The institution of waqf played a major role in early Islamic
civilization. It involves every aspect of socio-economic life in the
Muslim world. Because there is no clear legal reference to the waqf in
the Qur'an, early Muslim jurists relied on the Sunnah of the Prophet
(pbuh) and the actions of his companions to derive its laws. Being a
deduced law, this allows a certain measure of flexibility in deriving
its law from the different schools of law, to suit the different needs
arising within the different Muslim societies. However, the last century
witnessed its destruction for many social and political reasons. Hence
its role becomes idle and unproductive in almost all Muslim countries, a
situation where huge number of old waqf properties was left idle and
undeveloped, and hence founders' conditions were not fulfilled for many
years and also the rights of the beneficiaries were not met. The revival
of this institution within the last two decades shows optimism
approached in galvanizing its socio-economic role again through adopting
its flexible shariah measures and providing innovative modes of finance
that succeeded in redeveloping old waqf properties and extending their
role to include new beneficiaries. The book's main objective is to
present as much as possible the different successful cases in making a
revolution reform of the idle waqf properties in Muslim and Muslim
minority countries into productive ones today. These reforms include
providing services to the community, opening jobs for the majority of
people, funding small entrepreneurs, educating the mass, taking care of
the health of the people, and sheltering the poor and needy in the
different countries. Countries under studies are; Sudan, Turkey,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, New Zealand, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Iran
and the IDB role in financing some of the old waqf properties in
different countries.
