INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue X October 2025
METHODOLOGY
The study follows a qualitative and doctrinal research methodology supported by an analytical approach. It is
based primarily on library and document based research aimed at examining the legal, regulatory and
institutional aspects of cash waqf in Bangladesh. Both primary and secondary sources have been used. The
primary sources include statutory laws, particularly the Waqfs Ordinance, 1962 (Bangladesh), relevant
government rules, and policy documents concerning waqf administration. The secondary sources comprise
books, journal articles, research theses, and reports published by national and international institutions related
to Islamic finance and waqf management.
The study also employs a comparative method by reviewing the legal and operational frameworks of cash waqf
in selected Muslim countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Singapore to identify best
practices that could be adapted in the Bangladeshi context. The collected data are critically analyzed to identify
the strengths, weaknesses, and regulatory gaps in the existing system and to propose a more effective
framework for managing cash waqf in Bangladesh.
Origin And Development Of Cash Waqf
In Islamic history, the Waqf system has witnessed tremendous development, since its early stages in the
prophet Muhammed (Sm) era until the present moment. During the reign of the Khulafa’ al-Rashidin and the
subsequent period of Islamic ruling, Waqf activities were further extended (Aldeen et. al., 2020). Today, cash
waqf is recognised in the whole Muslim world as one of the most effective mechanisms in apprehending the
socio-economic and welfare objectives of the institution of waqf. For the first time in the history of Islam, cash
Waqf was introduced by Imam Zufar in the eighth century on a condition that the cash endowed must be
invested through mudaraba and the returns generated must be spent for charity (Cizakca, 2009). Similar
practices like cash Waqfs are also traced in ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and the Roman Empire (Cizakca,
2009). At the beginning of fifteenth century, the Ottoman courts during the Ottoman Empire approved the
practice of cash waqf and by the end of sixteenth century this practice became popular all over Anatolia and as
far as the European territories of the Ottoman Empire (Cizakca, 2004) which correspondingly managed some
parts of the Middle East, South-Eastern Europe and North Africa (Aldeen et. al., 2020). During that time, the
collections in the cash Waqf were used to acquire and improve several models of fixed assets (Cizakca, 2004).
At that time cash waqf accounted for more than half of the newly created awqāf in the Ottoman Empire
(Cizakca, 2004).
In present days, a renewed interest towards cash waqf can be seen in many parts of the Muslim world,
including Bangladesh. Compared to the standard traditional concept of dedicating immovable properties as
waqf, cash waqf is a favourite to many Muslims, affluent or otherwise. In countries like Bangladesh where land
properties are becoming scarce day by day due to density of population, cash waqf can be considered advanced
alternative. As a result, cash Waqf is gaining popularity and acceptance to a wider range of the population who
are willing to participate in welfare-oriented activities (Karim, 2016).
Understanding The Meaning Of Cash Waqf
Generally, the subject matter of a Waqf is a building or land or any other immovable property. However, there
are persons who cannot afford immovable property to participate in Waqf. Thus, cash Waqf is a great option
for them who do not have a fixed asset but rather have movable assets i.e. cash for donating. As a result,
everyone in the society are able to perform sustainable charity activities through cash Waqf as long as they are
keen on doing it voluntarily only for the sake of Allah’s (SWT) blessings (Mohsin, 2008).
Cash waqf has been defined by many scholars. Al-Tasuli from Maliki School defined cash waqf as ‘the process
of dedicating cash as waqf for the purpose of lending it to designated beneficiaries without interest’. Similarly,
Zufar from Hanafi School defines cash waqf as the process of dedicating cash as waqf and then upon investing
it the profit would be used for the specific charitable purpose. Despite slight variations in the definitions there
is a unanimous fatwa among classical scholars that cash waqf is permissible (Ahmad, 2015). Most of the
definitions come to a common point that cash waqf is a charitable endowment established with cash capital
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