Islamic Theology of Disability and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Nigerian Muslim Communities

This dissertation develops a systematic Islamic theology of disability grounded in Quranic anthropology, Prophetic exemplars, and Islamic jurisprudential tradition, and critically examines its implications for the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Nigerian Muslim communities. Disability is a significantly neglected theme in Nigerian Islamic theological discourse despite the significant prevalence of disability across Nigeria and the Quran's explicit inclusion of persons with diverse abilities in the community of believers. The study employs a constructive theology methodology combining systematic exegetical analysis of Quranic verses and Hadith literature relating to disability, review of classical and contemporary Islamic disability scholarship, and empirical field research involving in-depth interviews with 30 Muslim persons with disabilities and their caregivers, 20 Islamic scholars, and 15 disability rights advocates across Kano, Abuja, Lagos, and Enugu. The original contributions include the first comprehensive Islamic Theology of Disability Framework developed from a Nigerian context, a critical analysis of how dominant Nigerian Islamic discourses either enable or constrain disability inclusion, and a set of faith-based advocacy principles for disability rights in Muslim communities. Findings reveal that theological fatalism regarding disability coexists with genuine Quranic foundations for inclusion that are inadequately mobilised in practice. The dissertation recommends a national Islamic disability theology education programme targeting mosque leaders and Islamic educators. Keywords: Islamic theology, disability, Muslim communities, disability rights, Nigeria.