A waqf can be formed through a deed or instrument, or a property can be deemed waqf if it has been used for religious or charitable purposes for a long period of time. The proceeds are typically used to finance educational institutions, graveyards, mosques and shelter homes.
What are the essentials of waqf?
Essentials of Waqf
- A permanent dedication to any property.
- The dedicator (waqif) should be a person professing the Mussalman faith and of sound mind and not a minor or lunatic.
- The dedication should be for a purpose recognised by the Mussalman law as religious, pious or charitable.
Who started waqf?
The earliest known waqf, founded by financial official Abū Bakr Muḥammad bin Ali al-Madhara'i in 919 (during the Abbasid period), is a pond called Birkat Ḥabash together with its surrounding orchards, whose revenue was to be used to operate a hydraulic complex and feed the poor.
