WAQF: ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION

Abstract

Waqf, an Arabic word meaning ‘to prevent, restrain’, in Muslim legal terminology means to protect a thing from becoming the property of a third person. The origins of waqf have long been a subject of debate among scholars; some believe the institution to be authentically Islamic, and others consider it to originate in pre-Islamic societies. One of the pioneers of waqf studies, compared its characteristics to Byzantine charity foundations and suggested there was a strong relationship between them. Öztürk and Akgündüz identify the attributes of the institution with Islam and believe it has evolved directly from the principles of the Koran