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XIV

Al-Sharia'

The body of Islamic law or jurisprudence.

Shurut

Conditions of a contract in order to make it valid.

Sighah

The expression or declaration signaling the intention of the

waqif to make a waqf.

Urf

Custom of a place or community.

Wakalah

Wakalah is one of the types of contracts under the category of

itlaqat, or authorization. (Mansuri, 2006) It is a contract

whereby a principal appoints an agent to carry out certain acts

on his behalf in respect of an ascertained subject matter. Only

the Hanafi school accepts a general agency (wakalah ammah),

with the other madhabs recognizing only a specific agency

(wakalah khassah). In the wakalah khassah, limits may be

placed upon the agent's authority (restricted agency);

otherwise it is an absolute agency. The agency relationship is

one of trust and the agent, therefore, owes fiduciary duties

towards his principal. These include carrying out his work with

ordinary skill and diligence, acting without conflict of interest,

keeping proper accounts, and not accepting secret profits.

Waqf

(Pl. awqaf). An endowment of property for the purposes of

charitable and good works, as permitted by al"Sharia.

Waqf Muaqqat

Limited duration waqf.

Waqif

A person who founds or endows a waqf

Zakat

Zakat is a compulsory annual poor-tax imposed on excess or

surplus property (subject to certain conditions). There are

eight specific beneficiaries whose needs at the time of the

Prophet were greatest and the most urgent. These were the

orphans, the destitute, the poor in need, those who were

indebted, those new converts to Islam whose wavering hearts

could be persuaded to the humaneness of the religion by

assistance in times of need, slaves seeking freedom, those who

strive in the cause of Islam to prevent injustice, and stranded

travelers who travel for pious or permissible reasons. Zakat

may also be used for those appointed the difficult task of

collecting and distributing the zakat.

There are two main types of zakat or poor-tax that Muslims are

subject to, and they are (a) zakat ul mal (a tax on surplus

wealth) (b) and zakat ul fin (a poll tax).