A Comparative Study of Waqf Institutions Governance in India and Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/id.v26i2.1265Abstract
Waqf denotes an Islāmic endowment institution. According to
Islāmic law, a Waqf property is permanently dedicated to Allāh Almighty and
is to be used, as specified by the wāqif (the endower), for permissible purposes.
India and Malaysia, two countries of unique importance to the Muslim world,
have an enormous number of Waqf properties. This study explores immovable
Waqf, rather than movable and cash Waqf assets. The huge Waqf properties
have significantly supported the development of the economic and social order
of the Muslim community in the past. However, it is widely believed that due to
inefficient governance and mismanagement, Waqf assets in both countries have
not been optimally utilized for the betterment of local Muslim societies. This
comparative study attempts to analyze the governance of Waqf institutions in
India and Malaysia in the past and present, so as to highlight the main issues
pertaining to governance. This will help each country to look at their respective
merits and demerits and to learn from each other’s governance model. The
methods used in this study are analytical and comparative in nature.