Awqaf
/หษหkษหf/noun
The plural of waqf, referring to Islamic charitable or religious endowments and the assets held under them.
Did you know?A waqf could fund mosques, schools, hospitals, fountains, and even public kitchens, creating a legally protected charitable institution that could outlive its founder for centuries.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic period
Proto-Semitic
*w-q-f
โA reconstructed root associated with standing, stopping, or causing something to remain in place.โ
Classical Arabic
Arabic
waqafa (ูููููู)
โTo stop, stand, halt, or set something aside.โ
Early Islamic period
Arabic
waqf (ููููู)
โA property legally stopped from ordinary sale or inheritance and dedicated to a charitable or religious purpose.โ
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
awqฤf (ุฃูููููุงู)
โThe plural of waqf: endowments or their dedicated assets.โ
18thโ19th Century
English
wakf / waqf
โAn Islamic charitable endowment, especially in legal, colonial, and scholarly writing.โ
Modern English
English
awqaf
โThe plural term for Islamic endowments, and sometimes the name of a government ministry or administrative authority managing them.โ