Waqf is a donation in the form of an endowment to Allah for charitable or religious purposes. It becomes Allah’s property managed by trustees. Over history, these are some amazing Waqfs that Muslims have made:
` A property was made Waqf for providing grass for the mule ridden by the Sheikh of Azhar in Cairo at the time.
` The bridge at Mostar, destroyed in the Bosnian war in 1992, was originally built from Waqf funding.
` A woman I Egypt created a Waqf of 1260 hectares for the benefit of Ulama who followed Imam Abu Hanifa rahimahullah.
` There was a Waqf in Syria whose income was used to buy new plates to replace those broken by domestic workers to save them from censure by their mistresses and from using their own incomes.
` In Fez, Morocco, there was a Waqf for caring and curing certain birds at the Sidi Frj Hospital.
` A lady created a Waqf for providing ropes for pails used for supplying water to a Musjid.
` The first hospitals in Muslim lands (among the first in the world) were created through Waqf. An example is the Mansuri Hospital in Cairo, one of the largest built. It was completed in 1248 CE. The hospital had separate facilities for men and women, irrespective of religion. The hospital also had its own Musjid.
` Ar Razi, a physician, selected the site for the Audidi Hospital in Baghdad, by hanging pieces of meat in various parts of the city. The site where the putrefaction was the slowest was chosen. The hospital had physicians including physiologists, oculists, surgeons and bonesetters. %
Awqaf Insights Journal Magazine, 2007
AMAZING WAQFS
