Browsing by Author "Opeloye, Muhib O."

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    The Account of Joseph (Yusuf [A. S.]) in the Quran and the Bible
    (1995) Opeloye, Muhib O.
    The Quran, according to the Muslims' belief, is the culmination of all the revealed scriptures. Prior to its revelation, the earlier scriptures were revealed to different peoples in accordance with the requirements of their age. The Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (P. B. H.) not only to confirm the previous scriptures but also to remedy the interpolated inconsistencies found in them. It is the purpose of this paper to bring to light how the Quran performs this function with reference to Joseph's narrative. Joseph (A. S.) is the only prophet whose account is given in greater detail in one single Surah following the Biblical sequence. A close study of the Biblical account of Joseph (A.S.) reveals a number of puzzles one of which is addressed by I.A.B. Balogun in his article "Joseph in the Bible and Quran". This study is, therefore, motivated by the desire to carry further this scholarly endeavour.
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    An Assessment of the Contributions of 'Ilmiyyah Schools to Arabic and Islamic Learning in the Southern Nigerian Universities
    (1994) Opeloye, Muhib O.
    This paper attempt to find out how the inclusion of Arabic and Islamic Studies syllabus in the secondary school certificate examination in the early seventies had affected the contributions of the 'ilmiyyah schools to Arabic and Islamic learning in the Southern Nigerian universities.
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    Building Bridges of Understanding between Islam and Christianity in Nigeria
    (2001) Opeloye, Muhib O.
    Of the great monotheistic faiths having Abrahamic descent, Islam and Christianity enjoy the widest universal acceptance. Islam with about 1171 million adherents has 23.2% of the total world population which stands at about 5 billion, while Christianity with about 1424 million adherents attracts 29%. The adherents of the two religions therefore constitute more than half of the world population. Nigeria as a nation has a substantial percentage of the world population of Muslims and Christians. Archbishop John Onaiyekan makes a correct observation when he says: "Nigeria is one of the greatest Islamo-Christian nations in the world." What the archbishop means by this is that Nigeria is about the only country in the world where one finds a very large population of Muslims living side by side with a large population of Christians. There are nations with fairly large population of Muslims and Christians but more often than not we find one dominant over the other. Where Muslims and Christians are fairly balanced, the population would not be as large as Nigeria's. Though we cannot ascertain the actual population of the Muslims and Christians of this country because religious affiliation was not put into consideration during the 1991 controversial headcount, what is however certain is that the giant North remains the stronghold of Islam in spite of intensity of the Christian evangelism going on in the area, while the dominance of Christianity in the South East remains unchallenged. It is in the South-West that the two faiths attract a balanced population of adherents. The large population of Muslims and Christians in Nigeria gives the country an advantage of being a nation to be reckoned with in the global search for religious peace and harmony.
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    Confluence and Conflict in the Qur'anic and Biblical Accounts of the Life of Prophet Musa
    (1990) Opeloye, Muhib O.
    The Article compares the qur'anic and biblical presentations of Moses. Though the Qur'an does not set out the prophet's life chronologically, a chronological account can be constructed from the various passages. It can be seen that this is very similar to the life of Moses as told by the Bible. The Article nevertheless lists seven points of dissimilarity. These he attributes to the different circumstances in which the message was recorded. The similarities, he suggests, indicate a common source and origin.
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    Jesus of Nazareth: A Scriptural Theme to Promote Muslim-Christian Dialogue
    (1998) Opeloye, Muhib O.
    JESUS (THE QUR'ANIC "ISA") is perhaps the most controversial of all the world religious figures. The controversy surrounding his personality has been largely responsible for the dividing line between Islam and Christianity as two separate religions. Jesus is to the Christians the expected Messiah whom some Jews denied and the Romans killed. He is to them the son of God and God Incarnate. To the Muslims he was no more than a prophet, a prophet sent to the children of Israel. This notwithstanding, the Qur'an is replete with views corroborating the Biblical account of Jesus. It is the aim of this paper to highlight the extent to which the Qur'anic views on Jesus are complementary to those of the Bible with a view to using them as a basis to promote Muslim-Christian dialogue.
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    The Muslim Women and Challenges of the Contemporary Time
    (2006) Opeloye, Muhib O.
    Gender Studies is increasingly becoming an important field of academic study in view of the interest it has been generating, not only among the political scientists and philosophers but also the theologians. The interest generated in this field must have resulted from degradation to which womanhood has been subjected through the ages. It is a fact well known that the ancient civilizations such as the Byzantine's and Persian's as well as the primordial religions like Hinduism and Buddhism have nothing favourable about women who were held in very low esteem. It was Islam at its advent which accorded women due honour and dignity. Unfortunately, however, it was not long when due to some socio-cultural factors Muslim women were deprived of rights accorded them by Islam. The Muslim reformists of the 19th century including Muhammad Abduh and Jamalud Din al-Afghani tried with little success in the Muslim world to restore dignity and honour to womanhood.
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    The Nature of God's Existence as Understood by the Bible and the Qur'an
    (1995) Opeloye, Muhib O.
    The Biblical teachings on the nature of God appear somewhat equivocal as the Old Testament's and the New Testament's views on this subject are diametrically opposed. While the former tends to affirm God's corporal existence as evident in the instances where Biblical figures are reported to have seen God, and passages ascribing parts of human body or human emotions to Him, the latter on the other hand asserts that God is spirit and consequently cannot be seen. This seeming irreconcilable position led to theological argumentation about the nature of God between the Christian anthropomorphists and the spiritualists.
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    Particularism Influence in Theological Search: Implications for Christian-Muslim Dialogue
    (2004) Opeloye, Muhib O.
    Particularism according to Webster Dictionary' means exclusive or special devotion to a cause. It has political as well as theological significations both of which have similar connotations. .4s a political concept it is a theory or practice advocating a right or freedom for each politically conscious or organised group to promote its own interest without regard for the interest of the target group. In Dopamu's view particularism is the absolute claim of faith; it is an exclusive claim to revelation; it is a weapon used by the exclusivists to see their own faith as the only faith, the one and the only to salvation.
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    The Place of Religion in the Educational System in Nigeria: the Islamic Perspective
    (2000) Opeloye, Muhib O.
    This paper focus on the following: The issues involved in choosing an educational system generally; the revolution of the educational system for Nigeria and the place of religion; the effect of the National Policy of Education on the study of religion in our schools, especially at the secondary level; and the implications of the revised policy for the study of religions.
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    Religious Factor in Nigerian Politics: Implications for Christian-Muslim Relations in Nigeria
    (1989) Opeloye, Muhib O.
    Right from the period of struggle against colonization, Nigeria had started to experience two major problems inimical to political stability. These were politicization of ethnicity and politicization of religion. At the initial stage, the problem was more of the former which contributed to the collapse of the First Republic and the start of the Civil War. The demise of the Second Republic as well could not be divorced from ethnic politics. An attempt to put an end to ethnic politics in Nigeria constrained the present military government to approve a two-party system for the Third Republic. Religious politicization had its roots in the pre-independence era, but it started to pose serious problems to the unity of the country only within the last decade. The military government having sensed this problem warned the politicians against the formation of political parties based on religious ideology. It is too early to assess the deterrent value of this warning. However, Nigerians should have been adequately warned of the shape of things to come from the handling of the Shari'a issue under the Third Republic. This paper then shall examine the role religion has played in Nigerian politics and its effects on Christian-Muslim relations.
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    Religious Humanism among the Yoruba of Nigeria
    (1998) Opeloye, Muhib O.
    There is no gainsaying the fact that the arrival of the acclaimed world religions, namely Islam and Christianity have dealt a great blow to the growth of indigenous religion in view of the loss of most of its adherents to the new faiths. This is why the present day Nigerian governments are doing everything possible to revitalize the indigenous culture. It is pertinent to say that even though the Yoruba are today mostly Muslims and Christians, they still practise their religions within the context of their indigenous cultural background. The diversity in religious beliefs of the Yoruba shows that the people have wider religious experience. This article is therefore concerned with the religious aspect of the Yoruba culture. We shall examine the basic beliefs and practices of the three main religions practised in Yorubaland with a view to high-lighting their impact on their life.
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    The Socio-Political Factor in the Christian-Muslim Conflict in Nigeria
    (1998) Opeloye, Muhib O.
    This study identifies ethno-political factors as the major contributor to the Christian-Muslim conflict in Nigeria, while indicating the secondary role of socio-economic considerations and religious fundamentalism, as exemplijied in the Zangon Karaf riot of 1992 and the Tafawa Balewa and Bauchi disturbances of 1991 and 1995 respectively. The study reveals that the tension that erupted from these episodes merely ignited the bomb of ethno-political rivalry between the minority and majority ethnic groups. The eruption of violence on each occasion was the manifestation of the collective anger of minorities that had been incubating over a long period against the domination of the Hausa-Fulani hegemony. Religious and socio-economic considerations were only incidental factors. It is stressed that, even though the disturbances started as ethnic conflicts, they spread rapidly to other towns in the wake of rumours of their religious connotations. The Christian-Muslim conflict, which is traced back to the 1979 Shari'a controversy, is believed to have done serious damage to the unity of Nigerian society. The article sees the practical solution to this problem as lying more in the use of the school system in inculcating the spirit of mutual acceptance and harmonious co-existence, than in the creation of chiefdoms which tend to cause separation and division.