Waqf can empower youths, society
When institutionalised, the spirit of giving and caring can play a big role in development.
LAST month, I was inspired after attending a forum on waqf. When I was a child, to me, the term waqf referred to a covered seating space in school where we’d wait for our parents to pick us up. My knowledge of waqf was then limited to the building of mosques or Qurans donated by well-wishing members of the public.
I have since found out that waqf is much more than that.
It is about inculcating a spirit of giving, a sense of love and care for mankind, and to be selfless.
At the forum, Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah delivered an enlightening keynote address titled Waqf: Gaining the Trust for Social Economic Sustainability.
He spoke about waqf’s history, how it is related to the concept of endowments and charitable trusts, and its contemporary challenges.
He also spoke of how waqf has, for centuries, benefited both Muslims and non-Muslims.
An age-old Islamic institution, waqf refers to a trust or endowment, whereby private property is dedicated for a charitable purpose in perpetuity and is motivated by a sense of responsibility to humanity.
What I found interesting was Sultan Nazrin’s call to make the waqf institution more attractive to young people, to harness technology and the 4th Industrial Revolution to enhance waqf. There are two key thoughts that have crossed my mind on this matter.
Firstly, waqf can help cultivate a spirit of charitable giving among youths. The dynamism of waqf is manifested in its many forms.
The first waqf reported was the Quba mosque in Saudi Arabia. In Cordoba, Spain, 70 libraries and 50 hospitals were built based on waqf. Ibn Sina’s (or Avicenna’s) famous medical publication was also said to be funded by waqf. During the Ottoman empire, teachers’ salaries were paid using cash waqf. There was even waqf for animals.
Modern waqfs include the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology where US$ 10bil (RM39bil) has been pledged “for the advancement of scientific research and for the benefit of our youths”.
Some start-ups have created waqfbased technology companies that collect waqf contributions through crowdsourcing. The monies will go towards feeding the poor, providing education assistance and more.
In a day and age where materialism can have a profound effect on one’s mental being and self-esteem, waqf can have a humbling effect on people, especially youths.
It is not just about doing something in a physical sense, but also the belief that by donating our property – no matter how small – we can help others in perpetuity.
Waqf, as such, gives youths a sense of purpose. And this leads me to my next point. Waqf can lead towards a more equitable distribution of wealth and economic opportunity, especially for youths.
In its most recent report in January 2018, Oxfam stated that 82% of all the world’s wealth generated in 2017 went to the richest 1% of the global population. The report added that the 3.7 billion people who made up the poorest half of the world saw no increase in their wealth. In addition, 43% of global youths labour was either unemployed or trapped in working poverty.
To illustrate, it would take just four days for a CEO from one of the top five global fashion brands to earn what a Bangladeshi garment worker would earn in his or her lifetime. Without a doubt, the continued concentration of wealth around the world is a worrying trend. This has to change.
There are ongoing efforts to address this. In 2010, billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett started the “Giving Pledge”, which asks the richest people in the world to devote half or more of their fortunes to philanthropy. In 2015, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, pledged to donate 99% of the value of their Facebook shares (about US$45bil) to charity during their lifetime.
The Facebook CEO announced the decision in a heartfelt letter to his newborn daughter, Max, stating that they wanted to help children around the world and overcome societal challenges to create a better future. The same impact can be achieved through waqf.
In Turkey, waqf funds are used to rehabilitate heritage buildings that are then rented out. From this, 92,000 jobs have been created, 32,000 people have homes and an equivalent of RM500mil is generated yearly.
According to the Turkish Directorate-General for Foundations, almost 5,000 foundations contributed about US$1.7bil to the Turkish economy through their education, health, social services, cultural, arts and sports activities.
In a time when youths unemployment is on the rise, waqf-based businesses can help address the problem. Waqf is able to free the profit and shareholder orientation of traditional businesses and focus on the social benefit that should be achieved. During the Ottoman Empire, waqf employment was as high as 14% of the total workforce.
The long-term hope is that youths who benefit from waqf will in turn recontribute, creating a cycle of fair wealth distribution.
Lastly, waqf can empower youths through more educational opportunities. The world’s first university, Al-Qarawiyin in Fez, Morocco, which was established by a woman named Fatima Al-Fihri, is based on waqf.
It provided educational opportunities at a time when education wasn’t always a societal priority.
Merton College at Oxford University was established via financial endowment in 1264 and has for centuries facilitated scholarship, research and promotion of enlightened thought. It goes without saying that Harvard University’s endowment of more than US$37bil in 2015 has enabled it to be one of the best universities in the world.
In Indonesia, Waqf Foundation of Perserikatan Muhammadiyah has under its wings 173 higher education institutions catering to over 470,000 students. They also have 186 research centres, over 5,000 elementary and high schools as well as 15,000 kindergartens.
Malaysia still has a long way to go. Currently, 14 of our 20 public universities have waqf units, with close to RM30mil in waqf contributions collected, with RM1.8bil more in endowments.
Last month’s forum impressed upon me that if harnessed properly, waqf can be the third sector – alongside government and the private sector – to play a vital role in the development of a nation and its economy. With its all-encompassing nature, it can spur youths forward towards a more inclusive society and future.
Danial Rahman has education close to his heart and welcomes feedback at danialrahman0330@gmail.com. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.