Fourteenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

The Sokoto province area came to being after the occupation of the Sokoto Caliphate by the British in 1900. Before then, large part of it was under metropolitan emirate that hosts the headquarters of the Caliphate. The Caliphate was also a resultant effect of a jihad movement that emanated from efforts of some Islamic scholars to reform religious practices and societies of Hausa land from 1804. The establishment of the Caliphate resulted in the entrenchment of Shariah legal system for the whole 19th century in the Caliphate. This tradition of justice system was also passed on to colonial period (1900-1960) despite colonisation of the area by the British. Thus, the Shariah court system was sustained alongside the newly introduced British common law, although, the administration of the Shariah court was solely responsible by the shariah court judges, except for supervisory purposes that was undertaken by superior colonial officers. Giving the position of Shariah in Islam, spirituality plays an important role in the performance and delivery of justice by the administrators of these courts. Spirituality, however, is seen within the context of affirmation of a morally fulfilling relationship between humans and God as well as between themselves. This paper explores the relevance of spirituality and its interplay in the administration of Shariah courts in Sokoto province. In this effort, qualitative method of data collection and analysis is employed.