Day: August 7, 2018

By: Dr. Abdul Rashid Agwan

India has vast assets and properties under Waqf (Endowment), governed by The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2013. Reportedly, there are 4,90,021 Waqf properties in the country with the book value of Rs 5,468 crore and total estimated annual income of Rs 162 crore in 2006. In fact, India has the largest number of Awqaf properties in the world having a market value of 1.20 lakh crore ($20b) with a potential of generating Rs 12,000 crore per annum; however, in most cases Waqf management continues to be poor and non-productive. One effective way of making this Waqf treasure of the country fulfill its cherished function is to invest it in the promotion of education, particularly in higher education, which is also a dire need of the Muslim community today. There are examples in history and also in the present times wherein effective use of the Waqf institution was carried out for the promotion of higher education. The present paper focuses on the history, current practices and future scope of Awqaf in empowering educationally weaker sections of India, especially in the context of higher education.

An Overview of Waqf in Education

The institution of Waqf has been extensively used by Muslims for common good and remains the second most important instrument of human development in Islam after Zakat. Whereas Zakat is meant for immediate individual well being, Waqf deals with long term collective welfare and progress of society. In Zakat, transfer of entitlement is obligatory but, by definition, Waqf is non-transferable to a third party. Starting from the days of Prophet Muhammad himself (peace be upon him) and with the earliest creation of Awaqf in Madinah in the form of Masjid Al-Quba, Masjid Al-Nabi, Umar’s date garden called Thamgh, Bir Ruma of Usman, etc, Muslims have been assiduously using Waqf during historical times and even today. Starting from cemeteries, decorating mosques and birds feeding, to a larger Waqf and more significant in the social solidarity, such as construction of hospitals and educational institutions. The well known Muslim traveler, Ibn Jubayr (d. 1217), have narrated many of his observations as regards the wider use of Waqf in different parts of the contemporary Muslims world.

Read More at Muslim Mirror

The Indian war of independence was motivated by a few ideologies. Accordingly, there were different and distinct dreams of the future India, like Secular India, Hindu India, Muslim India, Dalit India and Socialist India. These dreams remain objectives of different kinds of political and social mobilizations in the country even today, though to different extent. The outcome of this vertical division of the Indian mindset is that the formation of a true and integrated India is yet a distant dream and people are still at war with each other for freedom and justice.

The chapter of Muslim India got closed with the partition of the country and formation of a Muslim homeland out of British India. Though only about one million Muslims from mainland India opted for this new homeland, those who preferred a composite India have had to lose many rights as Muslims, on the pretext.

With the provision of the reservation for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Constitution for a decade or so and the conversion of Dr BR Ambedkar to Buddhism, the chapter of Dalit India also closed. Due to political exigencies, Dalits are still enjoying the right of reservation and affirmative action but their dream of a casteless India has been forgotten and they are still struggling for social and political equality.

The idea of a Socialist India continued to exert for some decades. However, after its becoming a political vehicle of the OBC castes and the provision of reservation for them in the government jobs and educational institutions, it is no more in the fray.

It is the champions of Secular India that acquired the reins of power at the time of freedom and shaped its affairs for many decades. However, opportunism and corruption have weaken them to the extent of becoming ineffective now.

With other dreams losing steam, currently the idea of Hindu India, which was initially rejected by the countrymen, hits the ground running. However, its period of dominance will also be limited. Its main weaknesses are its reliance on Brahamanism and violence, which ultimately would have limited appeal and takers. However, before leaving the arena, the idea of Hindu India may cause such a havoc that India may either get disintegrated as a country or will become a country without anymore dreams.

Read more at Aequitas Review