Alternative Dispute Resolution (As-Sulh) as a Principle of Islamic Legal System on Marriage Conflicts Among Muslim Ummah

Adamu Abubakar Muhammad* -  Department of Religious Studies Federal University of Kashere Gombe State, Nigeria
Ibrahim Dahiru Idriss -  [Scopus ID: 57477864400] Federal College of Education Potiskum, Yobe State, Nigeria
Adam Muhammad Ardo -  Modibbo Yusufa Foundation, New G. R. A. Gombe, Gombe State, Nigeria
Bashir Liman Mashema -  Department of Islamic Studies College of Education Azare Bauchi State, Nigeria
Huma Khan -  Research Scholar IGNOU, STRIDE, India

This paper seeks to analyze the application of ADR (As-Sulh) as a principle of the Islamic legal system on marriage disputes among Muslim Ummah and the role of Tafarkin Tsira Islamic Centre Azare Bauchi State Nigeria. The paper will examine the principle of As-Sulh for dispute resolution among Muslim Ummah and its applicability in settling marriage disputes in the study area. This study employed qualitative research methods, and the data were gathered through the review of the related literature and interviews with pertinent bodies. The findings revealed that marital conflict among Muslim Ummah is becoming rampant and tends to increase annually. This study also identified that Tafarkin Tsira Islamic Centre Azare, under its Matrimonial Life Training and Counseling section, maintained the principle of ADR (As-Sulh) as a reliable alternative and instrument for the resolution of many marital conflicts among Muslim Ummah in the study area through organizing a strong orientation program for intending and married couples on successful marriages, the consequences of marital disharmony, and how to resolve the issues. It is recommended that ADR, if properly maintained and its technicalities applied, several marriages would be saved, peace would be restored, and collective effort to build successful families would be actualized across the communities.

Keywords : Keywords: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Islamic Legal System, Marriage, Muslim Ummah.

  1. al Umtata, I. A. M. A. U. (1996). Kitāb al-Aqdiya (Book of Judgments). Book of Judgments.

    Allie, S. (2020). Exploring the concept of conciliation (ṣulḥ) as a method of alternative dispute resolution in Islamic law [LLM Degree, University of The Western Cape]. https://etd.uwc.ac.za:443/xmlui/handle/11394/7632

    Bailey, C. (2009). Bedouin law from Sinai & the Negev: Justice without government / Clinton Bailey. Yale University Press.

    Bastomi, A., & Ilham, L. W. (2020). Alternative Dispute Resolution in High-Context Culture and Collectivist Society: Possibilities to Apply Conflict Coaching Approach in Indonesia. Revista Brasileira de Alternative Dispute Resolution - Brazilian Journal of Alternative Dispute Resolution – RBADR, 2(3).

    Bearman, P., Bianquis, T., Bosworth, C. E., van Donzel, E., & Heinrichs, W. P. (Eds.). (2005). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Middle East And Islamic Studies. BRILL. https://brill.com/display/db/eieo?language=en

    Cadigan, R. J. (1998). Woman-to-Woman Marriage: Practices and Benefits in Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 29(1), 89–98. https://doi.org/10.3138/jcfs.29.1.89

    Croucher, S. M. & Al. (2012). Conflict Styles and High-low context cultures: A cross-cultural extention. Communication Research Reports, 29(1), 64–73.

    Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics. (2020). Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics 2020 | United States Courts [Goverment]. United States Course. https://www.uscourts.gov/statistics-reports/federal-judicial-caseload-statistics-2020

    Haroon, Hon. J. I. A. (2017). The Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (Sulh) in Sharia Cases. Enhancing Administration of Justice in the Area/Sharia/Custimary Courts. The National workshop for Area/Sharia/Customary CourtJudges/Directors and Inspectors of Area/Sharia/Customary Courts, Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal, Ilorin. https://nji.gov.ng/images/Workshop_Papers/2017/Area_Sharia_Customary_Judges/s4.pdf

    Harsari, R. J. T. (2020). A Perspective of Husband and Wife Roles in Long-Distance Marriage. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 268–271. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200120.056

    ibn Idrīs, A. ʿAbdullāh M. (1993). Al-Shāfiʿī kitāb al al-Umm. Dar el-fikr.

    Isiugo-Abanihe, U. C. (1998). Stability of marital unions and fertility in Nigeria. Journal of Biosocial Science, 30(1), 33–41. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932098000339

    Jones, J., & Ali, S. S. (2019). Muslim marriage and divorce practices in contemporary Britain. Islamic Law Blog.

    Kamaldeen. (2018). Roles of Imams as Marital Conflicts Mediator in Ilorin Metropolis.

    Kelsay, J. (2015). Islam, Sharia and Alternative Dispute Resolution: Mechanisms for Legal Redress in the Muslim Community. Journal of Islamic Studies, 26(1), 56–59. https://doi.org/10.1093/jis/etu071

    Kumari, P. (2020). Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) (SSRN Scholarly Paper 3626625). https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3626625

    Lawrence, E. M., Rogers, R. G., Zajacova, A., & Wadsworth, T. (2019). Marital Happiness, Marital Status, Health, and Longevity. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(5), 1539–1561. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0009-9

    Maru, V. (2009). Access to Justice and Legal Empowerment: A Review of World Bank Practice. The Legal Vice Presidency, The World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18102

    Muhammad, A. A. (2019). Steps to Legal Divorce: A Lasting Solution to Rampant Divorce among Contemporary Muslim Couples. International Conference on The Biography of Prophet Muhammad(S.A.W), 4, 189–206.

    Muhammad, A. A. (2021). The Impact of Infaq Fisabilillah Program for Vulnerables under Tafarkin Tsira Islamic Centre Azare, Bauchi State-Nigeria. Al-Hikmah Journal of Islamic Studies, 9(4), 8–17.

    Muhammad, A. A., & Bala, B. (2020). Interaction between Culture and Islam on Divorce in Akko LGA of Gombe State. Journal of University Scholars in Religions (JUSREL), 2(8), 8–16.

    Odebode, A. A. (2019). Marital Stress among Working Class Women in Kwara State, Nigeria: Implications for Counselling Practice. Canadian Journal of Family and Youth / Le Journal Canadien de Famille et de La Jeunesse, 11(1), 20–40. https://doi.org/10.29173/cjfy29410

    Olaniyi, A. A. (2015). Analytical Study of the Causal Factors of Divorce in African Homes. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 5(14), 18–30.

    Othman, A. (2007). “And Amicable Settlement Is Best”: Sulh and Dispute Resolution in Islamic Law. Arab Law Quarterly, 21(1), 64–90. https://doi.org/10.1163/026805507X197857

    Rosen, L. (2000). The Justice of Islam. Oxford University Press.

    Serrano, D. (2016). Bringing arbitration (taḥkīm) and conciliation (ṣulḥ) under the qāḍī’s purview in Mālikī al-Andalus (10th to 12th centuries C.E.). Revue Des Mondes Musulmans et de La Méditerranée, 140(0), 73–100. https://doi.org/10.4000/remmm.9623

    Shah, S. S. (2009). Mediation in Marital Discord in Islamic Law: Legislative Foundation and Contemporary Application. Arab Law Quarterly, 23(3), 329–346. https://doi.org/10.1163/157302509X454726

    Shouket, A. (2019). Exploring the concept of conciliation (ul) as a method of Alternative Dispute Resolution in Islǡmic law research paper submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the llm degree university of the western cape.

    Storer, H. L., Rodriguez, M., & Franklin, R. (2021). “Leaving Was a Process, Not an Event”: The Lived Experience of Dating and Domestic Violence in 140 Characters. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(11–12), NP6553–NP6580. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518816325

    Tasew, A. S., & Getahun, K. K. (2021). Marital conflict among couples: The case of Durbete town, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Cogent Psychology, 8(1), 1903127. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2021.1903127

    Tolorunleke, C. A. (2014). Causes of Marital Conflicts Amongst Couples in Nigeria: Implication for Counselling Psychologists. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 140, 21–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.04.381

    Vladimirovich, M. A., & Sergeevich, E. K. (2022). Alternative dispute resolution in digital government. Revista Brasileira de Alternative Dispute Resolution - Brazilian Journal of Alternative Dispute Resolution - RBADR, 4(7), Article 7. https://rbadr.emnuvens.com.br/rbadr/article/view/122/89

    Volodymyr, Z. etal. (2022). Application of forms of alternative dispute resolution in Ukraine. Revista Brasileira de Alternative Dispute Resolution - Brazilian Journal of Alternative Dispute Resolution – RBADR, 4(7).

    Welsh, N. A. (2001). Making Deals in Court-Connected Mediation: What’s Justice Got To Do with It. Washington University Law Quarterly, 79, 787. https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/walq79&id=797&div=&collection=

    Zahraa, M., & Hak, N. A. (2006). Taḥkīm (Arbitration) in Islamic Law within the Context of Family Disputes. Arab Law Quarterly, 20(1), 2–42. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27650536


Open Access Copyright (c) 2023 Adamu Abubakar Muhammad, Ibrahim Dahiru Idriss, Adam Muhammad Ardo, Bashir Liman Mashema
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

FITRAH: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu-ilmu Keislaman
Published by Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian Masyarakat
Institut Agama Islam Negeri Padangsidimpuan, Indonesia
Jl. T. Rizal Nurdin Km. 4,5 Sihitang, Kota Padang Sidempuan
Phone: 0634-22080
Website: http://jurnal.iain-padangsidimpuan.ac.id/index.php/F/
Email: fitrah@iain-padangsidimpuan.ac.id