Idris Ibrahim Alao is a lecturer, Department of Islamic Law, College of Law, Fountain University, Osogbo, Nigeria. He is a polymath with profound interests in the interactions between Shari‘ah and law, legal translation, legal education and practice, education law among others. He has a great passion for Islamic Law, particularly Islamic law discourse on (social) entrepreneurship. He is also a consultant in Shari’ah-Legal Drafting having participated in the review of the Sharia Court of Appeal Law and Rules of Kwara State; and in the draft of Bills for the Establishment of the Sharia Court of Appeal and Area Court of Lagos State. As a seasoned translator with cognate experience in the translation industry, his certified translations have been tended for official and documentation purposes in embassies, government agencies and educational institutions in Nigeria and abroad. He has reviewed a number of Fiqh works translated into English including Fatāwā Muhimma Tata‘allaqu bis Salāt by Shaykh Abdulaziz Ibn Abdullahi bin Baz (former Grand Mufti of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) published by Union of African Muslim Scholars (Ittihād Ulamā ifriqiyā), headquartered in Bamako, Mali. As an independent translator, he has also consulted for local and international organizations. He is the first lawyer in Nigeria to author in the thematic area of Arabicization of Shari‘ah and Legal Discourse in Nigeria with his two monographs: “Maqālatun fi Ba‘dil Qadāyā Ash Shar‘iyyah Wal Qānūniyyah fi Naijiriyā” (A Treatise on Shari‘ah and Legal Issues in Nigeria) and “Bāqatul Muhāmāt: ‘Ibarun Wafawā’idu fi Hayāti Tā’ifatin Minal Muhāmin” (Parcel of the Bar: Selected Lessons from the Lives of some Lawyers), published in 2020. He holds professional certificates in International Law and Diplomacy; Islamic Banking and Finance; Islamic Cooperative Management and Practice; Waqf Management and Administration Techniques; and Islamic Estate Distribution with specific reference to estate planning, distribution and execution. He is a member of some professional associations such as the National Association of Law Teachers (NALT), National Association of Islamic Law Teachers (NAILT), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigerian Institute of Translators and Interpreters (NITI), Nigerian Association for Educational Administration and Planning (NAEAP) etc.
