AWQAF – General Directorate of Endowments
Endowment (Waqf) is a prophetic tradition and a defining hallmark in the history of Islamic civilization. It has proven its vital role and standing in the fields of education, health, and cultural and social welfare in its various forms. To this day, mosques, schools, institutes, and hospitals stand as living testimony to the greatness and importance of endowment throughout our illustrious history.
Within this context of generosity and humanitarian outreach, the AWQAF – General Directorate of Endowments aims to manage and invest endowment funds on sound economic principles, in accordance with Sharia guidelines, to ensure their growth and the fulfillment of the endowers' stipulations. Endowments are regarded as one of the most important civil society institutions, whether in terms of their origin, longevity, or the mandates entrusted to them.
As part of the contemporary Waqf renaissance, the scope of endowments has been broadened and their disbursement channels diversified through the establishment of six Endowment Banks covering various aspects of cultural, educational, health, and social life. This initiative encourages and guides philanthropists to direct their funds toward charitable development projects, organizing the channels of disbursement and spending to contribute to building a civilized Islamic society.
The Six Endowment Banks:
- 1. Endowment Bank for Righteousness and Piety
- 2. Endowment Bank for Serving the Quran and Sunnah
- 3. Endowment Bank for Serving Mosques
- 4. Endowment Bank for Academic and Cultural Development
- 5. Endowment Bank for Family and Child Welfare
- 6. Endowment Bank for Healthcare
Driven by a profound belief in the role of Sharia sciences, Islamic culture in particular, and applied sciences in general in the progress and advancement of the nation, the "Endowment Bank for Academic and Cultural Development" was established to serve as a rich wellspring of cultural and scholarly contribution. Endowment has played a significant historical role in energizing the academic and cultural movement through the establishment of schools, libraries, institutes, and more — creating a civilization from which all of humanity has benefited.
Key Initiatives of the Endowment Bank for Academic and Cultural Development:
- Supporting conferences, seminars, dialogue forums, exhibitions, and permanent and seasonal cultural centers.
- Providing domestic and international scholarships for distinguished students at the primary, university, and postgraduate levels.
- Organizing training courses to develop skills across various academic and cultural fields.
- Publishing books and audio-visual materials.
- Supporting and establishing endowment libraries.
Pioneering Projects by the Endowment Bank for Academic and Cultural Development:
- IslamWeb website (Islamweb.net).
- Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani Endowment Library (may God have mercy on him).
- The Da'wa Institute, specializing in training imams and preachers.
- The Islamic Heritage Revival Project for printing and publishing scholarly works by eminent scholars.
- Scholarship programs for primary, university, and higher education.
- Center for Endowment Studies.