MODULE 8E-07 Waqf

Waqf

One way of making sure that your wealth or property is always used as sadaqat al-jariyah is to make it waqf. The word waqf in Arabic means ‘to stop’ or ‘preserve’. Hence, when a portion of someone’s wealth or property is made waqf, it can only be used to support a particular charitable cause, and cannot be sold or transferred by his/her heirs, and it cannot be taken back. This is known as a religious endowment. There are laws and guidelines that come with waqf. These can be discovered in the books of Islamic law of your mujtahid.

For example, if I have a property that brings in rental returns, and upon my death I stipulate that it is waqf and its income should only be used to maintain a particular hospital, then the income of that property cannot be used for anything else.

In this way, waqf is of high significance among Muslims. It has had a great impact on the development of life conditions and strengthening of various social, cultural, economic, and medical infrastructures of Muslim communities. Waqf does not necessarily only relate to material forms; sometimes, for example, a source of knowledge (such as a book) is made waqf and distributed. This becomes a form of spiritual gain for those who use it, and in turn it benefits the marhum.