ABSTRACT
In the year 2000 Zamfara State Government initiated a re-introduction of the application of Islamic Criminal Law on the Muslim subjects of the State. This was followed by other states of Northern Nigeria, either willingly or in response to popular pressure mounted by their subjects.
The initiative of reintroduction of the Shari’ah led to the codifications of Shari’ah offenses. The codification was necessitated by constitutional requirements on fair hearing,
which provide that acts or omissions amounting to criminal responsibility must be reduced into the legislation of either National Assembly or States’ Houses of Assembly.
However, codification of Islamic Criminal Law is, on the other hand, alien to the classical tradition of Islamic Law.
Judges under the Ideal Islamic settings are expected to refer to the primary sources consisting of Qur’an and the Sunnah as well as the secondary sources which are, by and large, the products of Ijtihad such as Ijma’ Qiyas, Masalihul Mursala, Sadduz – zaree’ah, Amalu Ahill Madina, etc for adjudication.
Based on this some Muslim Jurists vehemently opposed the codification of Islamic Criminal Law contending that it stagnates the Shari’a Law, deprives it of its dynamism as it prevents judges from taking recourse to the original sources of the law.
On the other hand, another group of Muslim Jurists, considering the caliber of the people manning the Shari’ah Courts, whose credentials are far below those of Mujtahidun support the codification viewing it as a child of necessity (darura) that has to be embraced.
This dissertation critically examines the contending views on the codification of Islamic Law generally but with particular reference to Islamic Criminal Law.
In doing this, the primary source materials of Islamic Law – Qur’an and Sunnah – as well as the classical expositions and commentaries on the same as contained in the authoritative classical works are known as Turath and other related libraries and online materials were utilized.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page — — — — — — — — — i
Declaration — — — — — — — — — ii
Certification — — — — — — — — — iii
Dedication — — — — — — — — — iv
Acknowledgements — — — — — — — — v
Statutes Refered — — — — — — — — viii
Cases Cited — — — — — — — — ix
List of Abbreviations — — — — — — — xi
Abstract — — — — — — — — — xiii
Table of Contents — — — — — — — — xiv
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 GENERAL INTRODUCTION — — — — — 1
1.1 Introduction — — — — — — — — 1
1.2 Historical Background — — — — — — — 1
1.3 Statement of Problem — — — — — — 8
1.3.1 Research Questions — — — — — — — 11
1.4 Literature Review — — — — — — — 11
1.5 Scope and Limitation of the Study– — — — — 24
1.6 Aims and Objectives of the Study — — — — — 25
1.7 Justification/Significance of the Study — — — — 26
1.8 Methodology of the Study — — — — — — 26
1.9 Organizational Layout — — — — — — 28
CHAPTER TWO
2.0 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Introduction — — — — — — — — 31
2.2 Concept of Codification of Islamic Criminal Law (At-Taqneen) — 31
2.2.1 At-Teqneen as a legal Terminology — — — — 32
2.2.2 Teqneenul Ahkamis Shar’iyyah as a compound terminology — 33
2.2.3 Qanunul Janaa’eey El-Islamy — — — — — 35
2.2.4 Evolution of Codification as a Legal Concept — — — 39
2.2.5 Other Terminologies of the Study — — — — — 40
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 NATURE, SOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAMIC
CRIMINAL LAW— — — — — — — 43
3.1 Introduction — — — — — — — — 43
3.2 Nature of Islamic Criminal Law — — — — — 43
3.2.1 Simplicity and Consistency with pristine human nature (Fitra) — 44
3.2.2 Equality before the Law — — — — — — 45
3.2.3 Personal Responsibility of Individuals — — — — 46
3.2.4 Protection of public Interest and Morality — — — 46
3.2.5 Non-retroactivity of its penal provisions — — — — 47
3.2.6 Dynamism and Immutality — — — — — — 49
3.3 Sources of Islamic Law — — — — — — 50
3.3.1 The Glorious Qur’an — — — — — — 52
3.3.2 Hadeeth/Sunnah — — — — — — — 57
3.3.3 Ijma’ (Juristic Consensus) — — — — — — 61
3.3.4 Qiya (Analogy) — — — — — — — 64
3.3.5 Other Sources of Islamic Criminal Law – — — — — 67
3.4 Development of Islamic Criminal Law — — — — 84
3.4.1 Development of Islamic Criminal Law and the Closure of the
Gate of Ijtihad — — — — — — — 86
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 HISTORICAL ORIGIN AND SURVEY OF THE PRACTICE OF
THE CODIFICATION OF ISLAMIC CRIMINAL LAW IN SELECT
MUSLIM COUNTRIES — — — — — — 93
4.1 Introduction — — — — — — — — 93
4.2 Origin of the Codification of Islamic Criminal Law (Taqneenul
Uqubaat) — — — — — — — — 94
4.2.1 Codification of Islamic Criminal Law in the High Caliphate Period– 95
4.2.2 Codification of Islamic Criminal Law in the era of Ottoman
Empire — — — — — — — — 102
4.2.3 Post Mejelle Developments in the Codification of Islamic Criminal
Law — — — — — — — — — 106
4.2.3.1 Codification of Islamic Criminal Law in Egypt — — — 107
4.2.3.2 Codification of Islamic Criminal Law in Pakistan — — — 111
4.2.3.3 Codification of Islamic Criminal Law in Libiya — — — 113
4.2.3.4 Codification of Islamic Criminal Law in Tunisia — — — 114
4.2.3.5 Codification of Islamic Criminal Law in Algeria — — — 115
4.2.3.6 Codification of Islamic Criminal Law in Sudan — — — 117
4.2.3.7 Codification of Islamic Criminal Law in Saudi Arabia — — 118
4.2.3.8 Codification of Islamic Criminal Law in Northern Nigeria — — 119
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 AN APPRAISAL OF THE JURISTIC VIEWS ON
THE CODIFICATION OF ISLAMIC CRIMINAL LAW — 127
5. 1 Introduction — — — — — — — — 127
5.2 Juristic Views on the Legality of the Codification of Islamic Law- 128
5.2.1 Juristic Views Supporting the Legality of the codification of the
Principles of Islamic Criminal Law — — — — 129
5.2.2 Juristic Views Opposing the Legality of the codification of the
Principles of Islamic Criminal Law — — — — 136
5.3 An Appraisal of the Contending Juristic Views on the
Codification of Islamic Criminal Law — — — — — 150
CHAPTER SIX
6.0 CODIFICATION OF ISLAMIC CRIMINAL LAW IN NORTHERN
NIGERIA AS A CONSTITUTIONAL IMPERATIVE — — — 161
6.1 Introduction — — — — — — — — 161
6.2 Legislative Competence of State Governments in Criminal Matters – 162
6.3 Codification and Constitutional Requirements of Fair Hearing — 164
6.4 Various Approaches to the Codification of Islamic Criminal Law– 168
6.4.1 The Approach of Zamfara State — — — — — 169
6.4.2 The Approach of Kaduna and the Gombe States — — — 169
6.4.3 The Approach of Niger and the Kebbi States — — — — 170
6.5 Contents of the Codes of the Islamic Criminal Law — — 170
6.5.1 The Contents of the Shariah Penal Code of Zamfara State — 171
6.5.2 Islamic Law Punishments (Uqubaat) in the Shar’ah Penal Codes- 174
6.5.3 The Shari’ah Criminal Procedure Code — — — — 177
6.6 Limitations of the codification of Islamic Criminal Law in Northern
Nigeria — — — — — — — — 178
6.6.1 Non- Codification of Riddah & Related Offences in Northern
Nigeria — — — — — — — — 180
6.6.2 Codification of discretionary (Ta’azeerat) Punishments– — 181
6.6.2 Codification of discretionary (Ta’azeerat) Punishments– — 182
6.6.3 Other Constitutional constraints — — — — — 185
CHAPTER SEVEN
7.0 FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSION — 187
7.1 Introduction — — — — — — — — 187
7.2 Summary — — — — — — — — 187
7.3 Findings — — — — — — — — 190
7.4 Recommendations — — — — — — — 192
7.5 Conclusion — — — — — — — — 196
Bibliography — — — — — — — 198
INTRODUCTION
This chapter aims at out the general framework of this study. The chapter, in general terms, draws out the research plan for the entire study.
In pursuance of this objective, the chapter explores the historical origin of the implementation of Shari’ah in Nigeria which forms the theoretical background of the study. The Chapter also proposes the Statement of the research problem for the dissertation.
The above was followed up with the of the relevant and related literature to assess the existing body of on the topic at hand with a view to bringing out the gaps in the existing body of knowledge and the original contribution this study modestly makes to the literature on the subject – matter.
Other issues on the general , such as scope and limitation, , significance, and justification of the study were similarly treated in this chapter. The chapter then concludes with remarks on the organizational layout and the structure of the research work.
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