Endowments Awqaf In Islam

The word (waqf) and its plural from awqaf are derived from Arabic root Verb which means "to stop", or " to hold" " to keep" or to prevent property from passing into the hands of a third person. In a religious connotation, the term waqf means to protect and preserve the property in such a way that remains intact but its usufruct is dedicated for charitable purposes in perpetuity. Endowments or awqaf (the plural of waqf) resemble common law trusts, with the trustee being the institution or individual in charge of the waqf and the beneficiary usually being the whole community. Awqaf can be used not only to provide immediate necessities to the poor, but also to create or strengthen business support institutions that can lower the cost of doing business for the poor. Awqaf can also be used to support and build infrastructure institutions that can improve corporate governance and reduce the cost of doing business. For example, information bureaus, market regulatory bodies, the provision of accountancy services, and other such shared services for a group or for the entire society can be funded through waqf. Thus, this paper focuses on the application of these concepts and some possible roles that waqf may play in the socio-economic development of the Muslim societies.

Dr Kozlowski's important study pioneers a fresh approach to the study of a critical Muslim institution: the endowments or awqaf which almost everywhere in the Islamic world provide support for mosques, schools and shrines. The wealthier Muslims who establish endowments inevitably have an eye on social, political and economic conditions and have traditionally used awqaf as part of an effort to preserve their wealth and influence, especially in periods of change and uncertainty. The book focuses on the use of endowments by Muslims suffering the dislocations caused by the imposition of British rule in India and examines in detail the social and political implications of the controversy over endowments that took place in the imperial courts and councils. The author's observations and insights can be applied to many periods and places in the Muslim world and his novel approach will attract all those interested in the study of Islam.

Yitzhak Reiter presents a picture of the role of Islam in mandatory Jerusalem through the resources of the Waqf. The prevalent image of institutionalized corruption within the Waqf system is not completely supported by the findings of the study.

Waqfs (pious endowments) long held a crucial place in the political, economic, and social life of the Islamic world. This volume, which evolved from papers delivered at the 2005 American University in Cairo Annual History Seminar, offers a meticulous set of studies that fills a gap in our knowledge of waqf and its uses.

Awqaf can be used not only to provide immediate necessities to the poor, but also to create or strengthen business support institutions that can lower the cost of doing business for the poor. Awqaf can also be used to support and build infrastructure institutions that can improve corporate governance and reduce the cost of doing business. For example, information bureaus, market regulatory bodies, the provision of accountancy services, and other such shared services for a group or for the entire society can be funded through waqf. Thus, this paper focuses on the application of these concepts and some possible roles that waqf may play in the socio-economic development of the Muslim societies.

One of the first studies of a major public waqf foundation based on its own registers, this work offers new insights into the working of the Islamic endowment in general, and its socio-economic significance to the history of Ottoman Algiers.

In Ordinary Jerusalem, Angelos Dalachanis, Vincent Lemire and thirty-five scholars depict the ordinary history of an extraordinary global city in the late Ottoman and Mandate periods. Utilizing largely unknown archives, they revisit the holy city of three religions, which has often been defined solely as an eternal battlefield and studied exclusively through the prism of geopolitics and religion. At the core of their analysis are topics and issues developed by the European Research Council-funded project “Opening Jerusalem Archives: For a Connected History of Citadinité in the Holy City, 1840–1940.” Drawn from the French vocabulary of geography and urban sociology, the concept of citadinité describes the dynamic identity relationship a city’s inhabitants develop with each other and with their urban environment.

Islamic Social Finance provides an introduction to the Waqf system, which has played a significant socio-economic role throughout the history of Islamic civilization. In a contemporary framework, Waqf creates new networks between micro-entrepreneurs, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs), and entrepreneurship through voluntary donations made by individuals in a society. In other contexts, Waqf supports the financial system and contributes to the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs).