AN ASSESSMENT OF TALAQ AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IN ISLAMIC LAW KATSINA STATE AS A CASE STUDY

The talaq (Divorce) is vested in the husband by Islamic law to terminate a marriage that fails to achieve its objectives, in order to protect the couples from the possible evil that may result from the failure of marriage. However, in the case of this research, the finding is that this right of divorce has turned to a tool, for the destruction of family institution as a result of the abuse in its use by some Muslim husbands especially in Katsina State. On this note therefore, the statement of the problem of this research is that there is high rate of divorce in the society particularly in Katsina state which has given rise to negative impact on the society which includes juvenile delinquency, prostitution by young ladies, drug abuse by youth and begging. Thus, the objective of this research is to identify the reasons for the prevalence of divorce in the society particularly in Katsina state and to proffer measures to addressing them. This objective was achieved by examining the rules and regulations guiding the exercise of divorce in Islamic Law in relation to how divorce is effected in Katsina State to determine whether or not the practice is in conformity with the provision of Islamic Law and to examine the reasons responsible for the high incidence of divorce in the state. On this basis, interviews were made with relevant divorcees and Muslim Scholars. The research finally concluded by recommending that the government and other relevant stakeholders should engage in massive enlightment strategies so as to guide the Muslim community on the rules and regulation of talaq and the research.