Islamic Principles in Business Conflict Resolution Among Muslim Traders in Onitsha Market, Anambra State

This study examines how Islamic principles are applied in resolving business conflicts among Muslim traders in Onitsha Main Market, Anambra State, South East Nigeria. Onitsha Main Market, one of the largest in West Africa, hosts a significant community of northern Muslim traders whose commercial interactions with non-Muslim counterparts sometimes generate disputes requiring culturally and religiously sensitive resolution mechanisms. The study employs a qualitative case study design with semi-structured interviews conducted with 25 Muslim traders, 10 market union officials, and 5 Islamic scholars active in the Onitsha Muslim community. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal that Muslim traders frequently resort to mosque-based mediation for commercial disputes before and sometimes instead of formal legal channels. Islamic conflict resolution principles such as Sulh (amicable settlement), Tahkim (arbitration), and Tawbah (acknowledgment of wrongdoing) are actively applied. However, non-Muslim counterparts are not always willing to submit to these processes, and the lack of formal recognition of mosque-based mediation limits its enforceability. The study recommends formalisation of Islamic commercial mediation as an alternative dispute resolution channel, stakeholder engagement between Muslim community leaders and Anambra State market management boards, and awareness campaigns among non-Muslim traders on Islamic mediation ethics. Keywords: Islamic conflict resolution, business disputes, Muslim traders, Onitsha Market, commercial mediation.