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.
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