الكفاءة الزوجية وأثرها في الاستقرار الأسري بولاية كانو نيجيريا: دراسة فقهية مقاصدية

Abstract

This study examines marital compatibility (al-Kafā’ah) and its impact on achieving family stability in Kano State, Nigeria, by integrating Islamic legal foundations with field-based social analysis. The research aims to highlight the significance of marital compatibility in reducing the rising rates of family disputes and divorce in Kano State, by outlining the key Shariah-based criteria of compatibility, clarifying the proper mechanisms for selecting a suitable spouse for marital life, and demonstrating the relationship between marital compatibility (al-Kafā’ah) and Maqasid al-Shariah as well as its effect on family stability. The researcher employed three methodologies in this study: the inductive method, used to collect and categorise research data; the comparative analytical method, used to analyse the views of Islamic jurists, compare them with contemporary social realities, and relate them with Maqasid al-Shariah; and the field study, through which data were gathered via interviews with judges, officials from the Hisbah Board and the Shariah Commission, guardians, and married individuals in Kano State, to identify the manifestations, causes, and consequences of the lack of marital compatibility. The study reached several key findings, foremost among them that marital compatibility is a fundamental factor in achieving harmony and stability within the family, and that its absence significantly contributes to increased disputes and divorce. The findings also indicate that the main causes of weak compatibility include limited religious awareness, prioritisation of material considerations in spouse selection, and the lack of effective premarital counseling programs. The study concludes with recommendations, the most important of which are: enhancing religious and social awareness among youth; strengthening the role of educational and religious institutions in preparing individuals for marriage; and supporting community initiatives that promote proper spouse selection based on faith, character, and upright conduct.