha Ahmad. (2026). HYBRID AUTHORITY AT THE INTERSECTION OF CONSTITUTION AND SHARIA: JURISDICTIONAL DILEMMAS AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF ISLAMIC FAMILY LAW IN NIGERIA. Al-Mawarid Jurnal Syariah Dan Hukum (JSYH), 8(1). https://doi.org/10.20885/mawarid.vol8.iss1.art3
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX

References

  1. Abdelsalam, M. R. (2024). Evolving Jurisprudence of Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt on Religious Institutions. Manchester Journal of Transnational Islamic Law and Practice, 20(3), 350–354.
  2. Abubakar Muhammad Jibril, and Bello Rabiu Abdulmudallib. (2025). Hybridizing Due Diligence: Governing Human Rights Risks in Nigeria ’ s Informal Economy Through Ground-Up Governance. BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS LAW & POLICY, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.1353/arw.2011.0026%253E.Gyau
  3. Alhammadi, M. S. (2016). Ambiguity and Conflict in the Implementation of Evidence Law in Criminal Matters: A Study of the United Arab Emirates Jurisprudence. Asian Journal of Criminology, 11(3), 155–178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-015-9225-y
  4. Al-Khalidi, F. K. H. (2026). Legal Interactions of Non-Muslims in Ottoman Sharia Courts: A Narrative Literature Review. Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, 53(2). https://doi.org/10.35516/Hum.2025.8666
  5. Anandy, W., Hamdani, F., and Nnawulezi, U. (2025). Administrative Justice in the Perspective of Islamic Legal Philosophy: A Comparative Study of Ethical Legitimacy and Bureaucratic Rationality. Jurnal Ilmiah Mizani, 12(2), 751–769. https://doi.org/10.29300/mzn.v12i2.8269
  6. Anshori, A. Y. (2024). The Contestation of Legal Foundations in the Resolution of Islamic Economic Disputes in Religious Courts. Al-Manahij: Jurnal Kajian Hukum Islam, 18(2), 271–288. https://doi.org/10.24090/mnh.v18i2.11934
  7. Arowosegbe, J. O. (2022). Revisiting the legitimacy question of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution. Global Constitutionalism, 11(1), 27–54. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045381721000162
  8. Baderin, M. A. (2009). Review of Sharia Implementation in Northern Nigeria 1999-2006: A Sourcebook. Muslim World Journal of Human Rights, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.2202/1554-4419.1159
  9. Bashayreh, M. (2022). The Authority of Judges under Shariah: Perspectives on Recent Legal Reforms in Saudi Arabia. Manchester Journal of Transnational Islamic Law and Practice, 18(2), 42–67.
  10. Busari, J. M. (2021). Shari‘a as customary law? An analytical assessment from the nigerian constitution and judicial precedents. Ahkam: Jurnal Ilmu Syariah, 21(1), 25–44.
  11. Busari, J. M., and Lafiagi, H. S. (2025). CHALLENGES OF SHARIA ADJUDICATIONS IN A MULTI-RELIGIOUS SOCIETY: A CASE OF THE INDEPENDENT SHARIA PANELS OF YORUBALAND, SOUTHWEST NIGERIA. Australian Journal of Islamic Studies, 10(1), 66–104. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v10i1.663
  12. Calder, R. (2020). Halalization: Religious Product Certification in Secular Markets. Sociological Theory, 38(4), 334–361. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735275120973248
  13. Chiroma, M., Arifin, M., Ansari, A. H., and Abdullah, M. A. (2015). Shari’ah court and the role of Mufti¯s in the Nigerian judiciary: Mission on reviving the lost glory of its past. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 23(October), 55–66.
  14. das Chagas, C. A. (2023). Judicial Avoidance: Balancing Competences in Constitutional Adjudication. In Judicial Avoidance: Balancing Competences in Constitutional Adjudication. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781509961528
  15. Diara, B., and Uroko, F. (2020). Socio-religious implications of the bond between democracy and theocracy in Nigeria. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 76(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v76i1.5310
  16. Dupret, B., Belkadi, A., Lindbekk, M., and Yakin, A. U. (2023). Paternal Filiation in Muslim-Majority Environments: A Comparative Look at the Interpretive Practice of Positive Islamic Law in Indonesia, Egypt, and Morocco. Journal of Law, Religion and State, 10(2–3), 167–217. https://doi.org/10.1163/22124810-20230002
  17. Ezeanolue, E. E., Iheanacho, T., Patel, D. V, Patel, S., Sam-Agudu, N., Obiefune, M., Dakum, P., Okonkwo, P., Olutola, A., Khamofu, H., Oyeledun, B., Aliyu, S., Aina, M., Eyo, A., Oko, J., Akinmurele, T., Oleribe, O., Gebi, U., Aliyu, M. H., … Siberry, G. (2019). Challenges and strategies for improving training of mid-level research personnel in Nigeria. Annals of Global Health, 85(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.2405
  18. Fadel, M. (2018). Political legitimacy, democracy and Islamic law: The place of self‐government in islamic political thought. Journal of Islamic Ethics, 2(1–2), 59–75. https://doi.org/10.1163/24685542-12340015
  19. Fitriyati, Y., Ibrahim, D., Muntaqo, F., and Hasan, K. N. S. (2025). Reconsidering Inheritance Equality: Gender Justice in Religious Court Decisions through the Lens of Maqashid Al-Shariah. Nurani, 25(1), 122–140. https://doi.org/10.19109/nurani.v25i1.27133
  20. Garden, C. (2020). Avoidance creep. University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 168(2), 331–388.
  21. González-Quintero, R., Sarmiento-Lamus, A., and Guzmán-Gómez, C. (2021). Supremacía constitucional en el derecho comparado. Juridicas, 18(1), 36–55. https://doi.org/10.17151/jurid.2021.18.1.3
  22. Griffiths, J. (1986). What is Legal Pluralism? The Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law, 18(24), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/07329113.1986.10756387
  23. Haider, A., Mathlouthi, N., Saer Rahal, M., and Afzal, J. (2025). Can Islamic Law and Secular Law Coexist Without Conflict. Al-Istinbath: Jurnal Hukum Islam, 10(2), 485–512. https://doi.org/10.29240/jhi.v10i2.11331
  24. Hamad, A. M. A., and Anuar, H. B. M. (2022). Deliberating the Constitutional Supremacy from the Legal Perspective in Palestine. Yustisia, 11(2), 125–135. https://doi.org/10.20961/yustisia.v11i2.62219
  25. Harding, A. (2012). Malaysia: Religious pluralism and the constitution in a contested polity. Middle East Law and Governance, 4(2–3), 356–385. https://doi.org/10.1163/18763375-00403007
  26. Harun, H., Tauvani, A. Y., Tumadi, N. H., and Roni, R. A. (2025). Rethinking the Legal Status of Non-Muslims in Islamic Law: Al-Muwāṭinūn and the Constitutional Framework of Citizenship in Indonesia. Khazanah Hukum, 7(2), 156–173. https://doi.org/10.15575/kh.v7i2.44897
  27. Hasan, Z., and Asutay, M. (2017). An analysis of the courts’ decisions on Islamic finance disputes. In Islamic Law in Practice (Vol. 3, pp. 441–471). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315251738
  28. Hassanah, N. (2023). Dualism of Non Litigation Dispute Settlement in Sharia Economics at Basyarnas and Alternatif Dispute Resolution Agencies. Nurani, 23(2), 189–198. https://doi.org/10.19109/nurani.v23i2.14880
  29. Idzhar, M., Muqorrobien, M. K., and Kasumawati, D. (2025). Constitutionalizing Islamic Law in Indonesia: Sharia Courts & the Legitimate Child Clause. Ahkam: Jurnal Ilmu Syariah, 25(2), 395–414. https://doi.org/10.15408/ajis.v25i2.41896
  30. Issaka-Toure, F., and Alidou, O. D. (2021). Introduction: Current perspectives on islamic family law in Africa. Islamic Africa, 11(2), 153–162. https://doi.org/10.1163/21540993-01101016
  31. Jibril, A. M. (2025). Operationalizing Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah in Islamic Finance: Pathways to Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development. JoIE: Journal of Islamic Economics, 5(2), 169–183.
  32. Jibril;, A. M. mu`adil fazin et. al. (2025). Breaking the Silence , Building Justice: Reforming Nigeria ’ s Response to Sexual Violence. Asia Africa Regulatory Development Review, 1(2), 97–113.
  33. Khodadadi, B. (2025). Public Interest (Maslahat) in Shi͑iTheocracy: Implications for Legal and Political Decision-Making. Iranian Studies, 58(3), 490–525. https://doi.org/10.1017/irn.2025.22
  34. Kholik, S., Nurlinda, I., Muttaqin, Z., Priyanta, M., and Jibril, M. (2025). LOCAL GOVERNMENT POLICY ON THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN COASTAL REGIONS BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF GREEN AUTONOMY ( ENVIRONMENTAL AUTONOMY ). 19(2), 117–136. https://doi.org/10.15575/adliya.v19i2.40655
  35. Kruger, T. (2024). Fragmentation of European private international law: Family matters. In Private International Law in an Era of Change (pp. 169–194). https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035331802.00013
  36. Kusmayanti, H., Kania, D., Prasetyoningsih, N., and Zainol, Z. A. (2023). Judges’ Acceptance of Sharia-Inspired Laws in Indonesia. Al-Manahij: Jurnal Kajian Hukum Islam, 17(2), 199–214. https://doi.org/10.24090/mnh.v17i2.7716
  37. Lawan, M. (2014). Islamic law and legal hybridity in nigeria. Journal of African Law, 58(2), 303–327. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021855314000151
  38. Maaike, V. (2012). Family Law in Islam: Divorce, Marriage and Women in the Muslim World. In Family Law in Islam: Divorce, Marriage and Women in the Muslim World.
  39. Maruf, A. O. (2025). Comparative Study of Islamic and Secular Economic Law in Nigeria: Implications for Policy Making. Jurnal Ilmiah Mizani, 12(1), 33–49. https://doi.org/10.29300/mzn.v12i1.5340
  40. Muhammad, A. U., Murtala, S., and Yusuf, A. (2025). Legal and Regulatory Challenges of Islamic Banking in Africa: Finding a Balance Between Sharia Governance and Regulatory Frameworks. In Legal and Regulatory Aspects of Abrahamic Finance (pp. 67–92). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-1887-5.ch002
  41. Mustapha, Z., Kunhibava, S., and Muneeza, A. (2021). Judicial challenges facing the islamic finance industry of Nigeria. African Journal of International and Comparative Law, 29(2), 244–262. https://doi.org/10.3366/ajicl.2021.0362
  42. Nasohah, Z. (2024). Dynamics of Islamic Family Law in Facing Current Challenges in Southeast Asia. Samarah, 8(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i1.16553
  43. Ningsih, A. S. (2025). Reforming Islamic Family Law: The Relevance of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah’s Concept of Legal Change. Jurnal Ilmiah Mizani, 12(1), 114–127. https://doi.org/10.29300/mzn.v12i1.7087
  44. Novendra, C. S., and Reyhan, M. F. (2024). THE CHALLENGES OF ISLAMIC CRIMINAL LAW IMPLEMENTATION IN ACEH SHARIAH COURT. Diponegoro Law Review, 9(1), 121–135. https://doi.org/10.14710/dilrev.9.1.2024.121-135
  45. Oba, A. (2017). Kadis (Judges) of the sharia court of appeal: The problems of identity, relevance, and marginalisation within the Nigerian legal system. In Islamic Law in Practice (Vol. 3, pp. 519–541). Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315251738
  46. Oba, A. A. (2004). The Sharia Court of Appeal in Northern Nigeria: The Continuing Crises of Jurisdiction. The American Journal of Comparative Law, 52(4), 859. https://doi.org/10.2307/4144468
  47. Oba, A. A., and Ismael, I. S. (2025). Disputes Relating to the Appointment of Imams in Nigeria: Jurisdictional Competition Between Islamic Courts and the High Court. Journal of African Law, 69(3), 423–439. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021855325000063
  48. Olaniyi, R. O. (2011). Hisbah and sharia law enforcement in metropolitan kano. Africa Today, 57(4), 72–96. https://doi.org/10.2979/africatoday.57.4.71
  49. Owolabi, K. M. W. (2023). Understanding the Place of Islamic Arbitration within the Nigerian Law. Jurnal Hukum Novelty, 14(1), 69–87. https://doi.org/10.26555/novelty.v14i1.a25926
  50. Salim, A. (2015). The Constitutionalization of Shari’a in Muslim Societies: Comparing Indonesia, Tunisia and Egypt. In Boundaries of Religious Freedom: Regulating Religion in Diverse Societies (Vol. 1, pp. 199–217). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09605-6_12
  51. Sejin, J., and Chanhyun, P. (2017). Sharia in the religious and philosophical conception of Sufism. Voprosy Filosofii, (9), 195–201.
  52. Shahid, A. (2013). Post-divorce maintenance for Muslim women in Pakistan and Bangladesh: A comparative perspective. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 27(2), 197–215. https://doi.org/10.1093/lawfam/ebt004
  53. Shesa, L., Dzar, M. A., and Utami, H. S. (2024). Reformulating Progressive Fiqh of Talak (Divorce): A Contemporary Study of the Principle of Making Divorce More Difficult in SEMA No. 1 of 2022 for Women’s Protection. MILRev: Metro Islamic Law Review, 3(2), 236–262. https://doi.org/10.32332/milrev.v3i2.9950
  54. Shittu, A. D., Ismail, S. F., and Ndaman, M. N. (2022). SHARIAH AND SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTIONS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA: EVIDENCE FROM NIGER STATE ZAKAT AND ENDOWMENT BOARD (2001-2017). Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law, 10(2), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol10no2.347
  55. Sohail, A., Musa, N., and Rahman, M. R. A. (2025). Justice, Governance, and Legal Stability: Functional Parallels and Philosophical Divergences in the Rule of Law across Islamic and Western Legal Traditions. Manchester Journal of Transnational Islamic Law and Practice, 21(2), 297–321.
  56. Solikin, N., and Wasik, M. (2023). THE CONSTRUCTION OF FAMILY LAW IN THE COMPILATION OF ISLAMIC LAW IN INDONESIA: A Review of John Rawls’s Concept of Justice and Jasser Auda’s Maqashid al-Shari’a. Ulumuna, 27(1), 315–340. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v27i1.708
  57. Stiles, E. E. (2020). Sharī‘a Law in Muslim Africa. In The Palgrave Handbook of Islam in Africa (pp. 205–220). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45759-4_11
  58. Subhi, R., Karnedi, R., and Jibril, A. M. (2024). Tashwir Between Tradition and Modernity: Contemporary Debates in Hadith and Scholarly Thought. NUSANTARA: Journal Of Law Studies, 3(2), 116–136. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17382483
  59. Supardin, M. I., Mubarok, J., Muslimin, J. M., Nasril, M., and Amir, R. (2025). Legal Reasoning By Judges In The Decision Of The Religious Court In The Dki Jakarta Area Regarding Sharia Financing. Al-Istinbath: Jurnal Hukum Islam, 10(1), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.29240/jhi.v10i1.10917
  60. Tabroni, R., Izudin, A., Yuwono, D. B., Isnanto, M., Sujibto, B. J., and Suarsana, I. M. (2025). Hybridity, Intersection, and Challenge: Navigating the History of Customary and Islamic Family Law in Moluccan Marriages. Al-Ahwal, 18(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.14421/ahwal.2024.18101
  61. Trakic, A., and Haydar Ali Tajuddin, H. (2021). Islamic Law in Malaysia: The Challenges of Implementation. In Islamic Law in Malaysia: The Challenges of Implementation. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6187-4
  62. Usman, A., Jibril, A. M., and Shobari, A. (2024). Flipped Classroom versus Flipped Jigsaw: Enhancing Learning Motivation and Promoting Gender Equality in Support of SDG 4 and SDG 5. Literate: International Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 3(1), 1–13.
  63. Wahib, A. B. (2022). MARRIAGE REGISTRATION AND SOLEMNIZATION AMONG MIGRANT MUSLIMS IN GERMANY: Harmonizing Islamic and State Law and the Existence of Origin Country Law. Al-Ahwal, 15(2), 275–294. https://doi.org/10.14421/ahwal.2022.15207
  64. Weimann, G. J. (2025). Islamic Criminal Law in Northern Nigeria: Politics, Religion, Judicial Practice. In Islamic Criminal Law in Northern Nigeria: Politics, Religion, Judicial Practice. https://doi.org/10.5117/9789056296551
  65. Wicaksono, D. A., Rahman, F., and Umam, K. (2021). The Mapping of Petitions and Court Decisions Patterns on Judicial Review of Acts With Islamic Law Substance. Jurnal Konstitusi, 18(3), 504–538. https://doi.org/10.31078/jk1832
  66. Yang, J. S.-W. (2021). Domestic Legal Pluralism and the International Criminal Court: The Case of Shari’a Law in Nigeria. In Domestic Legal Pluralism and the International Criminal Court: The Case of Shari’a Law in Nigeria. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003168300
  67. Zander, L. A. (2025). Pleasures of Liminality. Law and Literature, 37(3), 623–651. https://doi.org/10.1080/1535685X.2024.2354054
  68. Zuhriyah, L., and Muna, N. (2023). Economic Ability as a Kafā’ah Principle and the Recognition of Difabel Marriage Guardian in As-Silāḥ fī Bayāni An-Nikāḥ by Khalil Al-Bangkalany. Al-Ahwal, 16(1), 89–111. https://doi.org/10.14421/ahwal.2023.16105
No Related Submission Found