Doctrinal Analysis of the Concept of Maslaha (Public Interest) in Contemporary Nigerian Sharia Court Judgments

This study conducts a doctrinal analysis of the application of Maslaha, the Islamic jurisprudential concept of public interest, in a selection of contemporary Sharia court judgments from northern Nigerian states. Maslaha has historically served as a flexible jurisprudential tool for adapting Islamic law to evolving social conditions, and its role in modernising Nigerian Sharia jurisprudence has significant implications for law, society, and human rights. The study employs a qualitative doctrinal legal research design, analysing 60 selected Sharia court judgments from Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi states issued between 2019 and 2024, supplemented by interviews with 20 legal scholars and Sharia court judges. Data are analysed using Islamic legal methodology analysis and comparative jurisprudential frameworks. Findings reveal that while Maslaha is rhetorically invoked in a number of judgments, its substantive application is often unsystematic, inconsistently defined, and rarely grounded in documented analysis of social utility. Significant interpretive divergence across states and judges is observed. The study recommends the development of a standardised Maslaha application protocol for Nigerian Sharia courts, judicial training in advanced Usul al-Fiqh, and scholarly dialogue on defining the boundaries of Maslaha in the Nigerian legal context. Keywords: Maslaha, public interest, Sharia courts, Islamic jurisprudence, Nigeria.