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In a flier that circulated widely recently, the Oyo state chapter of the Supreme Council for Sharia extended invitations to guests nationwide for the “inauguration ceremony of Sharia court in Oyo town and its environs”.
Legit.ng reports that the event was scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 11, 2025, at the Muslim Community Islamic Centre, Oba Adeyemi High School road, Mobolaje area of the ancient town.
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The organisers, however, announced the postponement of the event indefinitely following pushback by some internet users.
The matter has also seen various notions being shared on social media, particularly X (formerly Twitter).
Amid controversial postulations, Legit.ng spoke to Sheikh Dr Idris Oni, the acting head of the Islamic Studies department, Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun state, who provided clarifications.
Sharia is a source of debate especially among residents of cosmopolitan and secular states, with non-muslims expressing worry about their plight. Speaking exclusively with Legit.ng, Sheikh Oni explained that the law does not apply to non-Muslims “except on aspects that concern the community where members are Muslims and non-Muslims alike.”
He said:
“Shariah is an extraction of divine laws, jurisprudence and guidance for life from the Book of Allah (the Glorious Qur’ān) and through the explanation of His last Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him). Shariah law is interpreted by scholars of Islam who make juristic efforts to read, understand the laws from their sources and interprete them to reflect the five major objectives of the law and faith by a process of Ijtihad which covers aspects of consensus of opinion and analogical deductions. The objectives are protection of faith, protection of life, protection of family or lineage, protection of property and protection of human dignity. Through the Glorious Quran, Almighty God affirms that the Sharī’ah is the divine path laid for all believers in God and all His Messengers.
“While the Muslims have our own Shariah from the sources mentioned above, people of other faiths have their own Shariah in their own scriptures which God enjoins them to follow in the Glorious Qur’an 5: 47.”
Is Sharia law selective?
Critics of Sharia in Nigeria often contend that the law is meant for poor people only. They cite the lifestyle and social behaviours of affluent personalities of northern extraction to back up their argument. Amid the contention, Sheikh Oni pointed out that “Islam sternly warns against giving preferential treatments in the application of the Sharī’ah on the basis of the status of the subjects upon whom the judgement have to be pronounced.”
He said:
“Sharī’ah is meant for all Muslims, poor or rich, high or low, affluent or not, kings, rulers and the ruled. Sharī’ah does not exempt anyone at all. The corruption emanating from the hands of people who use the Sharī’ah for caprices led to the misunderstanding of the majority of those who oppose it.
“Sharī’ah when properly applied is the most just, most balanced, most compassionate and most humane law ever. It is so because it was revealed and inspired by God Almighty Whose love for humankind was the reason He revealed the law. Therefore, Sharī’ah is mercy and justice and equality. In the eyes of the Sharī’ah, social status does not matter. This is exemplified when believers stand in prayers. They are not separated by their social classes or authorities. The only matter that matters before God is the level of their piety and obedience to Him.”
Sharia and violence allegations
There are also claims that Sharia is known for anguish and violence. Oni disagreed.
His words:
“The Sharī’ah is not violent at all and does now allow room for violence. Many times, people claim that Sharī’ah is about cutting off hands and stoning the adulterous persons to death. While it is unequivocally true that the Sharī’ah has Hudūd laws (penal codes) that are applicable for some grievous sins including murder, armed robbery, adultery and so on. However, God Almighty places some very stringent conditions around the establishment and application of those capital punishment so much that if there is a slight sign of discrepancy, the judge is encouraged to use the opportunity to choose clemency and a more merciful decision.
“If a life can be preserved, it must be preserved because saving a life is like saving a whole world. It is a principle in the Sharī’ah that it is better for the judge to grant mercy and pardon than to mistakenly convict a person who should be acquitted.”
Some non-Muslims also allege that the actions of terrorist organisations like Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are a representation of Islam or the Shariah.
“This is a gross misinformation and it is not fair to judge a faith of over 2 billion people by the misdeeds of a few who thought might have made claim to the faith,” Sheikh Oni bemoaned. “There is no certainty as to whether they actually belong to the faith or understand its law. Nevertheless, it is certain that miscreants, thugs and terrorists are not authorities through whom the reality of a faith could be assessed or related.
“Terrorists are lawless murderers. How could they derive their ideologies from the Sharī’ah when the Glorious Qur’ān explicitly states that one who kills a person has killed a nation and one who saves a soul has saved a nation (See Qur’ān 5: 32).
“Terrorist organisations violate all the principles of the Sharī’ah. They kill Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and desecrate places of worship in acts of violence which is against the decree of God in the Glorious Qur’ān 22: 40. The activities of terrorist organisations and mobs who take laws into their hands are flagrant disobedience to God and His Messenger and a very distasteful violation of the principles of Sharī’ah, to which the safety of lives and properties is integral and compulsory.”
Rights and applicability of Shariah rulings
Likewise, critics alleged that Sharia strips human beings of their rights. However, the religious leader stated that the objectives of the law are fully compliant with human rights.
Sheikh Oni said:
“In an Islamic State where the Sharī’ah could be in full practice, Christians and Jews are free to use the laws of their own religion established in their scriptures. They are not to be subjected to Islamic law except on aspects that concern the community where members are Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The rights of one side must not infringe on the rights of the other party.
“The Sharī’ah caters adequately for individual and collective good. Every member of the society enjoys full rights to life, faith, association, expression and so on. Such rights could be restricted only if the peace and security of the society is threatened. In such cases, the restrictions would affect everyone equally. Islam also does not allow Muslims to be unjust or unfair against non-Muslims. This is well established in the Glorious Qur’ān 5: 8.”
Sharia panel: Oyo organisers give new update
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Supreme Council of Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) said it will soon announce a new date for the inauguration of an Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel in Oyo state.
SCSN’s Rabiu Bello Adisa stated that the event had been mistaken to mean the inauguration of a Sharia court.
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