The Principle Of Inheritance Under The Customary And Islamic Law

ABSTRACT The inevitability of death makes the law of inheritance so significant in the life of man. Thus, every society or nation has the rules and regulations guiding the sharing of estates left behind by the deceased. These rules and regulations, as a matter of long usage, become a binding law in a society and such law is referred to as customary law. However, the imperfection in man's thinking makes the customary law to be imperfect and inappropriate in sharing the estates left behind by the deceased. This long essay has, therefore, taken an objective measure in comparing the similarities and the differences of both Customary and Islamic laws of inheritance. This is done in terms of comparison of the heirs, the shares of each heir, the impediments of inheritance and their reasons, to know which of the both laws is perfect and appropriate.    TABLE OF CONTENTS COVER PAGE……………………………………………………………i CERTIFICATION PAGE ……………………………………………… ii DEDICATION…………………………………………………………… iii ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT …………………………………………… … v TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………….... vi TABLE OF CASES ……………………………………………………… viii TABLE OF STATUTES…………………………………………………… ix LIST OF ABBREVIATION …………...……………………………………xi
CHAPTER 1                                                                                           1.0.0 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………… 1 1.1.0 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ……………….…………………………1  1.2.0 AIM AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY……………………………. 2 1.3.0 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF STUDY …………………………..… 2 1.4.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ……………………………………..... 2 1.5.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ………………………………………………..3
CHAPTER 2 2.0.0 THE POSITION OF INHERITANCE IN ISLAMIC LAW………….. 5  2.1.0 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………..5 2.2.0 DEFINITION ………………………………………………………….… 5 2.3.0 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ……………………………………….. 6 2.4.0 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS………………………………………………. 8 2.5.0 IMPEDIMENT………………………………………………………….…8 2.6.0 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………...…38

CHAPTER 3        3.0.0 THE POSITION OF INHERITANCE IN CUSTOMARY LAW……39 3.1.0 INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………… 39 3.2.0 DEFINITION ……………………………………………………………39 3.3.0 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ……………………………………… 40 3.4.0 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS……………………………………………… 41 2.5.0 IMPEDIMENT…………………………………………………………....54 3.6.0 CONCLUTION…………………………………………………………...55
CHAPTER 4  COMPARISON OF CUSTOMARY AND ISLAMIC LAW………………. 57 4.0.0 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………..57 4.1.0 THE EVOLUTION IN ISLAMIC AND CUSTOMARY LAWS ……..57 4.2.0 THE ESTATE IN ISLAMIC AND CUSTOMARY LAWS …………...59  4.3.0 THE COMPARISON OF THE HEIRS IN  ISLAMIC AND CUSTOMARY…………………………………….    60 4.4.0 IMPEDIMENT …………………………………………………...………63 4.5.0 CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………..……65
CHAPTER FIVE 5.1.0 GENERAL REMARKS ………………………………………… …..….66 5.2.0 RECOMMENDATION………………………………………………... .69 5.3.0 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………..… 71 5.4.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………..… 80