Islamic Family Law and the Rights of Widows in Yobe State: A Community-Based Study

Widows in Islamic legal theory possess defined rights including Iddah maintenance, the right to complete dower payments, and inheritance shares, but the practical realisation of these rights in Yobe State communities is constrained by economic vulnerability, customary practices, and limited legal awareness. This study examines the rights of widows under Islamic family law and their practical realisation in Yobe State communities. A community-based descriptive methodology is applied to 180 widows selected from three local government areas through purposive sampling, alongside interviews with fifteen Islamic scholars and ten court officials. Questionnaire items assess awareness of Iddah provisions, Nafaqa entitlements during Iddah, mahr payment history, inheritance receipt, and experience with Sharia court proceedings. Descriptive statistics are computed in SPSS. Available literature from North East Nigeria identifies levirate marriage pressure, property dispossession by in-laws, and inadequate court access as systematic violations of widow's rights. The Quran-based provisions on widow entitlement (Surah Al-Baqarah, Surah An-Nisa) and their jurisprudential elaboration in Maliki law provide the doctrinal framework. Findings are expected to reveal high levels of rights violation with low rates of formal complaint. Recommendations address community Islamic legal literacy programmes, accessible Sharia court procedures for widows, and collaboration between government welfare services and Islamic institutions in Yobe State. Keywords: widows' rights, Islamic family law, Yobe State, Iddah, North East Nigeria.