Waqf from past to present
Following the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) continued to endow their wealth, seeking Allah's pleasure.
These Waqfs continued to grow and proliferated significantly during the Umayyad era due to the wealth Muslims acquired from Islamic conquests. With abundant funds, houses, shops, farms, and gardens, this facilitated various charitable acts through Waqf.
Waqf administration through Muslim caliphates
Due to the expansion and diversification of Waqf in people's lives, the Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik established a separate administration for Waqf, known as Diwan Al-Waqf, led by Judge Tawbah bin Nimr bin Hawgal Al-Hadrami.
He created a special register for Awqaf (plural of Waqf) to protect the interests of their beneficiaries.
With the spread of this phenomenon and the diversity of its forms, the administration of Awqaf evolved with the development of Islamic society.
In the Mamluk era, Waqf had three diwans; one for mosque Awqaf; another for the Kaaba, Madinah and other charitable entities; and a third for family Awqaf.
The significance of Waqf continued to grow into the Ottoman period, as sultans and officials keenly endowed, leading to administrative formations to supervise Waqf, along with multiple instructions for its organisation, types, and management.
Many of these regulations are still in practice in Muslim countries today.
However, in later eras, Waqf faced extensive campaigns aimed at its abolition, especially the family Waqf, citing issues among some heirs or certain practices by charity Waqf administrators.
Unfortunately, Waqf's opponents succeeded in convincing rulers to abolish family Waqf and take control of many charitable Awqaf in Muslim countries.
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the role of Waqf in Muslims' lives saw a decline due to a number of reasons, including campaigns by Waqf opponents from writers, intellectuals, and political leaders in many Muslim countries. Despite the efforts of scholars to counter these campaigns, Waqf gradually deteriorated.
The current state of Waqf in the Muslim world
The current state of Waqf in Muslim countries can be summarised as follows:
1- Most are under government supervision by Ministries of Awqaf.
2- Some types have been banned by laws in many countries.
3- Public participation has noticeably decreased compared to the past.
4- Waqf no longer plays as significant an economic and social role as it did previously.
5- Many existing Waqfs under Ministries of Awqaf are not managed or invested efficiently. Sometimes these ministries even diverge from Shariah regulations, either in the way they administer Waqf, invest its funds, or distribute its proceeds to beneficiaries.
6- The grand schools, universities, libraries, and hospitals that were established and flourished in the past on Waqf funds are no longer as prominent. Even those that remain - like Al-Azhar Mosque and others whose Awqaf have been taken over by the Ministries of Awqaf - have deteriorated despite governments taking over their expenses from their treasuries.
7- All of the above has contributed to the absence of the Waqf system as a significant economic and social phenomenon that positively impacted the Islamic world's advancement in its long history.
