AN APPRAISAL OF EARLY CHILD MARRIAGE IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA: AN ISLAMIC POINT OF VIEW

Marriage can be construed as a civil union of two people of opposite sex that creates a family tie with legal, social, or religious rights and responsibilities. It is a legal concord between man and woman to live together and procreate children. In other word, marriage is the foundation of a family unit which makes up a society. The origin of marriage can be traced to the period of creation of the first man i.e. Adam and later Hawa’ who was created from the ribs of the former to serve as helpers and a mutual tranquilizers for each other. Qur’an 4:1 is a good testimony of this, ever since; marriage remains an important factor in human existence. However, one of the controversial issues in Islam is early child marriage which generates divergent of opinions among scholars. Islam being an all encompassing religion leaves nothing unaddressed in humans lives, be it social, political, economic, educational, physical, spiritual, national or International. Islam encapsulates all human facets in this life and the life beyond. This paper therefore aims at examining the marriage institution with emphasis on early child marriage from Islamic point of view. The study adopts discourse method analysis approach to access the retrogressive status of the bride in depriving her right to consent during marriage contract. The study recommends that the laid down religious fundamental pillars of marriage must be strictly adhered to in any Islamic marriage procedure. This is necessary in order not to debar rights of children and for fair compatibility of the prospective couples, as these will enhance reciprocal spousal relationship devoid of matrimonial disorders and marriage under duress