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).