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- ItemOpen AccessThe 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.
- ItemOpen AccessAn 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.
- ItemOpen AccessChristian-African Religious Interactions in Nigeria(1994) Opeloye, M. O.; Asaju, D. F.In religiously plural societies such as Nigeria, interaction between adherents of different religions is inevitable. The capability to relate to one another depends on the nature of the religions, the preachers, the practitioners, the policies and actions of Governments. Interaction may be positive or negative. The latter is problematic because it engenders numerous social and political vices
- ItemOpen AccessConfluence 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.
- ItemOpen AccessJesus 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.
- ItemOpen AccessThe 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.
- ItemOpen AccessThe 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.
- ItemOpen AccessParticularism 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.
- ItemOpen AccessThe 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.
- ItemOpen AccessPredestination and Freewill in the Bible and the Qur'an: a Comparative Appraisal(1988) Opeloye, M. O.Predestination and Free-Will are perhaps the most controversial theological concepts. The theological problem of whether or not divine will determines humans’ actions and salvation remains unresolved. Many Christians as well as Muslims are of the view that prior to creation, God had predestined the fate of man. Others hold the opposite view that man is the determiner of his fate. The Jabarites among the Muslims and the Calvinists among the Christians believe in the doctrine of predestination while the Qadarites and Mu'tazilites among the Muslims and the Pelagians in Christianity believe in Free-Will. It is paradoxical that each group finds justification for its views from the scriptures which is to say that the two concepts' are affirmed therein. In the light of this, it is generally believed that the scriptures contain contradictory teachings on these subjects. In our view, this results from lack of proper understanding of the scriptural teachings on predestination and free-will. This paper therefore attempts to examine the context of predestination and free-will in the Bible and Qur'an with a view to justifying the extent to which the teachings of the two scriptures on the two concepts are mutually complementary rather than contradictory as it is often thought.
- ItemOpen AccessProblems of Desecularizing Nigeria's Political Order(1988) Opeloye, M. O.Since the demise of the second republic and the second military intervention in Nigerian politics, Nigeria has been in search of a stable political system. A political bureau was established by the federal government for the purpose of conducting a national debate with a view to enabling Nigerians to make meaningful contributions for the formation of a political system of their choice. Since then, varied opinions have been expressed, some have advocated a one-party system, others a two-party system, while yet others opt for a zero party system.
- ItemOpen AccessReligious 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.
- ItemOpen AccessReligious 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.
- ItemOpen AccessThe Scriptural Accounts of Creation and the Concept of Theistic Evolution(1994) Opeloye, M. O.The scriptures considered in this study are the Bible and the Q'uran. The doctrine of creation as enshrined in the two books (of Christianity and Islam) maintain respectively that the universe was not self creating, neither is it self - existing as it owes its origin and continued sustenance to the omnipotent power and the unconditional will of the Almighty God. The two scriptures' views on creation uphold the theory of creation ex nihilo (creation out of nothing) through supernatural fiat. This theory runs counter to the theory of emanation, which believes that the universe was made out of the substance of deity as contained in the Brahamic Sacred Books, as well as the theory that the universe was made out of something independent that either existed eternally or came spontaneously into being as contained in the cosmologies of the Greeks.
- ItemOpen AccessThe 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.
- ItemOpen AccessTeaching of Islamic Studies at the Junior and Senior Secondary Levels within the 6-3-3-4 Educational Structure(1989) Opeloye, M. O.The 6-3-3-4 structure is a recently adopted system which allows students to spend 6 years in the primary school, 3 years in the junior secondary school. Another 3 years in the senior secondary school and finally 4 years in the University. The 6-5-2-3 which was abolished allowed students to spend 6 years in the primary school, 5 years in the secondary school, 2 years in higher secondary school and 3 years in the university.
- ItemOpen AccessThe Theology of God's Word from the Biblical and Qur'anic Perspectives(1995) Opeloye, Muhib OmolayoThe word of God known in the Old Testament as La debar Yahweh and in the New Testament as Ho Legos tou Theou, and variously referred to in the Qur'an as Kalam-Allah, Kalimat-Allah (pl. Kalimat) and alkalimu is an expression of divine will. According to the Scriptures the word of God is not only supreme and immutable, it is eternal. The divine word has several theological significations three of which shall be explored in this paper because of their contribution to the Christian-Muslim understanding of the revealed word of God. These are the word of God as a message, the word as an operative force and the word as a personified force.