Abstract

Islamic Law has no doubt been given recognition by the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC). It is included in the academic curriculum, though not offered in some Nigerian Universities. The learning and teaching of Islamic law has been on ground for decades. However, its importance as a guiding principle of human affairs has not yet been well acknowledged. Notwithstanding its recognition by the NUC, the teaching of Islamic law is facing noticeable challenges which have adversely affected its sustainability in our citadel of learning. Therefore, this paper investigates the constitutional status of Islamic law and challenges facing some Nigerian universities offering Islamic law as major or minor courses. The paper adopts doctrinal legal research method for analysis of issues in contention. It finds that the refusal to include Islamic law in the academic curriculum of some Nigerian Universities was born-out of the negative perception of non-Muslims on the doctrine of Islamic law. The paper recommends that Islamic Law should form part of academic curriculum of Nigerian Universities.